Julian had never told anyone about this situation aside from Ross and the people who were a part of his life before he became a star, like Murray. Ross needed to know why he was so driven. But tonight, under the cover of darkness, he wanted to tell Gretchen the truth. She wasn’t like those other women, mining for a story they could sell. If there was one person he could tell, it would be her. He didn’t want to keep it from her.
“My brother is in the hospital,” he said simply.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is it serious?”
“Unfortunately, everything is serious when it comes to my brother.” That was true. A run-of-the-mill cold could be near fatal, much less the pneumonia he currently had.
“Tell me,” she pressed again.
He wanted to, but he had to be careful. “If I do, you have to swear that you’ll never tell a single soul what I’ve said. It’s absolutely critical that no one know about this.”
“Okay,” she said. “You have my word.”
Somehow, Julian knew that Gretchen wouldn’t spill his secrets, but he had to put it out there and let her know how serious it all was. “I have an identical twin brother named James.”
“I didn’t realize you had a brother, much less an identical twin.”
“No one knows. I try to keep my life before I went to Hollywood very quiet for my family’s sake. They didn’t ask for this spotlight to be shone on them. And since my brother has so many issues, I’m all the more protective of him.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Julian sighed. There were so many things. James had never had a chance to live the truly normal life he wanted, no matter how hard they tried or how many specialists they brought in to see him. “My brother has a severe case of spastic cerebral palsy. The doctors said that he sustained some kind of brain injury in utero or during his birth that impaired his ability to function.”
Gretchen didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure if she was surprised by his tale or wanted to let him just get it all off his chest.
“He was diagnosed when we were about two. My mom was in denial, thinking he was just slower to crawl and get around than I was, as though the two minutes older I was than James made that big of a difference. She finally took him to the doctor when she couldn’t ignore the disparity any longer. The diagnosis was devastating, but the hardest part was not knowing how it would fully impact him until he got older. The severity of cerebral palsy can vary widely based on the injury. Some people can live normal, long lives with only a few limitations. My mother hoped for that, but by the time we were getting ready to start kindergarten and his problems became more pronounced, it was easy to see that it was getting harder for her to stay positive. She cried a lot when she thought I wasn’t looking. James was wheelchair-bound and needed constant supervision. He had an aide at school that stayed with him and helped him through his day.
“The medical bills were crippling. Even though my father had a good job at a nearby production facility with solid benefits, it didn’t cover everything. James went through so many surgeries and treatments. Hours of therapy and trips to the emergency room. Cerebral palsy doesn’t get worse, you see. But the complications can. He’d had trouble swallowing and breathing since he was a baby. James nearly choked to death a couple times, and every time cold and flu season came around, we lived like a quarantine facility to keep him from catching anything. Eventually, when he was about ten, they had to put in a tracheostomy tube.
“As we got older, it got harder. James wasn’t a little boy anymore—he was a growing teenager. Simple things like getting him out of his chair and into bed, or giving him a bath, got so difficult. We got a home health nurse to help out when we were in high school, but by the time I went off to college, Mom just couldn’t handle it anymore. He had a really severe bout of pneumonia and he ended up in the hospital. The doctors told us that he needed better care than we could provide, and they recommended we put him in a state facility that was better equipped to handle James’s treatment.”
Finally, Gretchen spoke. “That must’ve been a very hard decision for your parents. Hard on all of you.”
“You have no idea. I’ve lived my whole life with this guilt.”
“Guilt? Why would you feel guilty? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Julian stroked his hand over Gretchen’s soft curls. “I was healthy. I was everything James wasn’t. We were identical, we started absolutely the same in every way, and yet something went wrong—something I could’ve caused before we were even born. It’s very easy to feel guilty.”
“Did the doctors ever say that? Did they ever directly blame you for it?”
He shrugged. “If they did, my mother would never tell me. It wouldn’t matter, though. I was still active and went out with friends and did all the things he couldn’t do. When I went off to college and he went into a state hospital, the disparities were painful. And then my father died my junior year of college. In addition to our grief, we had to cope with the fact that now the family had no income and no insurance. My father’s life insurance policy was barely enough to pay off the mortgage so my mother wasn’t homeless. Something had to be done, so I dropped out of school and moved to LA.”
“Really?”
“Stupid, right? I was convinced that I would go out there and get acting work and be able to support my family. I could’ve just as easily landed a long-term role as a waiter who couldn’t afford his own rent. But I met Ross. He saw potential in me. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he got me into some commercials, then small roles in movies. The next thing I knew, my parts were getting larger, and then I was offered a lead role. I wasn’t an overnight success, but it only took a few years before I started making seven figures on a film. I wasn’t thrilled with the parts, but they allowed me to move James to a private residential facility that specializes in patients with cerebral palsy. I was able to buy private health insurance for all of us and send my mom money to live on. I’d achieved my goal.”
“That’s why,” Gretchen said with an enlightened tone.
“Why what?”
