Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
“Grant Dwyer didn’t drop out of college to save Planet Earth. He didn’t even read smut.” I try my best not to giggle and almost succeed. Almost. “I was fucking with you, Oliver.”
“What can I say? There’s no turning back.” He brings my engagement ring to his mouth and kisses the knuckle, staring right into my eyes. “I’m all in, Briar. LA, the Barbie outfits, the fucking Frozen duet. Hell, I don’t care if you ask me to climb Mount Everest and singlehandedly carry down every piece of littered trash – I’ll do it. There is nothing I won’t do to make you smile.”
“We don’t have favorites.” Agnes frowns at Oliver above her wine glass.
He dunks his turkey into gravy. “You absolutely have favorites.”
I shrink into my seat, two mashed potato servings deep into my first major holiday with my new family. Actually, my first holiday with any family. Apparently, they involve an unhealthy amount of liquor and lots of pointless arguments. I never realized “family bonding” is code for “who can yell the loudest.”
Zach’s mom just finished lecturing him and Farrow about her extracurricular expectations for her grandchildren that don’t exist when another scuffle broke out between Oliver and his mom.
Mrs. von Bismarck pats the corners of her lips with a linen napkin. “Any proof?”
“Sure.” Ollie points the carrot speared at the end of his fork between both of his parents. “You guys named me Oliver after the Olive Garden, while you named Sebastian after some shredded Roman sculpture.”
“It was a Florentine painting, not a sculpture, and the Olive Garden is an American classic.”
“Also …” Felix licks his lips. “We named you Oliver after the fruit.”
At his declaration, Agnes dissolves into a fit of giggles.
“Ew.” Ollie fake gags onto his plate. “Gross.”
His mom swirls the wine in her glass. “You don’t even know why I’m laughing.”
“And I don’t want to know.” He shoves his plate in, his lips curled up in a sneer. “As far as I’m concerned, you had me via immaculate conception.”
Their argument goes on as I pile my carnivorous offerings to Sebastian onto a heated plate. Cajun turkey, Andouille stuffing, cornbread, and boudin.
“Briar.” Dallas leans past Romeo and Frankie to spy on me. “Are you squirreling away food for later?”
“Maybe.” I mentally prepare excuses for the meat on my plate, but Dallas bursts into a smile.
She fans herself, pulling the collar of her dress away from her neck. “I’ve never been so turned on by you.”
By the time I return from dropping food off to Seb, the staff already cleared the main course. The remnants of pumpkin pie and lemon cookies sit abandoned on a catering tray. Oliver disappears into the storage room to rummage for board games while Romeo returns with a box the size of a football field.
The giant present falls onto the mahogany with a thump, occupying all the real estate on the table. And there’s a lot of table. It’s a spectacle in itself. Wrapped in glossy, emerald paper that sparkles under the warm lights.
“Open it.” Dallas waves the end of the silky gold ribbon spiraling around the box in perfect loops. “It’s from Romeo. I’ll give you my wedding gift on the actual day.”
“I didn’t think it would clear customs,” Romeo explains, which doesn’t explain anything at all.
“About that.” Ollie enters the dining room, tossing a pack of cards to Farrow. “Change of venue.”
Fae opens the pack and begins shuffling the cards for rummy. “It’s no longer in Nauru?”
I can’t help but remember my wish nineteen years ago. For a life I found unbelievable at the time. Fiercely loyal friends. Homecooked meals. Rounds of rummy on lazy holiday evenings.
It exists, and it is beautiful, and it’s all yours. Forever.
Frankie frowns. “But I bought the cutest tropical clothes.”
“And I bought the cutest tropical island.” Ollie claims the seat beside mine, looping an arm around my back. “It’s in the Caribbean. Has a nice runway, so we can all fly private.”
“Aww.” Dallas clutches her heart, practically melting into her chair. “For Briar’s wedding gift?”
For Sebastian, actually. If we want him at the wedding, we need to sneak him into the venue, and if we want to sneak him in, we need to avoid customs. The only way to do that includes a $45M purchase just past the Virgin Islands.
Before any of them can ask more questions, I reach for the golden bow and tug. “I’m still opening the present early.”
As soon as the ribbon unravels, the sides of the box collapse onto the table, revealing something sleek and metallic. I have no clue what it is. Some sort of machinery, probably. One with a long, coiled hose snaking from a tank to a nozzle. It glistens like someone just polished it.
“It’s a …” I scratch my temple. “A …”
“A flamethrower,” Romeo provides, brow arched. “For your shrubs. Remember?”