CHAPTER NINE
Brianna
Father locked me in my bedroom. He had bolted the door, instructing me to change into my wedding dress if I knew what was best for me. He had spent the entire day planning a last-minute wedding, none of the plans approved by me.
Lance undoubtedly had a hand in that as well. He had been pining after me for years, the soreness from our breakup never clearing from his mind. The pitiful thing was wounded by rejection—and I could empathize with that to a certain extent.
After all, if he hadn’t fooled around, I wouldn’t have left him. But he harmed me and there was no turning back from that. Not even a white wedding could heal that wound.
It didn’t even matter anymore. I didn’t care about the past or the fact that my family was desperate to have their family line continued. I wasn’t going to breed. I would make sure of it.
I gave a shuddering sigh as I stood in front of the floor-length mirror. I had resolved myself to my fate, pulling on the lace wedding dress that my mother had delivered shortly before my father locked me inside my suite. I smoothed my fingers over the corseted waist of the dress and tugged at the lace train, the sleeves hanging over my shoulders in a stylish droop that was reminiscent of traditional gowns.
This dress had been passed down for generations. It had been kept well over the years, not a stitch out of place and not a square inch of it yellowed with age. My mother wore it for her wedding and her mother before that had done the same, a whole line of Thornton women passing along their duties and responsibilities in the form of lace.
It sickened me.
A thump echoed from the balcony, causing me to flip around. I marched to the balcony doors, windows glittering with light from the courtyard below. An orchestra played on the other side of the estate. That was Father’s doing. No expense was spared for his little girl.
Marshall—my sweet mate—stood beyond the balcony doors with a devilish smirk on his lips. I swung open the doors and yanked him inside, tossing my arms around his shoulders as I stood on my toes to kiss him. He returned the kiss eagerly, huffing hungrily as he drank every whimpering moan from me.
Every time we tried to break apart, we dove right back in for more, our reunion simply not enough. I wanted more of him—I wanted all of him—and I wanted it right now. I dragged him toward my four-poster bed, the plush pillows cushioning me as I took him down with me onto the mattress.
“Bri,” he whispered between kisses. His voice was coarse, rough with desire, “Bri.”
“Yes, darling?”
He nestled between my legs; his lust evident by the stiffness of his wand pressed at the apex of my thighs. I shivered with longing as I rolled my hips forward.
“I have to tell you something.”
I studied his features. The seriousness in his expression prompted me to pause. “What is it?”
“I have a lot of things to tell you, actually,” he whispered as he settled on the mattress beside me. He took my hands in his, kissing the backs of my fingers one by one. When he was done, he said, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
I tearfully beheld his gaze, delighted by the warm chocolate pools I had come to admire. “I want that, too.”
“And what luck—you’re already dressed for the part.”
I glanced down at the dress with a demure expression. “Father rushed everything.”
“You won’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“What are you going to do?”
He smiled eagerly. “What I should have done years ago.”
My soul was ignited by the sight of him sliding off the bed and kneeling in front of me. I expected a speech, a ring, perhaps even a sonnet or a poem. It was silly to think of him as my knight, but that’s what he was—my savior, my soulmate.
But of all the things I expected what he stated next shocked me to my core: “I have a son.”
“What?”
“From a previous relationship. I…” He trailed off, brows knitting together with worry as he gazed over my shoulder to the bedroom door. I took his hand, assuring him with a squeeze that we wouldn’t be interrupted. “His name is Hector and I want you to meet him.”
“You have a child?”
He nodded. “I wanted to tell you last night, but your father barged in.”
“I’m so sorry he did that.”
He shushed me. “Please, Bri. You have nothing to apologize for. Your father, while a control freak, harbors a passion that I’ve never seen in anyone else. I can see it in you sometimes.”
I smiled weakly as I stroked his cheek, watching the way his skin twitched beneath my touch. His eyelids fluttered and he nuzzled into my hand, huffing contentedly.
A swarm of noise wafted through the open balcony doors. I rose from the bed and quickly went to shut them, turning the latch so we wouldn’t be interrupted further. When I returned to my position, I took his hands in mine again. “Go on. Tell me about Hector.”
He told me about his ex-girlfriend, how she had contacted him, and how he had met his son just the other day. Their likeness was evident, and then their relationship was confirmed by a simple saliva swab test. I listened intently, giving him my full focus. This was my mate speaking—I wouldn’t dare interrupt him.
“So,” he said when he was done. “How does this make you feel?”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to take you away from here unless you want this. That includes everything that comes with it, like my son.”
I nodded, noting the genuine sincerity in his eyes. “I have to admit that I expected a ring.”
“Did you think I would really forget something so important?”
“Technically, it’s just an object. I mean, it’s just—”
Marshall withdrew a box from his backpack. Black velvet decorated the box, the cap clicking when he opened it. Nestled in a bed of white silk was a diamond ring. It was a humble ring, one that spoke of our union’s joy more than the wealth that could potentially come with it.
I gasped, my lower lip quivering as he plucked the ring from its place. He held it between us, shaking slightly as he whispered, “I know we haven’t been seeing each other very long, but we’ve known each other for years. Brianna, would you do me the honor of becoming my partner for life?”
I bit my lower lip, eyes flitting between the ring and Marshall. Did I want this? Forever?
That was such a long time.
“You’ll never be rid of me,” I teased as I glanced at my bedroom door. It was Marshall’s turn to give me a reassuring squeeze, drawing my attention back to him. I smiled crookedly. “And I refuse to breed.”
“I would never expect you to do that.”
My smile wavered as tears flooded my cheeks. “Oh, Marshall…”
“I would never hold you to such a standard,” he continued. “I already have a child. I don’t need more.”
“I love you.”