Page 115 of Inevitable Inheritance

“We are leaving in ten minutes!” Marty announced, running into the room and scaring Taylor and Derrick. They both jumped.

“Geez, Marty!” Derrick chastised, but he laughed.

Marty ignored her brother and pulled the couple apart. “Let me see, I need to—” Marty gaped at the two of them. Self-consciously, Taylor looked down, fearful she had done something to the dress. She saw nothing, and when she looked up, she saw Marty’s chin trembling.

“Marty? What is it?” she asked, moving forward.

“I’m sorry. You guys just look so perfect. It is exactly how I pictured it,” Marty replied, leaning her head back and blinking quickly, attempting to hold back anything that might ruin her makeup.

“You look fantastic yourself, Miss Fletcher,” Taylor said, taking in Marty’s dress. The black gown was another Marty original, with a square neckline that ended at the base of her neck. The skirt of the dress had exaggerated pleats, and within each pleat was an alternate shimmer of pink and purple, reinforcing the theme for the night.

Marty bit her bottom lip, nodding quickly in response. Then she turned and left. She had done that lately, choked up and run. At first they had tried to follow her, talk to her, but that seemed to make her regress more. Now they just let her go, gave her space.

“Should we go?” Derrick asked in Marty’s wake, offering his arm to Taylor.

Taylor slid her arm into Derrick’s, and together they exited the room. Taylor looked up at Derrick, her husband. God, it was still so weird to think of him that way. As they made their way down the corridor, she felt something, an overwhelming something. She was so very happy with her life. But that word didn’t seem to convey the alive feeling she had deep inside her. Elated? Ecstatic? No, it was something so much more. The life she hadn’t wanted, the she had run and hid from, she was now in love with. She felt alive to be a part of it and excited to live it.

Things had really come together.

“What are you smiling about?” Derrick asked as they closed in on the stairs.

Taylor looked up to Derrick—her friend, her lover, her husband—and smiled. “I was just thinking about how happy I am,” she said, sounding a little surprised.

Derrick smiled back to her. “I’m glad,” he said, relief crossing his face. “I love you, Taylor.”

Taylor opened her mouth but was distracted by applause before she could say anything. Staff from the Fletcher mansion were at the bottom of the stairs awaiting their descent. It was like something out of a movie; it seemed unreal. As they made their way down, Taylor’s mind wandered to the fact that she had been about to say “I love you” to Derrick. It was ready to come freely and without hesitation from her mouth.

She was in love with Derrick Fletcher.

Her life had finally come together. She had lost a lot in her young life, but now she was making up for it. She was making a new ending to her story, and she was doing it with Derrick.

And it wasn’t because she had to or because the company needed it; it was because she was in love with Derrick, and it felt totally right. Her heart raced. As corny as it sounded, she was pretty sure it skipped a beat with the knowledge that what she had with him was real, no more faking.

Derrick smiled at Taylor. “You’re glowing,” he said as they exited the staircase.

Taylor beamed back at him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, that she probably always had, but she was going to wait. It was one of those things that should come in the right moment, something totally special. She wanted to share it when they were alone and not in a crowd of people.

Marty was already downstairs. “Let’s go, lovebirds,” she said, leading them out to a waiting car.

Taylor smiled wider at the knowledge that she was indeed a lovebird.

* * *

The red carpetto the ball was best described as controlled chaos.

Marty had hired a PR firm to assist them to get through it, and Taylor had dubbed them “wranglers” in her head. When the limo had pulled up and Derrick had gotten out, the noise was ridiculous. The shouts and catcalls made Taylor freeze in fear, her eyes going wide.

Marty laughed at the calls, but when she turned to Taylor to laugh with her, the grin slid from her face. “What’s wrong, Taylor?” she asked, sliding to her.

Taylor tried to bring a shaky smile to her face, but it fell almost instantly. “Just nervous. I haven’t been on a red carpet in a long time. I don’t even remember the time I was on it.”

Marty rolled her eyes, and her grin returned. “That’s right, you were like a Faberge egg,” she laughed and leaned in, kissing Taylor’s cheek. “I will go out, and you next,” she instructed, sliding out of the car to the waiting hand of the driver.

Once Marty was out, Taylor took the deep breath she needed to try and settle herself.

You can do this, she told herself.You have taken over a company.You have gotten married and changed the outlook for a corporate conglomerate. You can walk a carpet.

“Tay?” Derrick called into the limo.

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