Page 116 of Winning Bid

I’m not sure about any of this. Is he being honest with me? Or is he playing the role of the doting father to butter up anyone who might be watching? It’s impossible to know. But maybe I can keep my father in my life if I keep him at a distance. Close enough to have lunches, far enough to keep him away from the Wests’ friends’ money.

I didn’t know tightrope walking came with wedding territory, but here we are.

The band stops, and we hear Kitty’s voice over a microphone. “If you will all take your seats, we will get started.”

Dad leans in and asks, “How is it rich people start a sentence like it’s a question but end it with them telling you what they want you to do?”

I giggle. “I can’t say, but in my experience, they all seem to manage it.”

He puts out his arm for me to take, and I do. From the outside of the tent, he leads me to the head table near the stage, where Anderson and his parents are already seated. He stands, smiling at my father. Dad says, “You must be the man who married my little girl.”

“Mr. Devlin, how nice to finally meet you.”

“And you.” He gives me another hug and cheekily says, “See? I got to give you away today.”

I roll my eyes. “Sneaky.”

“Mr. Devlin,” Kitty begins. “Won’t you please join us here?” She gestures to a place setting next to mine.

To my surprise, he gives me a look as though he’s checking in with me. I smile and nod, and he says, “I’d be delighted. Thank you, Mrs. West.”

We take our seats, and in that moment, I am overwhelmed. There are a few hundred eyes on us, and it’s like being under a microscope. If Anderson weren’t next to me, I’d bolt out of here. He leans in close, “Just a few more hours.”

“How’d you know?” I whisper.

“You have the same look you had when you were on stage at the auction.”

I snort a laugh, thinking back to all those months ago. How had I gone from auctioning my body to a random man to then marrying said man … it’s been one hell of a ride. But with him at my side, I can handle being the center of attention. For now.

56

ANDERSON

Ilean to my bride again. “This is why you never litigate, isn’t it?”

She’s gone pale at the thought. “Public speaking is not my forte. Please don’t ask me to.”

“No one is going to ask you to. I think Mom just wants to say a few words to get things started. She’ll speak, we’ll dance, everyone will eat, and then we'll go home. Okay?” I give her hand a supportive squeeze. “No big deal.”

She gives a brave nod and forces a smile on, and I feel guilty she’s so uncomfortable. But I know how much all of this means to Mom and Dad and, oddly, June’s father, too. He was moved to be invited to sit at our table. But given what she’s told me about the man, maybe he’s working on a scheme. I’m not sure if he can fake the kind of emotion that is on his face. If so, I understand why people get taken in by him.

He looks every bit the proud father most would be on a day like today.

To my surprise, Cole is the first to take the mic. “Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming today. I’m Cole West, the youngest disappointment.” He gets some good laughs out of that line, and thankfully, few in the audience know it to be true. But he grins, carrying on. “When Anderson and I were young, we didn’t always get along. In fact, I can still remember the time I stole his bike, and he chased me through the house with a horsewhip.” He chuckles, shaking his head, and I am glad he is starting with a mild anecdote. “When Mom caught us, Anderson lied and said we were playing Indiana Jones. I, being a genius, backed him up. I think that was the first time we ever really teamed up together. After that, Mom and Dad were up against a united force, and they didn’t stand a chance.” He smiles at me, raising his glass. “Now, Anderson has a new partner. Be careful with that one, brother. She’s way smarter than you and far better-looking.”

I smile and flip him off, and he laughs with the crowd.

Cole goes on, “May you strive to be worthy of her for the rest of your lives. Cheers.”

Everyone raises their glasses and drinks. To my utter shock, my father is the next one to head to the microphone. I would have thought for sure it’d be Mom, and that would be that. We’re outdoors, but there is not enough air. Is he going to be classy about this, or is he going to use today to humiliate me and June?

“I’d like to thank everyone who could make it here on such short notice. We would have liked to give more notice, but we only learned of their nuptials a week ago.”

Great. He’s going for humiliation.

“Love is like that, though. Sometimes, we do impulsive things. Things that perhaps we ought not do, but you know, deep down, they are exactly what you need to do.” He pauses, frowning.

I have no idea where he’s going with this, but I’m sweating bullets. I’m also wishing I had some actual bullets.

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