Chapter 20

TWENTY

INDI

Will dragged his gaze away from mine, and I immediately felt like I needed to flee the scene. But this was my sister's wedding, and I would stay here for as long as she needed me to. Everyone flowed from the outdoor ceremony onto the balcony at the back of the castle. I tried to breathe, tried to shake away this tightness in my chest. I plastered a smile on my face and tried to catch my breath. I walked up the stairs that led to the balcony. A waiter came up to me with a tray of champagne flutes. I grabbed one and held it to my lips. I tipped my head back and let the bubbly liquid go down my throat.

"Wasn't it just lovely?" Carter strolled up to me and fixed some of the strands of my hair by pulling them into place. Her eyes were bright with excitement as she pressed her hand to the black earpiece in her ear.

"Yes, you've done an amazing job." I motioned toward the castle.

"Thank you! What's that? Right—okay, yes." She nodded and took her hand off the earpiece. "Okay, they're going to need you soon for the toast."

"Oh, right." Panic shot through me, and it must've been plain on my face.

"You did write the speech, right?" She placed her hand on my elbow, her eyes round with worry.

"Of course," I lied.

"Great." She turned toward the double doors and tugged me along with her.

They'd transformed the ballroom into a gorgeous reception hall. The walls had dim uplighting that gave the entire room a dark, candlelit feel. Twinkle lights were draped from one side of the room to the other. They hung in a swooping pattern that bathed the room in warm light. The tables were laid with floor-length, cream-colored tablecloths. Golden plates were spread around the tables along with polished silverware. Light music drifted through the room, and everyone moved around mingling.

Torren was stunning in her dress. I'd never seen her so happy. Nash kept hold of her hand. She hadn't nervously shifted once since the day started. It was as if she was so confident in her fate that a calm had washed over her. They smiled and greeted people as they walked around.

Daniel moved to my side and took the empty glass of champagne from me and offered me another one. "That was one hell of a ceremony."

"Yes, it was beautiful." I found myself going through the motions.

He scoffed and took a sip of his own drink. "I was talking about the intense eye contact between you and Will. But if you want to talk about the dress or how pretty the room is, I can do that too."

I pursed my lips and gave him a sour look. "I don't think that's worth mentioning."

"I disagree." He gave me a sideways glance.

"You and I both know exes are exes for a reason."

The music lowered and the DJ asked everyone to take their seats while Torren and Nash walked to the middle of the dance floor. They twirled around in perfect unison while looking in each other's eyes. The guests all clapped and laughed. I envied them this moment. There was no fear, nothing to hold them back. They were free to live and love as they pleased. For that, I was eternally happy for them.

When the song ended, Torren moved to the center of the floor and Carter handed her a microphone. I watched in confusion as Nash left her on the dance floor. This wasn't part of the wedding plan.

Torren cleared her throat and held the microphone to her lips. "Um, hi, everyone. Thank you all for being here."

I scowled. What is happening?

People clapped and whistled for her, but she held her hand up, silencing them. "Let me do this before I turn into a cat or something and miss my own wedding."

Everyone chuckled but they remained quiet.

"Weddings are usually a time for couples and their families. So first, I'd like to thank the Vaunteros for making me a part of theirs without hesitation, I cannot explain how much your acceptance of me has meant. But there's someone here tonight who I have to thank for being my whole world: my sister Indi."

All eyes swung toward me, and I shifted nervously. Daniel melted away, giving me the entire spotlight. I smiled at Torren and gave her a slight nod.

She continued on, "My sister played the role of my whole family. She was my mother, my father, my sister, and my best friend. When I was younger, I thought that was just how it was done. But as I grew older, I saw the sacrifices she made for me. She made me who I am today, and I wanted to just say . . . thank you and I love you."

Everyone applauded and she waved for me to join her. I walked out onto the floor and wrapped her up in a tight hug. I fought back tears and cleared my throat.

" Thank you ," I whispered in her ear.

"No, thank you." She took a step back and motioned to me. "Ladies and gentlemen, my mother, my father, my sister, and my Maid of Honor . . . Indi."

She handed me the microphone and I took it. Everyone clapped and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. I wasn't used to being the center of attention, but I would bear it for this moment, for her. I held the microphone to my mouth. The truth was I didn't know what to say, so I went with something from the heart.

"When I left my baby sister here, I never expected to come home to find her engaged. It was a shock at first. But the longer I've hung around with her and Nash, the more I've realized how perfect they are for each other. He is your home. I can see that every time you look at each other. But what I see doesn't matter. It's what you both see . . . each other. In life, no matter what ups and downs you might have, never lose track of each other. With Nash by your side, you found yourself, my beautiful baby sister. And Nash, with Torren by your side, well, let's just say, you'll never be bored and you'll never be without someone who will love you and keep you in her heart."

" Awww," echoed around the ballroom.

