"Weren't you supposed to marry Vanessa today? Aren't you worried she'll be angry if you don't show up?" "Everyone knows she can't live without him. Even if she finds out you ditched her for Nat, she won't dare complain." "Exactly. Vanessa isn't as important as Nat. Adrian's looked after her since they were kids..." They meant Natalie Ashford, who had grown up in Adrian's family as his sister. Vanessa Bennett stopped outside the private dining room. Inside, Adrian's friends were laughing at her. She stood listening, still dressed for the wedding he hadn't bothered to attend. She pushed the door open. The conversation stopped. "Vanessa..." Someone set down a glass. Adrian sat beside Natalie. Vanessa glanced down at her pink dress. She'd spent the morning getting ready for him. She let out a bitter laugh. "So this is why you couldn't make it to the registry office?" Adrian got up and came toward her. "We can register our marriage anytime. Nat just got back from abroad. As her brother, the least I could do was throw her a welcome party." "We chose today because it was our anniversary," Vanessa said. "Did you forget, or did you just not care?" They'd planned to celebrate both anniversaries on the same date. She'd been waiting at the registry while he was here. Adrian reached for her arm. "Don't start this again. I'll explain when we get home." Vanessa pulled away sharply. Natalie spoke up. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I didn't know you were going to the registry office today." Natalie looked up, her eyes filling with tears. "Please forgive me. I really do wish you and my brother all the best." "All the best?" Vanessa scoffed. "Would you stop acting? If you really wanted that, you wouldn't have come back." Adrian's expression hardened. "Don't be rude." "But it's fine for you to leave me waiting while you have a party with her?" "Watch what you say." "Then tell me why you chose this over our wedding." "There's nothing going on between us," Natalie said, beginning to cry. "If I'd known coming home would cause this, I would have stayed away." Her voice broke. As she began to sob, the others turned on Vanessa. "That's going too far. They're like siblings. How can you be jealous of that?" "Exactly. Nat left the country three years ago because you couldn't stand her. She sacrificed so much for you two. Are you going to start again?" "Careful, Vanessa. Adrian might get sick of you and dump you." She'd put up with his friends for Adrian's sake. Even now, none of them seemed to think he'd done anything wrong. "She's been hanging on to him all evening, but I'm the one being unreasonable? Fine. You can all carry on without me." No one answered. "How can you insult me like that?" Natalie looked ready to collapse. "It's fine if you don't like me, but my brother loves you. He's done so much for you. Why isn't that enough?" Vanessa had known Natalie for ten years. She'd heard these excuses throughout her five years with Adrian. The first time, on Vanessa's birthday, Natalie had called to say she'd been in an accident. Adrian had left to find her. The second time, on Valentine's Day, Natalie had called in tears, supposedly threatening to kill herself after a breakup. There had been other calls, other emergencies. Adrian always left, and she always waited. When Natalie had gone abroad three years earlier, everyone had assumed Vanessa had forced her to leave. "He missed our marriage registration to be here with you. How am I supposed to take that? And why does everyone expect me to be happy about it?" Natalie started crying harder. "Enough!" Adrian shouted. "It's a piece of paper. We can do it on your birthday. Why do you have to make a scene?" "A scene?" Vanessa repeated. "Fine. Adrian, we're done." Adrian stared at her, then shook his head. "This again? Last time you threatened to leave, Nat went abroad so we could stay together. I've agreed to marry you. What more do you want? If you keep treating her like this, I won't do it." Natalie lowered her head, but Vanessa caught the smile before she hid it. Vanessa had heard enough. "Perfect. Then we won't get married. It's all off." She turned to leave. Adrian shouted after her, his voice threatening. "If you walk out that door without apologizing to Nat, I'll never forgive you!" No one moved. They were waiting for her to apologize. Vanessa turned back at the door. "You all heard me. It's over. I'm never marrying Adrian. If I go back on that, may he end up alone, childless, and miserable." Ignoring their stunned faces, she walked out. In the rideshare, she blocked Adrian's number and his accounts. Her phone rang before she could put it away. The number looked strangely familiar. She hesitated. She answered. "If you still want to get married, why not marry me?"

