Applause and congratulatory messages trailed behind her along with the long white train as she walked out of the chapel with Andrew holding her hand.
Her knees wanted to fold. The emotion was overwhelming. The atmosphere was rife with something magical, and tense at the same time. She was at the cusp of a new experience, a major new chapter.
Andrew’s arm came around her protectively. The thirty-seven-degree heat and humidity outside closed in on them and an errant tear fell.
She was married now. Officially.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. “I promise the rest of our married life will be better than that lukewarm kiss.” The huge mound of hair on her head absorbed him without letting his kiss touch her nerves.
She snorted, trying to laugh, and entwined her arm around his waist. “It had better be.” Then, stepping down the stairs, she remembered about his father. “Your dad wasn’t here today.”
The outline of a vein become apparent on Andrew’s forehead. “I’m glad he decided to not show up.”
He was still upset over the lost Johns Hopkins contract. He should be. Honestly, she couldn’t understand how Mr. Smith could have been so cruel to his own son. The father-son dynamic in Andrew’s family was really screwed up.
“I cannot believe we are married. It feels like a dream.”
A dream that had come true. Despite the uncertainty of the future that lay ahead, of one thing she was certain—it was Andrew and no one else she wanted by her side in that future.
“If it was a dream, we wouldn’t be drenched in sweat. And I’d not be wearing this stuffy jacket and necktie.” His white shirt was soaked at the front from blotting sweat and his temples glistened with sweat too.
The humidity was through the roof today. She was lucky the dress hadn’t slid right off her slippery body.
A July wedding had its own issues, but holding out until winter had never been an option for them. From the moment he’d proposed, every minute of waiting had been excruciating.
She’d jumped right into wedding planning with her mom the next day. It had filled her empty days, while she waited for an interview to come her way—and at some point, she’d forgotten about interviews and jobs altogether. She’d moved back to Greenport from New York, since they were having the wedding in her hometown.
From arranging the catering to the flowers to the accommodation for guests, Ashley had taken everything upon herself. She had leafed through countless bridal magazines, articles and advice on the internet to make everything as perfect as she could for her wedding day.
She had been to the stores of numerous wedding dress designers and called up every florist, bakery and caterer in town for a quote. Even their honeymoon was planned, down to what they were going to have for breakfast each day at the resort in Florida. One week of sunshine, sea and sex.
“Better get used to the heat. It’s going to be even hotter in Florida,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, but at least we’ll be wearing bathing suits and swimming in cool water, rather than in our own sweat.”
“We’re in our wedding outfits now. Don’t you think this is more precious?” she argued.
“It is. You look splendid in that dress, by the way. I couldn’t tell you how beautiful you were at the altar because I couldn’t tear my eyes off you long enough to think.” The tip of his nose contacted her neck. There was something romantic about the way he whispered the words in her ear.
“I was shaking, so your words would have flown right past my ears, anyway. There were so many people watching us like zoo animals on display. I was unnerved throughout the ceremony, but you were so unperturbed.”
“My calmness might have had something to do with standing opposite an angel.” He traced her jawline with a light press of his middle finger. She swooned. He was so perfect sometimes. In the right way.
“At least I recited the vows correctly.” Ashley said.
Better look on the bright side.
“The only vow we need is love. And I got that one from you before we married.”
He had. After his proposal. His proposal—his proper proposal—had been both funny and romantic, like him. He had dressed up as an out-of-season Santa Claus and handed her the ring out of his gift bag.
She had laughed her head off at his antics and so had the staff at Dracosys.
Her ‘yes’ had come in a heartbeat, because honestly, where was she going to find a guy who could make her laugh like that again?
“I can’t believe we’re married. I used to snigger at girls who married young, pitying them for shackling themselves so soon. And now I am one of those girls. Talk about ironic.”
“It’s fun to laugh at yourself sometimes,” he said. “I never predicted I’d marry at twenty-three, either, but then again, I didn’t know I’d meet you.”
She had to admire how well he was taking to being married. Some people did. Hopefully, she would be in that category.
“We can tell our grandkids how we married after a five-month courtship.” Andrew said.
Grandchildren. Children. Growing old together. There would be those things too, right?
“They will laugh at their impulsive grandparents. Although I wonder how you will look as an old man.” She was having a hard time imagining that his magnificent face would ever grow old, but it would. Time would dissolve everything, except the eternal—love.
“Still as handsome as hell, I can guarantee you that.” He lifted his pointed chin up in the air, making his slicked-back cocoa hair glisten. “And still as madly in love with you.”
That did a number on her heartstrings.
“Ashley, congratulations, dear!” Her mum, eyes overflowing with tears, hugged her. The satin flower sewed on her dress poked Ashley’s eye. “I hope you have a great life.”
Her father, hovering on the line between emotional and restrained, put his palm on her head affectionately. She wished her marriage would be as solid and stable as her parents’. They had been together for twenty-eight years and counting.
Andrew received a pat on the shoulder from her father, along with a few classics like, ‘Make my daughter happy.’
