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Dedicated to @xXPushingYourLuckXx . Happy birthday, twin.

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Soundtrack:

In My Bones by Ron Pope – when Genevieve talks to Will and Candice

It Ends Tonight by All-American Rejects – when Lochie takes Candice to Delilah's.

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                  "Candice, we have a problem," Will said a few days later, practically sprinting through the apartment door to find me.

                  I looked up from where I'd been leafing through a bridal magazine looking at shoes. I cocked an eyebrow at his antics. "What's wrong, Will? Let me guess: you're out of maple syrup again. I know how much you hate dry pancakes."

                  "I'm serious, Candi," he told me, and I could see genuine panic lining his bright eyes. "We have a big problem."

                  I closed the magazine and turned to him, frowning. "What's wrong, Will?"

                  "Well, I have some bad news and some worse news," he said. "Which would you like first?"

                  "What's going on?" I asked slowly, wondering what could have thrown the normally laidback Will into such a frenzy.

                  "The bad news is that my parents are coming over. Like, now."

                  "What?" I squeaked, almost falling out of the stool. I was hoping the disastrous dinner would be one of our last encounters with the Winchester household. Wishful thinking was more like it. "What do you mean?"

                  "I mean that I just got a call from my parents saying they were ten minutes away and closing in."

                  "Oh, no," I whispered.

                  "I have worse news, though."

                  "What news could possibly be worse than the fact your parents will be here in ten minutes?" I asked dubiously.

                  "Between getting my coat stuck in the door, stubbing my toe and waiting for the elevator, it took me eight minutes to get down here."

                  "William Scott Winchester, you better not be telling me your parents are due here in two minutes,"

                  His only response was a horrified grimace and a glance towards the imposing door and the clock.

                  I stood up and attempted to tame my hair, which I hadn't bothered to brush yet after my shower. "Do I have enough time for an escape?"

                  He shook his head. "Unless you're willing to jump out of the bathroom window and fall ten floors down, I don't think so."

                  I nibbled contemplatively on my lower lip, and then blanched. "Oh, my God, we have to get Chance, Ava and Jamie out of here."

                  "Get us out of where?" Ava asked, wandering into the room and tugging on the sleeves of her gray turtleneck. "You're not kicking us out, are you?"

                  "It's for the best, trust me," I told her. "Grab a jacket and the boys. It's too late for us, but you can still make it."

                  She grabbed her jacket from the coatrack by the door and turned around, not bothering to question my strange request. "Jamie, Chance, get your asses out here! And bring jackets."

                  I heard slow footsteps from the other edge of the apartment, and glanced at the clock. The Winchesters were nothing if not punctual, and I knew that if they said ten minutes, they meant ten minutes. And right now we had approximately forty-five seconds left.

                  "Move it!" Ava yelled, throwing on her jacket and a scarf to fight the chill.

                  They bustled into the room, Jamie with his curly hair rumpled and messy, and Chance slowly behind, looking barely awake despite the fact it was late in the morning.

                  "What's with the fire drill?" Jamie asked, yawning and hugging his jacket close to him.

                  "We have some unexpected visitors, and you guys need to get out of here before you have to face the firing squad," I said, pushing them towards the door.

                  "What are you talking about?" he replied, frowning. I threw open the door to push them out, and was immediately faced by a cloud of delicious perfume and a mink fur coat.

                  Genevieve rose an eyebrow, her lips pulling into a taut grimace as she stared at the juvenile scene in front of her. "If I had have known there would be so many of us, I might have brought some tea," she said, before stepping into the apartment followed by her husband.

                  ~      *      ~

                  "Mother," Will said, chuckling nervously as she walked inside. She glanced around the apartment, and I was suddenly aware of every smudge on the marble counter and every mismatched stroke of paint on the walls. "I wasn't expecting you."

                  "Of course you were, dear," she replied serenely, running an index finger along a polished red apple in the fruit bowl. "We called."

                  "When you were ten minutes away," he replied.

                  She laughed, a rich and ostentatious sound, "Why, if we had've called earlier, you may have made a run for it. And we really must talk, dear."

                  "Okay, we will talk," Will said. "Let me just get Candi and her friends out, and then I'm all yours."

                  "No, stay," she said, turning to me with eyes that told me there would be no further questioning of this.

                  "Then I'll just get my friends out," I replied calmly. Despite everything, I was not going to get into an argument with my fiancé's parents.

                  "No, I want them here, too," Genevieve said, and Ava flashed me a fearful look. Jamie seemed confused, and Chance was watching Genevieve with careful eyes. "Let's all stay and have a little chat."

