Chapter 3

My dress is dark blue, so I know he's talking about my cheeks and not my dress. Bastard.

We all stood around the low table I helped set up earlier. It had a large glass vase on top and eight smaller vases filled with sand around it, all in different colors.

“We wanted to keep this part private, just for the people who meant the most to us,” Law says.

“The idea is to pour each of our colors, showing the unity of this family we’ve created for ourselves,” Sarah explains. “We’ll keep it at home, as a reminder of this day, and for Shawn, of how much love surrounds him. We all have each other to depend on, no matter what. To love each other, no matter what.”

Don't you dare look at them, I ordered myself.

My eyes don't listen to me. They look up through my eyelashes and direct their gaze at Ezequiel and Jeremiah, who are standing in front of me. They look back at me. Without sly smiles, without raised eyebrows, and with too much sincerity. If I thought their other glances scared me, these ones terrify me. I don't know what they mean, and I'm afraid I do. I swallow and look down.

Sarah and Law add their colors first, adding Shawn's before Kamila and Jackson follow. I almost think they planned for Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and me to add ours at the same time. The colors blend together perfectly, and I smile at the sight.

"We wanted to thank you all for being part of our beautiful day," Sarah says. "It wouldn't have been the same without you."

"Nothing could have stopped me from doing it," I reply.

Trump's "big, beautiful" bill: An ambitious economic overhaul or a high-stakes political gamble?

Trump's "big, beautiful" bill: An ambitious economic overhaul or a high-stakes political gamble?

"But uh..." Law smiles. "I need you to take Shawn now, Kamila, because I'm finally, finally, taking off my wife's wedding dress."

"My wife!" I shout as Kamila pretends to cover her ears while Jackson takes Shawn from Law's arms.

"My husband acts like I'm not going to undress him first," Sarah responds immediately.

"I could have sworn I saw you grab his ass during your first dance," Jeremiah laughs.

—Of course.— Law frowns. —So, we love you all, and good night. Don't come knocking on our door for nothing. I don't care if the damn resort burns down.—

"Unless it's Shawn," Sarah adds quickly.

Law looks at Jackson and Kamila with an agreeing look, but says this better be important. Then, he picks Sarah up and runs across the sand at full speed the next moment. And as if he senses them approaching, I turn around and see Ezekiel and Jeremiah approaching me.

"Well, I have to go back and oversee the cleaning," I say quickly.

"See you tomorrow at the pool," Kamila says.

I don't look over my shoulder as I walk back into the hallway. I don't need to to know I'm being watched. As I reach the kitchen, Heather tells me she tried calling to let me know everything was okay, but it only got voicemail. I check my phone and see it died sometime while I was at the beach. But I still stay for a while, giving Ezekiel and Jeremiah plenty of time to get to their rooms and no chance of running into them tonight. I just want to sit as far away from them as possible at lunch by the pool tomorrow and fly home. Sarah and Law are going on a private jet to their honeymoon, so at least I won't have to worry about that again.

Forty-five minutes later, I grab my bag before thanking everyone for their efforts and saying goodbye to Heather. I walk up to the twelfth floor, throwing my head back, more than ready to take off these heels and this dress. Ready to take every single pin out of my hair and undo it from this too-tight bun. Ready to get away for a while from a room filled with the crazy energy that Ezekiel and Jeremiah give off, which keeps me constantly on my toes.

The elevator doors open, and my heels make a thud with each step down the hallway. I reach my room and refuse to look at the door, as if they're peering through the peephole right now to catch me watching. However, I can hear them as I search my bag for my room key. Jeremiah tells Ezekiel to leave the TV on the channel he's watching. Ezekiel tells him to fuck off because he's not watching a show about disastrous families all night. I shake my head as I look in my bag, unable to find the key with just my hand.

There isn't much in my bag: my dead phone, my lipstick, and my slim wallet. So it doesn't take long for me to realize my room key card is missing.

“No, no, no, no,” I mutter over and over as I search my purse again, knowing the card isn’t there.

I even open my wallet, knowing I didn't put my room key in it. And, surprise! It's not even there! I lean my forehead against the door.

"You've got to be kidding me," I say as I close my eyes.

I review my options and quickly realize they're very limited. With my phone dead, I'll have to go to someone's room to use their phone and call the front desk, or go back to the lobby. Sarah and Law's room is completely out. Kamila and Jackson have Shawn, and I don't want to risk waking him up if he's sleeping or interrupting them. That just leaves...

I open my eyes and turn my head to look over my shoulder toward the door.

-By no means.-

I start walking back down the hallway toward the elevator. A quick trip to the lobby takes me to the front desk, where I explain the situation.

No problem. Do you have ID? We can compare your name with your room name and get you a replacement card.

I breathe a sigh of relief and take out my wallet.

"Room number?" he asks as he takes my ID.

—1210.—

He looks back and forth between my ID and the screen.

—Um, it says the room is registered under a different name—.

"What?" I exclaimed.

—Are you sure that's the correct room number?—

—Of course I'm sup-— Then I understand. —The room is in Law's name—, I mutter more to myself than to him. —It's in Lawson Kane's name, right?—

—Sorry, I can't give you that information.—