Page 89 of Arranged To Be Mine

Minimal jewelry. Just the diamond studs my father had given me for my twenty-first birthday. A light coat of lipstick. Done.

I followed the directions my GPS spit out. By the time I pulled up to the address Beau had sent me, I had talked myself out of going twice, but I powered through.

And now I faced a mega mansion.

“Holy shit,” I murmured.

The house was enormous. Not surprising, given who owned it, but still intimidating. It sprawled across the property with manicured grounds. A massive driveway and an actual fountain.

I parked at the end of a long row of cars and sat there for a moment, trying to remember how to breathe.

This was fine. I’d met these people before. I’d had conversations with them. They’d been friendly. Welcoming, even. But that was at events with people watching. Formal settings where everyone was on their best behavior and there were clear social scripts to follow. This was different. I was walking into their territory without a playbook.

I scanned the cars and spotted Beau’s. I probably should have let him pick me up.

I pulled out my phone and texted him.

Me: I’m here. Parked outside.

Beau: Coming out to get you. Don’t run away.

Despite everything, I smiled at that. I climbed out of my car, adjusted the dress, and then there he was. He wore dark jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His face lit up when he saw me.

“You came,” he said, pulling me into his arms.

“I said I would.”

“I know.” He gave me a quick kiss that left me slightly breathless. “But I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d chickened out.”

“I don’t chicken out.”

I had almost called the whole thing off, but then I didn’t, so the chickening out didn’t count.

He stepped back and looked me up and down. “You look hot.”

“Thank you.”

“You ready for this? There’s a lot of people in there.”

“Define a lot.”

“Everyone. Plus kids. I honestly don’t know how many kids. My family reproduces like rabbits. Every holiday or birthday, another one pops up.”

“I’m not sure that’s how that works.”

He took my hand and led me toward the front door. The closer we got, the louder the noise became. Laughter. Voices talking over each other. Music playing somewhere in the background. It sounded like a party was already in full swing.

The door opened before we even reached it.

Tiana stood in the entryway, her face breaking into a warm smile the moment she saw me. “Darcy! You made it!”

Before I could respond, she’d pulled me into a hug. I stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to do with my arms, before finally relaxing into it.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, pulling back to look at me. “Beau’s been talking about you nonstop.”

“Mom,” Beau groaned.

“What? It’s true.” She waved him off and linked her arm through mine. “Come on. Let me get you a drink. You look like you could use one.”