The Broken Vows: Zane and Celeste’s Story (The Windsors)

I’m mentally exhausted as I push my thumb to Zane’s front door, feeling oddly paranoid about his grandmother catching me on her property. Technically, I do have a standing formal invite, but it’d be impossible to explain that to her.

Zane and I have been doing all we can for months now, but nothing has changed. Anne Windsor tenses the second she sees me, her gaze always filled with mistrust and dislike. She seems to tolerate my friendship with Sierra these days, but mostly, she pretends I don’t exist when she sees me. My grandfather does the same thing to Zane.

Neither of us is sure what to do — do we just tell them about us and deal with the fallout? We’ve been together for over a year now, and I know he’s getting impatient. I can’t blame him, since I feel the same way. It’s the simple things I want, like being able to go on a date without having to worry about the gossip papers photographing us and putting us on the front page. I want everyone to know that he’s mine, that Zane Windsor is spoken for.

“Oh! You’re here!” I look up to find Raven walking up to me, the biggest smile on her face. She hugs me tightly, and moments later, Sierra comes rushing into the foyer, throwing herself against us and enforcing a group hug. “Can’t breathe,” Raven warns her, and she reluctantly lets go of us.

“I haven’t seen you in three weeks,” Sierra says, her gaze accusatory. “Honestly, do you even love me?”

I bite back a smile, my gaze landing on Zane who’s leaning in the doorway, simply watching us, his eyes twinkling with something that just soothes my soul. Being with him feels like coming home — I’ve never experienced anything like that before.

“Of course I love you,” I tell Sierra, unable to take my eyes off Zane. She huffs, clearly aware that she doesn’t have my attention.

Zane holds his hand out, and I grin as I walk up to him, entwining our fingers as soon as I’m within reach. His arm wraps around my waist, and he pulls me into him, his lips brushing against mine in a chaste kiss.

“Disgusting,” Lexington says from behind us, and I smirk at Zane’s youngest brother.

“Your face is disgusting,” I retort.

He walks up to me and musses my hair. “Not as disgusting as yours,” he says, before reaching for Sierra to do the same thing to her.

“Don’t you dare,” she snaps, taking a step back, her eyes narrowed. “Ares!” she calls, clearly hoping her eldest brother will get Lex in line.

Ares, Luca, and Dion walk into the foyer to see what’s going on, each of them offering me hugs when they spot me. “Lex,” Ares says, sounding exhausted. “Do you really want to risk Sierra’s wrath? Didn’t she remove the shoelaces from all of your shoes just last week? Why would you mess with someone who’s clearly fucking insane? Honestly, who even thinks of something weird like that?”

It’s funny, because we go through this exact scenario each time we gather, yet nothing ever changes. Lex will tease all of us in whatever way he can, Zane and Dion watch quietly with mild amusement, and Ares tells Lex off, with Luca backing him up.

Sierra stares at Ares openmouthed, and Raven tries her hardest to suppress a smile as she looks at Ares, the two of them sharing a moment I recognize — Zane and I do this often, looking at each other without having to say the words we’re thinking.

“Now that you’re here, we can finally have lunch,” Zane says, before kissing my temple. I nod and let him lead me to the observatory, his siblings in tow. Our monthly lunch tradition is a new one, and though he’d never admit it, I know it’s for my benefit. It’s his way of showing that his family does accept me, and that his grandmother is an exception.

We took slow steps forward, just like he told me we would, tackling one sibling of his after the other, with Sierra and Raven’s help. It took a few months, but the Windsor siblings seem to have accepted me as one of their own. I just wish it were the same with my family too.

“Hey,” I murmur, looking up at him.

He raises a brow and turns to face me. “Hmm?”

“My mom… did she call you today?”

Zane grins and nods. “Yep,” he says, his eyes sparkling with affection. “She invited me over for dinner at your house, and she said your brother and father will both be there. I’m excited.”

I force a smile and try my hardest not to worry. Mom asks about Zane often, and I know she calls him occasionally too. The two of them have rapidly formed a bond I’d be jealous of if I didn’t love him so much. Archer and Dad, on the other hand, still treat him the way Zane’s grandmother treats me. They haven’t warmed up to him the way I’d hoped they would, and they mostly pretend our relationship doesn’t exist. If we’re lucky, this dinner will change everything. Dad and Archer would love him if they’d just take a moment to get to know him.

I desperately need that dinner to go well. We need one win, because I can tell that Zane is getting as discouraged as I am. Neither of our grandparents are warming to the idea of us, and we’re not sure how to move forward in a way that won’t cost us everything. I’d never forgive myself if I were the reason Zane lost the firm that used to belong to his mother’s family. Upholding her legacy means everything to him.

“Should I bring some dessert, maybe? I could make a lemon pie?”

I grin at him and shake my head. “Just bring yourself, babe. You are more than enough.”

He looks into my eyes, hearing the words I’m not saying. He’s enough — no matter what anyone else says.