Fraud

“What’s going on?”

No. I need her focused on me and not the distraction. Especially one that proves we’re still the bastards she battled in high school.

I palm Ivy’s cheek to drag her attention back. “Don’t worry about that.”

She attempts to turn again, but I won’t let her.

Dipping my head down to hers, I don’t miss how her lips part slightly, her blue eyes widening just as fraction.

Mouths hovering a teasing inch apart, we both still in place.

It’s aggravating as hell to hear my voice come out on a rough whisper.

“We should see what can be done about your problem.”

Luca’s voice rises again, and I lift my gaze to see Ta

Fuck...

If it’s not one thing, it’s always another.

It’ll be a miracle if Ta

If it wasn’t screwing up my game in the process, I would laugh.

I’ve always liked Luca.

I lock eyes with Ivy again, my fingers lightly trapping her chin. “I need you to stay right here for a minute while I go handle something.”

It’s like speaking to a toddler - not that Ivy thinks like one. She just has a nasty habit of causing chaos every time a person gets distracted and has to turn their back.

She nods as if she’ll do as I ask, her eyes blinking away more tears despite the confusion in her expression after seeing Ta

A vein of distrust unravels inside me, but I leave her there anyway.

By the time I reach my father, Ta

“I thought we taught you kids better than that.”

He doesn’t bother to look at me. Probably because I’m the disappointing son. The one who doesn’t give a fuck to follow every order laid out for me in the ma

Of all the guys, I’m the best choice for dealing with our fathers, only because I’m a master at hiding my contempt for them.

Instead of my father’s stare, I meet the eyes of Daddy Dearest. “Luca has been an issue for years. Ta

“From where we’re standing, it doesn’t look like he’s handling it at all.”

At William’s comment, I turn to glance at him. As far as I’m concerned, the twins’ father can be eaten alive by rabid vultures, and it still would be too good a death for him. Although, he has every right to be pissed off at the situation. It’s what we used to cut off his access to the Ezra and Damon.

Eyes back to Ta

“Go deal with Ivy,” he answers, rather than acknowledging what I said.

The three of them walk off to join the rest of our families, and I’m dismissed to go back to my problem.

Except, when I turn around, Ivy isn’t where I left her. I knew better than to leave her unattended. That woman is slippery and not one you want ru

I spend the next half hour mingling and making small talk as I wander the party looking for her.

At the same time I spot her walking quickly with Emily from the back door of the house, a hand slams down on my shoulder as Shane and Sawyer run past me.

“Come on, Gabe. It’s time.”

My teeth grind, but I run after them. My eyes lock with Mason’s pissed off glare as we take our spots at the front of a pavilion and line up like this is a fucking wedding and not the a

The problem is, there are only six of us instead of nine.

Elbowing Sawyer, I lean closer to whisper, “Where are the twins?”

He shrugs but glances quickly at the house.

“They dipped out right after Luca ran away and Ta

In my peripheral vision, I watch Ivy tend to her best friend.

Judging by Emily’s smeared lipstick and the mess of her hair, I sigh and look back toward the house to see the twins walking out, odd grins on their faces.

Around the party, a few people begin clinking their glasses so that a hush falls over the crowd. All eyes are on us as the twins finally step up to fall in line. We’re mirrored by a row of women stretching out on Emily’s side, all of us decked out in only the best clothes and elegant finery.

It’s all a bullshit lie, a younger generation used as pawns in our families’ power trips.

Both Mason and Emily’s fathers step out of the crowd to approach the pavilion, their wives left behind to fawn over the fake picture of happiness that is really a disaster waiting to happen.

I wonder how nobody notices the happy couple are standing as far apart from each other as humanly possible.

“Where the fuck is Ta

I catch his stare and shake my head. “Chasing Luca.”

“Asshole,” Shane laughs. “I knew he’d find a way to get out of this. I bet he brought her on purpose.”

We all wanted a way out of this, but here we are. It’s a show of support for Mason and nothing else. Definitely not for the woman he’s marrying or for her group of friends who have been nothing more than a fucking headache through the years.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate the engagement of my son, Mason Strom, to the beautiful and talented Emily Donahue.

Snorting at the description he gave of Emily, I glance at the twins and think she must have at least one talent to keep them interested. It’s a fair bet that’s not what Mr. Strom meant by his statement.

While he prattles on about how pleased the families are to know they’ll be united through the marriage of their children, I catch sight of Ivy staring at me, her periwinkle blue eyes rimmed red by tears she’d cried earlier.

Hoping to see more of those, I refuse to look away first. It’s adorable to see the hesitation in her expression. To see helplessness where once there had been a deceptive grin just before she ripped the floor out from under me.

It’s almost too delicious for words.

“Again, thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate the upcoming union of -“

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think. Thanks everybody for being here to watch two people forced together who can’t stand each other. 

I mentally rush the asshole along because I have a target in sight that just so happens to be injured at the moment.

Thankfully, he ends the speech, releasing us from hell, but just as I take the first step forward to chase down the woman I’ve been gu

“Do you believe that shit?”

“Shit doesn’t talk to me, and if it did, I wouldn’t believe it,” I answer, not really interested in Mason at the moment because I have something else in mind.

Glancing at him, I chuckle at how he’s already ripping the tie from his neck and unbuttoning the top of his collar.

Our forced charade is done, and we can return to our regularly scheduled programming, at least until we have to pretend to care again at the wedding.

“She literally just got done fucking someone else before standing next to me like she’s excited for the wedding.”

Pushing up on my toes and angling my body to peek around the crowd of women, I can’t spot Ivy among them.