The phone calls, emails, and texts hadn't stopped for days. When the town got word that Samuel Whitmore had finally proposed to Avery Buchanan, the two couldn't walk down the street for five minutes before getting, yet another, congratulations.
"Samuel! Avery! How are you guys? Oh, my! What a beautiful ring. May I?" asked Mrs. Hamilton. She had known Samuel for most of his life and was one of the few people that had seen his relationship with Avery grow through the years.
"Oh, sure!" Avery quickly uncrossed her petite arms and held out her left hand to show off the diamond. It sparkled in the morning light on her tan skin and stood out even more against her deep red nail polish.
"Beautiful! I am so happy for the two of you. I'm guessing I'll see you at the Whitmore house tonight for your engagement party?" Mrs. Hamilton asked.
"Yes, ma'am. You know my mom; she's already begun to decorate." Samuel answered with a laugh.
"Oh, I'm sure everything will be just lovely! I'll see you two tonight." With a pinch on Samuel's cheek, Mrs. Hamilton shuffled away.
"Don't you think it's a little strange that some of these people seem almost more excited than we are?" Avery asked with a smirk.
"Well, we've been dating ever since our junior year of high school. They're probably glad to finally see me put a ring on it." replied Samuel. He looked down once again to admire his fiancé. He sometimes wondered if Avery had any idea how beautiful she looked in that exact moment. As they walked down the streets of their quaint town, Crystal Springs, he took all of her in. Her heeled boots lightly clicked on the concrete and she giggled every time her dark hair got stuck in her lip gloss when the wind blew. With her right arm tucked around his left, she absentmindedly traced circles on his wrist as they walked through the newly fallen leaves.
"What're you staring at? Did my hair get stuck again?" she asked while quickly feeling around her mouth and grabbing invisible pieces of hair.
"No, no. Your hair is perfect." he answered as he pulled her hand away from her face. "You're perfect. God, how did I get this lucky?"
With a confused laugh, Avery said, "How did you get this lucky? Sam, every woman in this town under the age of 40 wants to have you. Actually, I take that back. I saw the way Mrs. Hamilton looked at you and she's like 65, so let's just say every woman in this town period."
"Mrs. Hamilton? She's known me since I was in the fourth grade! You're lying." Samuel said while rolling his eyes.
"Whatever, I saw it. It's just a shame that you don't have an equally sexy brother to be the new Whitmore bachelor." teased Avery as she dramatically leaned into his shoulder.
"Now, that would be interesting. Two Whitmore boys? I think I'll stick to being an only child... more presents on Christmas." he replied with a wink.
Samuel and Avery walked into the small café they ate breakfast at every Saturday morning and took a seat at their usual spot. Upon seeing a Whitmore enter, the waitress rushed over to them and immediately asked if there was anything she could do for the two. Avery took in a long, slow breath and stared at the small yellow table, eyebrows raised. She still couldn't get over the attention Sam and his family got everywhere they went.
The Whitmores had upheld a respectable and prestigious reputation for hundreds of years - ever since their ancestors founded Crystal Springs. They were undoubtedly the wealthiest family in town and everywhere they went, people went out their way to be accommodating. That was the only drawback of being in love with a Whitmore - you were expected to lead a picture perfect life and carry on the distinguished family legacy.
Avery's family, on the other hand, were the complete opposite. The Buchanans lived in a modest bungalow home with colorful wildflowers sprouting all around the house while the windows stayed open, allowing the curtains to blow in the breeze. Avery's single mother, Starla, spent her free time painting and baking while her two older brothers ran the bar they owned just a few blocks from their home. Avery had always been content with her life in Crystal Springs, but she longed for adventure. She wanted to explore the world, eat exotic foods, dance to different music, and break away from anything and everything she had ever known.
Once the waitress finally took their orders and left them alone, Samuel turned to Avery. "Okay, so before the party tonight, I think I'm gonna go early and take care of some things at my parent's house. That okay with you?"
"Yeah, sure." answered Avery. "Does your mom need help setting up or something? I'll be glad to come with you and help out with anything."
"No. No, its fine. Um, we just need to take care of something as a family." Samuel replied.
"Okay... So, do you just want me to come when the party starts?"
