Page 108 of Heart of The Night

‘Is that Ivy standing next to Alex?’ I asked.

‘Yes.’

‘She’s gorgeous.’

William pressed me closer and murmured into my ear, ‘That would be you, love. Shall we greet them?’

‘Yes.’

William waited for a natural pause in Beatrice’s conversation with the couple. ‘Alex is here,’ he said when he found the right moment.

‘Where?’ Beatrice asked.

William nodded in Alex’s direction, and Beatrice’s face lit up with a wide grin when she saw him.

‘Ah, and there’s Ivy by his side. Good,’ she said, her smile growing softer.

‘Cara and I thought we’d say hello,’ William said, offering an apologetic smile to the other couple.

‘Of course,’ Beatrice said, waving us away with a smile. ‘I’ll greet them a bit later.’ She turned back to her conversation, and William and I seized the opportunity to join the others.

As we approached the group, Andy spotted us first and grinned.

‘Well, hello there,’ he said, turning toward us. ‘Surprised you’re still here, Will. I know how much you hate these things.’

‘Dad bribed me to stay the whole night,’ William replied drily.

Amusement danced on Andy’s mouth. ‘Is that so?’

‘Yeah. Said he’d write Jason out of his will if I did.’

The group erupted into a chorus of chuckles.

‘Naturally, I had to take that deal,’ William continued, his tone serious.

‘Of course,’ Andy laughed.

‘Is this Cara?’ the blonde woman asked then.

William’s mouth curved into a lopsided smile. ‘This is her,’ he confirmed. I nearly blushed at his tone.

‘Hello, Cara. I’m Chloe,’ she said, offering a warm smile.

I grinned back, relieved to finally put a face to the name. Tall and elegant, she had a nose that was a touch prominent, but her plump lips created a pleasing balance. Her round, brown eyes exuded genuine warmth, and I could immediately tell she had a naturally caring disposition.

As I studied her, it was odd to think of how long she had known William. Even stranger was realising how long she and Andy had been together. They made a beautiful couple.

She extended her hand to me. ‘I’m so glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you, both from Will and Andy.’

I smirked. ‘Bitch behind my back, do they?’

She giggled. ‘Only Will,’ she teased, making me laugh.

‘I’d never dare,’ Andy said, giving me a wry smile and a wink.

William pulled me against him, looking smug. ‘Only I have got the balls for that.’

Ivy’s subtle smile at his remark caught my eye, drawing my attention to her. I wanted to meet her, but she seemed too shy to break the ice, so I nudged William’s arm and discreetly tilted my head in her direction, hoping he would step in and make the introduction.

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