Chapter 28

28

Reed

I t's supposed to be a strategic move, this whole wedding thing. At least that's what I have been telling myself lately, as if that's going to stop me from catching more feelings. Who am I kidding? I'm deeply in love with Dakota, and so are my brothers. We're helping her because we love her. Because we've never had such a bond with anyone before. Not like this, not at this intensity, and certainly not with the promise of a future together.

Therefore, I am nervous.

I'm pacing the groom's chambers while Maddox and Archer are downstairs, taking care of the final details before the ceremony begins. The preacher is on his way. We should all be ready and gathered in the wedding hall in about an hour. Sunshine pours through the windows, bathing the room in a golden glow. It speaks of hope and promise, reminding us that while this may not have unraveled in a traditional way, it's still taking us to where we're supposed to be.

As I look at myself in the mirror, I recognize the man staring back at me on a deeper level, and I wonder if my younger version could've ever imagined I'd be where I am today. Dakota was an unexpected surprise, and this thing between us grew so fast, consuming us to the point where I know I'm going to give her a wholehearted "I do" before God and the church today.

All I can do is hope she won't wish to get a divorce later down the line once she has her inheritance and her financial problems are resolved. I cling to the possibility that Dakota's heart is in this as much as ours.

A knock on the door has me straightening my back.

"Come in," I say, expecting to see my brothers or our mother. Instead, it's Callie. "Oh, hey."

"Sorry to bother you," she replies with a faint smile. "Your brothers said I'd find you here." She takes a look around before glancing back at the hallway behind her. "Do you mind if I come in for a bit? I just want to talk."

"Sure."

Her smile broadens as she steps into the room, and I notice two champagne flutes in her hands. The door closes, and I turn away from the mirror so I can face her. "Looking sharp, Mr. Faulkner. My sister is one lucky gal," Callie says and gives me one of the glasses. "I figured we'd toast to the occasion."

"We'll be toasting plenty at the reception," I reply.

Callie laughs lightly, throwing her head back in a way that causes her fiery red curls to dance over her bare, milky white shoulders. The dress she picked out is a tad too provocative for my taste. It's delicate pink satin that accentuates every curve, the slit too high up on the thigh, and the cleavage plunging way too low. It is meant to provoke. My body and soul belong to Dakota, but even I have to admit that Callie could have any man she wants with just the snap of her fingers.

And she knows how to dress precisely for that purpose.

"That's true, but I'm just trying to have a conversation with my little sister's future husband. Since she and I don't have an older brother or a dad to give you that particular talk, I figured it falls on me."

"What talk?" I ask, half-smiling as I sip my champagne. An underlying sweetness sits on the back of my tongue with each sip.

"The ‘you'd better not break my sister's heart or else' talk," Callie replies. "I don't know her as well as you do, Reed. Hell, I almost missed my chance at getting to know her altogether because I let my family's venom infect me, but from what I've seen, Dakota is one hell of a woman. I hope you know that."

"Oh, I do," I chuckle softly. "She's one of a kind. An unexpected surprise, one might say."

"You two met at the community center, didn't you?"

I nod once. The champagne seems to be having an instant effect, spreading through me like liquid sunshine and warming me up on the inside. "The Single Dads Club. She taught our group CPR."

"That's sweet. And it's how you bonded, isn't it? Over the kids."

"Yeah. It's not easy being a single parent. My brothers and I are more than capable of covering Trevor's financial needs. We're still learning how to be his dads in all other aspects, but we're getting there. Dakota has been remarkably helpful in that sense, and the way our kids are getting along is making everything work a whole lot better between us."

"She's had it tough," Callie sighs, briefly gazing out the window. "For a long time, I was mad at her. I thought she was the lucky one because our dad chose her and her mom."

"It wasn't her fault, though."

"Oh, I know that now," she says. "I was a child myself. I felt hurt and abandoned. My grandmother kept me on the straight and narrow for the most part. I could never be the chaste woman she expected me to be, but in every other respect, I've upheld my duties as a Monroe."

"Chaste?" I ask, somewhat confused.

