Page 104 of Fifth Avenue Devil

“No, thank you.” He runs his hand over his midsection and shakes his head. “I have a gluten allergy. Thank god, because all these cakes look amazing. I would eat until I burst.”

"Well, I already have a preference for my groom's cake.” I pause for dramatic effect. “Chocolate cake with hazelnut filling.”

"Ah, a man who knows what he wants." Javier nods approvingly. "Very well, chocolate it is for the groom's cake. How about the rest?"

“He’s talking to you, almost-Mrs.-Fordham.” I raise my eyebrows at Annalise.

Annalise laughs, a musical sound that warms my heart. She surveys the cakes, putting her hands on her hips. She’s almost tiny enough to be mistaken for one of the confections. As a matter of fact… I’ll have to make note of that for later. After Javier leaves, I’ll have the bride-to-be all to myself.

“Vanilla cake. Swiss buttercream. And for the filling, I want to alternate layers of blackberry. I want it to have a sharpness like…” She makes a popping sound with her mouth.

“So it shall be,” Javier says. He jots some notes down and then excuses himself, saying he has to get going.

Once he is gone, we take a moment to relax. The process of getting married invited a whirlwind of activity into our lives. I pour myself a glass of scotch and lean against the kitchen counter. Annalise curls up on one of the barstools, her designer sneakers discarded on the floor. She flips through a wedding magazine, though I can’t imagine what she’s hoping to find.

As Javier pointed out, at this point, this wedding is almost planned. It’s been four months since I proposed to Annalise. Four months in which I repeatedly offered to elope.

But she’s my girl. If she wants a wedding with all the fanfare, she’s going to get it. I watch her as I sip my drink, a smile playing about my lips. She gets a glass of wine and nurses it, distracted.

Our tranquility is soon interrupted by my house manager entering the room, holding out a newspaper for us. "Mr. Fordham, I think you might want to see this.”

I unfold the paper, then my gaze hardens. Annalise comes over and reads over shoulder.

The article details the sentencing of Annalise's parents for embezzlement, fraud, and ten other minor charges. The story is dramatic, highlighting their flight from justice and the impact of their crimes on New York society.

It’s funny, because I escorted Annalise for several days of the trial, which was held in absentia. No one even bothered to show up for the verdict. And why should they have?

Archer and Monique Gellar certainly weren’t there for a perp walk.

"Can you believe this?" Annalise murmurs, scanning the page. I try to read her face, but her eyes have little in them but acceptance.

“I know.” I rub my hand in little circles over her back. “Are you okay?”

"Yeah. It’s just– You know, New York society won't be the same without them. My parents were a monolith."

I can hear a hint of the anger simmering beneath her sadness. That kind of righteous indignation that would have anyone else shaking in their boots. But I know better than to fear her anger.

Like the sun and moon, we are opposite, yet extraordinary complementary. It’s one of the things that I love about her.

"Your parents made their choices."

“They did.” She hesitates, then blows out a breath. “Thanks, Nate.

"We're going to be partners in every sense of the word, remember? Unbreakable. If you hurt, I sense it. I will always feel protective of you."

Her lips quirk. “So you’ve said.”

“Well, I mean it.” I wrap a shielding arm around her. “You’re not alone anymore. If you face it, then we have to agree to face it together. That’s the only way this whole thing works.”

Annalise wrinkles her nose. “You’re so eloquent when you talk about our future.”

“I look to the future, and all I hear are poems.”

“Okay.” She kisses me on the lips, long and slow. “That’s like… aggressively romantic.”

“That’s me. Mr. Romance.” I raise my glass to hers, toasting. “This is going to be our year, Kitten. Just you wait and see."

“Yeah?” She laughs. “If you’re selling that, I’m buying it. Even if I don’t believe a word. You know why? ‘Cause I love you so much.”

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