She nods her head vehemently, tears spilling. Hopefully tears of joy.
“YES!” she finally agrees. YES! For as long as you and Jasmine will have me.”
It was the absolutely perfect fucking answer. Because it wasn’t just him. It’s Jasmine too.
“Congratulations, brother. I’m happy for you,” Derrick tells him.
“Derrick—” he starts.
“I’m not drunk,” Derrick cuts him off and then smirks. “Not too drunk, at least.”
His brother leaves his side and plops down into a cushioned seat. Of course, Derrick immediately reaches for the decanter of whiskey on the table and helps himself to a much too healthy gulp.
In his happiest moments, his brother is still coping with his loss. He can only imagine that’s exactly how he might be feeling, maybe even worse, if Ariana hadn’t forgiven him. Yet his angel is here, his ring on her finger and soon…she’ll be a King.
His forever.
“It’s been too long. She’s been gone too long,” Rory whispers next to him. “Stella isn’t doing so good either but she won’t take his calls and she won’t see him. It’s hard for even me to reach her and I have to pull shit out of my ass and lie about it being for business for her to respond to a text.”
He glances over at Ariana and sees both Kat and Andrea gushing over the rock on her finger before returning his attention to Rory.
“Give him space,” he tells Rory and nods over at Derrick. “But keep an eye on him too. I don’t want him showing up at her door where he’ll quickly be put out of his misery.”
“Maybe if you and Ariana do a quick wedding and meet with Dom again, it will appease the Don. He’s still getting what he wants. Our families will be linked and he’ll be able to see Stella and Rian more,” Chase suggests.
“You think the Don gives a shit about that anymore? Right now, he’s got Stella and Rian exactly where he wants them. They’re with him without the world knowing who she really is. They can tell people Stella’s the new help for all it matters,” Rory reminds everyone. “The man may have been a friend to us before but we underestimated how much he wanted Stella and Rian with him.”
Rory is right. None of this is looking good for Derrick at all.
“Come on,” Chase says with a hard pat to his back. “We’ll leave that for another day. Today, you’re happy. Freely shackling yourself and all.” Chase hands him a glass of whiskey too. “I’m glad Ari’s joining the family. She’s less intense and I don’t have to worry about her threats like the short one.”
Derrick must have heard Chase because he chuckles from his seat.
“By the way, Carter and Emilia will be back for the wedding,” Rory tells him. “He just texted me back.”
It’s fantastic news. Maybe they can have a double wedding since Carter proposed to Emilia not too long ago as well.
Over the noise, he didn’t see or hear the sound of the doors to their already closed club open for their new guest. But at the sound of Kat’s squeal, the sound of laughter and heels clicking loudly echoes climactically throughout. He’d recognize the way those heels clicked and clacked anywhere.
“Stella,” he calls out with a smirk.
This wouldn’t be a proper celebration without her.
She beams at him like the ray of sunshine that she is. He’ll never get tired of that analogy for her especially since he’s found his own sunshine.
“Congrats, Adam.”
Ariana is by his side in an instant and pulls Stella into an endearing embrace.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Ariana tells her.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Stella replies.
Rory immediately pulls Stella away after that. His little brother lifts her right off of her feet and smothers her before Chase gives her a quick hug and whispers something in her ear. Whatever it was, it made Stella stomp on Chase’s feet after.
For the moment, his family is just the way they were except he has Ariana at his side now. Kings are growing stronger.
“King,” she says, greeting Derrick. That’s cold as fuck.
“King,” Derrick responds in return.
Fire and life are burning within Derrick’s eyes again. He’d know that look anywhere. He can read that look down to his twin’s soul. Derrick stands up, swaying some. He shakes his head at his brother’s present condition. That condition being drunk. Let this work. Please let this fucking work out.
“I have a feeling Derrick is going to fuck this up,” Rory whispers to him.
“No,” Ariana whispers back. “She’s here, isn’t she? She’s not giving up so someone needs to warn him to make sure he takes the opportunity.”
“I better do something,” he tells the two.
Before he can even step toward the husband and wife to diffuse what could be the final bomb in their marriage, Derrick’s drunk ass stumbles…right into Stella. Stella crashes down onto the leather seat with Derrick landing right on top of her.
“Oh shit,” Rory says and takes a step toward the entangled couple.
Before Rory gets any further, he slams a palm against his little brother’s chest to stop him.
Derrick being the drunk asshole that he is, takes full advantage of his position and pins Stella right beneath him, planting a kiss just as she’s about to protest. Laughter roars from the depths of his chest at the scene. Their men hoot and cheer their boss on alongside him.
“Well, that’s one way to beg for forgiveness,” Ariana laughs.
He pulls his angel against him and crashes his lips onto hers, claiming her as well. She yelps in surprise but gives into him almost immediately. She melts into his arms and opens to let him in.
Like the first time. Like every time. Like always.
The taste of her stirs every muscle in his body and every cell of his being. She’s the sweetest honey he’s ever sampled.
“Adam!”
Stella’s scream forces him to end his kiss. He touches his head to Ariana’s forehead and sighs, rolling his eyes. Ariana smiles and laughs at him before he checks to see what the hell is so important now.
“Help me!” Stella yells out.
“Family first,” Ariana jests.
He couldn’t agree with her more. He’s lucky to have a woman that can understand that sentiment even with everything that she’s gone through with her own family.
Fucking Derrick. His drunk ass twin brother is passed the fuck out and probably suffocating his wife beneath him.
Chase and Rory are trying to pull Derrick off of her but he’s dead weight at this point. Comparable to a fucking slob of a whale. They aren’t going to succeed without his help.
“Oh, dear God,” he says, stalking over and laughing the whole way. The sound of his angel’s laughter follows behind him.
“I am my drunk ass brother’s keeper,” he growls out.
After the high of his existence, he’s laying wide awake and watching the sunrise in misery. Pure misery. That’s what he’s feeling at the moment.
An arm and a leg wrap tighter around him, keeping him in place when he’d much rather be elsewhere. Anywhere. Anywhere but here.