Will The night before the wedding, I was standing in the castle discussing linen choices with Miriam. This was not how I’d pictured my life going and yet I was as happy as a fucking clam. “To be clear, I have no strong opinions about napkin folds,” I said as I watched her tick a box on her clipboard. She didn’t even look up at me. “You will. Trust me, young man. If they’re wrong tomorrow, you’ll notice and you’ll never claim not to have an opinion again.” Since I couldn’t be sure that she was wrong, I sighed and raked my fingers through my hair, finally deciding to at least try. “Okay, what are my options?” “A classic fold or something more contemporary.” “Classic,” I said immediately. “We’ve had enough drama.” “Good choice.” She made a note on her clipboard, then lifted her gaze to mine, her mouth already opening for her next question when we both suddenly heard loud voices echoing from the foyer. Miriam paused, her pen hovering above the checklist we’d been diligently working our way through. “Were you expecting guests this evening, Will?” “No,” I said slowly. “Not that I know of.” Her eyebrows drew together slightly. “Then who—” The doors opened, and strangely, most of my family walked in. I gawked at them for a second, trying to process that they were here. Charlotte and Trent were leading the charge, Kate and Nate behind them, with Jesse, Zach, and Theo bringing up the rear. Our two youngest brothers were looking at the place like they were trying to take it all in, but were failing spectacularly. Jesse already looked bored. Trent was hanging on to Charlotte’s hand like he was holding her back. “What are you guys doing here?” I asked, so surprised that I couldn’t even hug my sister when she launched herself at me. “It’s nice to see you too,” Trent said, clapping me on the shoulder as they stopped beside me. “Hey, uh, where’s the bar? I’m never crossing an ocean with a pack of Westwoods again. I need a drink. Now.” “I thought the wedding was off,” Nate said, looking between me and the decorations like he’d missed a crucial memo.
“So did I,” I said flatly, my gaze sliding to Jesse. He lifted his hands in surrender. “I may have withheld that update.” “Eliza!” Kate’s voice rang out a moment later. When I turned, I saw her walk into the hall from the opposite side, stopping short when she saw them. Her expression mirrored mine, a mask of complete, unfiltered shock. “Hi,” Kate said, immediately taking off toward her with Charlotte right on her heels. “We heard you might be in need of a new wedding dress.” Ah. So that’s why Trent was holding Charlotte back. Eliza blinked hard. “What?” Charlotte smiled. “Don’t worry. We brought options. I’m the sister, by the way. Charlotte Westwood. It’s nice to meet you.” “Options?” Eliza r epeated faintly as she acc epted my sister’s hug. “I, oh. It’s lovely to meet you as well.” “Options,” Kate confirmed as if that explained everything. “As in, we’ve brought several different dresses for you to choose from. A friend back in Chicago let Charlotte borrow them.” “And that’s why I need a bar,” Trent muttered. “When they say a few, they mean at least a dozen. We spent half the flight debating the pros and cons of sweetheart necklines.” Before I could even process what was happening, they’d reached her, and Kate was taking her gently by the arm. “Come on. We’re on a tight schedule. It’s okay if we borrow her, right, Will?” “I... yeah. No.” Eliza glanced back at me, wide-eyed but smiling while Kate shot me a grin. “Don’t worry, we’ll return her in better condition than we found her.” They whisked her away before I could say another word. “I had things to say. They didn’t need my permission if Eliza actually wanted to try on their dresses, but I was going to tell them that they had to at least ask.” “It’s real bold of you to think anything you wanted to say matters right now,” Jesse said dryly. “They flew a dozen wedding dresses to another continent, trying to help. There was no way they were ever going to listen to you about this.” “That’s very true,” Trent said. “Now, about that bar.” Aaron appeared at my side like he’d been waiting for this specific moment. “If you’ll follow me, sir.” Trent lit up like a Christmas tree. “Of course, I’ll follow you. I’ll follow you through the seven circles of hell if you can point me toward a bottle of decent whiskey and a quiet room with a leather chair.”
