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"𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑! 𝐖𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍!" Benedict Bridgerton exclaimed as all the men hummed in agreement. "Oh please Benedict, do not say it as that. I am not being locked away, I'm getting married for gods sake. If anything I'm gonna be even more free," Colin states with a tone that was on the boarders of annoyed but polite.
"Oh no lad, Benedict is quite right. My sister is a handful if I can say so myself, may this be your last day free. As free as a bird! Take it all in," James Andrew went on to say, which earned a handful of cheers from all the men. And earning a glare from Lord Leighton and of course, Colin.
Why must they all have to be so pig headed. If anything, this marriage would make him all the more free. Loretta was the fresh air in all the world's pollution. Her smile made his body explode with joy, and her laugh? Oh god, her laugh could make any sensible man fall to his knees. Which he can second, has happened once or twice.
And the only man that seemed to understand was Henry Leighton, the father of the women he is to marry in less than a day. Perhaps it was because he had been in his position once, perhaps his peers said the same thing about marrying Margot Leighton. So to not hear any of the same nonsense from Henry's mouth was appreciated. It meant he was fully aware and committed to the idea of Colin taking on as the caretaker of Loretta.
"You mustn't say such things, you know one day you will feel the exact way I feel about Loretta," he explains. "And what is it you feel for Loretta, or rather. Your starlight, brother?" Anthony says in a mocking tone. Which only made Colin eyes roll with annoyance. What did she make him feel like? Well let's see...
She made him feel seen, not just some Bridgerton boy. She made him feel like he could be and do anything, like his dreams weren't just dreams. That he could do them. She made him feel like he couldn't breath, from her beauty. From her intelligence, from her grace, and her courage to be her real authentic self. But how do you sum that up for a bunch of men who do not know a thing about women, beside Lord Leighton.
"She makes me feel like my soul can endure on, like my heart will no longer beat if she isn't near. I feel for her what you young lads wish you could feel yourself." He says with full confidence, earning a prideful nod from his soon to be father in law. And earning quietness and a few scoffs from his brothers and soon to be brother in law.
"Well done brother, now you have depressed the rest of the ton.. Anyways, shall we hear onward toward the hunting trail?" Benedict states, trying to switch the subject. Which Colin gladly agrees, and moves forward.
Throughout the day, the men had hunted a good few fortunes. A few duck, a deer which suprised them all. And had a little of good bonding moments, they brought little old Gregory with them, and had taught him how to shoot for the first time. A moment Colin was glad to have been apart of. Although it was a good hunt, it didn't mean it was very eventful the whole time. For about 3 hours total they men had just conversed about whatever came to their mind. Whether it was the weather, or what they prefer to do.
They all had gotten to know each other better, which was a great. Since after all the two families would be merging. One thing Colin had hoped for to happened in this day trip, he had gotten to speak with James Andrews alone. He wanted to bond with him, or even just have a normal conversation that didn't seem forced. For one of two reasons..
James Andrews was a big part of Loretta's life. She loved her brother like no other, and he wanted to get to know the boy who had been a big impact on his beloved life. And two, he didn't want to go into this marriage without the support of one of the most important people in the Leighton family.
If his brothers could make friends with him, how hard could it be, right? And to Colin's surprise, it wasn't really hard, it was quite easy. James Andrew seemed like a simple man to anyone who didn't look deeper, but he was very complex and had passions rooted within him. Passions that made him a very fun character, that made his personality unique. Passions very similar to Colin, which was a great things to build a friendship on.
And somewhere along the long reign of conversation, the topic of love came up again. But not by Colin, surprisingly enough it was James Andrew who made the conversation shift. "How did you know that my sister was 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟏?" A nervous Leighton says, scratching his neck and looking everywhere else but his companion. The question shocked Colin, not by the question itself. But by the way the man had shifted the subject so fast, and pulling out the love topic. "I-.. well I suppose i knew from.. well- The way I laughed when I was with her."
"What ever do you mean? Do you not laugh the same when someone makes a joke?" The Leighton ask, deliberately confused how one's laugh could change by a person. Giving Colin a look to elaborate on his statement. "No-.. No I don't laugh the same way.. When I'm with her-.. when I'm with your sister, she makes me laugh with my whole body. Not only do I laugh with my stomach and voice, my eyes laugh.. my heart laughs.. everything laughs. She just-.. makes me laugh?.. Though I don't know if I did justice explaining that-" Colin goes on, before getting cut off once again.
"No-.. I-. It makes sense, she just- makes you laugh.. My sister does have that affect doesn't she." James Andrew says, but it seems he is in deeper thought. Not talking about HIS sister at this point. Making Colin look over at the boy, whose eyes are looking at the ground. Having an amused smile before ultimately turning around to leave him with his thoughts. And as Colin walked toward his own brothers, all he kept thinking was..
One step closer to the end:( STOP THAT MAKES ME SAD.
Anyways! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! And if you're interested, I just posted chapter two, to my new Colin Bridgerton fanfic called "Secret Thunderstorms" go check her out if you're interested!!:) [no pressure]
And as always! If you have any comment, questions, or concerns feel free to share! Just remember to be respectful!!
