The Wrong Bride: Ares and Raven’s Story (The Windsors)

Ares tightens his grip on my hand as our limousine approaches the theater that Hannah’s latest movie is being screened at. This is the first time all three of us will be present at such a public event, and it’s the first event we’re attending as a married couple. There’s so much pressure, and so much could go wrong. So far, we’ve been safe from the media’s attention in large part, but we can’t escape them tonight.

We can’t escape Hannah.

“Cupcake,” Ares says as he raises my hand to his lips. “How do you feel?”

I turn to look at him and shake my head. “Nervous.”

He nods in understanding and kisses the back of my hand. “You look stunning tonight,” he murmurs as his eyes roam over the red evening gown I’m wearing. It’s figure-hugging, with a deep V. It’s eye-catching yet classy, and it is by far one of my favorite designs to date.

“Raven, it’s going to be okay. I won’t leave your side, and if it all becomes too much, we’ll just go home.”

I nod, trying my hardest to calm my nerves. I stopped attending these events with Hannah years ago, but I still remember how they go. I remember all the photos Ares takes with the cast, with her. I always hated how intimate they looked and how she’d lean into him, his hand wrapped tightly around her waist. He’d look at her like she was the only girl in the room, and she’d smile at him like the star she is. It hurt to see them together then, but it’ll hurt even more now.

“We’re here,” he says, a sweet smile on his face. “I can’t wait to show you off to the entire world, Mrs. Windsor. I’m about to walk down the red carpet, my hand in yours, and there will be no doubt about who you are and what you mean to me, you hear me? There is only one Mrs. Windsor, Raven, and it’s you.”

I nod at him, grateful for his attempts to take the edge off my nerves. I never even have to tell him about my insecurities. He realizes and takes them away before I even have a chance to voice them.

The bodyguard in the front seat looks back with an apologetic smile on his face. “I’ve just been informed to wait for a moment. Hannah Du Pont is about to make her entrance.”

Ares chuckles darkly. “I don’t wait for anyone but my wife,” he says. “Inform the organizers that we’ll be making our entrance now.” Then he looks at me and smirks. “Come on, let’s go steal the show.”

He steps out of the car without a second thought, and cameras start to flash, blinding me straight through the car’s tinted windows. Ares walks around the car and opens my door for me, offering me his hand with a wicked smile on his face.

I place my hand in his and smile up at him. “This,” he tells me as he helps me to my feet. “This is what I’ve always wanted, Raven. It’s you. You’re the one that’s made all of my dreams come true.”

I smile and shake my head. “You’re trying extra hard to reassure me. Are my insecurities that apparent?”

We walk down the red carpet as cameras flash, the crowd throwing questions at us that we ignore.

“No,” Ares tells me. “Not to anyone but me. You look confident and radiant, as always, but I can see beyond it. I see the way you keep touching your wedding ring, the moments of absentmindedness as doubts steal your attention away from me. I notice every little thing about you, Raven. I can assure you, my darling wife, you don’t have a single thing to worry about.”

I nod, my nerves put to ease as we reach the end of the red carpet, where a select few reporters and photographers await us. Ares and I approach the flower backdrop that’s been put in place for the event, and his hand wraps around my waist, his touch possessive.

“Congratulations on your marriage,” one of the reporters says. “It came as a huge surprise to many of us. How have you been able to hide your relationship so well?”

Ares smiles at me for a moment before turning toward her. “Did we hide it? Or did you just fail to notice it? My wife and my sister have been best friends since they were kids, so she’s been at the Windsor mansion at least once a week for years. She’s been at every single major Windsor event throughout the years too, and she’s often been spotted with my grandmother, hasn’t she? You just failed to connect the dots.”

The reporter looks flustered, and she clears her throat before moving on the next question.

“That diamond necklace you’re wearing, Raven. Isn’t that a Windsor heirloom? It’s said that it was crafted by the Laurier family hundreds of years ago.”

I lift my hand to my necklace and smile. “That’s right. Ares’s grandmother gave it to me.”

The reporter chuckles. “It’s said that seeing a Windsor bride wearing an heirloom piece signifies the matriarch’s approval. Would you say that’s true?”

I chuckle and narrow my eyes at her playfully. She knows as well as I do that the Windsors guard their family secrets heavily. “All I have to say is that I’ve always loved Ares’s grandmother like she is my own, and I’m beyond grateful to receive her love in return. We had a great relationship long before I married Ares.”

She nods at my non-answer and turns to Ares. “Could you tell us, Mr. Windsor? What is it about Raven that made you fall for her, other than her obvious good looks?”

He looks at me with the most besotted smile on his face, and my heart starts to race as he turns back to her, his smile as wide as mine. “She’s the smartest, sweetest, most loyal and most hardworking woman I know. She has never once let me down, and she’s always been there for me throughout the years, no matter what I asked of her. Raven isn’t just my wife. She’s everything to me. She might be my sister’s best friend, but she’s mine, too. I fell for her heart before I ever fell for any other part of her.”

The reporter looks as smitten as I probably do, and she’s smiling gleefully as she turns to me. “What about you, Raven? What is it that you love about Ares Windsor?”

I grin at her and shrug. “Me? Oh, I totally just married him for his good looks.”

Ares and she both burst out laughing, and he shakes his head at me. “Talking about good looks,” he says. “What do you think of my wife’s dress? She designed it herself. She designed my suit for me, too.”

The reporter takes his cue and starts to ask about my company, and I can’t help but giggle. He’s so blatant about the way he’s promoting my company for me. It’s ridiculous, but it’s so incredibly cute.

“Ares, Raven!”

We both tense when we hear Hannah’s voice behind us. She smiles brightly as she walks up to us, her smile wavering for a moment when she sees the way Ares is holding me. Her eyes settle on my necklace, and anger flashes through her eyes before she manages to paste her smile back on.

All cameras turn to us, and it takes all of me to paste on a pleasant expression. “Hannah!” the reporter says. “Congratulations on the release of Cloudy Skies. I can’t wait to see it. I have no doubt your performance will be phenomenal, as usual.”

She smiles brightly and nods in thanks.

“For years, there were rumors about Ares and you, when in truth, he was dating your sister. Was that hard for you? I know you denied the rumors multiple times, but they never truly went away. Were you ever tempted to spill their secrets and admit they were dating?”

Her smile freezes. “As you know, I rarely discuss my private life. Can I please ask that you keep all questions related to tonight’s premiere?”

The reporter nods and turns to me. “Since it’s rare to see all three of you together, can we have a photo?”

Hannah grins and moves to Ares’s free side, her arm wrapping around his waist as she drops her head to his shoulder. I tense involuntarily even as I smile brightly for the cameras. Much to my relief, Ares doesn’t wrap his arm around her. Instead, he just leans into me further.

I’m not an insecure person, yet somehow Hannah turns me into some kind of jealous monster. I don’t want her near Ares. I don’t want to be reminded of the way we got married, and the history they share. How do I balance wanting to support my sister with the discontentment I feel at the thought of Ares and her?

“Mr. and Mrs. Windsor,” the reporter says, a pleading expression on her face. “Can we please have a kiss?”

Hannah’s expression drops for a moment, but Ares grins as he cups my cheek and leans in, his thumb brushing over my lip for a moment before he lowers his head to mine and kisses me, slowly and deeply. The crowd goes wild around us, but he doesn’t care. He just continues to kiss me as though the entire world isn’t watching — as though Hannah isn’t watching.

By the time he pulls away, I’m panting and desperate for more. “Come on,” he whispers. “Let’s get this movie over with.”