Aaron tipped his head toward a hallway. “I have just the place.” As Trent, Nate, Theo, and Zach took off after him, Jesse touched my arm. I turned to look at him, immediately realizing that he was deliberately hanging back. “What’s going on?” “Is there som eplace we can talk real quick?” “Yeah.” I started in the direction of the same hallway they’d disappeared into. “This place has many, many sitting rooms. I’m sure we can find one to duck into.” Aaron reappeared when we were halfway down the hall, his gaze swe eping across the two of us walking together just once before he reached for a door I’d been convinced led to another storage closet. “In here, if you’d please.” “How do you do that?” I asked, not even for the first time today. “It’s like you can read my mind.” “That’s my job, Mr. Westwood.” “Will.” “Of course, sir.” He pushed the door open, smiling a little. I sighed but walked in anyway. Behind me, Jesse chuckled and shut the door once we were inside. He looked around the small study Aaron had led us to, his gaze dragging across the old fir eplace, the stone walls, and the thick rugs on the floor. He shook his head. “You know, I still don’t really understand the appeal of this place.” I rolled my eyes. “You always have hated history.” “I don’t hate it. I just prefer the present.” He lowered himself into one of the armchairs and pulled out his phone. “Alright, I need to get Alex on the line. Are you ready?” “No. Why do you need to call him?” I asked, watching Aaron pour scotch like it was a sacred ritual. He handed me the glass just as Alex’s voice came through Jesse’s speaker, my question apparently having fallen on deaf ears. “Hey, Jess. You got him?” “I got him.” Jesse turned the screen toward me. “Say hi to Alex, Will.” My eyes narrowed, but my oldest brother was already staring back at me from the video call. From what I could make out of the background, he was on his couch at home, also sipping scotch. “I’m sorry Jane and I couldn’t make the trip. Unfortunately, her doctor told us in no uncertain terms that she’s way past the point where it’s safe to fly at all, let alone that far.” I inclined my chin in a nod. “Sure. Yeah. That makes sense. I’m still not sure why Jesse dragged me away from the others and insisted on calling you, though.” Alex raked a palm along his jaw, his mouth pressing into a firm line. He swallowed, making a face like he was tasting something bitter. “You quit on me.”
“Yes, and I’m not changing my mind.” I folded my arms across my chest. “So if that’s what this is about, then no thank you—” “I owe you an apology,” he said, cutting me off. “That’s what this is about.” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re apologizing to me?” “Yes, I am. What I was about to say was that you quit on me, but I understand why you did it and I don’t expect you to come back, but I am sorry that I drove you to it.” I frowned. “You never apologize.” “I do when I’m in the wrong, and I was in the wrong. I mishandled things with you and Eliza. I didn’t listen to you. I jumped to conclusions. I was a tool and I’m sorry.” Jesse finally handed his phone off to me, then leaned against the wall with his glass in one hand, the other casually hooked into the pocket of his jeans. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that, Alex. You weren’t just a tool. You were an asshole, at the very least.” “Fine. I was an asshole. A jerk. Whatever you want to call me, I was that.” Alex exhaled. “You were right, Will. I let the pressure get to me and I wasn’t thinking straight.” I almost choked on my drink. “Can you r epeat that? I’d like it recorded for future use.” “Don’t push me.” He sighed as he leaned back on the couch. “I just wanted you to know that I’m not going to interfere. Whatever happens tomorrow, it’s your decision. Jesse told me about the contract, so legally, we’re all good for you to marry her, but if you don’t want to, I’ll work something out with James.” “Thank you,” I said, all the humor vanishing as I stared back at him and realized that he really meant all of this. “I appreciate that.” Jesse pushed off the wall. “I’ve got something to say too.” I glanced at him, frowning. “This should be good.” “I’m st epping in as COO.” I frowned. “What?” “I’m taking over your role as COO so you can get your fairy tale ending,” he said simply. I stared at him for a long beat, trying to figure out if this was some kind of elaborate joke, but it didn’t look like one. “You hate operations.” “I hate a lot of things, but I’ll manage.” He took another sip of his drink before bringing his gaze back to mine. “I owe you this. Both of you. After everything you’ve done for me, I want to do this for you.” “And for me,” Alex chimed in. Jesse scoffed. “Sure, why not?” He looked back at me. “The point is that you left a giant hole in W&S when you quit, and it’s either this or dragging your ass back until we’ve managed to train someone to take your place.”