When it was time to throw the bouquet to the next lucky bride, her parents moved out of the way. Ashley turned back and tossed the bunch of soft pink roses surrounded by frilly hydrangeas. Its velocity carried it over the damp pressure of the breeze.
A symphony of screams… followed by the crowd clearing away to crown the winner.
Bella.
In a lavender ensemble that draped over her dangerous curves, Bella was too shocked to say anything. Bella had been one of her bridesmaids today, along with Kat. Her two best friends had also helped her organize her wedding, chipping in any way they could despite their busy schedules.
“Congratulations.” Ashley glided down the stairs to her.
“I don’t want to be the next one to get married. I still have to do a PhD and get a tenured professorship.” Bella fiddled with her glasses. At Kat’s insistence, she had changed from her old, narrow frameless ones to thick black-framed ones, which accentuated the almond-shape of her eyes instead of hiding them.
“Oh, right.”
Bella had her heart set on being a professor and come hell or high water, Bella was the type of woman who would reach her goal. She had a one-track mind when it came to her career.
“We’re still going to have our girls’ nights out, so when I do get married, you will find out.” Bella continued.
“That’s right.”
Ashley wouldn’t give up her girls’ nights out for anything. They were the most fun moments of her week.
Kat, dragging along the skirt of her dress, which was a tad long for her petite frame, joined in on the conversation. Kat’s exquisite features had received a major boost of glamour from the subtle but noticeable makeup. A week ago, she had dyed her perennially brunette hair blonde for an investigative assignment, which lent her face a breath of light despite the
dark eyes.
Strands of her hair, which had been too short to arrange into any kind of hairstyle, skimmed her forehead and she tried to blow them away. “So what’s the plan now? Kids?”
Ashley blushed. “I don’t know. We haven’t thought that far. But we are going on honeymoon to Florida next week.”
“That sounds fun. Do you think you can pack Kat and me into your luggage so we can come along? I need a break from graduate school and sunshine sounds tempting.” Bella twisted her face into a funny position. “Just kidding.”
“We’ll be looking forward to all the juicy details of your honeymoon,” Kat added. “And if you ever get tired of being around Andrew, my apartment is always open. I’m going to be lonely without you.”
“That reminds me that I still have to move my shoes out.”
“Maybe I’ll keep them there forever, so you have an excuse to visit me.”
“Someone is being clingy.” Bella whistled.
“We’ve been roommates for four years. I have the right to be clingy,” Kat snapped and then, with a sniffle, embraced Ashley once more.
A spout of emotion sprang up in Ashley’s heart. Saying goodbye to her best friends, even for a week, was making her feel like she was going somewhere far away.
“It’s time for the portrait,” her mom said.
The photographer waved at Ashley to summon her to the front of the church where he was lecturing Andrew on posture. Ashley unwillingly let Kat’s arms go.
“Okay, put your hand right there. On her hip. Turn slightly to the right… no, that’s too much.”
They found the perfect pose a minute later and the shutters went off, sealing their special day on celluloid.
The photographer gave a thumbs up. “It’s a fabulous one.”
It had to be—after all, she was going to frame this picture and display it in the living room of their house, where it would remain for years to come, reminding them of this magical day.
“I’m itching for champagne and cake now.” Andrew stretched his back. “Tell me you didn’t order a boring white one.”
“The color doesn’t matter. They’re all made of flour, butter and sugar, anyway.”
“That’s true.”
Their faces were shadowed by a six-foot-tall bearded man who came over to them and shook Andrew’s hand. Ashley couldn’t place him. He was about Andrew’s age, maybe one of his classmates?
“You’re a married man now,” the navy-suited guy said, grinning.
“This is Drew, the co-founder of Dracosys and my business partner. We were roommates at Columbia. Didn’t expect to see you here, Drew. I thought you’d be hard at work.”
“I can’t miss your wedding. I’m the only family you have. Look around. The crowd only consists of Ashley’s relatives and friends. Somebody has to represent you.”
Ashley had to admit that statement had more than a few grains of truth in it. All her friends and family were here, but she could spot none of Andrew’s. She couldn’t even spot an unknown face that she could write off as one of his friends.
“This is my wife, Ashley.”
“Nice to meet you, Ashley. You look stunning.” Drew’s eyes darted to and fro between them. “How did this soulless workaholic dupe a beautiful lady like you into marrying him?”
“Love is the biggest scam,” Andrew said, laughing.
“Anyway, I wish you both a wonderful life together. The staff at Dracosys send their best wishes for your married life, too.”
“Thank you.”
Another tall dark silhouette walked towards them, in a tailored navy pinstripe suit and Ashley had no trouble in placing this one.
Carl Smith.
Andrew’s smile dissipated, leaving a clenched jaw and bared teeth in its place.
“Damn it!” he cursed under his breath.
“I’m late, because someone didn’t care to invite me.” Carl’s voice boomed as imposingly as his stature. Years of smoking had added an unnatural rasp to his voice.
