That must have been the wrong thing to say because she stared at him, a stunned look on her face. Then more tears flowed. She rolled over, away from him. “I can’t do it. I’m sorry. I have to leave.” She got off the bed, unzipped her duffle bag and began stuffing clothes in it.
Jared glanced longingly at the toilet. The springs on the bed groaned as he stood. He crossed the room and took her shoulders in his hands to calm her, and stop her from packing. “My aunt is very sick. She may not live much longer. Shelly’s last wish is to see me married. If we don’t go through with this, she’ll be devastated.”
She peered up at him and blinked. “I don’t want to hurt Shelly.”
“I know.” He rubbed her arms. “You care about her. I can see that.”
She stared at the floor. “I never wanted to hurt anyone.”
He pulled her close. “Of course not.”
“And I was just fine until everyone was so nice to me. And Shelly, she was too sick to come, but she gave me this bridal shower gift anyway and welcomed me to the family, and Irene was sitting there smiling with tears in her eyes, and everyone smiled at me, and I felt awful, Jared, simply awful.”
Jared didn’t know how to respond to her. It sounded like a garbled mess of female craziness to him. But he wasn’t about to admit that. “There, there.” He patted her back.
“I don’t know how I can go through with this.” Her voice sounded thin, hollow.
He tightened his arms around her. “If we call this thing off, Shelly will be so disappointed. You need to think of her.”
Madison took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. “You’re right, of course. I’m not thinking clearly.”
He nodded, then decided agreeing with her that she wasn’t thinking clearly was not the best idea, so he masked the gesture by looking around. “It’s only one more day.”
A silence settled in the room. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Finally she pulled away from him. “Just one more day. Then what?”
The question seemed to hold weight, and as she stared at him expectantly, he had no idea what the right answer was. The selfish side of him wanted to keep seeing her. He wanted to say, “Then we’ll date each other because I like you.” But she’d just spent forty minutes crying, and the only reason he could figure was because his family had been nice to her. The last thing he wanted was to start that again. So, he shrugged and said, “Then you’re off the hook.”
She stared at him, slowly nodding. “Off the hook,” she mumbled.
He couldn’t tell if that made her happy or not, but she wasn’t crying, so he went with it. “Yep. Off the hook.” To emphasize how great it would be, he grinned like a stupid Cheshire cat.
She nodded again, went into the bathroom and closed the door. The rest of the day seemed to go smoothly. At least she didn’t cry anymore. But around dinner time, he realized she’d been avoiding him. He couldn’t catch her gaze, and she’d gone out of her way to sit between Carrie and Patricia.
She snuck off to bed early, and by the time he realized this, she was snuggled under the covers, asleep. Whatever he’d done wrong this time, he didn’t want to know. He just hoped she’d be over it by tomorrow.
MADISON STARED AT THE dress. Her wedding dress. The most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Too bad looking at it made her want to throw up.
“You have the dress on yet?” Carrie called through the door.
“Just a minute.” Madison bit her lip. There was no backing out now. She had to put the thing on and pretend she was a happy bride.
She undressed and slipped the gown on. “Okay, you can come in.”
Carrie burst through the door, already in her gold bridesmaid dress and heels, her hair swept up in a formal up-do. “Oooh, you’re going to look so good.”
Madison blinked back tears.
“Hey,” Carrie cooed. “No tears. We talked about this.”
A dagger stabbed at Madison’s heart. “He can’t wait until it’s over, Carrie. You should have heard him yesterday. ‘Just one more day. That’s it. Then you’re off the hook.’ But that’s not the worst part. He was happy it was almost done. He smiled like he’d won the lottery.”
“You have a whole day to dazzle him. Use those feminine wiles God gave you. He’ll be begging to spend more time with you.” Carrie flashed a smile, showing off her white teeth.
Madison let out a breath. Sure, it was easy for Carrie. She flirted and always got the guy. It was eerie, actually. Maybe Carrie had hidden pheromones Madison didn’t possess. Some primitive flirt gene that failed to be passed down her family line.
