Thorn

My hand rested on Autumn’s thigh as we watched Diesel and Tatum dance in the distance. Pressed tightly together and oblivious to everything going on around them, they swayed to the slow music. Titan’s gown trailed across the floor as Diesel guided her. I’d never seen her so happy.

“They’re so in love,” Autumn whispered.

“Yeah…” I eyed her hand, seeing her fingers interlocked with mine. I wasn’t holding Autumn close to me as we moved on the dance floor, but I was certainly happy. I could feel it all the way down to my bones. Having Autumn in my life vanquished all the terrible habits in my life. I didn’t drink as much anymore, I didn’t sit in dark clubs and watch women dance on poles, and I didn’t care about work as much either. She filled a hole I hadn’t realized needed to be filled.

Vincent sat beside his girlfriend, Scarlet, and watched his son dance with his new bride. They didn’t share affection, but it was obvious they were linked together. Vincent hardly blinked as he watched the two of them move across the dance floor.

Scarlet placed her hand on his. “They’re perfect together.”

“They are,” Vincent whispered. “I wish Isabella were here to see it…she’d be so happy.”

“She is here,” Scarlet said gently. “And she’s very happy.”

Vincent turned his gaze to her, his eyes softening slightly.

I didn’t know Vincent very well because he was quiet all the time, but now I saw a different version of him. I saw him as a father, not just a crazy business tycoon. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and it was obvious he loved Tatum as much as his own son.

My parents were there too, sitting at a different table and staring at the newlyweds on the dance floor.

“You think we’ll spend time with them this evening?” Autumn asked.

I scoffed. “No. The second the song is over, Diesel is gonna take his new bride away. That’s what I would do. They’ll see us in the morning.”

Autumn squeezed my hand. “That’s romantic.”

“I’m telling you…”

The song ended, and they shared a soft kiss before they walked back toward us.

Diesel pulled her close to him and guided her around the tables. “We’re going to bed.”

I gave Autumn a meaningful look. “Told you.”

She smiled back.

“To bed, huh?” I teased.

Diesel hooked his arm around her waist and guided her away. Her white dress glowed under the torches until it was gone from sight.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy all this free booze and food.” I held my glass and clinked it against hers.

Vincent turned to Scarlet. “Thanks for joining me. Jax and Brett seem to like you.”

“They’re gentlemen,” she said. “You’ve raised fine men.”

Vincent’s eyes softened again. “That wasn’t all me, but thank you.”

“Boys will look to the man in their life for example,” she said. “All three of them looked up to you, and now they’re strong, intelligent, and gentle. Look at the way Diesel is with Tatum. He’s a whole different person.”

Vincent nodded slightly, the fatherly pride in his eyes. “Thank you for saying that.”

She patted his hand, a smile on her face. She looked like she was at least fifteen years younger than him, and even though she was a lot older than me, she was definitely pretty. She wasn’t like the models I’d seen him with in the past, but she was definitely more compatible.

“Do you have kids, Scarlet?” I asked.

“One daughter.” Her eyes immediately lit up at the mention of her. “She’s twenty-two. A nursing student.”

“That’s nice,” I said. “Does she look like you?”

“Exactly,” she said. “People think we’re sisters all the time.”

“Because you look like you’re in your twenties too,” I blurted.

Her smile widened. “Thank you, Thorn…”

Vincent moved his hand to her thigh.

“I’ve always wanted to have a son,” she continued. “But it didn’t work out at the time. And my daughter was already a handful. As an only child, she was a bit spoiled. She needed a lot of attention.”

“I have a brother, but I still needed a lot of attention,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m a bit of a mama’s boy.”

“He is,” Autumn said. “But in a cute way.”

I squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you don’t think I’m a sissy.”

“It’s not like you call her every day or something.” Autumn sipped her champagne.

A guilty look came over my face.

She caught the expression. “Or you do…”

“She usually calls me right before lunch.” I shrugged. “We talk for like fifteen minutes. She asks about the business, but we talk about other things.”

She finished her glass before she patted my thigh. “It’s okay, Thorn. I still like you anyway.”

You still love me anyway. A part of me expected her to say that, and a part of me hoped she would say that. “The music is still playing. Wanna dance?”

“We’ll be the only ones out there.”

“So?” I asked.

“And you don’t strike me as the kind of guy who dances,” she whispered.

“I’m not the kind of guy who has a girlfriend either, but I do.” I rose to my feet and helped her out of the chair. I guided her to the dance floor and then pulled her into my chest. Just as Diesel and Tatum had been dancing before, I held Autumn against me and looked into her eyes. In a light pink dress that contrasted against her black hair, she looked like an angel without wings. Tatum had looked beautiful in her wedding dress, but Autumn reached a whole new level of perfection.

“I’m happy for that.” Her face was nearly touching mine. “They found a perfect getaway where they don’t have to be gawked at by reporters. On Monday, it’s bound to be all over the news. But at least they got to have some privacy in the moment.”

“There will be lots of speculation when they realize I gave her away.”

“I’m sure there will be.”

The fire from the torches reflected in Autumn’s eyes, her gaze dancing like the flames. Her black hair was pulled over one shoulder, and just like Diesel, all I wanted to do was take her back to our room. “I never want to go back.”

“Never?” she asked playfully.

“I’d rather stay here with you…have a honeymoon of our own.”

“To have a honeymoon would require us to be married first.”

I could freak out at the mere suggestion, but I didn’t. After what Tatum and Diesel said on the plane, the words had slowly sunk deeper into my skin with every passing hour. I lay beside Autumn in bed unable to sleep because it was all I could think about. It made me happy to know she loved me, and that could only mean one thing.

I was a goner.

The rest of my life was staring back at me. It was too soon to make a claim like that, but now I knew. All my late nights with random women were over. Weekends in the club were long gone. My single life passed before my eyes, and now I was in a completely different place. Just as Diesel changed the instant he met the right woman, the same had happened to me.

I’d tried to fight it as long as I could, but it was pointless.

It was my fate.

I should accept it like a man.

“What?” Autumn must have noticed the intense way I was staring at her. I couldn’t remember the last time I blinked because my gaze had been locked on her for an eternity. Everyone enjoyed their wine and dinner by the tables, oblivious to our quiet moment.

“I like to look at you.”

“I know,” she whispered. “But I’ve never seen you look at me quite like that.”

Without being able to see my own face, I knew exactly what my expression meant. I knew what kind of feelings were pounding in my chest. The tightness in my throat could only mean one thing. The overwhelming feeling wasn’t as frightening as it used to be because I’d finally laid down my weapons and dropped the fight.

I surrendered. “It’s the same way you’re looking at me.”