I huffed out a breath. “You don’t have to do that. I can—” “No, I know I don’t have to, but I’m choosing to. Plus, Alex has already okayed it, so we’re all set.” I looked back at Alex like he’d just told me he was taking up interpretive dance. “Are you really going to let me retire?” He didn’t even flinch. “I’m not letting you do anything. I’m acknowledging that you’re an adult who can make his own decisions and if your decision is to live there with Eliza, then that’s what you should do.” I looked at Jesse then, because this suddenly felt like a setup. “What did you tell him?” He shrugged, that devilish glint I knew so well lighting his eyes. “We talked about it on the flight, remember? You said that was the plan. That you wanted to move here and take over some of her duties so she can just enjoy her life for once. I told Alex about it and we’re going to make it happen for you.” “I was spiraling.” He cocked his head, eyes locked on mine. “Are you telling me you’ve changed your mind?” “No, but I can’t actually believe you’re doing this based on the ramblings of a guy who was in the middle of a breakdown.” Something changed in Jesse’s gaze then. A steady kind of certainty I’d never seen from him stared back at me. “Contrary to what you might think sometimes, I do know you pretty well, Will. This is what you want, so I’m going to be doing the st epping up for a change, if that’s okay?” My eyes slammed shut. The disbelief tearing through me was so intense that I felt a little dizzy. “I honestly can’t believe you guys are actually okay with this.” Alex chuckled softly. “You’ve spent years doing what was expected of you. Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been holding things together even when you didn’t break them. Fixing problems that weren’t yours to fix. It’s about time we return the favor, isn’t it?” I finally opened my eyes again and focused on him. “Are you absolutely sure about this?” He smiled at me the way he used to before he was my CEO. Before Dad dumped the responsibility of arranging everyone’s marriages in his lap. The way he used to back when he was just my big brother. “I’m sure, Will. There’s no catch here. Congratulations, okay? I really wish we could be there, but Zach is going to livestream the wedding for me and Jane, and Dad will be getting in tomorrow morning with Harlan and the others.”
“They’re all coming?” Jesse smirked. “Well, I don’t know about all of them, but I really fucking hope Sterling shows. I’ve still got a bone to pick with him.” I groaned. “You’re not doing it at my wedding.” “Fine. I’ll do it after.” He pumped his eyebrows at me, then took his phone back and said bye to Alex. After that, he dragged me to the sitting room where Aaron had taken the others, and the five of us had the world’s calmest ever bachelor party. We spent the night talking, joking around, and having a few drinks until Miriam finally came to tell us that the girls were done, but that I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near Eliza’s room tonight. It was a bummer, but by the time I woke up the next morning, everything felt somehow different. Aaron still brought my breakfast, but Jesse and Nate crashed it. We got ready together after, and for the first time in a really long time, it felt like we were all actually on the same side. When the time came, I stood at the end of the aisle in the small church in the village by the castle. My hands were clasped loosely in front of me as I looked out at the people who’d shown up for us. Not only family and some friends, but the entire village had come out for the occasion. Every seat was filled, more people standing along the walls, the sound of quiet chatter and soft laughter weaving through the air. It was magic. There was no other word for it. A few seconds later, the music suddenly shifted and I drew in a de ep breath, realizing that this was it. The doors at the end of the aisle opened and Eliza appeared on James’s arm. Everything else faded into the background. Nothing else mattered. Not the people, or the noise, or the fact that my heart was currently trying to beat its way out of my chest. She st epped forward slowly, the light shining on her in a way that felt unfair to everyone else in the room. Like the entire universe had decided to beam its spotlight on the most amazing woman in the world. When she finally reached me, her eyes met mine, and for a second, I forgot that breathing was a prerequisite for staying alive. She was ravishing, the dress plain but gorgeous, with some twinkling crystals on the lace bodice and a soft, flowing skirt. “Hi,” I murmured as I looked into her blue eyes and did my best to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I’m Will.”
Her lips curved into a soft, knowing smile. “I know, my love. I know exactly who you are. Now.” Pride punched at my ribs. My chest swelled until my tux felt too tight. I took her hand and we turned toward the pastor together. I didn’t really know how long it was going to take me to believe it, but this was the beginning of our lives together. It felt like the stars had somehow aligned to make it so that, for once, I didn’t have to st ep aside and Eliza didn’t have to make herself smaller. In just two days, we’d yanked everything she hadn’t wanted from the wedding, and now, here we were, at her perfect, fairy tale wedding in the village she loved. I would never have to let her go after all and Jesse had assured me about a dozen times that he was sure about taking over as COO. For the longest time, I’d thought all three of us had been victims, doomed to fates none of us wanted, but I’d been wrong. In the end, we were all exactly where we were supposed to be, and I, for one, had never been happier.