It was easier to agree with Carrie than continue to argue, though, so she nodded. “You’re right. I’ll dazzle him.”
“That’s the spirit. Now turn around and let me zip you up. The hairdresser’s been waiting for fifteen minutes.”
Madison sucked in her emotions and let everyone swarm around her, tugging on her hair, applying makeup, attaching the train to her dress, and finally adding flowers and a veil to her head. Carrie clasped her hands and oohed. “Girl, you look amazing.” She turned Madison around to the mirror.
The girl staring back took her breath away. A stunning French twist dotted with little white flowers adorned her head. The dress accentuated her figure, and the veil cascaded down her shoulders and back. Carrie shoved the bridal bouquet into Madison’s hands and proclaimed her the perfect bride.
Her stomach clenched, and she gripped the flowers so hard her knuckles turned white. She took a deep breath and repeated I can do this until she felt better.
Carrie ushered Madison down the hall and held her train while she descended the stairs. Irene stood in the foyer, also dressed in gold. She gasped and made a fuss over Madison at the bottom of the stairs.
“Look at you. Such a beautiful bride. Jared will be beside himself.”
“Thank you, Irene. You look stunning yourself.” Madison gave her a quick hug.
Patricia came down the stairs with her bridesmaids, a trio of squeals and giggles. More hugs exchanged, a few ‘you look amazing’ sentiments, and then Maxwell appeared wearing a sleek tux. His salt and pepper hair gave him a distinguished look.
Since Madison’s parents had been ‘killed in a car crash,’ and Patricia’s father had died in the war, Maxwell had volunteered to walk both brides down the aisle. As he held out his elbows to the two brides, Madison’s heart swelled. His gaze radiated his love for her. She pushed aside the guilt and took his arm. Today, she would be a part of this family, even if tomorrow ripped her heart out.
The bridesmaids slipped out to get in line for the processional, and she was left with Maxwell and Patricia. Her heart hammered in her chest. She hadn’t seen a glimpse of Jared since she awoke, but figured he was in the other room, waiting for the music to start. Irene had insisted they not see each other until she walked down the aisle.
The faint sound of the wedding march carried through the house, and soon Irene poked her head around the corner and motioned for them to come down the hall. As Madison walked beside Maxwell, her throat swelled. This was it. She would walk down the aisle and say “I do” in front of people who loved her. And it was fake.
She imagined a cameraman following them. This was like any other acting job. That’s all it was. She would act, play her part, and nothing would go wrong.
They arrived at the sliding-glass door just as the bridesmaids started down the aisle. With the door open, a cool fall breeze entered the house. Flower petals were already sprinkled on the runner, as they had decided not to have a ring bearer or flower girl. Maxwell ushered them through the door. The music swelled, and the crowd turned as they started down the aisle.
Shelly sat in a wheelchair in the front row. Madison swore she looked better than she’d ever seen her. Pink spots of color touched her cheeks, giving her a healthy glow. She wore a bright floral dress, and her smile warmed Madison’s heart. Shelly took out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes.
Jimmy and Pastor Ryan stood at
the front, with Jared and Zachary waiting for their brides. Madison’s gaze connected with Jared’s, and her heart dropped to her toes. Not only was he handsome in his tuxedo, but he stared at her with such intensity, she had to look away.
But after she took her place in front of Jimmy, she couldn’t avoid his gaze any longer. She looked into his eyes and fell all over again. Her heart would never recover.
A movement from inside the house drew her attention. Veronica emerged through the sliding-glass door, a wicked smile on her face. And then Madison saw who accompanied Veronica. The woman stumbled outside wearing a wrinkled miniskirt and a button-down shirt that stopped short of her navel and appeared to have been sitting in the dirty-laundry pile for more than a few days. Her hair was teased and styled as if she were a performer at a hard-rock concert, and her ankle-boots sported six-inch heels. Her makeup was smeared like she’d slept with it on.
“Baby doll,” she cooed as she stumbled up the walkway. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?”
