Chapter 2

“Leo," Anthony says as he follows me around the room. His voice is dripping with disbelief. "You can't be serious. I refuse to believe that you're saying this to me."

"Well, it's the truth," I answer as calmly as possible.

He pauses and runs his hand down his face. His eyes are wide as he beholds me. "But you barely know the guy! You don't know anything about him. You're seriously serious about marrying him? After only a month of knowing him?"

I check my reflection in the mirror one last time before stepping back. My hair is in a half-updo and the rest of it is hanging low, nearly down to my butt. My makeup up is simplistic but my lips are a dark red color that my makeup artist told me suits me well. The baby pink dress I'm wearing is simple and perfect for the event. I didn't want anything over the top.

It's a very small engagement party.

Anthony is still staring at me. I still haven't answered him. "Leonora."

I turn my head slowly to look at him. "I don't know what you want me to say to you, Anthony. I understand your reservations but I promise you that he's a good man. I told you about the money he returned. Why would he do that if he weren't honest and good?"

"I'm not sure," he admits. "Maybe he did it in an attempt to get closer to you. I mean, what sense does that make? You don’t know anything about him!”

"He couldn't have predicted that," I say before rolling my eyes. "That's stretching it. And I do know him. Dad asked him to give me the money before he died.”

"Let's say he took a calculated risk, then," he states, ignoring everything I said. "He knew it would make him look good. That's the kind of thing that terrible people do, Leo. They take advantage of others. We don't even know where he's from or who raised him!"

"He didn't take advantage of me," I point out. "And his uncle is coming tonight. Maybe he's already here. Look, Anthony, I know you're doing this because my father asked you to. I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I'm fine. I am."

His shoulders sag and he rubs his eyes.

"Plus, I'm happy," I add. "He makes me happy."

Anthony finally looks up at me. There's a lot of pain behind his eyes. He asks me, "You're sure about this, Leo? Really sure?"

I nod. "Absolutely."

He pauses, sighs, then says, "Then all that's left for me to do is support you in any way that I can."

I rush toward him and wrap an arm around his neck. "Thanks, Anthony."

I've spent enough time with him upstairs, which is ridiculous because my engagement party is going on downstairs right now. I've only invited a handful of people and Evan has a few guests of his own. People he says were close to his parents, who also died. That's one of the main reasons why we connected so easily. He lost his parents, too. If anyone knows what I'm going through, it's him.

I leave my bedroom and find him standing at the foot of the stairs. He's dressed in a black tuxedo. His dark hair has been brushed back and he smirks as I approach him. I feel butterflies in my stomach. Then again, I always do when I'm in his presence.

"Hey," I say as I stand on my toes to kiss him. "I didn't know you were up here."

Anthony walks past us without a word and disappears downstairs. I watch as Evan's eyes narrow as he stares at Anthony, and then he asks me, "What was he talking to you about? What did he want?"

"Oh, he congratulated me," I say. When Anthony arrived, the first thing he did was ask me to follow him upstairs. Evan was standing right next to me when it happened and I'm guessing he didn't like that. I can tell by the sound of his voice.

"He couldn't do it downstairs?" he asks.

I smile a little and caress his face. "Darling, what's wrong? He's a family friend. He means well."

"Does he?" he asks. "I don't like the way he looks at you, Leo. He's very possessive of you, and it's weird for a man who's twice your age."

"Jealous?" I ask, smiling widely.

"Of course," he answers before pressing his lips against mine. "You're mine."

This makes me feel all jittery inside. I grab his hand and we head downstairs. All in all, I believe there are just twenty people here. There's Anthony, the Ledger's, who are related to my mother, Yasmin Simon, who worked with my father along with her husband, Craig. Then, there's our family lawyer, Dan Padilla. I don't know the ones from Evan's side, but they're all very nice and look genuinely happy for us. His uncle isn't here yet, but Evan is confident that he'll show.

Dinner goes by smoothly and I lead most of the conversations. Evan stays in the background mostly. He doesn't talk much, not around strangers. With me, it's a completely different story.

All throughout dinner, the only unusual thing that catches my attention is how Anthony and Evan are looking at each other. I see them occasionally with their eyes locked like they're in a duel. It saddens me but at the same time, I have hopes that this will change in the future, especially when Anthony learns to trust Evan and sees him for who he is.

Suddenly, a man approaches our table. He's very tall and has a big belly. His face is red and marked with ancient acne scars. He raises his hands up and loudly says, "Evan, my boy! Come here! Come greet your Uncle Charlie!"

