His Make-Believe Bride

by Frankie Love

  When I show up at the Bainbridge resort, I’m led inside a massive lodge that looks a hell of a lot like my parents’ place.

  In the lobby, I get a room key and I hand over my bags. The concierge tells me that they’ll deliver my bags to my room.

  I go through a set of doors, realizing the wedding is starting in just a few minutes.

  When I got off the plane, I texted Alice, letting her know I’d be here soon, but I never heard back. I assume she’s busy with wedding preparations, probably taking family photos and shit. When my brother and sister got married, I went through the circus, so I understand how busy this day is when you are a family member.

  Still, I feel bad realizing I’m just cutting it so damn close. I hate that I can’t see her before the wedding starts, but an usher shows me to my seat and hands me a program and that’s that.

  I refuse to pull out my phone like an asshole, instead, I hold my breath waiting for the wedding party to enter.

  Waiting until I see my girl.

  The groom and his groomsmen walk to the front. The ceremony has a gorgeous backdrop and the Puget Sound glistens in the July sun. All around us are thick cedar trees and lilac bushes. It’s a beautiful venue, and I can see why someone would want to get married here. In a lot of ways, it’s reminiscent of Alaska. In the distance, I see a mountain range with white peaks.

  I appreciate that even though it’s a fancy wedding, I don’t feel entirely out of place.

  But as I look around, and run my hand over my beard, that plenty of people are looking in my direction.

  Music starts and bridesmaids begin walking down the aisle, there’s four of them, none of them Alice.

  Then the maid of honor makes her entrance. Alice. Her eyes dart around the rows of people, looking for someone. I see her lip tremble, fear in her eyes.

  Shit, she was scared I wouldn’t be here. I hate that missing my flight caused her any worry.

  Knowing I need to ease her anxiety, I stand.

  Okay, maybe you’re only supposed to stand up when the bride enters, but Alice is the one who takes my breath away.

  A few people in the audience snicker, but I just shrug. The faux pas is worth it when Alice sees me, her face lighting up when her eyes land on mine. Relief washes over her and I give her a grin that is full of promise.

  She takes her place at the front, and I smile, grateful to have such a perfect fucking view. Fuck the mountains and the ocean and everyone else here.

  My eyes, they are on Alice alone.

  The ceremony begins... and that is when I fall deeper into my desire for her.

  Before the vows, Alice makes her way to a stool center stage, her father next to her, and they both take hold of cellos.

  And then they begin to play.

  I don’t know all of the history between these two, but as they play, I swear to God something moves inside of them. Shifts.

  I don’t recognize the piece they play--but it’s beautiful. Alice is breathtaking, the music is moving.

  And seeing her up there shows me how incredibly talented she is. I’m in awe, and when they finish everyone around me is crying--it’s that amazing.

  I don’t know everything that has gone down between Alice and her father, but when they stand after playing, it’s clear something has changed between them. They embrace and he whispers something in her ear. She wipes her eyes as she steps away, and returns to stand next to her sister for the rest of the ceremony.

  I remember Alice saying her sister wanted her to wear an ugly, boring dress so that no one would upstage her-- but she should never have asked Alice to play if that was what she was worried about.

  Because there is no wedding dress in the world that would be more beautiful than what we just witnessed.

  After the ceremony, I find Alice at the reception. She rushes over and wraps her arms around me.

  I admit to loving the way she so unabashedly greets me. I honestly didn’t know if she would be timid and shy.

  She presses her face against my chest and whispers, “I was scared you weren’t gonna come. I’m just so glad to see you, Aiden.”

  It’s like we’re real friends, old lovers. Because with her in my arms, it feels like no time has passed. It feels like the future is ours for the taking.

  “You’ll never believe it, but my parents invited Peter after all. He sat next to me at the rehearsal dinner. I’m only telling you as a warning… he’s jealous and territorial.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  She shakes her head. “Not even a little.”

  I grin, taking Alice’s hand and planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “Baby, no one is gonna give me any hassle. I’ll stare down any that try.”

