Bryce

Before I can stop my uncle, he pulls us to the center of the living room and makes the announcement. So much for our plans to leave as soon as we find my parents. With everyone coming over to offer their congratulations and well wishes, we can't leave now, at least not as quickly as we had hoped.

"Can we see the ring?" "When is the wedding?" "Where is the wedding?" "Is she pregnant? Is that why you're suddenly engaged?" "What happened to that model you dated last year? She was hot."

I almost tell everyone to lay off their attempts at good wishes since they're failing miserably when I see my father making his way through the crowd toward us.

"There you are. You two finally made it," he says. "I'm afraid I lost your mother somewhere between here and the library where we were chatting with Henry who just happens to be in town. Your aunt Marlena pulled her along way to talk about something important." He turns to face Gianna. "How are you doing so far, my dear? Are you enjoying yourself?"

She laughs nervously. "I'm not so sure yet. We just met Uncle Thomas."

"It's really not so bad as long you don't take everything personally," Dad says, lowering his voice. "These people can be crass sometimes—and clueless—but it's just the way they are. I think Bryce's friend Tai called them–"

"The crazy rich Holdens," I deadpan. "And after that first time he did, he's not keen on tagging along to one of these things ever again."

"He's not lying," Dad says, laughing. "We Holdens can be a crazy bunch. Maybe it's just passed down from the days of the Gold Rush, who knows, eh?"

Oh, I know. I can still remember when Aunt Marlene told me once, there's rich and then there's Holden-rich. Your family's not one of them, Junior, but if you work hard enough, maybe one day you will be.

I was only eleven then but she drove the message home.

Even though the world may think all Holdens are the same, we're not.

"You're still not wearing a ring, dear," my father says before he turns to face me, his brow furrowing. "I would have expected her to be wearing a ring by now, Bryce."

"It's still at the jeweler," I lie. "We were supposed to pick it up today but we were in a rush to get here."

"Ah, I see." Dad clasps my shoulder. "I'm going to mingle. Maybe see who needs a new building designed and get ourselves a new account." He winks at Giana. "Maybe I could even talk about green building design."

I roll my eyes. "Dad, it's a family reunion, not a networking event."

He chuckles. "Every day is a networking event, son. You'll learn that soon enough."

After Dad wanders away, I take Giana's hand. "Let's get some air."

I pull her to the door leading to the backyard before someone else can ask her who her parents are again. What is it with my relatives' obsession with family connections? Are they trying to find some long-lost link to a President?

We follow the stone path leading to the chairs in front of the sand volleyball court. At least, there's no one outside, affording us a little break from everyone else.

"I'm sorry about how awful my family can be."

"You don't have to apologize, Bryce."

I chuckle dryly. "I used to enjoy coming here when I was a little boy until, when I was eleven, Aunt Marlene told me that no matter how much money we make, we—my family—didn't belong with their group of Holdens."

Giana frowns. "How come?"

I shrug. "I think with Aunt Marlene, it also involves family lineage. Who your parents are, your grandparents and all that. Heaven help you if there's scandal in your family tree like there was in ours, with my great grandfather. He was a doctor, but he was also a notorious gambler and a womanizer." I lean against a wrought iron table and pull her closer. "My grandfather was born to one of his mistresses."

"Ah, so the sins of the father or in this case, the great-grandfather become the sins of his whole generation?"

"In a way."

"It's her loss, not yours."

"I wish my father saw that though, so that he doesn't have to constantly prove he's as good as the rest of them," I say.

"Is that why he assigned you back here even when you had wanted to work in New York?"

I nod. "You could say that."

"Then you should stand up for yourself, Bryce, and put yourself in the department where you belong. Management, not production," she says. "And if he refuses, blaze your own trail if you have to."

"But that would mean I won't see you."

Giana wraps her arms behind my neck. "You're seeing me now."

I press a kiss to her lips, slanting my mouth over hers, my tongue sliding between her teeth. It's a gentle kiss but deep and sensual, just what I need to let off the tension in my body. She's right, of course. My parents come here every year because it's tradition and to make sure people can see that they're just as good as everyone else, great grandfathers and bastards be damned. Somehow, they've made peace with that but I haven't.

