HONOR ME

SIX

SKYLER

Louis's arms were still wrapped around me.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

With my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, wishing time would stop.

"Stay tonight..." he murmured, his chin resting lightly on top of my head. "Please."

I closed my eyes.

God...

If only life were that simple.

My phone began to ring.

The sound echoed through the room, forcing us apart.

I glanced at the screen.

**Mother.**

Louis looked down at the caller ID before meeting my eyes.

"You should answer it," he said quietly. "She's probably wondering where you are."

As if.

With a reluctant sigh, I answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

Mother's voice was sharp enough to make me pull the phone away from my ear.

"I'm out."

"Out?" she repeated. "Where? With who?"

I frowned.

"Louis."

A low chuckle escaped her.

"What the hell are you doing with that broke boy? Have you completely lost your mind?"

My jaw tightened.

"Don't yell at me like I'm some child."

"I'm your mother. I'll speak to you however I damn well please."

"I'm twenty-five."

"And you're about to become a Larsen."

The words made my stomach turn.

"As far as I'm concerned, that boy no longer exists in your life."

"That's not your decision."

"The hell it isn't."

Her tone grew colder.

"Now get your ass home."

"Why?"

"The Larsens are coming over for dinner."

My brows knitted together.

"Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner. And if you're not here before they arrive, you'll answer to me."

Before I could say another word, the line went dead.

I stared at the blank screen.

"What happened?" Louis asked.

I slipped my phone back into my bag and sighed.

"The Larsens are coming over for dinner."

His shoulders fell.

"So... you have to leave."

I almost gave in then remembered, Pamela had no f*****g say. I shook my head and smiled.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

**ANDRÉ**

We were supposed to have dinner with the Smiths.

I had plans.

Important ones.

Unfortunately, Mother had other ideas.

She'd cancelled every single one of them, insisting I attend this "family dinner." According to her, it would help Skyler and me get comfortable around each other before the wedding.

Comfortable.

What a load of bullshit.

If anything, forcing two strangers into the same room would only make things more awkward.

Mother, however, seemed convinced she'd spotted chemistry between us at the engagement party.

She hadn't.

At least... I hoped she hadn't.

I wasn't the kind of man who settled down with one woman. Never had been.

One woman could never be enough.

Mother kept going on and on about how much I supposedly liked Skyler.

If only she knew the kind of man I really was.

Commitment wasn't my thing.

Neither was happily ever after.

"Are you ready?" Mother called from downstairs.

I grabbed the velvet jewellery box from my dresser and headed out.

Father had insisted I buy Skyler a gift.

Apparently, showing up empty-handed wasn't "the Larsen way."

A diamond bracelet.

Expensive enough to make an impression.

Meaningless enough not to send the wrong message.

"Let's go," Mother said, reaching for her handbag.

"Richard isn't coming?"

She sighed.

"He's busy."

That was it.

No explanation.

Just...

*He's busy.*

"So am I," I muttered. "I cancelled a meeting with our German partners to have dinner with the Smiths because of this."

Mother shot me a pointed look.

"You mean dinner with your future in-laws."

I rolled my eyes.

"Your future wife and her mother," she corrected.

The word *wife* settled uneasily in my chest.

My wife.

Jesus.

The thought alone made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Without another word, I walked past her and headed for the garage.

A few minutes later, we climbed into the car.

Neither of us spoke during the drive.

The city lights blurred past the window as we made our way toward Gota Avenue.

━━━━━━ ✧ ━━━━━━

It wasn't a particularly long journey, but it gave me far too much time to think.

About the dinner.

About the marriage.

About Skyler.

And, annoyingly...

...I found myself wondering whether she'd be happy to see me.

We alighted from the car and fixed our suits before approaching the residence.

The house was exquisite. Elegant. Expensive.

Pamela McCarthy was clearly a woman of pride, and the home reflected that perfectly.

Mom walked up beside me and took in a deep breath.

"Show time."

