Fucking vultures. Every last one of them surround Amelia like she’s some prized painting in a museum. They all want a peek. They all want to meet Renzo’s newly out-of-hiding daughter. Probably because it makes them feel secure in knowing they have more numbers than they originally thought. I hate them all. I hate them because they’re blocking me from getting to her.

Okay, I should be honest with myself. The Serras aren’t entirely to blame. I don’t doubt for a second she’s keeping herself surrounded on purpose. Every time I come near her, she makes sure she’s with three or four people at a time. Never alone.

Because she’s avoiding me.

I can’t blame her for that either. She stood there and spilled her heart out only for me to stomp all over it. She loves me. Fucking loves me. Why someone like her would feel that way about someone like me blows my mind. And what did I do? I told her to stop. As if it were that easy. I remember what love feels like, what it does to a person. How it makes you want to rip your heart out of your goddamn chest, still beating, and hand it to the person you love, hoping they’ll keep it safe. And it never is. At some point or another, the other person will do some damage. Whether they mean to or not.

Apparently, I got to work on that damage right away.

The night wears on while I watch Davey get drunk and try to hit on any single woman he comes across. He does the chicken dance with some half-dressed blonde on Care’s side of the family while I sit at my table, rolling my eyes. This is the last thing I want to be doing right now.

What I should be doing is Amelia. This night wasn’t supposed to end this way.

Eventually, I get my chance to approach her as a server is refilling her wineglass. She startles at my presence, drawing her dark, angled brows together. “Thought you would’ve left by now,” she says simply.

“We need to talk.”

“I’m busy.” She averts her gaze, glancing back at the family members she stepped away from.

I talk quickly as the server hands her back her glass, now full of red wine. “What you did wasn’t fair. You just sprung that on me and didn’t give me time to process anything.”

“Well, now you have plenty of time,” she says coldly, “because, like I said—I’m busy at the moment.” She turns her back to me, disappearing into the sea of people. In a matter of seconds, she’s surrounded by family members again, smiling with those full, red lips. Acting as if everything is okay when we both know it’s not.

I stuff my hands in my suit pockets, squaring my jaw. Okay. If this is how she wants to play this game, I can wait. I can wait all night long if that’s what it takes. Until there are no more people left that she can use to shield herself.

“Bro,” Davey says, breathing heavily after just coming from the dance floor. “Did you see this chick? She’s twenty, a college student, and she’s here with her equally attractive cousin.” He wags his brow at the last part.

“Not interested.”

“Really? I figured you would since you seemed to have lost your date.”

I flinch. “I didn’t lose her. She’s occupied.”

“Maybe it’s just me, but it looks like she doesn’t want anything to do with you. Just saying.”

God, I really want to hit Davey sometimes.

He signals a server carrying a bottle of wine over to us. “Dude, what’s with all the wine? Do any of you pass out liquor around here?”

“You can order cocktails at the bar, sir.”

Davey shakes his head as the server walks away. “Does no one like beer either?” He looks back at me. “Sooo…the cousin? You in?”

“No, I’m not in—Davey, can you do me a favor and beat it? You’re annoying the hell out of me. And stop with those stupid fucking dances. You look like an idiot doing your cha-cha, electric, or whatever other bullshit slides they’re called.”

He backs up, straightening. His usual goofy, aloof look disappears. “Listen, I’m going to let this pass since you’re fighting with your girl. But you need some serious chill, bro.” He huffs and walks away.

I start to apologize, immediately feeling bad, but he’s gone.

Fuck me.

He’s right. I’ve spent years working on my inner peace, and in one night, Amelia destroys it.

People begin to leave around three a.m. I watch Amelia bounce around from one group to another, but before long, there aren’t many left. At this point, even Hugo and Care are long gone.

The room is almost empty when I find her alone by the carousel. Scrambling to get away, she hops on, and it starts to rotate. “Enough with this, Mila.” I jump on after her, sliding between two pink unicorns.

Her eyes flash as she glances over her shoulder. “Leave me alone, Casper.”

She’s about to jump off again. I quickly catch up, grabbing her around the waist.

“Sit. On. The. Horse.” I point to the one behind me.

She eyes me distrustfully, then looks around the near-empty tent.

“That’s right. There’s no one left you can hide behind.”

She sighs and swings a leg over the horse, holding on to the pole. “I wasn’t hiding. Why haven’t you left yet?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“Why? You made yourself pretty clear earlier. We’re both in over our heads. It’s a mistake.”

She looks away. I hate that I’m the cause of any pain, and as much time as she’s given me to think this through, I still haven’t figured out what to say. All I know is I can’t let her leave. Not like this.

“This isn’t a mistake.” I say, stepping closer to her. “We aren’t a mistake. You just…blindsided me.”

The fiberglass horse lifts her up, and then slowly down again. She stares at me, her eyes glowing in the dim light. I take a step closer, and when the horse lowers, we’re at eye level, our faces only inches apart. She stops breathing for several seconds, and her face looks a little less rigid.

I’m getting to her.

“What you said before,” I begin, trying to be honest, “it terrified the hell out of me.”

She blinks. “Why?”

Since I don’t know what to say to make this situation any better, I stick to the truth. “It’s not so much the love part,” I say, thinking. “I’ve done that before. I know how amazing it is. It’s the part where I remember what it feels like to lose it. That’s what’s terrifying.”

I rest my palm on the back of her horse, my arm grazing her back. She stiffens, sitting a little straighter.

Yep. Definitely getting to her.

“Who says you would lose it?”

“One way or another, everything comes to an end.”

“Casper.” She winces. “I’m right here, flesh and blood.”

“I know that,” I say, my voice shaky. “But it still scares me.”

“I’m not taking it back,” she says, her voice hard with determination. “I love you, and I meant it.”

It shoots through me again, that strange combination of fear and amazement that I felt the first time she said it.

“I don’t want you to take it back. Well, not anymore.”

The carousel comes to a stop, and Amelia slides off the horse. Servers make their way around the room, clearing the tables. Someone announces last call at the bar.

Viviana appears, carrying her camera in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “Milly, are you ready to get out of here?”

Amelia clears her throat. “Yeah, I am.”

I reach for her hand, stopping her. “Come with me instead.”

She looks back at me, and I can see the indecision in her eyes. She’s still angry, but she’s softening. Her body gravitates toward me. After several long seconds, she says, “I’ll meet you back at the château, Vivvy.”

Viviana snorts. “Sure, you will.” She leaves, heading toward the exit. “Have fun, guys.”

Thank God. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she’d left. I pull her against me, resting my chin on top of her shoulder, more relieved than I ever felt.

“Don’t look too pleased with yourself,” Amelia says, but I catch the small smirk she’s wearing. “Where are you taking me, by the way?”

“Somewhere close.” Rashi’s vacation house isn’t far from here. It’s perfect, right on the ocean, on the outskirts of Monaco, and he’s never there. “We’ll have to pack a bag though, which means we’ll have to stop at the château before we leave.”

“And how many days will we be gone?”

“As many as we want.”

She leans up, drawing her arms around my neck. “Your sense of adventure has no limits, huh?”

“Nope.”

She smiles. “That’s what I love about you.”

I groan loudly, unable to help it. “Can you stop with the L-word?”

“No way.” She lets go of me and hops off the carousel. “Better get used to it now, Casper North. Because you’ll be hearing me say it a lot more often.”