Kelsey took a deep breath. “Well, if anyone can, it’s you.”
Izzy drew a circle in the covers with her finger. She understood where Kelsey was coming from, and as soon as Izzy was comfortable telling Rowan, she would. “I’ll be careful. I’m in a room as far away from him as humanly possible too.”
“Are you going to be okay alone like that?”
She nodded. “I guess I’ll have to be. I can’t bring myself to tell him about what happened to me. Not yet. I’ll sound like some sad, pathetic woman who couldn’t defend herself.”
“That’s not true, and you know it. You took self-defense classes. You did all you could to protect yourself. You can’t help that he found a way into your home. The alarm company didn’t even know he was in there.”
“I should have known.” She choked.
“No, this wasn’t your fault. It was his fault. I flew in the second the hospital called. You…I’ve never cried so hard in my life. You were barely recognizable.”
Izzy fought back tears. The last thing she needed was to show up at her wedding with puffy red eyes. “Well, it’s over now, and he’s going to prison. In the end, I won.”
“Exactly. But I know you, and you just don’t want to cry before your wedding.” Kelsey laughed.
Izzy laughed with her. “You’re right. I don’t.”
They talked for a while longer and then said their goodbyes. By the end of their talk, Izzy was pretty sure of the dress she would wear. It had been a while since she’d wanted to look nice for someone, and even if this wasn’t a real wedding, she still wanted to look good for Rowan.
Those butterflies flitted in her stomach again. She wasn’t sure what he’d wear, but so far he’d looked amazing every time she saw him. Of course, he was always in slacks and a button-up, but he looked good in them. Maybe he’d wear that crazy good cologne too.
Would they dance or celebrate after? It wasn’t a real wedding, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun. She wondered if she asked if he’d dance with her. She had a few danceable songs on her phone. The worst he could say was no. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He could growl, and that would be worse.
More butterflies buzzed in her stomach as she thought of being in his arms again. What was she doing, and why was she reacting this way? How could she be so drawn to someone she barely knew? But it didn’t feel like she barely knew him. It was as though they were puzzle pieces and they fit.
Kelsey was right. She was going to have to be careful. She didn’t know if she was ready for butterflies and soft lips yet. What if she led him on and then couldn’t handle it? She couldn’t hurt him like that. No, she’d settle herself down and approach him like she would a friend.
That’s what she’d asked of him, and that’s all she’d offer. A good-looking, soft-haired, and terrific-smelling man could be her friend. Only, she wasn’t so sure she could sell herself on that.
Chapter 8
Rowan set his hands on his hips as he took in the transformed garden. “Do you think she’ll like this?”
The garden took up most of the grounds on the estate. Hedges lined the walkways, benches and sitting areas were scattered throughout large trees that had been imported and now lined the edges of it, and all sorts of colorful flowers from roses to daisies filled the spaces in between. It smelled incredible.
A small archway was set up, and there were thousands of little lights all over. While the wedding might not be real, there was no reason not to dress it up for Isabeau.
Retta nodded. “She will love it.”
“Yes, I think so too,” his uncle said. “I take it you apologized to her?”
He’d told Retta and Ulysses what happened after getting back from the courthouse, and they’d rightfully let him have it. “I did.”
“Good. She’s a sweet woman, and she didn’t deserve your tantrum,” Ulysses said.
Retta crossed her arms over her chest. “She likes you, Rowan.”
He shook his head. “No. She’s just nice.”
“I’ll bet ten years of salary that she likes you, and not because she’s nice. You have more to offer than you give yourself credit for, and she sees it, just like your uncle and I do,” she said.
“No, Retta. Please don’t start. This is already awkward enough without bringing weird feelings and unfounded expectations into the mix. She’s helping me because she feels sorry for me. I’m not stupid.”
His uncle scoffed. “I don’t believe that for one second.”
Rowan turned away from them and walked to the base of the steps leading up to the veranda. “Please don’t.”
“You like her too. You’ve smiled more in the last few days than you have since the accident. You have a light in your eyes again, and I can see it in the way you carry yourself,” Retta said.
Before Rowan could counter the ridiculous idea, the back door opened, and Isabeau stepped out. Instantly, her lips parted and curved up at the corners. “Oh, this is…oh. It’s like I’ve stepped into a dream.”
She was wrong. She was the dream. A vision in a pale-green off-the-shoulder dress that stopped at her knees, with little ballet flats. Beyond a vision, she was breathtaking. His heart skipped a beat, and his pulse took off. He didn’t know what made him happier: that she was so obviously pleased, or that he was the reason for her smile.
Isabeau bounced down the steps and then twirled, the skirt of her dress billowing around her and her loosely curled strawberry-blonde locks dancing around her bare shoulders. “I’ve never seen anything so magical.”
Rowan thought the same, only it applied to her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was enchanting. Mesmerizing, even. What made her most beautiful was the scar peeking out from her neckline, almost like she’d done that for him. Her joy was infectious, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he watched her. The garden made her happy, and she made him happy, which caught him off guard. He needed to watch himself, or he’d be in trouble.
