Chapter Thirty-Five
Holly knew everything had been going too well. Everyone in the bridal party had arrived on time, even the maid of honor, who kept sneaking away, returning a couple of times with red eyes.
Coraline had refused to take photos before the wedding, saying it was bad luck for the groom to see her in her wedding dress. The dress that was still on its padded hanger on a hook on the wall in the changing room—even though the ceremony started in thirty minutes.
Holly gave Miranda a worried glance, and the older woman scowled.
Miranda approached her daughter as if approaching a skittish horse. “Coraline, darling, if you would just tell us what the problem is, then maybe we can fix it.”
The bride paced, her white satin dressing gown billowing behind her. “And I told you, I don’t know what’s wrong. But there’s something wrong. I just feel it.”
The maid of honor bolted from the room again, muttering “Bathroom issues” as she ran out the door.
“Eww…” one of the bridesmaids sneered. “TMI.”
Coraline glanced at the door and took off into the hall.
“Coraline!” Holly called after her. “The guests will see you!” But as soon as she started after the bride, the flower girl tripped and fell flat on her face, letting out a shrill cry of pain as blood started pouring from her nose.
“Oh no!” Holly exclaimed as she scooped up the child, and then she had her lean her head back while Holly pinched her nose. “Someone get me a towel!”
One of the bridesmaids held out a small hand towel between her thumb and forefinger, as though the blood from the child’s face would jump off and land on her dress.
Holly swiped at the blood while trying to comfort the four-year-old. “Can someone find her mother?”
Everyone stared at her like she’d asked them to run outside naked.
“I want my mommy,” the girl wailed.
Holly’s phone vibrated against her thigh, but she ignored it. “You!” She pointed to one of the bridesmaids who she’d seen talking to the little girl’s mother earlier. “Go get her mommy.”
The woman sighed and grabbed her phone from her purse and sent a text.
Holly’s phone stopped buzzing, then began to buzz again, but the flower girl was still crying, and now one of the bridesmaids looked close to fainting as she stared at the bloody towel in Holly’s hand.
“Someone get some wet paper towels.” When no one moved, Holly pointed to the pale woman. “You. Go get some towels.”
“Her mom won’t answer.” The bridesmaid with the phone said, sounding aggravated.
“Then go find her yourself.”
“But someone might see me!”
Holly fought the urge to roll her eyes. “No one cares if they see you. They’re here to see the bride. Now go get her mother!”
“The wedding planner’s kind of cranky,” the third bridesmaid grumbled to the woman leaving the room.
Ordinarily the snide remark would have stung, but at the moment Holly had bigger issues to deal with.
Her phone began to vibrate again. Holly reached into her pocket to pull it out, but her hand caught on the edge of the seam. Once she had it free, she answered without looking at the name on the screen. “This better be an emergency.”
“I think this counts as one,” Kevin said. “You need to get in here right away.”
“Oh, crap.” Holly stood, balancing the phone on her shoulder and handing the little girl to Bridesmaid Number Three. “Where are you? What happened?”
“Groom’s room.” Kevin’s voice sounded strained and Holly heard yelling in the background. “Now.”
She took off sprinting down the hall, running into the flower girl’s worried mother. Her eyes widened as she stared at the blood smeared across Holly’s left breast.
“What happened to my baby? Is she okay?” her mother cried out. “Tonya said she was bleeding out.”
Holly gave the mother a comforting pat on the arm. “Oh, no, I promise she’s fine. She fell and got a bloody nose. It’s almost stopped now, but she’s scared and wants her mommy.”
A loud bang shook the hall wall, followed by a woman’s unintelligible shouting coming from the groom’s room.
Oh, crap.
“If you’ll excuse me…” Holly hurried past the woman and took a deep breath before she opened the door—just in time to see Coraline throw a chair across the room.
“How dare you?” the bride shrieked, stalking toward the cowering groom. “How dare you sleep with my best friend!”
Holly put a hand on her chest, suddenly feeling light-headed. “Oh, shit.”
Kevin was beside her in an instant. “I’m sorry. I had no idea what you wanted me to do.”
The groom held up an arm in defense. “My little Cora-bean. It’s not what you think.”
“How can finding your tongue halfway down her throat be not what I think?” He started to say something, and she jabbed him with her long, pointy nail. “And if you give me an excuse like you did in Spain last month about giving that woman mouth to mouth, I will kill you.”
“You were kissing someone in Spain?” the maid of honor asked in dismay from the other side of the room, hiding behind two of the groomsmen.
The groom grimaced as he glanced over at the maid of honor. “I was saving her life. I’m certified in CPR!”
“She was standing up!” Coraline shouted.
The groom held out his hands and gave her a cocky grin. “I’m just that good.”
Coraline screamed in frustration, then picked up the first thing she found—a duffel bag—and began swinging it at the groom’s head.
That sparked Holly into action. “Coraline, I know you’re upset, but this won’t help anything.” She tried to reach for the bag, but the bride turned her attention on Holly. “This is all your fault!”
“How is your cheating, asshole fiancé Holly’s fault?” Kevin demanded, stepping between them.
