by Claire Adams
Mom and Charlotte had both been great. Mom said once that she wished we would wait, but she didn’t go on about it. Charlotte said that she trusted Logan and me to know what we want. My sister gave me a lecture about the passion wearing off and Logan and I being left with a person we may or may not be attracted to, that we barely knew.
Whitney had told me that she felt like her brother was missing something in his life, searching for something. She was optimistic that it was me. I doubted I was the answer to all his prayers, but it was nice of her to say so. I just thanked her and moved on.
Caroline was supportive all the way around and out of all of them, she’d been the most help to me. She’d acted as a sounding board as I sorted through my emotions and helped me come to a better understanding of Logan and how he felt about marriage and relationships. He had loved Lisa and believed they would be together forever. When that didn’t work out, he had closed himself off to love. For some reason, he’d opened his heart back up for me. I had no intentions of breaking it.
Strangest of all was Lilliana. When I told her that Logan proposed, she snorted and said, “Did you refuse to sleep with him anymore without a ring on your finger, Minnesota?”
“What? No, of course not. Why would you ask me something like that?”
“He’s been single a long time and he’s never even come close to getting married since.”
“Since he was married to your sister?”
“Yeah. I don’t mean any offense.”
“You never do.”
“Look, it’s just fast. Surely, you realize how people would be confused.”
“I don’t really care what people are. This is between me and Logan, not people.”
“You signed a lease,” she suddenly said. “For a year.”
“I’ll pay you for the year.”
She rolled her eyes. “Wow, suddenly you’re not on a budget any longer.”
“Lilliana, if you’re not going to be happy for me, then I’d rather not even talk to you about this.” She’d rolled her eyes again and left the room. I avoided her since then and honestly, I was thinking of just mailing her the money so that I didn’t have to see her again. That relationship had been strange from the beginning and just seemed to get stranger the longer I knew her.
“There you go,” Charlotte announced when she finished pinning the dress. “Take a look.”
I turned toward the mirror. I’d picked out what the dress shop called a “Bohemian Beach” wedding gown. It was backless and had cap sleeves. It made me feel feminine and pretty without being pretentious. The dress cost less than five hundred dollars. The one that the European designer was going to make me would have cost over twenty grand. I think I got the better deal. I looked at my mom. Her eyes were filled with tears.
“You look so beautiful, Chloe.”
My own eyes burned with tears at the corners. “Thank you, Mom.” I picked up the lace on the sides and turned back and forth. “I love it. Thank you both for your help.”
“My son is not going to know what hit him when he sees you in that,” Charlotte told me. I smiled and let my imagination go from the wedding on the beach to the wedding night.
Sunday night, we had decided would be the last time we make love until we were husband and wife. I was surprised at how hard it had been to get through the week, especially since I’d been at work Monday through Wednesday, knowing he was right across the hall. I missed him like crazy but I knew this was going to make for an explosive wedding night. I couldn’t wait. The next time Logan and I make love, I’ll be his wife.
*****
Friday night, Whitney, my sister Claire, and Caroline came into the city to meet me for an impromptu girl’s night out. One last night out as a single woman before the wedding.
I had laughed when Whitney told me that. It wasn’t like I’d had a lot of nights out as a single woman before I met Logan. I’d been so focused on my studies and my career that none of that had seemed important to me at the time. It still wasn’t, honestly. But I wasn’t going to deny my sister and my soon-to-be sister-in-law’s their night out.
I went to the apartment after work to get ready. From the bar, I was going home with Whitney and the next day, I’d become Mrs. Logan Moreau. It was surreal, and I had a feeling even after we said “I do” it was going to take some time to feel like reality.
When I walked into the apartment, Lily was on the phone. Her make-up was smeared, and I could tell that she’d been crying. In the month that I’d lived with her, it was the first time I’d seen her looking less than perfect. She ended the call before I could retreat to my bedroom and stopped me by calling out my name. I wished I was capable of being rude, but it just wasn’t in me.
I stopped and turned to look at her. She looked sad and my heart hurt a little for her.
“What’s up, Lily? Are you okay?”
She swiped her hand across her face. “I’m fine. My father just pisses me off. I thought you didn’t live here anymore?”
“I don’t want to bicker with you, Lily. I just came to change for a night out with my sister and future sister-in-laws. I’ll be out of your hair soon and then you won’t have to worry about me coming back.”
“I wasn’t worried about it. I don’t know why you’re being so short with me.”
I chuckled. I suspected she really didn’t have any idea how offensive or intrusive she could be. “I’m sorry,” I said, simply because I didn’t want to do this with her again. “I didn’t mean to be short. I just don’t have long to get ready.”
“Do you want me to help you?”
“No, I’ve got it, thanks.” I started back into my room, but before I could close the door, she was right behind me.
“Where are you going?”
I tried not to look annoyed with her. Obviously, she was having a bad day. I had to remember how blessed I was and share that as often as I could. “I’m meeting them at a place called The Pink Vermillion, in the Village.”