  A waiter walks by and hands us glasses of champagne. We clink our flutes together, and I down mine quickly.

  “Do you need a stiffer drink?” she asks.

  “What do you think?” I ask, raising my eyebrows. “How hard is this crowd?”

  “Very. Just be ready. I think people were taking bets on if you’d show. And now that you have... looking like a mountain man model,” she says circling her finger around my suit, “everyone’s going to have questions.”

  “Alice, you are trouble,” I say, shaking my head, unable to resist pulling her in for a kiss.

  The kiss is hot, and the past few weeks evaporate as our lips collide. It’s like we’re back on my boat, in one another’s arms. The world around us disappears and all I see and feel and need is her.

  Alice.

  She leans in, and I pull her waist to me, needing her body on my body. She’s warm and soft and the woman I want to keep on holding forever. She is more than a fling, or make-believe anything--our kiss tells me everything we share is fucking real.

  When she pulls back, her lips are full and her eyes are wanting.

  “You’re the person who’s trouble,” she whispers. “Everyone here thinks I’m a good girl.”

  “But they don’t know you like I do, do they?” I say.

  I’d say more, but we’re swept into the reception, introduced to people making small talk for the next two hours. Alice’s mother looks me up and down scowling, I don’t get a chance to meet her father beyond a brief exchange of ‘hellos’, and her sister has a fake smile plastered on her face when I tell her congratulations.

  “So you’re real,” she says, pursing her lips together. She looks me over with a fine tooth comb, and then I see her glance over at her new husband. I see her give a little humph, and I know she realizes her man can’t compare to the likes of a mountain man like me.

  “Well, it’s nice you came all this way, but Alice already has a date.” She smiles smugly, trying to hit me where it hurts. I follow her eyes over to a douchebag at the bar I immediately know is Peter Gunheight. He has slicked back blond hair, a smile as fake as a politician and I know in a flash he is all wrong for Alice.

  I run my hand over my beard, smirking at Anna. “You think I’m intimidated by that boy?”

  Anna swallows, red-faced, and without another word, turns away from me. She acts like she can say whatever the hell she wants because she’s the one in a white dress.

  I clench my jaw, not liking the attitude. That’s the sister Alice has to put up with?

  “Alice,” her mother says, tugging on her elbow. “We have more family photos, on the veranda.” She sweeps Alice away, and I’m left to my own devices.

  I have no problem holding my own. Hell, if more people try to make snarky comments about Alice, about saying they are surprised she has a date, and that she’s always been so quiet and shy, and that they didn’t believe I was real--I have no problem setting those fuckers straight.

  I’ve just gotten another drink when that asshole, Peter starts strutting toward me. I don’t want to give this fucker the time of day, but he’s insistent, wanting to question me like Alice said he would.

  “Alice told me you took advantage of her. Just who the hell do you think you are?” Peter asks. His
voice isn’t loud, it is a whisper-yell fit for a junior high girl. This guy needs to grow some motherfucking balls.

  “It would seem so.”

  “You’re all wrong for her, everyone can see that.”

  “Everyone? I wasn’t aware everyone here knew me.”

  “You just arrived. You don’t know Alice,” Peter scoffs.

  I smirk. “Oh, I know her pretty well.”

  “She was saving herself for me.”

  I shrug, taking a drink of my whiskey. “That’s not what she said when I showed her what a real man is made of.”

  “I’ve known Alice for years. I’m in a better position to know what kind of man she really needs.”

  “Oh, you do? You know what kind of man she needs?” I ask, barely containing a laugh. The fact that this guy thinks he’s what Alice needs is a goddamn joke.

  “I know that she needs a man of sizable means. She’s used to a lifestyle of a certain caliber. And I don’t know what you do in Alaska...”

  “I’m a fisherman.”

