to call Luca my husband is torture, so when he brought it up last week, we decided to just go for it.”
“Today?” I frown.
Ivy laughs, nodding. “Yeah, today.”
My heart thumps as I gulp. I run my fingers through my hair. “What about your friends? Dad? Don’t you want to wait so you can plan the wedding? Won’t the people of Argyle want some big ceremony?”
Ivy shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. None of that matters. Georgie and Giselle are flying down this morning. They’ll be here around noon. Dad left us, Margot. I don’t care if he’s not here. Luca said the people of Argyle would understand, and we can have a bigger ceremony next year. King Theo has already agreed.”
My shock dissolves into joy, and I wrap my arms around my sister again. I laugh, squeezing her tight. When I pull away again, my eyes are full of tears and I shake my head.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“I know.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“I was wondering…”—Ivy bites her lip—“…if you’d be my maid of honor?”
My heart skips a beat. A lump forms in my throat, and my chest grows tighter. I swallow thickly. “Really?”
“Yeah,” my sister smiles.
“Even after everything that happened? I don’t know if I deserve it, Ivy. What about Georgie or Giselle?”
Ivy takes my hands in hers and gives them a squeeze. “Margot, you’ve done so much for me. You provided for our whole family growing up, and you gave me a platform from which to launch my business. You did the hardest thing in the world by going to therapy and changing your life, and you’ve withstood all the horrible things in the media. You’re my sister, Margot,” Ivy says. “Of course you deserve it.”
Tears sting my eyes, and I shake my head. I don’t feel like I deserve to be by my sister’s side. It’s because of me that she was in the hospital. I kept her as my personal assistant for years, not thinking that she might want to do something different.
Ivy reads my mind. “Margot, stop blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault.”
“I held you back for so long, Ivy.”
She laughs, kindness emanating from her like a bright light. “You never held me back from anything. I was just too chicken to go out and grab it. Once I did, you had a little wobble as you got used to it, and then you were the most supportive person in the world. I love you, Margot.”
Tears are streaming down my face now, and Ivy hugs me again. She squeezes her arms around me so tight I can’t move, and I let my tears soak into the fabric of her shirt.
“Would you be willing to walk me down the aisle?” Ivy asks.
My eyebrows jump. “Me?”
“I sent word to Father about the wedding, but he’s been sailing for so long, I’m not sure if it’ll reach him in time. Plus, you’ve been more of a parent to me than he has for many years now. I don’t love the idea of a man handing me off to another man like I’m some horse he bought at a fair. I’d much rather have my sister, role model, and closest friend walk me toward the love of my life so we can join our families together.”
I smile, shaking my head. “Only you could make a nice, old tradition seem so patriarchal and wrong.”
“What’s a tradition if it doesn’t mean anything to you? I want my wedding to mean something to me. Having you by my side is a big part of that.”
Emotion chokes my throat. To think that Ivy cares so much about me that she wants me to walk her down the aisle means more than I can say. I thought I’d lost my sister. That we’d drifted apart. That she thought of me as a self-centered, vapid celebrity.
But she doesn’t. I’m her sister, and she’s by my side—forever.
I’m not alone at all. I have so many people around me that care.
I nod, wrapping my arms around her once more. “I’d love to.”
I feel another hand on my back and look up to see Dante. He’s wearing nothing but boxer shorts, but somehow, it doesn’t matter. He hugs Ivy, pulling away with a smile.
“Welcome to the family, Ivy.”
Ivy smiles wider. She nods. “Thanks. Take care of my sister, Your Highness.”
“I intend to.” The Prince slides his arm around my shoulders. I lean into him, letting the tension in my chest ease. Ivy slips out of the