Chapter 8
I couldn’t get the kiss out of my head.
No matter how hard I tried to focus on other things, my thoughts kept drifting back to the moment I fell into him- literally. His piercing blue eyes, the warmth of his hands on my waist, the brush of his lips against mine.
Bryant Jones.
I knew him. We’d gone to the same college, though our lives couldn’t have been more different. I was the scholarship girl, always keeping my head down and working hard to blend in. He, on the other hand, was effortlessly charismatic, the golden boy everyone admired.
I remembered the first day of class when he’d saved me from tripping over my own nerves. I’d been a mess, clutching my books as I tried to find my seat, and he‘ d reached out, steadying me with a smile.
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After that, I admired him from afar.
That’s all I could do. I knew we didn’t belong in the same world. He was untouchable, while I was invisible.
But Bryant Jones had also been Gabriel‘ s best friend back then.
That was, until they’d become bitter rivals. No one knew exactly what had happened, but the fallout had been explosive.
My heart raced as realization struck me. Jones.
Could it be…? Was Bryant the man my parents were arranging for me to marry?
I didn’t wait to think it through. My feet moved before my mind could catch up, carrying me straight to my father’s study.
The door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open, blurting out, “Am I marrying Bryant Jones?”
It was only after the words escaped my lips
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Chapter 8
from hat I saw him.
дей
Her
heer
Bryant was there, standing next to my ather, his tall frame and confident
resence making the room seem smaller.
He turned to me, a slow, amused smile
preading across his face. “I believe the ecomenswer is yes, my lady,” he said smoothly, tly his voice deep and steady. “Unless, of t had ourse, you’d like to say no?”
My cheeks burned as his words registered. tions stood frozen, caught off guard by his calm emeanor and the way he was looking at ne–as though he’d been waiting for this
tthen
or ma
homent.
ondeba
“I… uh…” I stammered, heat flooding my throt
ace. Without thinking, I spun on my heel nd bolted from the room, the sound of his oft chuckle chasing me down the hall.
found myself in the garden again, the lace I always went when I needed to clear ny head. The air was crisp, the scent of isses calming me as I tried to regain some
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composure.
What had I been thinking, bursting into the study like that? And why did Bryant’s presence throw me so completely off balance?
I was still lost in thought when I heard footsteps behind me. Turning, I found Bryant approaching, a bouquet of flowers.
in his hands.
“I thought you might be here,” he said, his smile easy and unhurried. He held out the bouquet. “I’ve always wanted to give these to you.
I stared at the flowers, my chest tightening.
“Why didn’t you?”
His expression softened, and for the first time, there was a hint of vulnerability in his voice. “Because Gabriel wanted you. Bro code. I stayed away.” He paused, meeting my gaze. “If I’d known he‘ d hurt you the way he did… I would‘ ve
never let him have the chance. I
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should’ve made you mine from the
start.”
His words left me speechless. I had no idea. Gabriel had taken so much from me,
but I never realized he’d taken this, too.
il I looked down at the flowers, my fingers.
brushing against the soft petals. Destiny, I thought. Maybe this was how it was always supposed to be.
“Well,” I said, lifting my chin with a E small smile. “You‘ re not that late. We can
ar still make Gabriel furious.”
Bryant’s lips twitched into a smirk.
“Should we send him a wedding invitation?”
I laughed, the sound light and free.
“That’d be lovely.”
Our laughter echoed through the garden, the weight of the past lifting with each shared smile. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was exactly where I was