It wasn’t possible to miss the aura of class he projected—everything from his Patek Philippe watch to his designer suit corroborated that story. With wispy white hair that defied gravity lending him a height advantage, he was two heads taller than Ashley.
Ashley took a step back.
Carl Smith had a face that looked as rough and unyielding as the man who owned it. His presence was intimidating. He appraised her with furrowed brows, then turned to Andrew. Caught between the two men, Ashley detected powerful waves of belligerence. Andrew balled his fists. She put her hand over his to calm him down.
“The wedding was planned very suddenly so we didn’t—” Ashley started, only to be cut off by Carl.
“Yes, I can see that. And I have to wonder what the reason for this hurry is. Are you pregnant already?”
Ashley tried to push down the gigantic lump in her throat. “No, I’m not,” she squeaked.
His cold eyes mocked her. “Let’s hope your marriage lasts longer than your courtship did and is better planned than this last-minute ceremony.”
“What does someone who had been divorced thrice know about a lasting marriage?” Andrew’s anger spilled, making his face a patchwork of red and gold.
Ashley could see the similarities between the men. Though physically, they appeared dissimilar to the point of questioning Carl’s parenthood, they both had an incredibly dangerous aura when they were cross.
“More than you can imagine.” His demeanor continued to remain aloof, though his voice wavered.
“We love each other,” Ashley butted in, trying to keep this conflict from escalating into an argument. “We are both committed to this relationship.”
“Every woman says that before she decides that in the long run, it’s better to accept a enormous alimony and bolt rather than stay with a man who is married to his job. I hope you were wise enough to make her sign a pre-nup, Andrew.”
“I’m not marrying him for money or assets.” she asserted.
Andrew hooked an arm around her waist to draw her to him, reassuring her that he was with her on this.
“Before you go suggesting that my wife is a gold-digger, you should recollect that I don’t have any money, thanks to you.” he said.
“You company doesn’t have the resources to handle a contract as big as the one Johns Hopkins offered you,” Carl threw out in a biting tone. “You should be grateful that I saved you from embarrassment and bad press. Reputation is everything in business.”
“You are in no position to make such sweeping assumptions when you know nothing about Dracosys.” Andrew retorted, volume rising.
“I know that it doesn’t have the technical capability or capital to scale up quickly enough to handle the amount of work Johns Hopkins would throw at you. I suggest you look at your ability before going for clients that big.”
Carl ignored the buzzing of his phone for the moment.
“Stop making excuses for your actions. What you did crossed the line.”
“I told you you could count on me making your life hell when you decided to quit Finn and pursue that worthless degree at Columbia. And you told me to bring it on.”
That statement made Andrew tongue-tied. Carl took that opportunity to turn his attention to Ashley.
“And you?” His cynical eyes swooped in on her. “What do you do for a living?”
“I graduated from NYU with a degree in business and I’m looking for a job.” She mentioned the degree because that was pretty much all she had going for her.
“Do you really have the time and finances to support a jobless wife, Andrew?” he asked. He searched his wallet and flung a business card at him. “Antonio Ricci. He’s the best divorce lawyer in Manhattan. He’s handled all of my previous divorces. This is the wedding gift I am giving you. A free consultation with him.”
Ashley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She felt bile rise in her throat. This man was the most arrogant human being she’d ever met. He was the living example of
how money made people think they could get away with anything.
“Only you could do something as insensitive as referring me to a divorce lawyer in front of my wife.” Andrew didn’t even spare a perfunctory glance at the card before tearing it and tossing it to the wind. “We are not going to divorce.”
“You say that now. Trust me, no woman sticks with men like us. We aren’t marriage material.”
“Don’t lump me with you. There is no similarity between us.”
“You will realize that it is my blood that runs through you a year down the line when you’re filling out papers for separation.”
The imagery those phrases conjured up clouded her with worry. She was optimistic it wouldn’t come to pass, but it was a disturbing thought nevertheless. Noticing the distress on her features, her father came over to check on what was going on.
“Who is this gentleman?” he asked, facing Carl with a frown.
“I’m Carl, Andrew’s father.” The introduction was frigid, like the man.
“Oh, I thought you were away on a foreign trip. It’s great to meet you, Carl. I’m David, Ashley’s dad. We should get to know each other better. We’re in-laws now.” In contrast to Carl, her dad beamed with cheer and affection as he glanced down at her. The two men could be from different planets, really.
“He was just leaving. He has a flight to catch to LA.” Andrew stared down at his father, his message clear.
She expected Carl to brush it off, but he nodded and left quietly, his parting words a non-venomous, “It was nice to meet you, David. I’m sorry I have to leave.”
“I’m glad he made it despite his busy schedule,” her father commented after Carl left. He was the only one in the trio with that opinion.
When her dad was distracted by a guest and moved away, Andrew cupped her face and kissed her. This time, it wasn’t a pressed-for-time, obligatory kiss, but a deep, full, rich one. The pressure of his fingers on her temples made a few sandy curls break free and fall to the sides, framing her cheeks.
When the tips of their tongues touched, the temperature shot up another ten degrees.
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