Everyone turned to stare, and Madison’s blood froze. She tried to speak, but all that choked out was a single word. “Mother?”
Chapter 21
A sudden rage filled Jared, and an urge to protect Madison. He took a step in front of her. “Veronica, you have no right to be here. Take that woman and leave.” Veronica folded her arms and smirked.
Madison’s mother staggered closer. “I can’t believe my baby is getting married!”
Jared held up his hands. “Sorry, folks, for the interruption. I’ll be back in a minute.” He stormed down the aisle, grabbed both women by the arm, and dragged them into the house. When he rounded on them, he found Madison had followed him. She slid the door shut.
“Mother, what are you doing here?” For a moment, something changed in Madison’s eyes. Vulnerability emerged. The pain from years of abuse crumbled away, and all that was left was a young child yearning for the love of her mother. But then her gaze hardened, and that girl vanished. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“Baby, I wouldn’t miss your wedding day.” The woman held her arms out again, but Madison backed away. The smell of booze and cigarette smoke hung on the woman’s breath like a thick fog.
Jared moved in between them. “Don’t touch her.”
Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t do that. Annie is her mother. She has a right to be here.”
Madison raised her chin. “She signed away all rights to me. I owe her nothing.”
And then all three women started shouting at once, Annie insisting on her parental rights, Madison urging her mother to leave, and Veronica demanding they allow Annie to stay.
Jared held up his arms. “Hold it. Everyone be quiet.” When he had their attention, he said, “Veronica, you and Annie need to go. Now.”
A wicked smile played on Veronica’s lips. “I think we can come to some kind of arrangement.”
Annie stuck out her bottom lip. “I came all this way, and this is the thanks I get? I don’t even have any gas money to go anywhere. Maybe if I had gas money...”
The tears in Madison’s eyes were what fueled Jared’s anger to the breaking point. How dare her mother come crash the wedding to panhandle? He clenched his fists. “You will leave here now, or I will call the police.”
“Whoa, dude, we don’t want no police.” At the sound of the male voice, everyone turned to see a man standing in the walkway to the kitchen. He wore a leather jacket, and his hair hung in long scraggly waves. “What’s taking you guys so long? I thought we were just going to pick up some quick cash and head out.”
Madison’s cheeks flushed. “Really, Mom? You left your boyfriend in the car while you came to my wedding to hustle the groom? I think that’s a new low for you.”
Annie instantly melted into tears. “See how she treats me? See what I’ve got to go through? I have nothing, while you...” Annie pointed an accusing finger at Madison and glanced around the room. “Just look at you. Marrying into wealth. While you live in a mansion, I’m lifting seat cushions scrounging for spare change.”
“And why is that, Mother? You’ve never worked a day in your life. All you care about is the next party. The next drink. And you’d do anything to get it.”
Annie’s tears dried up faster than spit on a summer sidewalk. “How dare you speak to me that way? I gave you life. I’m your mother.”
“You may have given me life, but you were never my mother.”
Annie picked up a porcelain vase and hurled it at the wall. It broke into several pieces and left a dent. “I sacrificed for you! Do you think I wanted to have a baby? I could have—”
“Stop!” Jared picked up the phone. “I’m calling the police.”
Just as he suspected, Annie and her boyfriend paled and took several steps back. Veronica lunged for the phone, which he raised, and her momentum carried her past him. She landed on the glass coffee table, which shattered on impact.
Veronica screamed and jumped up and down, trying to get the tiny shards of glass off her. A thin line of blood appeared on her right hand, and she screamed again when she saw it. “You assaulted me! You threw me into that table! Now I’m bleeding. Did you see it, Annie?” Her wild eyes darted around the room until they connected with their target. Annie backed up even more.
“I don’t want no trouble.” The man held up his hands and sprinted out of the room, probably to get his stash out of the area before the police showed up.
“Wait, don’t leave me!” Annie stumbled after him.