Holly pushed him to the side. “Kevin, I’ve got this.”
Coraline burst into tears, covering her face with her hands. “How could he do this to me?”
Holly grabbed the strap of the bag and tugged it away from the crying woman, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you back to the changing room.”
The groom tried to reach for her, but Kevin held him back. “I still love you, Cora-bean!” he called after her. “This was a huge misunderstanding!”
“I hate you!”
Holly glanced over her shoulder at Kevin. “Don’t let him leave.”
“I’ve got it covered,” he said, pushing the groom backward into a chair.
Holly led the now hysterically crying bride back to the changing room. Unfortunately, the hall was now full of guests who had heard the commotion and had come to investigate. They watched Coraline’s walk of shame with looks of horror and amusement, snickering to each other, a few taking photos with their phones.
Some friends.
“Where’s security?” Holly asked no one in particular, pulling out her phone and calling the man in charge of the guards. “I need you to clear the hallway to the bridal party and groom’s room. Now.”
“Go back to your seats,” Holly said, trying to hide Coraline with her body as she motioned for the guests to leave the hallway. She cracked open the changing-room door and pushed the bride inside. Everyone in the room stared at Coraline with wide eyes and open mouths. To be fair, she was a sight, with a bright red nose and snot dripping over her upper lip.
Holly led her to the sofa, then snatched a box of tissues, grabbing a handful and mopping up the mess on the bride’s face as best she could. Coraline’s makeup was a lost cause, although that was probably the least of their worries.
“Where’s Piper?” Miranda asked, glancing around the room for the missing maid of honor.
“She’s with that lying, cheating bastard!” Coraline threw herself down on the sofa, her chest heaving with sobs.
Miranda
gasped and looked up at Holly. “What on earth is going on here?”
“Your daughter just caught her fiancé kissing the maid of honor. Apparently they’ve been sleeping together.”
“I see.” Miranda’s face paled, and Holly knew she was thinking the same thing she was. There would be no wedding. There would be no magazine spread. Everything Miranda had been striving for had come to a grinding halt. But, to her credit, Miranda sat on the sofa by her daughter and pulled her into her arms. “There, there, Cora. Everything will be okay.”
“How can you say that?” Coraline asked as she pulled away and looked into her mother’s eyes. “He cheated on me.”
“Better to find out now than after your ceremony.”
“I can’t marry him, Mom.”
Miranda pulled her daughter’s head to her shoulder. “Of course you can’t. I wouldn’t let you even if you still wanted to.”
“But your magazine photos…” Coraline’s voice trailed off and she started crying again. “I’m sorry.”
Holly nearly fell over from shock.
Miranda stroked her daughter’s head. “You’re much more important than a magazine spread, darling.” But Miranda had a gleam in her eyes as she looked Holly over.
She knew she was a sight—covered in blood, snot, and tears—but Miranda’s look wasn’t one of disgust. She looked…hopeful.
“Never fear, darling. There’s going to be a wedding. Just not yours.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kevin had assigned the groomsmen the task of guarding the groom, not that the groom looked like he wanted to leave. He was sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth and mumbling about his grandfather and a trust fund.
Right now Kevin was more worried about Holly. He was halfway down the hall when his phone vibrated. He pulled it out, worried that it was Holly, but it was Tyler’s name he saw on the screen.
“Now’s not a good time, Ty.”
“I’m just checking on your second job.”
“Turns out this job is harder than it looks. I’ve got a wedding to fix.”
“You what?”
“I’ll fill you in later.”
Kevin knocked on the bridal-party changing-room door, and one of the bridesmaids cracked open the door, then looked him up and down. “You’re the wedding planner’s assistant, aren’t you? You can be my assistant anytime.”
He cringed. “Sorry, but my position with Holly is pretty exclusive,” he said, hoping to get the double meaning across.
She gave him a coy grin. “Well, if you ever change your mind…”
He felt sick to his stomach. He’d always wondered why his relationships had never lasted, and this woman was a perfect example of why they were doomed. He used to date women like her—shallow and opportunistic. Women who thought nothing of sleeping with their best friend’s fiancé. The exact opposite of Holly.
“I’m pretty damn sure that’s never going to happen.” He pushed the door open the rest of the way and saw the bride on the sofa in her mother’s arms, while Miranda was giving Holly an odd stare.
Kevin moved next to Holly, resisting the urge to grab her hand or put an arm around her. She needed to look professional and in charge, but it was pretty damn hard when all he wanted to do was comfort her. Especially when he knew what this would mean for her job at his mother’s business.
But Holly didn’t even seem to notice he’d entered the room. Her complete focus was on the bride’s mother. “What are you talking about, Miranda?”
“The magazine needs photos.”
“Of your daughter’s wedding.”
Miranda dropped her hold on Coraline and stood. The bride had stopped crying and was now watching her mother walk toward Holly.
“No, of my dress,” Miranda said, sounding perfectly reasonable. “Think about what a story this will be! How sensationalistic. Social media will love it. Publicity for us both.”
Holly shook her head, her eyes wide. “What are you talking about?”
“The replacement couple. They are stunningly gorgeous and they are desperately in love. It’s like a fairy-tale wedding.”