“You did this, Ulysses?” she asked. “It’s amazing.”
“No, Rowan did it.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “Rowan told me you did it.”
“Uncle,” Rowan said in a low voice. “Don’t.”
Ulysses rolled his eyes. “No, my dear, this was all Rowan.”
“You did this?” she said barely above a whisper. “Why did you say Ulysses did it?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s like you stepped into one of my dreams. How did you know I’d love this?” She caught his gaze and smiled. “This is what I dreamed my wedding would be like.”
Rowan cast his gaze to the ground. “I wanted to make it up to you for the way I behaved and for hurting you.”
She flattened her palms over her heart. “Oh, you did. All these lights. It’s like little fairies are everywhere.” In the remaining light, combined with the tea lights, he could see her cheeks turn pink. “I’m sorry I’m being silly. I’m just surprised.”
He stepped forward. “You weren’t being silly. You’re happy. I like it when you’re happy.” Then he remembered his uncle and Retta were standing there, and he cleared his throat, taking a step back.
A buzzing came from Ulysses’s coat pocket. “Oh, I bet that’s the minister. Retta and I will go get him. Maybe you can show Izzy a little bit of the garden before we return.”
Alone with Isabeau in the garden? With the way his heart was pounding? What if he did something stupid? What if he tried to kiss her? Because he couldn’t stop those thoughts no matter how hard he tried, and he’d definitely tried. “Perhaps I should accompany you,” Rowan said.
Retta waved him off. “Nonsense. Stay with Izzy.”
They didn’t give him the chance to argue further, they just clomped up the steps and disappeared. Now he was alone with a woman who had him thinking about things he knew he’d never have. He didn’t want his heart broken. He’d resigned himself to a life alone, and all this talk of what could be only made it harder to accept his fate
.
Isabeau clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on the balls of her feet. “Are you nervous? Because I think my heart’s going to beat out of my chest, I’m so anxious.”
Boy, did she have that right. “I can’t say that I’m not. Real or not, marriage is scary, apparently.”
“I’m not nervous because I’m scared. At least, I don’t think so.”
“Then why are you nervous?”
A lone delicate shoulder shrugged as she cast her gaze down. “After…after my accident…I didn’t think I’d ever find myself getting married. I could barely function for a while. It felt as if darkness was going to swallow me.” She slowly lifted her gaze. Wide eyes locked with his, and her hand came to her mouth as though she was shocked she’d let that slip.
Rowan stepped forward and took her hand. “Over the next year, I hope to gain your trust enough that you’ll tell me what happened.”
“I’m afraid to tell you.”
“Afraid? Why?”
She chewed her bottom lip and then hung her head as she whispered, “What if you decide I’m the monster?”
What could he say to that? How could she think that was possible? He hooked his finger under her chin and tipped her face up. “That’s not possible.”
A smile spread on her lips, and if he hadn’t known better, he would have thought she’d just found out she won the lottery. “I hope that’s true.”
The door to the garden opened, and Rowan stepped back. What was strange was how cold he felt even being a foot away from her. What was even stranger was that he was trying to figure out how to stay close to her when he knew she’d never want to stay with him.
Ulysses clapped his hands together as he stopped on the bottom step with the minister and Retta following. “Who’s ready for a wedding?”
Isabeau slipped her fingers in Rowan’s. “I’m ready.”
He was ready too. More so than he ever thought he’d be. Ulysses was right. Over the last few days, she’d invaded his life and his thoughts. Just thinking about her made him smile. Preparing the garden for her made him feel alive. Being around her, her sunshine…it had been years since he’d felt so good. “We’re both ready.”
They each took their place in front of the archway. Exchanging rings and vows with Isabeau wasn’t scary. At least not in a horror-type of scary way. But maybe a little scary in the realization that there was a good chance that at the end of the year, he wouldn’t be able to let her go.
It wasn’t until the minister said, “You may kiss the bride,” that Rowan froze. He’d personally told the minister that they didn’t need to kiss. Not that he was wanting to avoid it. Far from it. More so, he was looking out for Isabeau, trying to keep her from being put in an uncomfortable position. His uncle must have told the minister otherwise. They’d be having a talk about that at a later time.
Rowan caught her gaze, hoping she could see that he hadn’t planned on it either. “We don’t—”
She lifted on her toes, her lips touched his, and if heaven really was a place, he was standing in the middle of a gold-lined street. Zaps of electricity rushed through him, and it took effort not to wrap his arms around her and crush her to him.
It wasn’t because she was the first woman he’d been around since his accident. Other maids who were beautiful had worked at the house before, and he hadn’t felt the same connection to them that he felt with Isabeau.
With one last brush of her lips across his, she pulled back. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Hardly. He only thought he felt alive minutes ago when she’d been surprised by the garden. That was nothing. Now he was alive. He felt as if his heart had been hit with electricity and was beating for the first time in twelve years. “No, that wasn’t bad at all.”