                  "I don't think that's a good idea," Will said slowly.

                  "Well, I do," she said, smirking. "So they stay."

                  "Maybe I'll invite Lochie over and we can make it a tea party," Will replied venomously. "Mother, I know you think you rule the universe, but you can't just walk into my apartment, and trap my fiancée and her friends in here."

                  "First of all, William, speak to me with some semblance of respect," she snapped. "And, secondly, in case it has somehow slipped your feeble mind, this hotel is owned by us. So I'd watch your tongue."

                  "Mrs. Winchester, please," I said quietly. "We'll speak about whatever you want. Just let my friends go." It sounded almost like we were stuck in a hostage situation, which was exactly what it felt like.

                  "If they are really your friends, then I'm sure anything we have to say can be said in front of them," she replied primly, slowly taking off her black leather hand gloves and her coat.

                  "So you don't mind them hearing about my dear father's infidelity?" Will replied smarmily, growing increasingly angrier. "Maybe we can have a nice long chat about Lorraine over some coffee."

                  "That is not what I am here to discuss," she said. My friends looked lost, and Richard looked like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. I wondered why they'd shown up together like it was just an average Sunday brunch at the country club, not like their marriage was imploding due to adultery.

                  "Let me guess," Will said ruefully. "You're having trouble keeping your own marital problems under control, so you're here to lecture Candice and I on our impending wedding."

                  "She's changed you," Genevieve appraised. "You are not the same boy I knew."

                  "You're right," Will said. "Because I'm not a club-jumping, bar-crawling, front page loving teenage boy anymore. You just can't stand the fact that I'm happier than you."

                  "Are you?" she asked, cocking a dainty eyebrow. "Are you truly happy? Please think carefully, William, before it's too late to take it back."

                  "I am happy," he said slowly, enunciating it clearly as if his mother was hard of hearing. "And I will continue to be so as long as you get out of my life and let me live mine with Candice."

                  "I don't believe you," she said. "Soon, you will see just as your father and I have, that she is not the girl for you. Are you sure you're ready to commit to something so huge with a commonplace girl like Candice Sinclair?" She said my name as if it was poison on her tongue.

                  "Look, lady, I don't know who you are, but I will not let you stand here and say that about my best friend," Ava said, stepping forward to come to my defense. "And from what I've seen, Candice makes Will far happier than you ever could. And it seems a little hypocritical that you would lecture them on love when it seems you've never experienced it a day in your life."

                  Will looked impressed, and I tried to hide a smile. You could always count on Ava's tenacity to get you out of a tight jam. And she never swayed in the face of danger or astringent women.

                  "Excuse me?" Genevieve asked, looking horrified to hear her speak. "And just who do you think you are?"

                  "My name's Ava Donoghue," she replied confidently, raising her chin and looking right into Genevieve's eyes. "And I think you've overstayed your welcome."

                  "I agree," Will said. "I think it's best you leave, Mother. I trust you can find the door yourself."

                  He went to turn around and leave, knowing that the odds were against her, but her scathing voice cut him off. "I was hoping to make you see some sense, Will, but it seems it will take more than a gentle push. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to be the one who drives you over the edge and into the dark. It seems to be the only way you'll see the light."

                  He turned around and narrowed his eyes. "You know I don't appreciate riddles, Mother. What are you getting at?"

                  She sighed. "You must know I never wanted to do this, but I must. Out of love. From now until you see our way of thinking, your credit cards will be cut. You will be given an eviction notice by the end of the week. You are officially cut off from the Winchester name. We'll see how long you last without your legacy. Just remember that what you will experience is just a taste of what will happen if you marry a lowly girl like Candice Sinclair."

                  "Don't do this," he whispered, and I stared up at him, horrified. Though we hated to admit it, that was our main security, and it felt strange having the rug pulled out from under us. "Mother, please..."

                  She raised her chin. "You must pick a side, Will. You cannot have it both ways. Either you are with us, or you are without us."

                  "Don't make me choose," he said, but she was already dragging her husband out of the door and into the corridor.

                  She turned back to him, green eyes large and sad. She seemed truly remorseful for a second, but I knew it was all just a carefully cultivated act. "You may try to hide it from your betrothed, but you are not so different from us. You need the money, William. More than you need a wife. Choose now. Your inheritance—the luxury, the cars and mansions—or your fiancée."

                  She turned around and walked out, the sound of her heels echoing through the hall. I waited with baited breath, watching him to see what he would pick. It had to be me. He'd proven time and time again that he loved me more than anything. But would the draining of his bank account be enough to make him rethink his decision?

