Page 64 of Unwillingly His

Luc and Lucian walked off, and I couldn’t help but realize how similar they looked. Both were tall with broad shoulders, and they were both incredibly handsome. Lucian looked more like Luc’s older brother than his father.

“Have you ever been to a polo match before?” Amelia asked.

“No, I haven’t.”

The three of us walked arm in arm back to the white tents where Charlotte’s husband was sitting, looking extremely uncomfortable. He looked quite dashing in his suit, but although it was tailored perfectly to his body, it did not fit him at all.

“Well,” Charlotte said, “let me introduce you to the best part of watching Luc and his father battle it out with other men on horseback.”

“What’s that?”

“The bottomless cocktails,” they both said with bright smiles, and I noticed for the first time that Charlotte’s eyes were not as focused as they should have been.

We took a seat at one of the benches, and almost immediately, a waiter wearing a white tux came over to our table with what looked like fresh mint juleps for Amelia and Charlotte.

“She’ll have the same,” Amelia said. Then she leaned towards me. “Trust us, they’re the signature cocktail here. I don’t know what they put in them, but I’m pretty sure it’s illegal.”

“If not, it should be,” Charlotte agreed.

“They use your family’s bourbon,” Reid said, rolling his eyes and sitting back, his arm slung casually over his wife’s shoulder. It was adorable, but he still looked so uncomfortable.

“That explains why they are just so good.”

“So, does your father like to coach the team or something?” I asked, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

“No,” Charlotte answered. “Well, he’s the captain of the team. Luc is chomping at the bit to take over, but I don’t think Father is going to let that happen for several more years.”

“It annoys Luc to no end that your father can still outplay men half his age,” Amelia said, laughing before taking another long sip from her drink. “But Lucian is the captain of the team and the owner.”

“He owns the team so he can be captain. That seems a little heavy-handed.”

“No,” Charlotte said, scrunching her nose as her eyes drifted up. “Father earned his place as captain years before he bought the team. The previous owner was talking about buying cheaper horses, like Kentucky Derby rejects or something, and said they would be just as good with some steroids or something, and Father wouldn’t hear of it. He said he wouldn’t destroy the sanctity of the game like that. So he bought the team and makes sure everyone has the best equipment and mounts money can buy.”

“Really?” So he didn’t mind playing by the rules when it was a game, but with my life, he would bribe judges and break as many laws as he needed to.

“Yep, the next step is to get this one out there.” She patted Reid’s arm.

“I don’t play polo. I can rope a calf, but I refuse to get on a horse just to hit a little ball with a big hammer.”

Amelia and Charlotte both teased him about life on the ranch and how now he was a big boy and could do big boy sports.

His response of football was met with more jeers and laughter.

I had to wonder, was this what my life would have been like if I’d had siblings?

The good-natured teasing and poking fun at each other while also knowing they would always have your back.

I envied Amelia and Charlotte. They had both grown up with older brothers who loved and protected them, and sisters who were like their best friends. Seeing them like this—so easily accepting of spouses into their circles and the relationship they had with their siblings extended to those spouses so easily, just to make their family larger—it almost hurt.

There was nothing quite like the joy and peace of others to make you realize exactly how alone you were in the world.

I was lost in my own thoughts, not really paying attention to what the others were saying, when I saw Lucian lead his team onto the field.

And it struck me again how unbelievably handsome he was.

He was sitting on top of his mount in polo attire, ready to do battle.

The look on his face was nothing short of fire and intensity.

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