Ulysses and Retta clapped, breaking the spell. The minister touched him on the shoulder and said, “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Rowan said.
Retta hugged Isabeau. “A table has been set up just a few feet beyond the archway. I thought you’d like to have dinner out here tonight.”
“I’d love that, but you didn’t have to go to all that trouble.”
“No trouble, dear,” Retta said, catching Rowan’s gaze. “No trouble at all.”
Rowan didn’t know what to do. He’d started this whole thing to save his home, but now it felt as though he were being saved along with it. It was a crazy notion, and he couldn’t let himself get caught up in all of this. There was a contract, and it was only for a year. If he was going to survive this, he needed to remember to keep his distance.
Chapter 9
In awe. That’s how Izzy had felt since she’d first stepped outside. The garden was unbelievable, the ceremony was sweet, and now having dinner outside with Rowan was more than she could have imagined.
As much as she was surprised by the garden, she’d been equally surprised by how the butterflies in her stomach took flight when she said I do. She’d married this handsome man, and while it was pretend, her attraction to him wasn’t fake at all.
It felt as though she were coming alive; and the more time she spent with him, the more alive she felt. At first, part of why she wanted to spend time with him was what Kelsey had said, that she liked fixing broken people, but it seemed she was the one being pieced back together.
She could picture herself sitting across from him for years to come, and while the thought terrified her because her feelings had shifted so quickly, it also excited her. For the first time in forever, she felt a calm she thought she’d never feel again.
“This is delicious. I’ve never had this type of mushroom pasta before,” she said, hoping to get him talking. So far, he’d been quiet and almost withdrawn.
“It’s Retta’s own recipe. There are times I crave it for every meal.”
The food wasn’t the only delicious part of her meal. Rowan was heart-stopping gorgeous in his dark-gray linen slacks and dark-blue dress shirt. He’d trimmed his hair just a little to where it just barely touched his shoulders, something he must have done after she saw him earlier that day. Burns or no burns, Rowan Masters was incredibly attractive.
And she’d kissed that incredibly attractive man too. Kelsey would have been shocked. She’d also be shocked to know Izzy had liked it. Her lips had tingled, and even just thinking about it made her feel the same sensation all over again.
“I can see why. I’ve never tasted anything so good.”
He smiled. “That’s Retta.”
“How long has she worked for you?”
“Since I was a toddler. Maybe a few months over that, but a long time. My mother’s health was declining, and Retta was hired as my nanny. She’s more like a second mom to me. I loved my mother, but her illness made it difficult for her to be active.”
Isabeau debated asking him about his mother’s illness. “You don’t have to tell me, but what—”
“She had cancer, but she died because of an infection from surgery. It was routine, but because she was weak, her body couldn’t fight it.”
“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been. You said you were you seven?”
“Yes, almost eight.”
It was never easy to lose a parent, but being so young, that must have been awful for him. “I’m so sorry.”
He waved her off. “Thank you, but I dealt with it long ago. You said your parents both passed away. Do you have any other family?”
“No. I am an only child too, but I have Kelsey.”
“What made you decide to be a physical therapist?” he asked as he took a bite of food.
Izzy shrugged. “I wanted to be a nurse at first, but needles and I aren’t friends. I wanted to help people, though, because it makes me happy, so I looked into other things, and it appealed to me. Maybe someday I’ll do it again.”
“I can see you being very good at it.” He smiled.
“And you?” She took a sip of water as she finished her meal and wiped her mouth. “Was it hard to get your l
aw degree?”
Rowan nodded. “Only because I didn’t like being in public, but my father knew many of the teachers who taught at the college level, so they accommodated me.”
“That was nice of them.” She also wondered if it had been a double-edged sword. He’d needed to be out in the world. To know that not everyone would treat him like his friends had treated him.
“Substantial donations to the schools helped as well.”
She chuckled. “I can see that helping.”
Rowan finished his last bite and washed it down with a bit of water. “My father wanted the best for me, and most of the plans for my future were already set when my accident occurred. It took months to recover from the burns, but as soon as I could, I began getting caught up.”
“As successful as you are, I can see you being a hard worker. When you put your mind to something, you don’t quit until it’s done.”
He chuckled. “I can be…”
“Stubborn? Hardheaded? Pigheaded?”
His lips stretched into a wide smile, and her heart skipped a beat. That smile was swoon-worthy. “Persistent, focused, and determined.”
“I like mine better.” She laughed.
He shook his head and looked away, but the smile stayed just as wide. “Now who’s being mean?”
A snort popped out, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “You are!”
Rowan tipped his head back and roared with laughter.
“And you can make it up to me by dancing with me.” She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.
“There’s no music.”
She slipped her hand into the pocket of her dress and pulled out her phone. “I brought music.”
“I’m not a dancer.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” She set the phone on the table, tapped the play button, and then stood. “Come on, dance with me.”
Rowan shook his head. “No, I can’t dance.”
Izzy took his hand. “Please? You owe it to me for making me snort so unladylike twice in one day.”
“Isabeau.”
The Beast’s Fake Marriage Page 6