I raised my glass. "Cheers to the happy couple."

Everyone raised their glasses, and I took a deep sip of mine. Carter walked over and took the microphone from me, then handed it over to Mateo who stood off to the side.

The DJ came over the microphone. "And now a word from our Best Man, Mateo Vauntero."

"Nash, where's my emotional introduction?" Mateo threw his arms out wide and stared at his twin.

Nash stood up and shrugged. "I can tell you how to do a heart transplant, but that doesn't mean I can tell you the emotions inside of one."

Everyone laughed.

"You're lucky I like calling you out more than words of affection." He winked to his twin, then turned to face the crowd. He scratched his jaw. "Right. Best Man speech. Like my twin, I'm not really good at this part, especially after the sisters poured their hearts out here."

I grinned. "Sorry?"

Mateo stood there tall and confident as he addressed the room with a wide grin. "Some of you remember how this all started. Some of you may not. Some of you got to witness these two fall for each other, and for that, I will always have the worst FOMO. All I can say is Torren brought life and fun to our family, and most of all to Nash. It's hard to imagine that there was something missing from a family as small as ours, but Torren sure has filled that for us. They are what we all aspire to be."

Mateo wasn't wrong. They were what we all aspired to be. They were everything.

He gave a light chuckle. "So, you're welcome for being in a coma and giving you both the time to get to know one another. Cheers!"

The entire room erupted into fits of laughter, and the DJ turned the music back up. The dance floor instantly flooded with people, and I did my best to weave my way through them to get to my table. I just wanted to sit for a moment and take all this in. As I got closer, there was a flash of dark-red hair and then I spotted Will in some kind of heated argument with Daniel, who was sitting next to his sister, Isolda. Their voices weren't traveling, but I knew by Will's expression something had happened. Daniel, on the other hand, wore an unreadable expression.

I looked to Isolda for a clue as I hurried toward them. She didn't leave the castle much, and now I knew why, but I was happy to see she'd joined us tonight. And she looked incredible. She wore a strapless silver dress that I swore I saw Josiah wearing somewhere before. Her hair was loose and flowing down her back.

Will stood across from him. His cheeks were red with anger. His eye flared and he gestured sharply at Daniel. "How dare you?"

Daniel glanced around at the people watching the interaction. "What are you talking about?"

"How dare you treat Indi this way." His hands curled into fists at his side.

I marched up to the table and moved in closer to Will. "What the hell are you doing?"

"This guy is sitting here all over this girl." He pointed to where Daniel had his arm draped over the back of Isolda's chair. "He should have more respect for you."

"How about not embarrassing her at her sister's wedding?" Daniel snapped and rose to his feet to stand beside me."You need to back off."

" Me ?" Will pressed his hand to his chest. "You are embarrassing your girlfriend in front of everyone."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "And you're embarrassing your girlfriend by picking a fight with someone else. It is none of your business, Will!"

"What girlfriend?"

I scowled. "Zita. Obviously?"

He laughed once and really low. "You really think that relationship was real? Even after everything I said to you at the masquerade ball? I'm not an asshole. I never would treat an actual girlfriend like that."

I lowered my voice. "What are you talking about?"

He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Zita isn't my girlfriend. She's just a good friend. We've been close since we were toddlers. The whole relationship was fake."

My heart pounded against my chest. "Why? Why have a fake girlfriend?"

Will shifted uncomfortably and threw his hands out to his sides. "You already know why. I think I made myself pretty clear the other night. You made your choice and I'm respecting that as much as I humanly can. But I couldn't just sit there and watch your boyfriend have the audacity to flirt with this woman at your sister's wedding."

Daniel looked like he was going to hit him then and there. He growled at him. "She's my sister, you idiot."

Will's eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped into a little O shape. His eyes shot to Isolda. "You're his sister?"

"Um, yeah." She shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry?"

"I just . . . I just." He looked from me to Daniel to Isolda. "I'm sorry. Excuse me."

He turned and marched away, and all I could do was watch as he left. I stood there for a moment just letting the shock of the situation wash over me. He made the whole thing up? He looked so comfortable with Zita. Yet I knew he wasn't lying. I glanced around. No one else was watching us, but I felt like my soul had just been bared. I spent this whole time being jealous of Zita and upset with Will because he had her . . . and it was fake. Somehow knowing we both got fake relationships to help put distance between us was salt to the wound.

Daniel gave a long, low whistle. "I feel like we stepped into a real-life soap opera. So, are we calling off our arrangement too?"

I was gonna cling to this thing with Daniel with both hands, because I didn't know how much longer I could stop myself from loving Will. I needed to sort my emotions out. I needed to figure my life out. This was all too much. I wasn't ready for Will to know my relationship was also fake. He'd think that was some sign of fate for us.

I shook my head. "No, I need you now more than ever."