Chapter 165

Announcing our engagement is a little rushed and anticlimactic, given that Arrick books us flights back to Paris for the same day we arrive back home in the Hamptons. It barely gives anyone time to let it sink in or react. I think he planned it that way, so I won’t get cold feet at the over emotional response and run for the hills, knowing fine well that is totally something I would do.

Knows me a little too well.

A rushed trip out here on the family jet, a flying round of homes as we show them the ring and drop the bombshell that we are having a rushed wedding, and then straight out to fly back to JFK airport in Queens to meet our next flight and head back to Europe. It’s exhausting, and I feel like my feet barely hit the ground the entire time. No one gets a chance to gush too much, no one pressuring me or questioning me with endless wedding queries, and I got to throw my hastily written list at my sister and inform her as chief bridesmaid she has a wedding to plan.

Arrick doesn’t argue, knowing fine well that I have other things on my mind right now and well, Leila is very good at planning things like this nowadays. Her little women’s club has morphed in recent years into a planner’s group of bored housewives who organize killer functions and parties in their spare time.

So yeah, score.

The family is stunned, elated, excited and disappointed that I don’t want some sort of public announcement or grand engagement party. It’s not that I don’t want any of those things, it’s that my life is only the safe haven it is because I avoid all forms of public announcements and pictures in the social pages at every opportunity. Somewhere out there, I have two biological parents who know nothing of my whereabouts, new name or family and I would like to keep it that way. The video of my Paris show is a good diversion of false information if they ever happen upon it and recognize me, they will assume I got adopted out to Europe. Not that I think they would assume it was me, Sophie Huntsberger, rich fashion designer, is a far cry from runaway homeless reject.

They have no clue where I am and even though my father is inside a prison cell for the time being, I have no desire to give anything away. Arry understands this, in fact he was the one who reminded our families there was to be no public announcements at all. It’s one of the reasons he has a clause with most of the papers in this state that says they can never print images of him without his pre-approval. He has never approved any that I am in.

The plan is a cozy family and friends only wedding with no outside intruders or paparazzi. Given that Arrick is both a known Carrero and the current MME champion, it may prove a little harder to keep it concealed once plans are in full swing. We are hopeful that if we keep it small and fast, then we can pull it off and be on our honeymoon before the media catch wind of it.

***

I wake up mid-flight, a few hours in, disorientated and groggy and turn myself towards him in the comfy first-class seat. Arrick is on his laptop typing away and I can see even from here the emblazoned Carrero Corp logo on the top right of his document. That pentagon shaped gold C that I see every day.

He still hasn’t agreed to reconsider his decision with the company yet; his father barely spoke to him on the trip home and Jake made some comments about reconsidering when we were leaving. He has his stubborn head on, and I know him too well. Arry needs to let things work out inside his head by himself. You can’t sway him or influence him until he comes to the best conclusion alone, after picking the wrong one first of course. Right now, he is set on distancing himself from the company and focusing on us, and that’s fine for now. I know in time when we are more settled, he will realize it’s not needed, and I hope he goes back to how it was. That company is as much part of him as the fight scene is and he’ll only live to regret it.

As much as I love seeing him as my house husband when he has free time, his fights are now so sporadic that his entire year would be a long row of down time and I cannot see him ever feeling fulfilled that way. Arrick needs focus and a goal, something to always work too. Something to feel accomplished or have ambition in, or he gets bored and listless and starts to disengage.

He is so much like me in that respect and I know that it will eat at him once he finds himself with nothing to do but run after me, cook and spend his time looking for things to occupy himself.

“What are you doing?” I nudge his arm and distract him from the screen; that adorable look of serious concentration on his face as he chews on his lip absentmindedly. Arry turns to me with a smile and runs his hand over mine softly, igniting that same set of tingles.

“Answering emails, overseeing the businesses I started under Carrero Corp and informing them of a change of contact within the company when I cut loose.” He lets go and turns back to what he’s typing, and I frown at him, curbing the urge to say anything. I bite on my lip and try so hard, but it’s bursting out of me crazily.

“I think you are an idiot.” I say it with love, but how can you really make that statement sound anything but insulting.

“Thanks, baby.” Arrick frowns at me and goes back to typing.

“Undo it, Arry, it’s not right for you. It’s a stupid impulsive decision that will only make you unhappy.” I nudge him again and this time try to appeal with endearing puppy eyes.

“I made my mind up, Sophs. It’s not impulsive or stupid. It’s about focusing on what’s important to me from here on in. No more flying off and leaving you.” He has that stubborn frown back in place, but I am far worse than he is when it comes to digging my heels in.

“It won’t matter after this trip… A couple of weeks and we are going back to New York on a permanent basis. There will be no more commutes after this.”

“Look, this isn’t just about Paris, Sophs. It’s about letting you down, not being there when you need me and how much it’s been overtaking our life. I am more than aware of my failings in the past year… I didn’t see how unhappy you were in school, failed to see you hadn’t made any real friends, failed to notice the shit I should be noticing. I feel like a complete asshole who has totally lost focus on the one thing in his life that makes everything worthwhile. You!” Arry turns on me this time with a serious look of regret and I sigh heavily.

“You’re being too hard on yourself, being pig headed and stubborn and making a classic ‘Arrick bad choice’. The right thing is not always the best thing for everyone.” I raise my brows and smirk, sighing when I see him softening too and smiling back with that half smile of his that brings out his dimples. He knows he is not the best at making huge life altering decisions… That’s why he has me. To point out the stupidity in his plans.

