The Carmichael Sunshine

Chapter 20

"Meet me at the Murphys when you get off of work," Connor texts me a few weeks later. I'm suspicious but respond that I'll be there.

After work, I drive into Arbor Acres towards the Murphy mansion.

I can't stop admiring the ring. I catch myself staring at it for a long moment as I wait at a red light near the Murphy's. I smile to myself.

I'm going to marry Connor.

I never thought I'd actually find someone I loved enough to marry. Here I am.

I've started the process of looking into med schools. Connor wants me to start applying and get back to it. He knows how much it means to me.

I'm so proud of how far he's come since the first time I met him.

I think about him pretty much all day, every day.

The Murphy mansion has become a familiar second home to us both. A lot of people were excited to hear the engagement news – Brenna and Jack are throwing us a party – but no one is more excited, I think, than Helen Murphy. She's been sending me wedding decoration ideas since the engagement. I don't have the heart to tell her that Connor and I want a small wedding. An intimate ceremony, right at the manor, and a nice, modest party after. I'll let her help decorate if she wants, though. I can deny her nothing.

Connor is waiting for me at the door. He looks like a handsome devil in a dark charcoal suit today. The sun illuminates the sandy parts in his hair, giving him a golden god kind of look and I can't believe I got so lucky.

I can't contain my smile as I get out of my car and run to the door to greet him. He pulls me in his arms and kisses me. It's never enough. He squeezes my ass greedily in his hand. "Why have I been beckoned? Does Helen want to show me wedding place settings or something?" I joke.

"Not anything like that," Connor removes the sunglasses from his face and clears his throat, "We need to get you a new car..."

I gasp and look back at my 15-year old Ford Escape. "Never! That's old reliable, you fool!"

Connor gives me a look.

I give him one right back. "You're not winning this. I'm driving that thing to the ground. That was my first big-girl purchase and I earned all myself."

He sighs, defeated.

"I want to talk to you before we go inside..."

I nod seriously as he takes my hands. He clears his throat.

"You don't have to go through with anything if you don't want," he goes on.

I frown. "Connor, you're scaring me..."

"Your cousin contacted me," he says quietly.

I'm confused. "What cousin...?" Pavel and Stepan are both dead. I wasn't even sure how many other Russian cousins I had.

"Sofia Yenin," he tells me. Like I'm supposed to know who that is.

I shrug. "Who?"

"She's formerly Orlov. Your mom had four brothers. She's not Pavel's sister. She married Ivan Yenin. He's a head bratva boss in Chicago."

I gulp. "Does she want me dead?"

"Do you really think I would agree to a meeting with her if I knew she wanted revenge on you about Pavel or me on Stepan?" he asked, giving me a dark look.