“That place is cool. Is Logan going to be there?”
“No…it’s a girl’s night out.”
“Fun,” she said. Her tone made it sound like anything but.
“Well,” I said, taking hold of the door and hoping she’d get the hint. “I should get ready.”
“Okay. Chloe.” I waited. She looked like she was struggling with whatever she was trying to say. “Good luck.” She turned away quickly and went to her own room.
I wondered exactly what she was wishing me luck about. Was it for getting ready on my own, or going out tonight, or marrying Logan?
I put her out of my mind for the moment and got into the shower. When I got out, she’d laid a peach-colored, lace mini-dress out on my bed. It was one I’d bought with Logan’s money the day I’d gone shopping with Mel. I loved it, but I hadn’t thought I needed it. Mel had insisted and now that I saw it lying out with the shoes Lily chose, I was glad. I put it on and opened my bedroom door. Lily had washed her face and pulled her hair up into a bun.
“Thank you, Lily. What do you think?”
She looked me over. “It looks good. Can I ask you a question, Minnesota?”
“Okay.”
“Do you really love this guy? I mean, how do you know it’s not just infatuation?”
“Lily, I really don’t want to do this again.”
“No, really, I’m being sincere here. This is hard for me. Look, I spent my life being shuffled around between nannies. I lived with my parents, but I barely knew them. I had a sister that didn’t bother to even visit me until I was nearly grown. I’ve never been in love. Feelings are hard for me and expressing myself is even harder. The thing is, I like you, Minnesota, and I hate to see you get hurt. Things are different here than where you’re from. People aren’t always what they seem.”
My head was beginning to hurt. “Lily, I’m sorry, but half the time it’s like you’re talking in riddles. I never really know what you’re trying to say.”
“I’m trying to say that so
metimes people do things for their own personal gain without giving any thought to who they might hurt in the process. I do it all the time. Right now, I’m doing something to someone that is probably going to hurt them a lot…just to get back on my father’s good side.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So, what does that have to do with whether I love Logan?”
“I just worry that maybe Logan Moreau isn’t the man you think he is and believe it or not, I kind of like you and would hate to see you get hurt.”
I was confused, but a little bit touched. Maybe all her weirdness had simply been because she didn’t know how to express herself. Maybe she was genuinely worried about me. She was still not the kind of person I could ever see myself being friends with, but it was nice to know that underneath that cold, perfectly-coiffed exterior, a real heart was beating. I went over and sat down next to her on the couch.
“I was raised by two of the most loving people on earth. I never wondered if they loved me, I just felt it in the things they did and heard it in the things they said. Even if neither of them had ever said it, I would have known. Some people have the ability to love so deeply that words aren’t even a part of the equation. Leaving them in Minnesota and coming here hurt, but even thousands of miles away, I could feel how much they loved me.
“Then I came here and met Logan, and of course, I was infatuated with him. He’s gorgeous, as you’ve said yourself, and to be honest, from the first time I saw him, I wanted to sleep with him. It wasn’t about love, even after the first time we had sex. It was simply that, just sex.
“But the more time I spent with him and his family the more I realized what an incredible capacity he had for love. He was like my parents. He didn’t tell his family that he loved them with words, he showed them by changing his plans because his sister-in-law got hurt or spending the day doing something with his niece that he really didn’t want to do. I watched how the kids in the family gravitated toward him and stayed in his orbit, even when he was in Manhattan and they were on Long Island.
“I started falling in love with him, all the while telling myself that there was no way he’d ever fall in love with me. But you know what happened?”
“What?” For the first time, Lily looked sincerely interested in something I had to say.
“I started to see the love in his eyes when he looked at me and I heard it in his voice, but most of all, I could feel it. When I’m in the room with him, I can feel it. I do love him with all my heart and I believe with that same heart that he loves me. I don’t believe for a second that he’ll hurt me.
“I’m not sure what happened between him and your sister, but that was in the past, and in thirteen years, people can change a lot. I’m not going to base a decision about my future and my life on the past. I can only base it on what I know and I feel right now.
“So, thank you from my heart for worrying about me, but it’s not necessary. Logan and I are in love, and I think it’s strong enough to get us through whatever comes along later.”
She shocked me then by reaching for my hand. “I hope so, Minnesota, I really do. Do me a favor and keep all of that in the forefront of your mind until you say ‘I do.’ No matter what happens, remember what you told me about how you feel about him and how he feels about you.”
“Lily, can I ask you a question now?”
“Okay.”
“What is it that you think is going to happen?”
She shrugged. “Just keep your eyes open, Minnesota, that’s all I’m saying.”
I left to meet the girls an hour later. Lily had gone into her room and I could alternately hear her on the phone arguing with someone and sobbing again. I felt bad leaving her, but at the same time, I was relieved.
She’d told me herself that she was in the midst of doing something to hurt someone who didn’t deserve it for her own personal gain. Despite feeling badly for her, she still wasn’t someone that I wanted to hold close in my life.