Sure, I've enjoyed the wealth being a Holden has afforded me but to allow them to make Giana feel small in the process? I can't allow that even though in many ways, I did. From Aunt Marlene's sugar-coated put-downs to Uncle Thomas' unabashed comparison of Giana to Crystal, the model I dated last year, I did.

"We can head out after this," I murmur. "There's no need to stay any longer."

"Are you sure? Maybe we can check out your friend's bed and breakfast and get a rustic cabin to ourselves for the rest of the weekend."

"Sounds like a great idea." I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "Giana, I..."

The sound of footsteps along the stone path cuts the conversation short as Giana pulls away from me.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the soon-to-be newlyweds caught in a tender moment."

I force myself to remain calm. "What do you want, Alton?"

"Just wanted to congratulate you two on your latest project," he says, his hands in his pockets. "I can't believe my dad agreed to have you lead it but his brain isn't working as well as it used to. He's gotten soft in his golden years if you know what I mean."

"Your dad hired the right team for the job so get over it. " I grasp Giana's hand and take a step forward but Alton steps in front of us, blocking our way back to the house. "Step aside. man."

Alton looks at her. "You know why he hasn't given you a ring yet? It's because you'll never be good enough to wear a Holden rock. That's what his grand Aunt Marlene told us back there. She said you can try to catch yourself a Holden all you want but you'll never be one of them." He pauses, cocking his head toward me. "Nice try, though, even if you seem to have settled with the runt of the litter."

One second I tell myself to stay calm and the next, I said screw it and send Alton reeling backward against the patio chairs with a right jab. He lunges at me, fists up in the air as Giana screams for us to stop.

But there's no stopping the anger that's built up after all the years of being compared to Alton and his brothers. And then there's his belief that I was the one who cheated on his sister, not that my reputation with women since she and I broke up has helped. But that's not my problem.

As Alton lunges at me, I feign to the right and he misses, his body sending the patio table clattering noisily against the chairs. I smell the alcohol on his breath and see the uncertainty in his stance as he pulls himself up. I shouldn't be fighting a drunk but I've had it with him. He needs to stop picking on Giana.

"You really like the bitch, don't you?" he taunts.

"I don't want to hurt you, man," I say. "You're drunk."

Giana shouts for us to stop as Alton lunges at me again and this time, his fist connects with my cheek. It hurts like hell but I land my next punch to his face, the contact followed by the sickening crunch of bone.

"My nose!" Alton wails as he brings a hand to his nose. "You broke my fucking nose!" 

"What the hell is going on here?" My father demands as someone grabs me and pulls me away. There's no mistaking the disappointment in Dad's voice but I don't care. 

"Giana!" I look around me, searching for her but there are too many people, too many faces, their eyes wide, some holding their phones up and filming away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dad demands as Uncle Thomas lets me go.

"I'm sick and tired of him insulting Giana," I mutter, looking around me. "Where is she?"

Uncle Thomas straightens his shirt. "You'll need to apologize for this, Junior. You're being an embarrassment."

"I'm not apologizing for anything," I mutter as I make my way through the crowd and head back to the house. I need to find Giana. If there's anyone I should apologize to, it's her. I should have shut Alton down the first time he said those awful things to her but I didn't. Then there's this damn party where people have made it clear she's not good enough followed by Alton's words. No one should stand there and take that humiliation, not even if it's for her grandmother's hospital bill. It's not worth it.

"Where is she?" I ask when I step into the house. Across the room, Alton is yelling about calling his dad and pressing assault charges for his broken nose but I don't care. I just want to find Giana.

"She left with one of the drivers," someone says.

"Guess she realized she didn't belong here," another person snickers. "Like she thought she had a chance." 

Someone hands me an ice pack but I ignore them. "I have to find her." I hurry to the front of the house as a light rain starts to fall. Behind me, my parents call my name, ordering me to stop but I ignore them.

Fake fiancee or not, I need to find Giana.