  Peter croons. “Exactly. I don’t think a guy who catches fish for a living can give Alice what she’s used to. She grew up in a mansion, her parents have houses in Europe and Hawaii. They own a yacht. They have a household staff. And just because you went to Rent-A-Suit for this wedding doesn’t mean you can give her what she needs.”

  I look down at my suit, knowing the four-figure cost. Not needing to prove a fucking thing to this twat.

  “She’s used to a certain lifestyle, and I hate to break it to you, fisherman, but there’s no way you can give her what she needs.”

  Oh, hell no. I can let a lot of what he says slide off my back, but I take offense to this. I’ll give my girl whatever the fuck the wants.

  Hell, if Alice needs a gorgeous home, I’ll give that to her.

  Hell, if she wants a chef and a private masseuse? Great, I’ll make sure she has those too.

  I don’t have any problem spending my money on her, spending a fortune on her.

  I just take offense to the idea of a gold digger spending my fortune.

  But that’s not Alice. She has no idea that I have enough money that I never need to fish again. That I go trawling for King salmon because I love being on the open water.

  “I know what Alice needs,” I tell him gruffly, my good-natured approach to this asshole long gone.

  “Yeah right, just because you slept with her once doesn’t mean you know her,” Peter asks, adjusting the Rolex on his wrist as if a timepiece makes him a man.

  “You’re wrong, I do know. I’m her fiancé.”

  Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but it’s the same line Alice used on Sheila to shut her up. And I need to get Peter out of my line of sight before I punch the fucker in the face. Seems like the quickest way to get him away from me is by telling him the one thing I wish were the goddamn truth.

  “You’re her what?” Peter says.

  “You heard me, buddy. She’s my woman. We’re getting married.” With that, I turn my back, not having time for this bullshit. I won’t let fucking Peter Gunheight derail me.

  I go to the bar order myself a whiskey and look for my make-believe bride.

  I can’t wait to tell her the joke I played. I know she’ll appreciate it as much as I did.

  Chapter Eleven

  When I saw Aiden, standing up and watching me as I walked down the aisle of the wedding, my heart unfurled. I’d been so anxious that he wasn’t going to show. That what I thought was something real was, in fact, a dream.

  But when I walked down the aisle, he stood and looked at me like I was the most delicious thing he’d ever seen.

  I haven’t forgotten his eyes all afternoon. As I’m dragged around the reception, hugging great aunts and distant cousins, I keep sneaking looks at Aiden, who’s been talking to Peter for way too long. It might have been a bad idea to leave him alone, but I’m trying to keep him from the line of fire that is my family.

  But every time I see him, my panties get wet and my nipples get hard. I need that man alone.

  And soon.

  I keep imagining him stripping me of this hideous dress and letting him rake his hands over my skin, and this sexy lingerie I have underneath.

  During dinner, he’s left alone again, as I sit with the wedding party up front. After, though, I cut through the reception to where Aiden stands. He’s at the bar, holding a whiskey, and looking so damn sexy.

  My dad’s on my heels. “Are you going to introduce me?”

  “Yeah, just… go easy on him. He means a lot to me.”

  I bite my lip, and as we approach Aiden, I shoot him an apologetic look. He just brushes it off as if he has been expecting this moment.

  “Aiden, this is my father James. Dad, this is Aiden.”

  They shake hands, and my dad looks him over critically. My dad came from a family with means, and he has a certain idea of what my future spouse should be. A man like Donovan, Anna’s husband, would be ideal. Or, more specifically, a man like Peter. Executive offices downtown, secretaries, and three-piece suits.

  Not blue jeans and fishing poles and no cell service.

  Still, I like the sort of man Aiden is. Everyone in the bar we went to together knew his name.

  Heck, they knew his dog’s name.

  And I don’t need much. Besides, Aiden said he didn’t live on a boat year round, he said he has a house too.

  Which, I know doesn’t even matter.

  Aiden came here as a favor--not because he wanted me for more.

  Still, I can’t help wonder what more with him would look like... The idea of giving up on my dream of playing the cello professionally seems impossible... I’ve worked for that my entire life.