He stared at me and then at the door, and I was struck by the indecision in his face—to stay and face a normal life or go and face a life of forced direction and debauchery.

                  He shook his head and walked quickly towards the exit. I felt my stomach tighten and the breath catch in my throat as I watched his back, hardly able to breathe.

                  "Will!" I called numbly.

                  He turned around and shook his head, his blue eyes agonized. "Candice, I am so sorry," he whispered. "But I have to go."

                  He disappeared before I could catch him, and I stood there, unable to think or speak or breathe or form a thought that might help me. I felt someone's arms around my waist, and I fell back into them. I'd had no idea how much faith I'd put into Will's feelings for me until they were tested.

                  Until I lost.

~                *      ~

                  The phone shook in my hand as I buttoned my coat and fought off a shiver. The line connected, and I felt my breath catch.

                  "Hi, you've reached Will Winchester. I can't come to the phone right now—"

                  It took everything in me not to let out a scream of frustration, and I disconnected the call. After Will had left, I'd been borderline hysterical and inconsolable. Jamie had not been able to cheer me up with his jokes, and not even Ava had been able to bring me back to the present with one of her pep talks. All I could think of was the way he'd walked out—after all this time, he'd still followed his parents lead. He'd left me.

                  I didn't want to be alone, but I also didn't think I could face Chance or Jamie or Ava. Not even Shae or Pippa or Milla could provide some distraction. And though I loved Luke and his womanizing ways to death, he just wasn't appropriate company. And I realized with a jolt that strangely there was only one person I wanted to see right now.

                  I scrolled through my contact list until I found who I was looking for, and then dialed the number. I prayed it wouldn't go to voicemail; prayed he'd be there.

                  Thankfully he was. "Hello?" he asked, his voice low and calm.

                  I breathed out. "Hey, Lochie? It's me, Candice."

                  "Candice," he said, sounding surprised. I heard muffled music in the background, and he excused himself from someone. The music drained into silence, until all I could hear was his breathing. "What's up?"

                  "I hope I'm not interrupting any private time with some girl," I replied, wiping away a tear.

                  He laughed. "Don't worry, she wasn't that cute, anyway."

                  I laughed, but it came out thick and garbled from the urge to cry. "Hey, talk to me," Lachlan murmured, voice like smooth velvet. "What's wrong?"

                  "Everything," I whispered. "I just need someone to talk to."

                  "Where are you?"

                  I looked around and found a street sign, before listing off the place I was. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

                  He hung up, and I huddled in my coat and glanced around, wondering how pathetic I looked. A stricken girl on the sidewalk in a pink coat with a teary face. I definitely didn't make a pretty portrait.

                  Only about five minutes later, a limo glided up to the curb, and a shiny black door opened. Lachlan's face appeared. "Hop in."

                  I lowered my head and ducked into the limo, sitting on one of the luxurious leather seat and glancing around. Inside was a mounted TV, a bucket of ice and champagne, some crackers and assorted cheeses and caviar, and some card and board games.

                  I'd been in a limousine before with Will, and the memory brought a pang in my chest. I pushed it down and glanced around. "Thank you for coming," I murmured, slowly taking off my coat.

                  He nodded. "Of course. Where do you want to go?"

                  I sighed and pushed back my hair, wiping my sticky face with a tissue. "Anywhere but here."

                  He pressed an intercom buzzer. "Jefferson? Take us to Delilah's."

                  "Of course, sir," came a response from who I assumed to be the driver, and Will clicked off the intercom and turned to me.

                  "You wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.

                  I shook my head and stared out the window, keeping my eyes fixated on the glittering pavement. "Let's just drive."

~      *      ~

                  I don't know what I was expecting Delilah's to be, but it certainly wasn't this.

                  "Is this a strip club?" I asked, glancing at the seedy exterior. A neon sign buzzed, and the derelict brick building did not look the least bit inviting. Gold light spilled onto the sidewalk, and the street was practically deserted, save for the limousine, which looked comically out of place.

                  "Actually, I prefer the term 'speakeasy', and it's better on the inside," he told me, taking my hand and leading me into the building.

                  Inside smelled of clove cigars, and was filled with smoke and dim light. I heard the low murmur of music and the clink of glasses, and Lochie led me down a rickety metal set of stairs and into a room with low lighting, an oak bar stacked with alcohol, and a stage with a bunch of burlesque girls in feathers dancing provocatively. Women in scantily-clad costumes flitted around and served shots of whiskey and tequila to men in rumpled dress shirts, and the whole scene looked extremely clichéd, like something from a fifties movie.

