Page 137 of Reverie

The irony isn’t lost on me that it’s not the right time for the blooms. Just as, perhaps, the timing is all off for Hunter and me.

Everyone came to our brief ceremony—Misha and Luna, Amelia and August, Leo and Ella.

Veronica’s absence is like a hole in my soul. I feel it deeply.

August was happier than I thought he’d be, considering the sharp change in the structure of his life, but when Hunter and I told him about the impending nuptials, he took it in stride.

“I have told Dad before,” he said, “that I think that you are cool as hell, and I do not mind you being my stepmother.”

“You don’t have to call me Mom or anything like that,” I told him, clutching onto Hunter’s hand as we all spoke in August’s game room. August simply shrugged and said, “I will decide at a later date.”

It was the best reaction I could have hoped for.

Ella was quiet during the ceremony, appearing like she was deep in thought. But then she hugged me tightly after Hunter and I declared our vows and whispered in my ear that she’d always wanted a sister. Then she had a driver take her back to Misha’s compound.

Misha and Luna were aloof, as usual, but when Amelia hugged Hunter and he didn’t push her away, I started to cry in earnest.

I think everyone thought they were happy tears.

I’m not a hundred percent sure they were.

We’re in the armored G Wagon now, and I allow my eyes to go in and out of focus as I count the trees. Hunter still holds my hand in the back seat while Jared drives us toward Reagan International.

There were a few paparazzi at the Basin as we said “I do,” and I learned that Misha and Hunter decided to tip them off. “We need to control the narrative,” Leo said.

I guess it makes sense. Now, by all appearances, we’re headed off on our honeymoon, but in reality, we’re giving ourselves an excuse to be out and about around the globe while Misha and the rest prepare to take down The Architect in two weeks when The Legion descends on Isla Cara.

The idea is that all eyes will be on what Hunter and I are doing, so we’ll let them watch. But that doesn’t mean we’ll give The Legion easy access to us. So Hunter, Jared, Max, and Misha came up with an elaborate scheme to get us to our honeymoon destination.

With everything happening since uncovering the codes on the rings, Luna and Misha have been hard at work getting everything prepared to take down The Legion.

Ella has retreated again, and I think back to her heavy silence right before the raid. When I tried to talk to her this morning in the kitchen, she ran in the opposite direction.

“If she wants to pretend she’s Michonne or some shit, I’ll buy her a video game,” Leo said as he stood next to me at the kitchen island with a bowl of cantaloupe in front of him.

I thought the words had been too dismissive—harsh even—but I’ve been so tired that I left it alone.

Our timeline is tight, but we’ll be able to take a full week to ourselves before the others join. Then we’ll take down The Legion, and we’ll be able to leave all this bullshit behind.

Please God, let this prayer come true.

In truth, I’m overwhelmed and feeling…adrift. I feel like a large part of me is missing, namely Veronica and Summer, and I also feel that I was robbed of something special, having to marry Hunter like this. Not that I wanted or expected anything elaborate.

All I’ve ever wanted was to love and be loved.

But I suppose that’s the thing. Hunter and I are fragile. I know with every cell in my body that I love Hunter, and I believe that he loves me too. But I’m unsure if that’s enough to save us if he is insistent on keeping me on the outside.

The thought causes my heart to race, and I feel the undeniable urge to break down on the expensive leather seats.

Hunter murmurs something and his words are so low that I miss them.

“Hmm?” I say, tilting my chin toward him but not removing my eyes from the branches as we whip by.

“We’ll do it right next time, Sunbeam,” he says a little louder.

I keep my face toward the window so he doesn’t see the sheen of tears.

We pull onto the tarmac and Jared exits the driver’s seat, but Hunter and I don’t move out of the back.

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