ing to pick out an outfit for a meeting to discuss her own arranged marriage. It felt surreal. She sett

ed the rear door, and a man in a sharp suit stepped out, unfolding a wheelchair. Jonathan Sterling was helpe

th a warmth that felt bo

t's so good

firm. He took her hand. "You look as bea

ied her for a long moment, a slo

mother's beauty and your father's fir

sir," Ava said, her voice

proval clear. "The hono

d, looking back toward the car. "Pa

s stomach. She had built him up in her mind as some cold, co

"So much has changed, yet so much is the same. I remember when R

d Charlotte, his express

s. I want to see this promise fulfilled. Of course," he added, his gaze softenin

it, making him seem like he was stepping out of a shadow. He was tall, with dark hair and a face that was handsome in

Liam St

his voice a low, pleasan

her mothe

to the old man. His grandfather

der you're still single, a man wh

but Ava saw a flicker of somethin

d. "Ava, this i

" her mother said warmly. "You're e

ard and I made a promise. But a promise is worthless if it's not honored by

in the air, unsp