Vanessa stared at the screen. She recognized the voice now. "Are you serious? Your brother just played me, and now it's your turn?" It was Julian Ashford, Adrian's older brother. He'd been cold toward her ever since she started dating Adrian. "Adrian stood you up. I won't," he said. "Unless you've changed your mind about getting married." "I'll come," she said. "But won't the registry be closed by now?" "You don't need to worry about that." Twenty minutes later, Vanessa was back outside the registry office. Julian was waiting by the entrance. He seemed entirely at ease, which made Vanessa feel even less certain about coming. He looked enough like Adrian to remind her what she was doing, though she'd never mistaken one brother for the other. "You came." Julian smiled. She stopped a few feet away from him. "Coming here won't change anything. There's nobody outside. It looks like they're closing." He glanced toward the entrance. "Are you really going to marry me? Have you thought it through?" "I've come this far," she said. "Are you having second thoughts?" "Brave of you." He took her wrist and led her toward the entrance. She stopped at the door. Julian turned back. "Scared already?" She hesitated for only a moment. "Why do you want to marry me?" "My family keeps asking me to settle down. They already know you. I'd rather marry you than someone they've picked for me." Their families had been close for years. His parents and grandfather had always welcomed her. At least his answer made sense. Less than ten minutes later, they walked out of the registry office, each holding a marriage certificate. She was still reading the certificate when Julian spoke. "Don't start regretting it now. Getting a divorce would take rather longer than this did." Just my luck, she thought. We've barely got married, and he's already talking about divorce. Who said I wanted one? Vanessa rolled her eyes but kept her tone polite. "I just hope you're not the one who regrets it, Julian." As she started down the steps, he reached out and pulled her firmly against his chest. She caught the cedar scent of his cologne and put a hand against his chest. He was much closer than she'd expected. "Where are you going?" His voice was low. "Home," she said. "Where else?" "You've just got married, and you already want to live apart from your husband?" Vanessa looked at the marriage certificate again. "...I forgot." She met his eyes, then looked away. He discreetly looked away and released her. "Come with me." She followed him down the steps. They were married now; going home together shouldn't have surprised her. Besides, the thought of her ex-boyfriend becoming her brother-in-law was immensely satisfying. Hawthorne House stood in an exclusive part of Oakridge. The rooms looked simple at first, until Vanessa began noticing the quality of the furnishings. Vanessa stood in the living room, looking at Julian in confusion. "What's this?" "Our home," he said directly. "You'll be living here from now on." "What about you?" she asked without thinking. Julian frowned slightly. "Has my brother upset you so much that you've forgotten what a marital home is?" Vanessa grimaced. Ten years of knowing him, and he still found a way to make her feel foolish. Julian told Martha, the housekeeper, to show her around, then went upstairs. She waited until he was out of sight before turning to Martha. After the tour, she realized how enormous the house was. It had five floors, an elevator, and a staff of ten, all newly arrived. Martha told her that Julian had only returned from abroad that morning. He'd barely got back, and he already knew Adrian had stood her up? Had he married her to get even for what had happened three years ago? She wanted to ask him, but she was told he was busy in his study. All she could do was wait. Eventually, she fell asleep facedown on the sofa in the main bedroom. She woke to find Julian leaning over the sofa. "What are you doing?" She sat up and pulled the blanket to her chest. He withdrew his fingers from the blanket over her. "Relax. I'm not desperate enough to take advantage of you. There's hardly anything to tempt me, anyway." Her temper flared. "I'm not the same as I was three years ago. I've filled out!" In a burst of anger, she grabbed his hand and drew it toward her body-then came to her senses at the last second. I must be out of my mind. In five years with Adrian, they hadn't even shared a proper kiss. And she'd nearly... Julian glanced at the hand she was still holding. "Why stop? Afraid I'll find out it isn't much after all?" Her face burned. She shoved him. "Even if it isn't, what's it to you?" She tried to get up, but he put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her on the sofa as he leaned closer. "Vanessa..." "You were brave enough to marry me. Now you're afraid to be alone with me?" His collar was open. Vanessa had never seen him this close before. A memory from three years ago came back to her. On impulse, she caught his shirt collar, pulled him down, and kissed him. She kissed him as though she knew what she was doing, but her teeth knocked against his. "Do you have any idea what you're getting into?" "Of course. I'm provoking you." Still angry, she tried to kiss him again. "What's wrong? Are you scared?" She held his gaze, convinced he was teasing her as he had three years ago. "Don't regret it." Julian kissed her back, drawing her closer until she had to stop for breath. "Why don't we finish what we started three years ago?"