I glance at Evan and watch him sheepishly get up to greet his uncle. He looks genuinely happy that he's here. Once they're done, he looks at me and extends his hand, signaling for me to join his side. I stand up, excusing myself from the table, and go to them.

"Uncle Charlie, this is Leonora," Evan says before looking down at me proudly.

"Leonora," his uncle says before raising his arms. I walk into them and he squeezes the life out of me. He's very loud and his voice is a croak. His cologne is strong and musky, and fills the space all around us. He's also wearing a gold chain around his neck. "It's great to finally meet you. My nephew has told me so much about you!"

Evan blushes when I look up at him.

"Congratulations to the both of you," he says, looking back and forth between both of us. Then, his eyes light up ion remembrance. "Oh, I almost forgot." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. It's a royal blue color. "Here. I brought what you asked. It was your mother's."

Evan sighs. "Great, unc. I asked you not to hand it to me in front of her. It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Oops," his uncle says, though he doesn't look or sound apologetic. "Have a good one."

He sits down and Evan places his hand on the small of my back as he guides me back toward our seats. I glance at Anthony and notice that he hasn't taken his eyes off me. Off of us. He's looking at Charlie like he's disgusted of him and it hurts my feelings. It really does.

Why is he being so mean?

After dinner, Dan approaches me. He's the last guest to leave—Anthony was the first—and he hands me a file filled with paper. "This is all paperwork concerning your inheritance. They left everything to you. The house. The company. Everything."

I take a deep breath. "Okay."

"Go over everything and then bring it to me when you're ready. I suppose you'll be getting married soon. Next week, you said?"

"Yeah, that's right."

He smiles but it doesn't quite reach his warm brown eyes. "And you'll marry in community of property?"

"Yes," I answer without hesitation. Evan and I truly love each other, so why should we keep everything separate? I want to share everything I have with him. He's my soulmate. How can I even suggest such a thing to him? If it were him, would he have suggested such a thing?

Dan stretches his collar and then asks, "Why don't you come into my office tomorrow? We can have a lengthy conversation about this. A woman with your wealth should protect it. Sharing everything with him gives him power over everything you own."

I fold my arms. "It's alright, Dan. I know what I'm doing."

If he and Anthony knew what he did for me—and I'm specifically referring to the money that my father asked him to give me—then they would see no reason to doubt his honesty and integrity. Evan isn't like that.

He really isn't.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world, then," Dan tells me before heading out.

I'm exhausted by the time everyone leaves. Only Evan stays behind. He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He kisses the side of my neck and tells me, "I have something for you."

I beam, remembering the engagement ring. I turn around and he gets on his knees. I smile and then laugh, beyond myself with happiness. He smiles as well and then holds the velvet box open. A shiny ring is staring back at me. Evan says to me, "This was my mother's. It's been in my family for years."

"Oh, Evan, it's beautiful," I say breathlessly.

He removes it from its place and slides it on my finger. It fits perfectly. He then stands up and places both his hands on my waist. He peers into my face candidly before lowering his head and kissing me. The kiss is long and passionate, and when he's done, he presses his forehead against mine and says, "I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to make you happy, even if it's the last thing I do."

We stand in each other's arms, our foreheads pressed together, and time slowly passes.

I can't wait for us to be married.

My parents would be proud.

Evan flashes me a brilliant smile. It makes me lightheaded, as usual. He then asks me in a low voice, “Are you happy?”

I’d been happy from the moment I opened that door and found him standing there with the money bag in his hand. “Of course I am. Aren’t you?”

Instead of answering me, he caresses my cheek with his thumb. He then places a soft kiss on my lips. It melts me. He then asks me, “Do you think that maybe we’re doing things too quickly?”

I frown. “We’ve been through this before. I mean, why wait when we can get on with it now, right? Why do you ask? Is it because of Anthony?”

His eyes soften. “I don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of you, that’s all. I’m not.”

“Why would I think that?” I ask.

“It’s what everyone is thinking.”

“Well, they don’t matter, okay?” I say sternly. “Please, Evan. Let’s not get into this. I love you and I’m sure of this. I’ve never once doubted us.” I then place my hand on his cheek. It’s slightly rough. “This is happening. I want it to. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he tells me before smiling and pressing his lips against mine. Nothing in the world could be more perfect than this.

Nothing at all.