"Yeah. That's okay, right? We don't need to walk in together or anything? Am I missing something?" Samuel asked.
"No, yeah! That - that's fine. It's just a silly engagement party." Avery replied while waving her hand in the air. "I'll just come with Aiden and Austin. I think they're closing the bar early today for the party, so they'll be free."
"Great! Thanks, babe. Oh, look! I think this is our food."
<>
Avery could hear the clink of champagne glasses as she rushed up the steps of the Whitmore's mansion.
"Shit! They've already made the toast. Guys, his mom is going to kill me. Come on!" Avery called to her brothers.
"Hey, you're the one that had to change your dress like four times." Aiden teased. They reached the top of the stairs and he gave her a quick kiss on the head. "You look beautiful, sis. As always."
"Thank you." she said with a smile. "Austin, you all right?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm... great." he replied between labored breaths. "Why do they need so many damn steps just to get to the front door? It must be a pain in the ass to go get the mail and come back every morning."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Mrs. Whitmore has staff specifically assigned to carrying her up these steps." snorted Aiden.
"Ha ha. Very funny, guys. C'mon, let's go." Once Avery pushed open the two gigantic oak doors and looked around, she stood frozen. She was immediately overcome by the sweet smell of lavender and vanilla mixed with the scent of the hundreds of white tulips spread throughout the house. The endless strings of round bulbs hanging from the ceiling and wrapped around the grand staircase cast a golden glow that made the atmosphere feel intimate and romantic. The room was filled with the sound of soft music that came from the live pianist playing in the corner and the air was toasty warm to make up for the autumn chill in the night.
"Wow. You think I'd be used to Whitmore parties by now, but this is just... Wow!" Aiden exclaimed. As the tuxedo wearing servant walked by carrying a tray of champagne glasses, Aiden picked two up and turned to his siblings. "Time to find me a lovely lady to share these drinks with." he said with a wink. He twirled around and started to make his way through the crowd.
"Hey! I'm right there with you, bro!" Austin called to Aiden. "Sorry, Ave. He needs a wingman." With a squeeze of her shoulder and a kiss on her cheek, Austin left Avery standing alone as she watched him follow their brother through the crowd. Avery started to make her way through the guests as well to find Samuel when she heard a voice behind her.
"Little late, aren't ya?"
Avery spun around with a confused look on her face. "Excuse me?" she asked.
"I said you're late. The party started nearly half an hour ago." the mysterious man replied.
He had a gleam in his deep blue eyes like he was amused and he stared Avery down as he sipped his drink. She had never seen this man before and definitely didn't remember having him on the guest list for the party. He clearly didn't get the message that this was a black tie event, because his dark jeans and long sleeved gray shirt made him stand out among the other well dressed guests. She could tell he at least attempted to style his dark brown hair, but it ended up looking half tousled and half bed head.
"And who are you?" Avery asked as she crossed her arms and tried to return the same look he was giving her.
"Oh, just an old friend of the soon to be groom. Who are you?" he asked with a playful smile on his pink lips.
"The soon to be groom's soon to be wife." Avery sharply responded. The man looked stunned as he took a step back.
"You mean, you're Avery Buchanan? The woman that's about to marry Samuel Whitmore... is you?" he asked, seeming dumbfounded.
"Yeah? Are you disappointed or something? I mean, you came to our engagement party and you didn't even know who Sam was marrying?" Avery said.
"Well, I just - I mean, I didn't expect his fiancé to be so... not his type."
"So, now you're trying to tell me that I'm not my fiancé's type? Okay, who the hell are you?" Avery demanded as she took a step towards him. The man was about to answer when he was interrupted by Samuel approaching. He put his hand on Avery's back and his blue eyes were wide as he frantically looked between the man and Avery.
"Hey, Sam! I was just talking to your fiancé. Wow, she is gorgeous." said the man. He had the same taunting gleam back in his eyes and he slapped Sam on the shoulder. "Well done!"
"Samuel, who is this and why is he acting like he's known you forever? Who let him into our engagement party?" Avery asked in a hushed tone.
Sam took in a deep breath and slid his hand off her back. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before turning back to the man as he spoke.
"Avery, this is uh - this is my brother. Hudson."
To be continued...
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