The-Wrong-Bride-Ares--Raven’s-story-(Maura,-Catharina)_bibis

she merely nods. “No matter. Raven is here.”
I glance back at Raven and nod. Yeah, she is. Over the last couple of years, she’s attended more
family dinners than Hannah ever did. Is that how Raven and Lex became so close? Is she here for him,
and not for Sierra?
“Why are you so quiet today?” Zane asks. “No celebrity gossip today?”
“Yeah man,” Luca agrees. “I live for the drama you encounter at work. Fill us in.”
I shake my head, irritated. My brothers are such fucking gossips. Honestly, they’re the worst, and I
don’t feel like entertaining them today.
I eat my food quietly, my gaze moving back to Raven and Lex every few minutes. She’s barely
said hi to me today, and she’s only taken her eyes off Lex whenever Sierra talks to her. It’s like the
rest of us don’t even exist.
I breathe a sigh of relief when dinner ends peacefully, with no talk of my upcoming wedding and
no lectures from Grandma.
Raven rises from her seat with a smile on her face, and I watch as she disappears through the
veranda doors, no doubt heading for Grandma’s swing.
Lexington looks around in confusion, clearly searching for her. Before I even realize what I’m
doing, I find myself following Raven. I’m not sure why, but I don’t want to leave her alone with Lex.
I find her sitting on the swing, her gaze on Grandma’s countless plants, a soft breeze making her
hair dance. She looks up at the sound of my footsteps, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Oh,” she says. “Ares.”
“You sound disappointed.” I sit down next to her and push the swing into motion. She looks
enchanting tonight, in that yellow summer dress, the shoulder straps nearly nonexistent. Did she wear
that for Lexington?
“No, not at all.”
I glare at her inadvertently. “Were you waiting for Lex?” Her eyes widen just a fraction, and I tilt
my head in question. “Hmm?”
“I… no.”
I nod. “Good. I love my brother, but he’s not for you. He’s a fuckboy. He won’t get serious with
anyone other than the woman Grandma chooses for him.”
Raven bursts out laughing and shakes her head. “Um, are you worried about me?”
I nod.
“Don’t be. Besides, what makes you think I’m after a serious relationship? How much longer are
you going to see both Sierra and me as children?”
I grit my teeth and turn to face her. She smiles provocatively, and I lean in, placing a finger
underneath her chin to lift her face to mine. “Don’t you even fucking think about it, Raven.”
She merely smiles at me and lifts her brow. “I’m an adult, Ares. So is he.”
I see fucking red at the thought of her in his bed and grab her chin, keeping her captive. “I don’t
give a fuck whether or not you’re an adult, Raven. You’re not fucking my brother, you hear me?”
She looks at me defiantly. “Or what? You might be Sierra’s brother, but you aren’t mine. You have
no right to interfere in my sex life.”
“And I won’t — so long as the person you’re fucking isn’t one of my brothers.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Why would you care?”
I let go of her and look away, caught off guard. Why do I care so much? “Family is important to
me,” I end up saying. “Grandma loves you, and so does Sierra. You’re as much part of this family as
Hannah is, perhaps more so. I don’t want you to mess up our family dynamics because of lust. Once