Vanessa lay still. When he bent to kiss her again, she flinched. He noticed and stopped halfway, studying her. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?" She didn't know how to answer. He tapped the tip of her nose with a finger and laughed. "I'm only teasing. Don't take it so seriously." His weight lifted. Julian stood and went into the bathroom. Vanessa touched her hot face. For a moment, she'd thought he meant to go further. She wasn't against being close to him. But this was Julian, Adrian's older brother. Until yesterday, she'd been nervous even talking to him. She needed time. Once he'd finished showering, she accepted that they'd be sharing a room and went to wash too. Between her shower, skincare, and body lotion, she spent almost an hour and a half in the bathroom. She assumed he'd be asleep by then. But the moment she opened the door, his teasing voice greeted her. "I thought you'd moved in there." Vanessa went to the foot of the bed. "Where am I sleeping?" Julian raised an eyebrow. "Our marriage certificate is legally valid, isn't it?" "Yes," she said, confused. "Then in what world do newlyweds sleep in separate rooms?" "Come here." He patted the mattress beside him. This time, she didn't resist. As soon as she lay down, his playful voice sounded near her ear. "There you are, Mrs. Ashford. I've warmed your side of the bed." "You've always hated me. Why were you so determined to marry me? Just tell me what you want from this." He laughed. "What makes you think I hate you?" Julian smiled. "You spent five years with Adrian. I'm not sure I trust your judgment of men." "What do you mean-" Before she could finish, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her against his chest. His voice was muffled against her hair. "Go to sleep. We're married. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other." Within minutes, his breathing slowed. Vanessa lay awake against his chest, listening until she began to relax. * * * That same night, in a private area of an exclusive club, Adrian had been distractedly checking his phone all evening. Whenever they'd argued before, Vanessa had called within hours. He'd expected her to apologize before the evening was over. It was past midnight now. No messages. No calls. She really is making a big deal of it this time, he thought irritably. "Are you waiting for Vanessa?" Natalie asked. "You can go and see her. This is my fault. I shouldn't have come back today." She knew how much he hated being told what to do. Offering to send him to Vanessa would only make him resist. "Don't blame yourself," he said. "She'll get over it. We can register any day. You've been away for three years." His friends immediately agreed. "He's right, Nat. Adrian never stopped talking about you these past three years." "If it weren't for Vanessa, you wouldn't have had to leave the country in the first place." "That woman's so immature. Always throwing tantrums at the worst possible time. Adrian, you need to put your foot down." He scowled. "If she doesn't give Natalie a sincere apology, I'm not forgiving her." Natalie smiled with satisfaction. She hugged his arm affectionately and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. I was so scared Vanessa would be upset about me coming back and I'd have to leave again." "That won't happen. I won't let her get her way. You're staying here in Brookhaven, and I'll protect you." He placed his phone facedown on the table. "You're the best. Nobody in the family loves me as much as you do." Natalie thought Adrian was a thousand times better than Julian. Julian barely tolerated her. * * * At Hawthorne House, Vanessa drifted off to the sound of Julian's quiet breathing. For the first time in a long while, she slept deeply. The next morning, Julian was already awake when Vanessa opened her eyes. "Morning, Mrs. Ashford. Sleep well?" She nodded. "Yes. Very well." After spending the entire night in his arms, she no longer felt quite so awkward. Julian gave her a small smile. "Looks like I've passed the first test as a husband." He got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom, speaking over his shoulder. "I have an early meeting, so I won't be able to have breakfast with you." "That's fine." After so many years with Adrian without receiving any real attention, Vanessa didn't expect a sudden marriage to change everything overnight. When Julian came out of the dressing room, Vanessa watched him in the vanity mirror as she applied her skincare. "Buy whatever you like. Don't bring any of your old things over from your apartment." He placed a black bank card on the vanity. "It's all yours, Mrs. Ashford." In his suit, he seemed more like the Julian she remembered. "I will." She accepted the card without hesitation. Whichever brother she'd married, her title would have been the same. The difference was that her ex-boyfriend was now her brother-in-law. Not bad. At least I outrank him now. Before he left, Julian bent toward her. "I hope you get used to being my wife. I want a real marriage, Vanessa." Vanessa kept her eyes on the mirror until he'd straightened.