  And Aiden’s life is in Alaska.

  “I didn’t know the pair of you were performing a duet today,” Aiden says, bringing me back to the moment.

  “What did you think of it?” Dad asks, crossing his arms and looking intently at my date.

  Aiden runs his hand over beard as if really considering the question. “It took my breath away. I knew Alice took her music seriously, but I had no idea music was in her bones or that you were so accomplished yourself.”

  Dad smiles, and I feel a flash of tenderness for him.

  But for all that tenderness, I still know my father likes things to go his way. And Aiden is not his way.

  “So you live in Alaska and came all the way down here for the wedding? Seems like a big leap for someone you hardly know.”

  “Hell no. Alice asked me to come and of course, I wanted to. I’d do anything for her.”

  I just about choke on the drink I’m not even drinking. Those are some bold words to say to my father. When I see a waiter pass, I reach for a glass of champagne, guzzle it, and retrieve a second.

  This is a conversation that deserves slight intoxication.

  “What, Alice?” Aiden says as if sensing my discomfort. But apparently not that interested in softening his stance. “You know it’s true.”

  My dad narrows his eyes. “What do you do up in Alaska, anyway?”

  “I’m a fisherman. King salmon, mostly. What about you, James?”

  I press my lips together, amazed that Aiden isn’t playing at anything besides himself. Also a little nervous that this could escalate quickly.

  “Me?” My dad leans over the bar and gets himself a Manhattan. Once it’s in his hands he looks back at Aiden with a smirk. “I’m in investment real estate. I play with the big boys.”

  “Dad,” I say, scowling.

  Dad just shrugs. “Look, I know we’ve had a hard few months, and you thought bringing Aiden would sting.” He squeezes Aiden’s shoulder, ready to step away. “You seem like a good enough guy, just not good enough for my little girl.”

  My dad is entirely out of line. Aiden doesn’t deserve this.

  “Dad,” I say, wanting to stop him. “This isn’t about you.”

  Dad looks at me sympathetically, but I don’t want his
sympathy.

  “Look, Alice, this has nothing to do with your music. We all know that this fling isn’t anything more than that. So have a few dances and drinks with this fisherman, and--”

  “Sir,” Aiden says cutting him off. “With all due respect, Alice means more to me than that. She means--”

  “Listen, I’m not trying to be heavy-handed, but there’s no point in beating around the bush. The truth is, her life is meant for so much more than yours.”

  Then he steps away without another word and my eyes fill with tears. I hate that my father spoke that way to Aiden.

  Aiden has been nothing short of amazing and he certainly doesn’t deserve that.

  “I’m so sorry, Aiden,” I start, but as I do, Aiden reaches his hand to my cheek, brushing away my tears.

  “Shhh, love, don’t cry.”

  I breathe him in, his hand on my skin soothing me, smelling like saltwater and pine trees and clean air. He smells like a man who is comfortable in his own skin and doesn’t need to be anything other than who he already is.

  I need to be closer to him. To feel his hands all over me. Because when he holds me, I feel safe.

  I feel seen.

  And mostly, I feel known.

  “Why are you being so good to me?” I ask in a whisper.

  “Because you are good, Alice. And you deserve a man who understands that.”

  “I’m not good. I dragged you to a stupid wedding because I was mad that they tried to set me up with an asshole.”

  Aiden looks me in the eyes. “You mean that? Because Alice, I don’t think that’s it at all. I don’t think that’s why you brought me here.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “I want you. I want this. But I just don’t know what that might mean. I hardly know you.”

  Aiden’s eyes don’t leave mine for a second. They penetrate me to my very core and I believe everything he says.

  “You know enough.”

  I swallow hard, absorbing his words. Knowing they are true. I do feel like I know enough. Aiden is a man who knows what he wants and isn’t scared of taking a leap of faith. Aiden likes my innocence, but also in my passion, Aiden sees me as a woman, not a little girl. He takes me seriously, and I take him at his word.