“Miranda, who are you talking about?” Holly asked, sounding bewildered. “Who’s getting married?”
The woman gave her an irritated look. “You, of course.” Then she pointed to Kevin. “And him.”
Kevin was shocked by the announcement, but immediately warmed up to the idea. It was a win/win as far as he was concerned. He would help Holly salvage the wedding and in turn save her job. But the real reward was her. He knew without a doubt he wanted to marry her, whether it was in a half hour or another year.
Holly, however, wasn’t taking the suggestion as well. She held up her hands in protest. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. What makes you think we’re in love?”
Miranda rolled her eyes in an exaggerated movement. “Holly, it’s so obvious. The way you two look at one another. The way he can hardly stop himself from touching you now.” She motioned to Kevin’s right hand, which was hovering near Holly’s waist.
He looked her in the eye. Guilty as charged.
The designer gave her a satisfied grin. “And I know you’ll fit in the dress perfectly. It’s like serendipity.”
“Miranda,” Holly said slowly, “we’re not even officially dating. …This is crazy!”
Kevin looked down at Holly, then over to Miranda, wanting to make sure he had all the facts. “So all you need to do is have a fake wedding, and you’re good. You get the photos and the publicity you need. The wedding looks like a success?”
“Well…there’s a catch,” Miranda said. “It has to be real.”
“What?” Holly asked.
“This will be big entertainment news. Either way, it will probably be on TMZ and at least a couple of gossip magazines. We can’t have a fake wedding. Besides, the whole premise of this photo shoot is that it’s a real ceremony.”
“We can’t do this.” Holly shook her head. “I could never ask Kevin to do such a thing.”
“I’ll do it,” he said without hesitation. “I’ll marry you.”
She spun around to face him. “I can’t ask you to do that, Kevin. Don’t get sucked up into my mess.”
“You didn’t ask. I’m offering.”
“Why on earth would you agree to this craziness?”
He lifted his hand to her cheek, looking into her green eyes. “She’s right, Holly. I love you.”
She gasped. “What?”
He kissed her lightly, then looked into her eyes. “I love you, Holly. There’s only you. So marry me.”
“But your mother…”
“Might have a fit. And you might lose your job, but after talking to my Dad this morning, if this wedding didn’t work out, I found out you were going to lose it anyway. But if my mother ever wants to see me again, she’ll let her daughter-in-law keep her job or wish her well when she starts her own wedding-planning business.”
She shook her head as tears filled her eyes and a new horror hit him. What if Holly didn’t love him? What if this was completely one-sided?
“Tell me what you’re thinking, Holly.”
“A lot of things.” She looked utterly panicked as she searched his face.
“I’m not going anywhere. Tell me.”
“First”—her voice broke—“that I love you, too.”
“Oh, thank God.” He kissed her, unable to resist, but then he pulled back and took her hands in his. “What else?”
“How can you be sure you want to marry me? We’ve only known each other a month.”
“Sometimes you just know something, and I know. It’s like I was only half a person until I met you. And now I’m whole.”
“Really?”
He smiled, his chest aching with the need to hold her, reassure her, and convince her how much she meant to him. “What other protests do you have?”
“What about our friends and family? Don’t you want your parents here? Your sister?”
“We’ll have
our own private wedding with them. In your grandma’s backyard if you want. We’ll bring her home so she can be part of it, too.” He dropped to his knee. “Holly Greenwood, will you marry me?”
She looked wary. “Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me and you think your mother will fire me if this wedding doesn’t happen? Because she and I discussed this yesterday. I’ll lose my job, but not because she’s firing me. But that’s still not a reason to marry me.”
He grinned. “I can assure you that I’m doing this for purely selfish motives. If anything, I’m being completely opportunistic. I love you. I don’t want to lose you. We have a chance to get married in the most beautiful wedding ever, and it was planned by you. Feeling sorry for you never enters the picture here.”
“Are you sure?” she whispered. “Like really sure?”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” He paused and got to his feet. “But what about you? This is pretty fast. But maybe you want to wait. I don’t want to rush you into something you’re not ready for.”
She shook her head, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I love you, Kevin. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Then you’ll marry me?”
She nodded, and the smile spreading across her face filled him with more happiness than he thought possible. “Yes.”
He couldn’t wait to make this woman his wife. “Then let’s get married.”
* * *
Holly stood in the hall, waiting for the song for the wedding party to start. Closer to the exit, three bridesmaids were huddled together in a clump of pink silk, occasionally casting looks of disbelief in her direction. The maid of honor had sneaked off soon after getting caught.
The wedding guests had gotten restless waiting, but they were mostly Miranda’s friends so when she explained to them the last-minute change of plans they were more than happy to help her.
But now Holly was waiting to walk down the aisle alone to the only man she’d ever loved, and part of her heart ached for her father. What would he think of the man she was marrying? What would he think of her?
Her grip tightened on the stems of the bright pink bouquet and she started to pace, trying to calm her nerves. While she had no qualms about marrying Kevin, she was a bundle of nerves when she thought about being the center of attention in front of several hundred people she didn’t even know.
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