I walked into that bar with a smile on my face when I saw the five women waiting for me. I could see the love in their eyes and I could feel it. These were my people and all I could do for Lily was hope that someday she realized she’d never be happy until she was willing to take a long look at how she treated the people around her and she was willing to fix that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
LOGAN
“The attorneys are here.”
I looked up from my computer at Mel. She looked as exhausted as I felt. While Chloe planned our wedding, Mel and I had been busy working on what our next steps needed to be in order to complete the immigration process. It hadn’t been easy since I wanted to be sure I wasn’t photographed at an immigration field office or that one of the employees there didn’t see the opportunity to make a quick buck by selling my story to the tabloids. If Chloe or anyone in my family found out about this before the wedding, I was screwed.
“Have them come in.” I got up from my desk and stretched as I looked out the window. The weather was still mild for December. When Chloe decided she wanted a beach wedding in New York in December, I’d worried that we would get rained or snowed out. I had my mother working on getting a tent large enough to hold the wedding and reception in her backyard, just in case.
Chloe was so excited about doing it on the beach that I hadn’t told her about it. I didn’t want her to feel like I was being negative in any way. She was working so hard both at work and planning the wedding that positive encouragement was all she needed.
As I turned at the sound of the lawyers coming into my office, I realized I was smiling. Thinking about her had a way of always doing that to me. She filled me with a warmth I’d only ever felt from my own family. It was like somehow, we were already connected and despite the reasons I was marrying her and the plans to end the wedding as soon as possible, I hoped that somehow I could manage to keep her in my life.
“Mr. Moreau, congratulations on the upcoming nuptials.” Clint Maddock put his hand out and I took it. He was the senior partner with the law firm that represented my company in any legal matters. He had three other people with him, one a partner I knew and two associates.
After the introductions were made, we all took a seat at the conference table. Maddock didn’t waste any time getting down to business. “I have to say that I was shocked both to learn about your wedding the day before it happened and to hear this was not only an intern of yours, but someone you’ve known just under a month. None of that sounds like you. What’s really going on?”
“I’m in love,” I told him. “I’m getting married and I didn’t call you here for a lecture, Clint. You know what documents I need to do this. I hope you have them drawn up.”
He made a face, but he gestured at one of the associates who pulled a thick pile of paperwork out of her briefcase. I cringed at the sight of them. It was already seven p.m. the night before my wedding and it looked like I had at least two hours of paperwork left to plow through. “What is all of that?”
“You’re not a legal citizen, Mr. Moreau. There is a lot of red tape we have to handle in order to present the proper documents to immigration after you’re married.”
“That fact is confidential,” I told him.
“This is all confidential; you can be assured none of us plan on letting that get out. There are also the routine documents for you to review. I am not sure if you wish to change your will or the names on any of your assets, but those are all there. The prenuptial agreement is there-”
“Wait, the what?”
“The prenuptial agreement. We have to be sure that you’re protected.”
“I don’t need to be protected from Chloe.”
“Hopefully not, but it’s wise to be sure.”
“I am sure. I am not asking Chloe to sign a prenup.”
The lawyers all looked at each other. I could see that they were beginning to think I’d gone senile.
The fact was that whether they understood or believed it or not, I had no fear that Chloe would want anyt
hing from me. My fear was that her heart would be broken and she would hate me. I intended for her to leave this marriage with much more than she came into it with, but I suspected convincing her to take that would require an effort.
Clint sat the prenup aside and had me begin with the other documents. I got another eyebrow raise when I signed the papers to add her name to the property on Long Island and the penthouse. I also got looks when I changed my will to include her in what I’d be leaving my family if I died before they did. I was almost finished signing forms when I picked one up and realized that it said “Minx Investigations” across the top of it. “What is this?”
“Something I think you should look at, sir.”
I began reading the first page. It was a dossier of Chloe’s movements since before she even came to New York. I tossed it down on the desk and yelled out for Mel. She opened the door and I didn’t wait to unleash on her,
“You told me these people followed Chloe in Minnesota to see if she’d be the right one for me to marry for my citizenship. You never told me that they were still following her. Why are they still following her?”
“For your safety, Logan.”
“Sir, if you’d turn the page…”
I pushed back from the table and stood up. “I don’t want to turn the page. I don’t care what it says. Tomorrow, I am marrying one of the sweetest, smartest, most genuine people I’ve ever met in my life, no matter what the next page says. I’m not asking her to sign a prenup because no matter what that next page says, I trust her and I believe in her.
“She’s the one who should have had me investigated. I’m the one that’s letting her down. I don’t give a fuck if she walks out of this marriage with every penny I ever earned because the only thing I want is for Chloe to be happy….” I heard myself, suddenly.
The men and woman at the table looked shocked. Mel was standing with her hand on her hip and her eyebrow still cocked. The silence in the room was almost deafening until Mel said,