Page 85 of Cruel King

“You’re the devil, Gavin King.”

He smirked and slid his hand up higher. “At your service.”

I swatted him away again, but he grabbed my hand this time and linked our fingers together. My heart thumped noisily in my chest at the gesture. It was so loud that I swore he could hear it. But he just shot me that lopsided grin and then kept my hand secure in his. Like I was his. Like we belonged like this.

I let my giddy smile show as we pulled up to the insane King mansion on the outskirts of Midland. Even though I’d seen the three-story structure on our last trip here, somehow, it seemed even more ostentatious than before. The white roses were everywhere, lush and lovely.

Gavin parked out front, and then we both hopped out of the truck. Malcolm, Trey, and Nate were standing outside, each with a beer in hand.

Nate leaned against the front railing and whistled. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Does Gav finally remember his roots?”

Trey laughed next to him. “I left it, just in case.”

Malcolm drained the rest of his beer and set it down on the railing. He strode down the steps and met us at the entrance. He offered his hand to Gavin and tipped his own hat at me.

“Pleasure to have y’all back in town.”

Gavin grinned. “Glad to be back.”

Mal’s eyes found mine, and I froze under his intense gaze. The first time I’d met him, I’d known he had this unmistakable energy. Like the room was charged around him. Likehewas in charge of everything around him. And I felt it again then. As if he could see beyond what Gavin and I were to the core of our relationship. Then, he cocked a smile in my direction, and I relaxed. We’d been weighed and judged, and he approved. Somehow, Malcolm’s approval meant something.

“Come on inside, Whit,” he said, gesturing to the front door. “The ladies have taken it upon themselves to throw quite an event for you. Don’t mind us as we steal Gavin.”

I arched an eyebrow at Gavin. “What trouble are y’all getting into?”

“Don’t you worry about that,” Malcolm said. “We’ll take care of him.”

“We’re going riding, aren’t we?” Gavin guessed.

“Hell yes,” Nate said.

“We’ll see you after,” Trey said with mischief in his eyes.

I laughed and waved Gavin away. A day of drinking and horse riding with his cousins was probably just what he needed now that he was away from the city.

“Have fun.”

I strode inside to find the house even more magnificent than last time. White, gold, and silver balloons delivered an incredible archway withCongratulations, Bride!in big gold letters with a massive inflated diamond ring. Flowers covered every other available space. As if Gavin’s aunt Susannah had taken her entire garden and brought it inside for the event.

Susannah was the first to greet me. “Whitley, you made it! We’re so happy to welcome you today.”

Tears pricked uncomfortably at my eyes as she hugged me. I’d felt immediately like I belonged with Gavin’s family when I met them the first time. But I’d been the fake fiancée then, and now … well, now, I wasn’t quite a fake bride-to-be. Things were starting to feel reallyreal.

Gavin’s mom, Julianne, pulled me into a hug next. “My future daughter-in-law.” She put me at arm’s length. “You’re more beautiful every day.”

“This hair,” Susannah said, gesturing at my rainbow hair. “It suits you.”

“You’re not a natural blonde, are you, honey?” Julianne asked about the color I’d been the last time I was here.

“You’ll be shocked to hear that I’m not a natural rainbow either.”

Both women laughed and gestured for me to join the group. I took a seat next to Margaret’s younger sister, Cora. She beamed at me and showed me the paper plate she had in her hand.

“It’s for your rehearsal bouquet,” she explained. “I’ll add all the ribbons from the gifts to it, and then you’ll walk down the aisle at the rehearsal with this bouquet.”

“What a cute idea.”

Cora grinned. “I’m glad to be here. Especially since Maggie canceled at the last minute.”

---