Chapter. 21

{Third person's pov}

Arizona was in her and his shared bedroom when the door opened, revealing her sister in law and best friend, Emily.

Emily stepped inside and placed a bag on the bed, Arizona frowned. "What is it?" She asked.

"Open it and find out." Emily suggested and Arizona opened the bag, she took out the pieces of clothes and it was a few lingerie sets.

Arizona's eyes widened, "What the hell, Emily."

"What?" Emily shrugged, "It's your honeymoon and being your best friend it's my responsibility to make sure you both enjoy it."

"Emily... I am your brother's wife." Arizona said and Emily smiled, "But you are my best friend first."

Arizona sighed in defeat, "You are impossible."

Just as Arizona was about to shove the lacey garments back into the bag, the heavy oak door creaked open again.

Everett stepped into the room, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the floor. He was still in his charcoal grey suit jacket, his tie loosened slightly at the collar a rare sign of weariness from a long day at the office.

His cold, piercing gaze immediately swept the room, landing first on Emily's mischievous grin and then on the contents spilling across Arizona's bed. His eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, the only sign of his discomfort.

"What is going on in here?" Everett asked, his voice deep and velvet smooth, carrying that characteristic controlled authority.

He didn't move closer, maintaining his usual reserved distance, but his eyes lingered on the crimson silk lingerie that had fallen onto the duvet.

Emily didn't miss a beat. She hopped onto the edge of the bed, looking between Everett and Arizona with sparkling eyes.

"Just helping your wife prepare for the honeymoon, big brother! You know, making sure she's... appropriately dressed for the occasion."

Everett's expression remained impassive, though a muscle jumped in his jaw.

He turned his attention to Arizona, his gaze softening just a fraction, a privilege she seemed to be the only one to receive. "I assume this isn't something you asked for, Arizona?"

Arizona immediately shook her head and before she could blame Emily, Emily walked out of their room.

"it was Emily." Arizona said and immediately started to keep the lingerie in the bag that Emily bought.

Everett watched her movements, his arms crossing over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

He didn't interrupt her frantic attempt to hide the evidence, though his eyes followed the way her fingers fumbled with the delicate fabric.

"I didn't ask you to blame her," he said quietly, though there was no real bite in his tone. "Though I suspect she knew exactly what she was doing."

He took a few steps into the room, the polished leather of his shoes silent on the carpet.

As he approached the bed, the space between them seemed to shrink, and Arizona could smell the faint, expensive scent of sandalwood and bergamot that always clung to him.

His presence was overwhelmingly steady, solid, and intimidatingly calm.

He stopped at the foot of the bed, watching her tuck a black lace set into the corner of the bag.

"You don't have to hurry," he added, his voice dropping to a lower register. "If you're uncomfortable with what she brought, we can simply ignore it."

He paused, his dark eyes meeting hers with an unreadable intensity. "But my parents are expecting us to leave for the airport tomorrow morning. The honeymoon is already planned, Arizona. Whether you wear those or not... we are going."

She nodded, "I have already done the packing, let me know what clothes you want to bring, I will pack them too."

Everett's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary, studying the earnest expression on her face.

Her willingness to take care of everything even the mundane details of his wardrobe was a constant reminder of how different she was from the transactional relationships he had known in the past.

"I have my own luggage already prepared, Arizona. My assistant handled the essentials," he said, though his tone lacked its usual icy formality. "But you don't need to worry about my needs. Focus on yourself."

He straightened his posture, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. "The trip will be long, and the resort is quite secluded. It won't be like our life here in the city."

He paused, his lips thinning into a straight line as he considered his next words. "There will be no office calls, no college schedules, and no distractions."

He walked closer to the bed, stopping just shy of touching her. "I want you to actually enjoy this. Not out of obligation to my parents, and not out of responsibility to me."

His dark eyes searched hers, intense and unreadable. "I want you to feel like you're finally free from everything that happened before."

She looked down as he stepped closer, his closeness always affected her, slowly he reached his hand near her face and she immediately closed her eyes.

But she felt nothing, and then she opened her eyes just to notice that he was taking out something from her hair.

She bit her lips and mentally slapped herself, at this point she was the biggest fan girl of her own husband.

Everett held the small silver hairclip between two fingers, having plucked it from her tresses with surprising gentleness.

His hand remained suspended in the air for a heartbeat before he lowered it, but he didn't immediately retreat.

The proximity allowed him to see the faint flush spreading across her cheeks and the way her breathing had hitched.

"You had something stuck in your hair," he said simply, though his voice sounded slightly rougher than intended. "You should be more careful."

He noticed her biting her lip, a nervous habit she had when she was flustered, and for a fleeting second, his cold composure wavered.

He wanted to reach out and trace that lip with his thumb, but the old ghosts of betrayal kept his hands anchored at his sides.

He was a man who built walls to survive, and Arizona was inadvertently chipping away at them with nothing but her innocent presence.

Clearing his throat to reestablish his professional distance, he straightened his suit jacket. "Get some rest, Arizona. Tomorrow will be an early start."

He turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. "And Arizona?"

The moonlight from the window caught the sharp angles of his face, making him look like a marble statue. "Don't let Emily's antics unsettle you. Whatever she bought... it's your choice."