Page 32 of My Silver Lining

“I’m starving,” Rafe said as he lifted the dome off the plate. “What do we have here?”

“Like I said, blue-collar worker,” Barron said under his breath.

Rafe looked up at my cousin and held up his thumb and his pointer finger about an inch apart. “Like I said. You keep showing your hand, little Barron.”

Jasper, Meredith, Serena, and I all chuckled.

Everyone else looked a little confused as champagne flutes were passed around, and my grandfather raised his glass.

“Thank you all for being here to celebrate my eightieth birthday. We’ve got a big crowd coming to the party tonight, but I’m happy to have this time with all of you now. Welcome to the family, Rafe.” He waited for everyone to raise their glasses, and we clinked them together.

The staff stood behind the table and raised the silver domes, and everyone started eating their kale-cranberry salads.

“It’s a little soon to be welcoming him to the family, isn’t it?” Charlotte asked, as she took a sip from her flute and held her pinky out.

“I don’t think so. They seem very happy,” Meredith said, and she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

“How long do you plan to stick around, Chadwick?” Barron asked as he quirked a brow.

“As long as my girl will have me, Barry.” He winked at me.

My grandfather beamed. My mother and Francois clapped their hands together. All the ladies, including my grandmother, who tended to be a bit chilly when meeting new people, were swooning at the man beside me. Even my father looked slightly amused.

Rafe Chadwick was everything a boyfriend should be.

I hit the jackpot, and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Well, at least for the next three days.

Then I’d go back to being annoyed by him.

nine

. . .

Rafe

I could handle crazy.I grew up in a large, loud, wild family with colorful personalities.

But the Sonnets were next level.

You had the sweet grandfather, who clearly favored his youngest grandchild, Lulu.

He appeared disgusted by his eldest grandson, Barron, who was possibly the biggest dickfucker I’d ever met. His brother-in-law, Hunter, was a close second.

I knew the type. I worked with a lot of men like these two. Barron was clearly a trust fund kid because he’d still yet to answer what he actually did for a living, aside from saying he made money.

I asked Lulu, and she said he managed his and his sister’s trust funds.

Yet he was busy pointing his finger at everyone around him like they were beneath him.

I’d never been that guy. I didn’t give a shit what people did for a living or how much money they made. It’s more about doing what you love. I wasn’t surrounded by people who compared or looked down on others, so the dude instantlyrubbed me wrong. Lulu had already prepared me for him, and she hadn’t exaggerated.

She was in the bathroom getting ready for the party, as we were sharing a room, which could potentially be awkward as fuck, seeing as there was only one bed. There was a couch at the end of the bed, and I assumed that was where I’d be sleeping.

The bathroom door swung open, and Lulu walked out, and I quickly tried to straighten my features.

Because holy fucking shit, this woman was stunning.

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