“Arrick bad choice? … Didn’t know that was a thing?” He smirks.

“Oh, Yes! A huge, well known, and overly familiar thing. Do you need a shortlist of decisions that you have made, that overruled happiness in the name of doing the right thing?” I nudge him again, this time comically, and he breaks into a small chuckle.

“It all came good in the end.” He catches my hand in his and swoops down to kiss me on the mouth.

“Only when you changed the decision and went the other way… I’m pointing this out now so you can save a lot of grief and regret and get it right the first time in this instance.” I’m trying to keep this light, but my tone is serious. I only want for him to be happy.

For us to be happy again.

Arrick sighs this time.

“Okay, I hear you loud and clear and I promise I will think more on this. For the next three weeks though, let’s forget Carrero Corp and everything else, and focus on us, you finishing school, and all the things we need to plan… We’re getting married, baby.” Arrick starts beaming smiles my way with that statement and I grin too.

“I know… it’s kind of scary to be doing the M thing.” I giggle and he eyerolls.

“It’s scary that my betrothed still calls it the M thing after agreeing to even do it. No cold feet?” He closes his laptop and slides it into his bag between his feet. Looking at me with that gorgeous set of soft eyes that still have the power to melt me to the core.

“Not even a little tiny bit.” Complete honesty and a little flutter of butterflies at the thought of it.

“Me either… Just a hell of a lot of excitement… Sophie Carrero… Sounds like it was always meant to be that way.”

It kind of does.

“Who knew that meeting you in your mamma’s kitchen that day would lead to this? Back then I wasn’t even sure I would be staying with the Huntsbergers for long.” I remember it fondly and think back to how far I have come.

“Honestly? You blew me away the first time I ever laid eyes on you… When I didn’t know you were still legally a child and that made it all kinds of wrong. I fell for you, hard. Crazily fast, even though I had no clue what was happening to me, and never once let up for air. Fate made sure that I was going to be the one who married you, baby, I’m sure of that.” Arrick’s serious now too, my romantic boy and his fast words. He has always been good at melting every piece of me with his little speeches. A hopeless romantic inside that cute boy body and fighter’s skill.

I love him so much.

“I thought you were an asshole and wanted you to go away.” I shrug then squeal when he dives for me to tickle me to death and attracts some haughty glares from other first-class passengers across from us.

“We both know I had an effect on you too, hence letting me even get close enough to win you over. You can’t deny that from day one we had something that never faded. We were drawn to one another.” He pulls me into an awkward hug across the arm of the seat and then gets annoyed with the plastic digging between us and hauls me over it and onto his lap instead. Curling me up against him and pulling me in tight to nestle my face against his throat.

“I didn’t think I needed anyone, but you had a way of cutting through and getting in.” I snuggle in close and inhale his scent heavily, closing my eyes with how good being in his arms feel.

“I think you call that surrendering to my stalker tendencies and relentless harassment. I was no way in hell going to let you keep eluding me. I wanted to know you and wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of that.” His husky voice washes over me like a calming wave and I physically melt into his embrace.

“You were pretty relentless. I think you showed up every five minutes and never stopped dropping date hints on me; never happy with a no. Sure that you stalked me to the diner that day when I finally let you buy me a milkshake.” I glance up at him, grinning away shamelessly.

“I did follow you… Not in a creepy way though. I mean, your mom told me where you were headed, so I came too.” He brushes his thumb over my lips and scoops to kiss me for a moment, lost in memory of the first time I ever let my guard down a little and actually spent more than five minutes in his company by choice. He bought me a chocolate shake and a piece of apple pie that we ended up sharing and sat for a good hour laughing at his lame jokes. That was the first time I actually looked at him and though… I could really like you.

The memories of us back then, still innocent in hindsight, despite what we are now, and still as beautiful as they were the first time around. He never gave up trying to break through and once he did, he made sure he was worthwhile in every way. Becoming the best friend every girl dreams of having, and showing me I could trust him, no matter what.

He healed my soul.

“I’m glad you never gave up on me.” the tears hit suddenly, overemotional with the topic of us, because really, Arry is my life and it could have gone a whole different way if he hadn’t walked in all those years ago and seen something in me that he wanted. He helped pull me through the darkest moments of my life when I didn’t know I needed someone to be there to hold me up. He thinks I’m the warrior who did it all alone, but in actual fact… He was the one who gave me the strength to do it at all.

“You changed everything… Even back then. I stopped being a dumb kid and manned up because you needed someone to lean on. You were, and still are, the best thing that ever happened to me, Sophs. Don’t ever doubt that. You make life amazing.”

Maybe he does know. Arry, the sometimes, all seeing eye.

“You changed me… You changed my life too. I can’t imagine letting anyone near me the way I let you.” In any way, in my head, my heart, or all over my body. I know no man would ever be allowed to touch me the way he does. I could never allow guys to get beyond kissing before him and I never actually enjoyed it. Arrick was the first kiss that I felt something real.

“I wouldn’t let anyone near you… Not ever again. You’re mine in all ways, and I would kill to protect you. I would die to keep you safe.” Our light-hearted chat has become super intensive as he angles our noses together and focuses heavily on my eyes. Repairing months of what felt like drifting apart and bringing us back to who we are to each other. We didn’t just get engaged in New York, we found our fire again, each other, and we’re going back to Paris whole once more. Hopeful, suddenly so sure that this will only get better again.

“We will always be together… For eternity.” I kiss him this time, softly, sensually, and only draw back enough to let him talk, nuzzling close and intimately.

“We will… I promise you. That’s why you’re marrying me.”