Page 74 of One Wealthy Wedding

“You have a pool.”

“Yes. Of course.” Theo gestures to the bar in the corner. “Want a drink?”

“You have a pool,” I repeat dumbly. “On the roof of a nineteenth-century mansion. On 5th Avenue.”

The depth of his wealth hits me. I grew up rich. My family had nice cars, fancy clothes, and a huge house. But this is on another level.

“How else would I throw pool parties?” He winks at me.

“Pool parties,” I say. “A dead Vanderbilt is crying somewhere.”

He barks a laugh. “I mostly use it for swimming laps. The roof is retractable. Come have a drink.”

“There are a lot of people here,” I hiss. At least fifty. This isn’t what I imagined, and it’s not what I’m comfortable with. I scan the crowd, looking for a friend, and spot Lane with Miles. Cole’s here too, along with what seems to be most of his teammates. They’re taller and broader than most of the other guests, so they’re easy to spot.

“Don’t worry,” Theo says easily. “They’re all friends.”

Lane makes her way over to us, smiling at me. She’s wearing a black sweater dress, and I spot the ties of a bathing suit peeking out over the collar.

“You’re here,” she exclaims. Her smile is wide, and her brown eyes are warm.

She squeezes me while I whisper, “What the fuck?” to her.

She laughs. “You married him,” she says.

The him in question is currently clapping his hands for attention. “All right. Pool’s open for business. Everyone in.”

He turns to me. “Cat? Want to do the honors?”

I look down at my outfit. A sweater and jeans. Guests around me start stripping, and I realize that I’m about to be left on this pool deck while everyone enjoys themselves.

I dig my nails into my hand. I will not feel sorry for myself. I’ve had everything. A life of unimaginable luxury. But for once, I would love to fit in.

Lane looks at me, her eyes sharp. “Cat has to change,” she says.

“I do?” I give her a puzzled look. “Actually, I think I’ll just—”

“Come on,” she responds, already leading the way back into the gym. I follow her while Theo starts pulling off his clothes.

She pulls me into the bathrooms off the gym and flips the lock.

“What if someone needs to use the bathroom?”

She turns to me. “It’s your house. They can fuck off.” She digs in her purse before handing me a bag. I peer inside. It’s a bathing suit.

“You didn’t have to.” I look up at her, love for her pinching my insides.

“I knew you didn’t have anything to wear. Besides, I want to see the look on his face when he sees you in a bathing suit.” She gives me an evil smile, and I laugh, but I head into the stall to change.

“How did you know?” I ask her as I pull on the bikini. The bottom is cheeky, with a high waist, and the top is simple—just a bra made of black neoprene.

“A lucky guess. You didn’t have any going-out clothes, and you let a few things slip that led me to believe you left your parents’ house in haste.”

Lane doesn’t know the full story, and suddenly, I want to tell her what so few people know.

I open the stall door. “Thank you, Lane.”

She’s in her own bathing suit, a plain bikini that shows off the pretty tattoo between her breasts. She smiles at me. “Looking good. Theo is going to lose his mind.”

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