“Traitor!” Veronica screeched. Then she turned to Jared. “You pushed me, and I have the blood to prove it. I’m going to press criminal charges and sue you!”
Madison fisted her hands. “I saw the whole thing. It was your fault. I’m an eye-witness.”
Veronica’s face turned three shades of red. “It’s your word against mine.”
A smirk crossed Madison’s face. “And their word as well.” She pointed to the sliding glass window behind her. Most of the people from the backyard wedding were there, a collage of faces pressed to the glass, over a dozen pairs of eyeballs staring at the scene.
Veronica swore and stormed out.
MADISON ONCE AGAIN stood under the flowering trellis in front of everyone, staring into Jared’s eyes. Jimmy was done with his speech, which was mostly a montage of movie lines about love and honor strung together, and now everyone waited for Jared to recite his wedding vows. Madison hoped he hadn’t forgotten to prepare at least a little something.
Jared pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and peered at it. After a moment, he folded it up again and stuffed it into his pocket. “You know, I had something stuffy prepared for this, but at this moment, it doesn’t seem to fit. So I think I’ll just wing it.”
He took her hands in his, the warmth of his skin sending sparks through her.
“Madison, when I first met you, I thought you were a nut case.” A smattering of giggles erupted from the audience. “You exasperated me. You said things that made me want to toss you into the wood chipper.” More laughter.
Madison shot him a warning glare.
Jared kept his face blank, but his eyes smiled. “But then I got to know you. You’re amazingly witty. You think quickly on your feet. You have this way of disarming everyone around you, putting others at ease, and making them like you. And as I spent more time with you, I fell more deeply in love. It’s hard to be without you. When I’m not with you, I miss the way your laughter bubbles up from your toes. I even miss your crazy horoscope obsession. Can you believe I checked mine this morning?” He paused while the audience laughed, and she struggled to swallow the lump forming in her throat. “Madison, I promise to love you, honor you, care for you, and be faithful to you from this day forward for the rest of our lives. I want to grow old with you.”
For a split second, everything around them melted away, all of the people and wedding decorations vanished, and she was left alone with Jared. For the briefest moment, his words were rea
l, and looking into the depths of his eyes, she could see a man baring his soul, opening himself up to her. In that moment, the love they shared was legitimate, and today was the beginning of the rest of their lives. But then he blinked, and the world came back into view. He was once again just playing a part for his sick aunt. And tears blurred her vision.
The crowd responded with a collective sigh. They’d bought it, hook, line and sinker. And now everyone waited for her to speak.
A sudden anger flared up in her. How could he stand there and tell her those things without meaning them? What kind of cruel joke was this, anyway?
She squared her shoulders. “Jared, our romance has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced. From the moment you ran into me in the women’s bathroom, to the time you tried to tell me you loved me in Spanish, but instead called me a lonely chicken head...I’ve known you were something special. And now, here we are, on our wedding day, and you confess in front of God and these witnesses, that you once contemplated throwing me into a wood chipper.” Laughter floated through the backyard.
“And through it all, even the time you set my apartment on fire trying to cook me a romantic dinner, I’ve loved you.”
She didn’t mean for those words to slip out. She was going to make a joke out of her vows, instead of saying her rehearsed part. The vows she truly felt. But once the confession of love came out, she couldn’t turn back. She slipped into her practiced lines.
“I love the way your lip twitches when you’re trying not to smile. I love the way you protect me from all the ugliness of the world. I love how you believe in me. When you hold me in your arms, it feels like I can do anything. Jared, I promise to share my life with you. All my ups and downs. I promise to love, cherish and honor you, forever more.”
A few of the women in the yard sniffed and dabbed at their eyes. Madison stole a glance at Shelly. A bright smile lit up her face, and she exchanged a glance with Irene. Then Jared pulled her attention back to him as he slipped her wedding ring on her finger, and repeated the lines Jimmy said. It fit perfectly with the engagement ring, creating a beautiful swirl of diamonds on each side.
[Anthology] A Clean Fake Marriage Romance Collection Page 14