Page 90 of Reign of Psychos

Eden huffed loudly. “I do love you. You’re my bestest friend.”

“Only friend,” I sniped, rubbing my damp hair and eying the plate of breakfast rolls on the table. “Soon to be ex friend for not warning me the guys were up to something!”

She had the grace to look sheepish. “They forced me to sign an NDA.”

“Like that would have stopped you from spilling the tea!” She grinned, happy I still used her favorite catchphrase.

“OK, so maybe I should have warned you, but we all wanted it to be a surprise.” I scowled at her.

“You knew I’d do a runner, didn’t you?” While I wasn’t completely against getting married, I still wasn’t comfortable marrying one and not the others. It felt unfair. My feelings were equally strong for all my guys and I hated having to choose one over another.

“Perhaps.” Eden shrugged dismissively. “Anyway, we don’t have time to argue. There are 500 of your closest friends and family waiting for you to get your shit together.”

I swallowed hard, feeling rather faint all of a sudden. “500?”

“OK, maybe a slight exaggeration…” She winked. “Cassian’s mom is here, my lot, Lan’s mom and sister, her kids, and some cute Russian dudes.”

“No Michael?” Her smile faded.

“No. That’s a story for another day. I refuse to discuss my relationship woes on your wedding day. Now eat something while I sort your hair out.”

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Eden had highlighted my cheekbones with bronzer and made my eyes pop with somesubtle shading. She’d curled my hair and then pinned it up, leaving a few curls to frame my face.

“Perfect,” she announced after adding a final coat of pink lipstick. “Now let’s get you downstairs before the guys and Jasper lose their shit.”

“Jasper?” Who the fuck was Jasper?

“Jasper’s the wedding planner. Cassian paid him a shit-load of money to pull this off. FYI he has a massive crush on Landon. Thinks he’s Jamie Fraser from Outlander.” She snorted. “Keeps asking if he’s wearing a kilt to the ceremony.”

“Lan doesn’t look like Jamie Fraser,” I pointed out. Eden had forced me to watch season one of Outlander last time she visited. I’d enjoyed it more than I let on. Mostly because of Jamie Fraser.

“No, but Landon has the accent, and apparently that’s enough to make poor, smitten Jasper swoon the moment he opens his mouth.”

“He better not try touching my man.” Lan didn’t need anyone fawning over him. He’d endured enough of that shit in the past, thanks to his fucking awful father. God rest his soul, may henotrest in peace.

Stuart Rothmore had sadly passed away a week after Lucian’s tragic demise. An unexpected heart attack killed the scion of the Rothmore Brewery while he relaxed in his wife’s hot house. It was all very tragic.

Lan admitted to me some weeks after his father’s unexpected death that Isobel’s knowledge of deadly plants had been Stuart’s undoing. She’d taken revenge after finding out how her husband had abused their children. I’d said nothing to Isobel, but we’d shared a hug when she visited.

“Don’t worry,” Eden chirruped as she led me downstairs, holding my hand to ensure I didn’t fall over. Looking like a beached whale had seriously fucked up my center of balance.

Verity met us in the hall. Like Eden, she wore a simple rose-pink dress that landed mid-calf, paired with sparkly sandals. My dress was more decorative, but not massively so. The silky fabric draped over my breasts, toga-style, and flared out over my bump. It was elegant and tasteful, but also sexy.

Instead of heels, I wore strappy gladiator sandals encrusted with sparkling gems.

“Flowers, sis,” she said, handing me a bunch of pink flowers with green foliage, wrapped in a pale pink ribbon. “Since Daddy can’t be here, I’m walking you down the aisle.”

“We don’t mention the D word,” Eden admonished. “Not today.”

“But I heard Thea calling for Daddy last night?” Eden tried her hardest not to choke with laughter as Verity looked confused. Meanwhile, my cheeks burned with the heat of a thousand suns as I recalled my little role-play activity with Cassian and Kyril. Ahem.

“I may have had,um, a nightmare.” I coughed and turned around, ostensibly to look outside.Fuck. We needed better sound-proofing in my bedroom.

“One day, when you are older, I will explain some things to you, my sweet summer child,” Eden said to Verity.

Verity rolled her eyes. “If it’s sex stuff, don’t bother. Aoife told me everything.”

I bristled with annoyance. “She better not have shown you inappropriate videos!”

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