Page 121 of The Unplanned Wedding

“I want to, for you are the center of my universe. My queen. And I’ll do anything to keep you happy.”

“Oh, Knox.” Those frothy emotions in my throat extend to the rest of my body, until it feels like I'm floating on air.

“Are you happy?” he asks tenderly.

“Very." My lips curve.

“Good.“ He grins back at me. "Ready to face the hordes?"

“I can't tell you how happy I am to see you settled down.” Arthur beams between me and my husband. “Of course, I take credit for it.”

Knox sneers. “Have you forgotten, if you'd your way, you’d have married me off to someone else?”

Arthur’s smile grows even wider. “I pushed you to marry Toren’s sister, knowing it would push you to acknowledge your feelings for June.”

When I risk a look at my husband’s features, he seems taken aback. “Let me get this right, you set me up in a possible arranged marriage to someone else so that?—”

“—you got a kick in the pants to acknowledge how much in love you were with your wife.” Arthur glances at me and his features soften. “And I don’t blame you. June is a one in a million?—”

My heart swells in my chest.

“When I saw the two of you in your office, I knew she was the one for you. But like my other grandsons, you were, clearly, too pig-headed to realize the woman you wanted was right in front of your eyes.” He turns his gaze on Knox. “I didn’t want you to lose your chance at your own happy ending.”

My husband's jaw hardens. “Goddamn meddling old man, you orchestrated that sequence of events?” His navy irises turn glacial. He looks pissed off. And I admit, he looks hot. I love my husband’s ‘angry face,’ but this is his grandfather.

Arthur welcomed me warmly into the family. I hadn’t realized that by marrying Knox, I was also marrying his entire family. His grandfather,uncle, and brothers are all up in each other’s business in a way I love. It’s what I missed growing up. I slip my arm around my husband’s waist. He looks down at me, and the cold in his eyes melts away.

He pulls me in closer, then turns to his grandfather. “You were right in what you did.”

“I was?” Arthur seems surprised.

“It gave me the incentive I needed to get my life back on track. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn't have married the love of my life. And to think, I didn’t suspect a thing?” Knox chuckles.

“Of course, I hoped it’d bring Tyler and Priscilla together, as well. Unfortunately, I haven’t succeeded in that regard”—Arthur sighs—"yet."

I ran into Priscilla at a coffee shop in Primrose Hill when she came to meet a friend. What could have been an awkward meeting turned out to be a pleasant encounter. We got to talking and decided to stay in touch. She says she’s over Tyler, but I’m not so sure. In fact, I suspect that the engagement Arthur masterminded might yet bear fruit for them. But that’s really Priscilla’s story to tell. I stay silent.

Arthur looks past us, and his expression brightens. “On the other hand, there are others who need my help.”

“What are you up to now, Gramps?” my husband mutters under his breath in a pitch only I can hear.

“Ryot, my boy—” Arthur beckons to him. Ryot prowls over, a groove between his eyebrows. He’s not happy at having caught his grandfather’s attention.

“—are you sure about this assignment?" Arthur asks in a voice that’s supposed to be casual, but there’s no mistaking the undertone of interest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Irene and Claire deep in conversation. I introduced them, and to my amazement, they embraced; and then, it was out of my hands. They started talking and haven’t stopped for the last fifteen minutes.

My siblings, too, were swept up by the crowd. Nathan’s wife Skylar took them under her wing. She made sure they had enough to eat and drink, and when Tiny arrived with Arthur, they made a beeline for the Great Dane. It’s wonderful to hear the house echoing with good natured ribbing between the Davenport brothers, and the sounds of Tiny’s barking, interspersed with the excited laughter of my siblings, as well as of Summerand Sinclair’s son, who's happily toddling around under Summer’s watchful eye.

So, I’m only half listening when Ryot replies, "I told you about it out of courtesy. Your opinion about it doesn’t matter to me in the least."

Arthur harrumphs, "Either way, you should know I approve."

Excuse me? Did he just say he approved?I whip my head around in time to see Ryot’s gaze narrow.

My husband, too, is staring at his grandfather. "You okay, Grandad? You want to sit down, perhaps?" He flags down one of the passing waitstaff we’ve hired to cater for the evening. He takes a glass of water from his tray and hands it over to Arthur, who waves it aside impatiently.

"I don’t need to sit down. I’m not thirsty. I feel just fine."

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