Callie smirks and takes a step forward. "I'm supposed to be sexually conservative until I'm wed. Funnily enough, Dakota beat me to it even though I'm the older sister. She got married, had a daughter, and even got divorced. In the meantime, I'm still carving my own path. It's an interesting tableau if you think about it."

"Not really. Dakota had a different upbringing, and there was no one there to point out the red flags when she met Keith," I reply. "Had she had Katherine by her side, in Sally's absence, maybe things would've turned out differently for her. Then again, I wouldn't have met her. So, it all turned out well in the end. We got to where we were supposed to be."

"I'm just so happy for the two of you," she says. "I wish I could find a guy like you. Or Archer. Or Maddox."

"You will. It just takes a bit of time and patience. Self-reflection. Knowing what you want in a partner and what your boundaries are."

"I suppose you're right, though an eighty-million-dollar inheritance would've been great," Callie chuckles bitterly. "It's fine. I've made my peace with that."

I shake my head slowly. Heat persists in my chest, an unfamiliar sensation that gradually begins to bother me as I finish the champagne and set the glass on a nearby side table. "Again, it wasn't Dakota's choice. Your grandmother had a plan, a vision for both of you. She probably thought Dakota needed it more and would put it to better use."

"It's a rough world out there, isn't it?"

"If you're unprepared for it, yes."

"See, that's the thing. Most people think I was born and raised with a silver spoon in my mouth and that I have no idea how to handle myself in the real world," Callie says, and I notice the change in her tone. It's cold and unyielding, reflecting the true feelings she's been keeping hidden beneath the surface, resentment being one of them. It seeps from her every word.

"Most people figure I'll die without the Monroe money and that I won't be able to make it on my own, that I'll end up sharpening pencils and pushing papers, or worse, flipping burgers at a diner somewhere without my inheritance. But here's the thing, Reed. I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can."

Why does my head feel so light? The heat keeps spreading, making my fingers and toes tingle. My breath is uneven, almost ragged, as if I'm struggling to remain upright. The room is starting to move. It started as a slow spin, but it's getting harder and harder to stay focused.

"I can handle myself," Callie says again. "I could get a job and make money and live the so-called American Dream if I wanted. I simply choose not to." She pauses, and I can't quite look at her anymore because she's turning into a pale pink blob. "What's the matter, Reed? Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure. I'm a little…"

"Dizzy?" She sounds way too calm. Alarm bells ring in the back of my head, but I fear it's too late. Whatever has come over me, it's about to get a lot worse. "Don't fight it," Callie says. "The more you fight it, the harder it'll take you down, trust me."

"What did you do, Callie?" I manage, the floor pitching beneath me.

She walks over to me, and I feel her arm snake around my waist as she helps me over to the couch. Every fiber in my body screams, yet I can't make a sound. I can't feel a fucking thing. Even my consciousness is slowly pulling away from me, the view darkening at the corners.

"I did what I had to do. No hard feelings to anyone, not even Dakota. But that is my inheritance she's marrying you for."

"Callie, what—"

"Don't sell me any BS about this being a marriage of love. I wasn't born yesterday. We both know you and my sister have something much more depraved going on. Something the church would never sanction."

"You drugged me," I gasp as I fall back on the couch.

"It's just a roofie. You'll be fine tomorrow. I'm getting my eighty million, Reed. My sister can figure something else out for whatever woes keep her awake at night. I didn't put up with the Monroe mantras and self-righteous bullshit my whole life for her to take my inheritance away purely based on the pity my grandmother foolishly felt upon her deathbed. Screw that."

My tongue is tied, my limbs as soft and useless as jelly. But my heart is racing, the horror of what she's doing washing over me in icy cold waves, creating a shattering contrast against the heat that persists in my ribcage. I feel Callie unzipping my pants, and I desperately want to do something about it, but I'm frozen in place.

In my mind, I'm pushing her away and shouting, but I can't move. I can barely see anymore, either. It's all a messy blur.

"Relax, Reed," Callie's voice comes through the haze with a sickening echo. "It's just for show. We're not really doing it."

"I'll kill you," I manage to whisper.

"No, you won't because you're a good man. I can see it in your eyes. You will have to apologize to Dakota, though. She's going to be pissed."

Dakota.

Oh, fuck.

Callie's plan. This was it all along.