                  "How did you find this place?" I asked, as he nodded to a bartender and led me to a seat at the far end of the bar, out of earshot of anyone—not that anyone would listen.

                  "Actually, it's mine," he replied, smiling at me as the bartender poured two glasses of bourbon and slid them down the bar. He caught one and handed it to me, and I took a small sip. "My twenty-second birthday present," he said proudly.

                  "I find it hard to believe your parents would let you buy a strip joint—sorry, speakeasy," I corrected, rolling my eyes.

                  He grinned. "It's actually a restaurant in the front. This is my 'storage space'," he said, making air quotes to emphasize the fact storage was the last thing this place was used for. "It's just a place to blow off steam."

                  "So it's like a mullet, then?" I asked, downing the rest of the glass.

                  He barked out a surprised laugh. "How is it like a mullet?"

                  "Business in the front, party in the back," I told him, to which he chuckled.

                  "Fair point."

                  He finished his drink and ordered another one, and I looked around. A familiar sweep of melancholy fell over me, and I could tell that Lachlan had sensed the difference in my mood now that the joke was over.

                  "You wanna tell me what's going on?" he asked, and before I knew what was happening, another glass was appearing on the bar before me. I knew I should slow down and catch my bearings, but above all else I just wanted to forget.

                  "I don't even know what to say," I whispered, shaking my head. "How can everything be so perfect one moment and shattered the next?"

                  I swear it had only been a matter of seconds between flicking through bridal magazines and feeling like I had my whole life ahead of me and then watching my future walk out the door in search of fortune over love.

                  "Talk to me, Candice," he said. "It's me. You can tell me anything."

                  I rubbed the bridge of my nose and shook my head. "Your parents showed up today."

                  "Oh," he said. "Well, now I know this won't end well."

                  "They gave Will an ultimatum: me or the money. If he left me, he could keep his fortune. If he chose to marry me, they were going to cut him off completely."

                  He took a large gulp of bourbon. "And I think I can guess what he picked."

                  "I guess it was stupid of me to think he'd choose me over the money," I said, laughing humorlessly and taking another gulp of the alcohol. It seemed to be knocking the edge off, so I was grateful for it.

                  "You're not stupid," Lochie told me, staring into my eyes. "He should've picked you. If he truly loved you, he would've chosen you without a second thought."

                  "That's easy for you to say," I replied. "You've never been faced with that kind of choice. Can you honestly tell me you'd choose a girl over your inheritance? You'd cut up your platinum cards for a girl you love?"

                  "Well, not just any girl," he confided, watching me over the rim of his glass as he took a sip. "But for you? Yes."

                  "That's sweet of you to say," I told him. "But I know you're just saying that. I guess I just hoped I'd be someone's number one choice."

                  "Don't you get it?" Lachlan asked. "You are. And you're worth giving up a whole fortune. And if Will can't see that, he's more of an idiot than I thought he was. If he loved you, he'd choose you. I would."

                  "Really?" I whispered.

                  He leaned closer, and I felt my whole body seize up at his close proximity. His eyes were hooded and intoxicating, and his voice was a low hum. "I'd choose you."

                  He leaned forward, and I stayed completely still, wanting to stop but not wanting to ruin the moment. It felt so nice to have someone tell me I was their choice, Even if it wasn't the one I really wanted.

                  A flash of movement over his shoulder made me look up, and I felt my stomach roil at what I was faced with. He wore a gray jacket, dark hair dripping rain and eyes completely lost and heartbroken. Lachlan's lips brushed my cheek as I turned my head, and I struggled for something to hold onto as my world came crashing down around me.

                  "Will," I whispered.

~                *      ~

                  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

It's just turned midnight here in the land down under, so I've decided to kick off the early morning with a celebratory update. Yay!

I'd like to thank everyone who commented on the last chapter about the other book, and I'm officially posting it now, so head on over to my profile to find it. It had now been titled "Kiss The Cook", and I would like to thank @dolle_281 for the suggestion (your dedication is coming next chapter and on the other book). I'm currently just getting the cover into order, but thank you so much to everyone who suggested—it was so tough picking one, but ultimately people talking about food-related titles won out. Maybe I might change my mind later, but for now I am totally happy with Kiss The Cook – so thank you!

 I will leave the link here, it will be in the comments, I'll put it in the External Link or you can find it in my profile. You can't miss it hahaha. Please check it out - all the support is seriously appreciated :)

                  I will try to update tonight or tomorrow if I get time to write between present-opening and cake-cutting, but I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a comment down below and check out the new book for the story of Sinchester!

                  Much love! xx

Link: http://www.wattpad.com/story/39390903-kiss-the-cook