Page 9 of I Always Will

Alexandria was amused every time they came here at just how out of place her parents looked, but they loved a good pizza. And this place made a great one.

“Oh, yes?” she said, looking at Esme who blushed adorably when Daniel wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. Her white skin was incredibly pale and the blush incredibly bright.

Alexandria couldn’t help but smile. Daniel had always wanted someone who was warm and loving—a million miles from their family. They knew they were loved in that familial obligation way, but it wasn’t effusive or spontaneous or any of the things she’d read love was supposed to be. She wasn’t sure she believed in it. The only person she’d ever loved without reason—beyond reason—had been Hailey, and she’d seen how that had gone, so she’d assumed it was just something in stories.

But here was Daniel, the man who’d always believed, getting exactly what he wanted.

She was happy for him, even if she didn’t understand it.

Esme hummed. “Yeah, from the past. She talks about her sometimes. I think they were in love. She’s great—my boss, not Alexandria. I don’t know Alexandria. She’s doing the catering for our wed—” She slapped both of her hands over her mouth, looking mortified. “Oh. Oh, no.”

Alexandria winced, looking from Esme to Daniel. The poor woman looked horrified.

Daniel looked serene.

Alexandria was going to murder him.

Their parents, who had been looking over their laminated menus, paused and looked up at Daniel in slow motion. Esme had said just too much to take it back or come up with a convincing cover story.

Given that they were here for this announcement, perhaps there was an argument for getting it out of the way early.

“Daniel?” their dad barked—a question and a demand.

“We have some really great news,” Daniel said. He seemed entirely unfazed. Alexandria wondered, not for the first time, whether he lived on an entirely different planet.

“What is it, Daniel?” their mother asked, her voice stony, livid in a barely-concealed way.

Daniel looked at Esme adoringly. “We’re getting married.”

Alexandria sucked in a breath at the same time Esme did. The difference was that Esme was swooning over the way Daniel looked at her, while Alexandria was bracing for the fallout.

“You’re getting married,” Susan muttered. There was that saying about looks being able to kill, but looks had nothing on the icy tone in her voice at that moment.

“We are,” Daniel said. “And we’re very excited about it.”

“Daniel,” their father practically hissed. “How can you be getting married? We’ve never even met this girl before tonight.You’veonly just met her. You cannot be getting married.”

“Marriage is a serious commitment,” their mother added. “It’s a serious matter that two people enter into when they know each other and have decided they can build a life together. Not something you do on a whim.”

They were livid, but it wasn’t as bad as Alexandria had expected, honestly. Daniel had made the right choice to tell them in public, while they were all together.

And Alexandria had made the right choice to stay at Daniel’s tonight. She could already see the yelling and anger that would be happening in her parents’ home later.

Their mother turned to her. “Did you know about this?”

She wanted to roll her eyes. It was always weird when parents turned to the other child and somehow tried to blame them simply because their sibling trusted them. As if both weren’t fully-grown adults capable of making their own choices. “He told me the other day,” she replied lightly, perusing her menu.

“And you didn’t think to tell us? Or to stop him?”

Alexandria frowned. She had thought to question what he was doing, but it was his life. She had no desire to meddle in it or control it. “I did not. He’s happy, Esme seems lovely. I support it.”

Daniel smiled at her. He was thankful, but not surprised. This was why she was here. This was why their relationship was strong. It didn’t matter if Alexandria wouldn’t marry someone after four months, it didn’t matter if the idea horrified her, she trusted her brother to make his own choices, no matter the outcome. And she’d be there for whatever the outcome would be.

Marrying someone was hardly the worst thing he could do. Her parents looked as though he’d just admitted to murdering Esme, which actually would be the worst thing he could do.

“You have no idea what she’s like,” her mother said, lowering her voice as if that would prevent Esme from hearing. “You’ve only just met her.”

“I’m a great judge of character,” she said with a shrug.

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