I glanced at her before following her toward the doorstep.

A moment later, the door swung open, revealing Pamela’s cheerful face.

"Good evening, Miss Larsen. Good evening, André."

"Good evening," Mom greeted politely.

The door opened wider, allowing us inside.

The interior was even more impressive than the outside. Every detail screamed sophistication, from the carefully arranged furniture to the flawless decorations.

"Nice home, Miss McCarthy," Mom complimented, nodding in approval.

"Thank you, Miss Larsen."

I gave the room a quick glance, searching for the one person I had actually come here to see.

Nothing.

No Skyler.

I tried not to let my irritation show as I took a seat around the dining table, making myself comfortable.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed before Pamela spoke.

"Thank you for being here... um, I’m very sorry about the inconvenience. Skyler couldn’t make it..."

"Wow."

I scratched my nose and scoffed.

"Sorry—"

I cut myself off.

"Where is she?"

The question came out sharper than I intended.

Mom immediately looked at me, her eyes giving me a warning to keep quiet.

I ignored it.

I wasn't about to pretend this was acceptable.

Pamela shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable.

"She went to visit... an old friend," she explained. "She promised to be home early, but something came up and..."

"An old friend?"

I stared at her.

"Bullshit."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

I had canceled my goddamn meeting to be here.

Moved my schedule around.

Made time for this dinner.

And the main character of the entire arrangement was absent.

"I apologize," Pamela said softly.

"It's nothing, Pamela," Mom replied before I could say anything else.

Then she looked at Pamela.

"Call her."

I turned slightly toward my mother, but she ignored me.

Pamela hesitated.

I leaned back in my chair.

"Call her," I demanded.

Pamela laughed awkwardly, as if I had made some kind of joke.

"I already did..." she said. "I told you she—"

"Call her again."

My voice was calm, but firm.

"Sooner."

"André, let's not stress it, okay?" Mom said.

She chuckled nervously, attempting to ease the tension that had settled over the room.

But I wasn't in the mood to pretend everything was fine.

I leaned forward slightly, my eyes fixed on Pamela.

"Call. My. Wife."

The room went silent.

Pamela blinked at me before quickly nodding.

"Okay... um..."

She grabbed her phone and searched for Skyler's contact.

The call rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then she answered.

"Hello? What's it now, Mom?"

Skyler's voice came through the speaker, casual and completely unaware of the atmosphere she had created.

Pamela glanced in my direction before clearing her throat.

"Skyler... Mr. Larsen is here, and he wants you here as well."

There was a brief pause.

Then—

"I decided to spend the night with Louis, so don't expect me anytime soon."

Louis?

My brows furrowed.

Who the hell was Louis?

Pamela's expression changed instantly.

Shock.

Fear.

Almost like she knew something I didn't.

"Skyler, leave that boy alone and come to your husband."

A bitter laugh came from the other end.

"My husband?"

She scoffed.

"As if."

The call ended.

Just like that.

Silence filled the room.

Pamela stared down at her phone before slowly looking at my mother, then at me.

"Uhm... see, the thing is— I had—"

"It's okay, Pamela."

Mom stood up, cutting her off.

"We'll get going now, alright?"

She cleared her throat, clearly trying to handle the embarrassment of the situation.

I remained seated for another moment.

My eyes stayed on Pamela's phone.

Louis.

I didn't love Skyler.

I barely knew her.

So why the hell did hearing another man's name coming from her mouth feel like a personal insult?

I pushed the thought away.

It was nothing.

It had to be.

I stood from my seat.

"Text me her phone number."

Pamela looked surprised but quickly nodded.

"Yes, of course."

I adjusted my suit jacket.

"Send me Louis' address as well."

The words left my mouth before I could reconsider them.

Mom looked at me, but said nothing.

Pamela swallowed, her expression apologetic.

"I'm sorry about this. I didn't expect... that."

Neither did I.

Without another word, I walked out with Mom.

But one name followed me all the way to the car.

Louis.