“Why you don’t want to take those other roles. You said you worried about screwing up and damaging your career. It has nothing to do with your ego and everything to do with supporting your family.”
Julian sighed. “Yes. They depend on me. I can’t, won’t, do anything to risk my career. Or to risk anyone finding out about James and turning him into a tabloid headline.” As he said the words, he realized just by telling Gretchen this story, he’d compromised his brother. She might not mean to tell, but things could happen. If Ross knew, he’d insist on a confidentiality agreement. Not exactly his usual pillow talk, but he supposed everything was different with Gretchen.
“I know I made you promise not to tell anyone, but to tie up loose ends and ensure my brother’s protection, I’ll probably need to have Ross draft up a confidentiality agreement in the morning. I know he’ll insist on it. I’ll also see to it that he adds another five thousand to your payment to compensate for your cooperation. It’s not your fault I dumped this on you.”
He felt Gretchen stiffen beneath his fingertips, and then she raised her head to look at him. “Are you serious?”
Julian frowned. “This is the way my life works. Contracts and compensation, even in my personal life.”
She just watched him for a moment, but her body remained stiff as a board. Finally, she said, “I’ll sign your stupid agreement, Julian.” The tone of her voice was sharp. He could tell he’d offended her. “But I’m not taking any more of your money.”
Eight
Any second now, someone was going to wake Gretchen up. She sat in front of her vanity applying her makeup the way the woman at the department store had told her to. Draped across the bed behind her was the gown she was wearing to the wedding as Julian’s date. That was surreal enough on its own.
Knowing she’d slept with him the night before was completely in the dream realm.
She’d waited years for that moment, never once anticipating that she would end up in the arms of one of the sexiest men alive. Gretchen still couldn’t quite understand why he wanted her. It annoyed him when she mentioned it, so she’d stopped. But even if she’d had a healthy sense of self-esteem going into this scenario, it would be unbelievable.
The only thing about the past few days that convinced Gretchen that all of this was real was their awkward discussion after his call about James. She had been high on the excitement of having sex for the first time and thrilled that Julian was willing to share something that personal with her. Then he started talking about confidentiality contracts and worse—paying her to keep quiet about it.
The longer they were together, the easier it was for her to forget that none of this was real and that she was being compensated for her time. She hadn’t liked the idea of this from the beginning, but as they went on, she liked it even less. With sex added to the mix, she was starting to feel very Pretty Woman about the whole thing. The additional money for her silence just rubbed salt in the wound and reminded her that she was that much closer to being a whore.
“Ugh,” she said as she applied the last of her mascara and threw it down onto the table in disgust. She needed to get out of here and distract herself with the chaos of the wedding so she didn’t stew in those thoughts any longer.
Looking into the mirror, she admired her handiwork. It wasn’t bad at all. She’d already straightened her hair and wrapped it into a French twist with a crystal barrette securing it. Having her hair up made her neck look longer and her face look thinner, which was great. She anticipated a lot of cameras being around today since it was the big event they’d been building up to. She had to be believable as Julian’s girlfriend, and a double chin wouldn’t help her case at all.
With her undergarments in place, Gretchen slipped into the gown she’d chosen with Amelia. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a high waist that fell right under her bust. The top was a shiny black ruched satin, but below the waist, it was flowing white satin, painted in purple, blue and black almost like a wearable piece of watercolor art. It was beautiful and fit her perfectly.
The last piece she added was the necklace Julian had given her. The fiery opal rested nicely on the bare expanse of her chest, falling right below her collarbone.
Admiring herself in the full-length mirror on her closet door, she was stunned by what she saw. This wasn’t the mousy, awkward Gretchen from a week ago. She looked confident, radiant and even beautiful. Gretchen was ready to walk out the door and be Julian’s girl, which was a good thing, because it was time to go. She needed to get back to the facility.
It felt weird enough already that she wasn’t there helping the others, but she’d done her part, including buzzing by this morning to meet the florist and snatch up those wayward panties. Now she was returning as a guest. Since Julian was the best man, he wasn’t able to pick her up. He was in the groom’s room, likely doing a shot of whiskey with Murray and helping him with his tie. They had to be ready early so Bree could take pictures of the wedding party before the ceremony.
Just in case, Gretchen threw a few last things into an overnight bag she’d packed. If she did end up staying with Julian again, she wanted to be ready and not slink back home in the morning in a gown. She had all her toiletries, a change of clothes and a slinky little red lace chemise that had been rotting in her closet since she’d impulse-purchased it several years back. She was looking forward to someone actually seeing her in it, aside from her.
After loading everything into her car, she returned to the chapel. Gathered on the curb outside the facility was a crowd of photographers. The location had leaked, as expected, but they weren’t allowed on the grounds. With very little activity outside with the winter weather, all they’d get were shots of people coming in and out. They paid little attention to her in her cheap sedan. She was able to slip in the back door as usual.
“Wow.”
Gretchen paused outside her office where she was about to stow her overnight bag. Turning, she saw Natalie watching her from the hallway. She was all geared up with her headset, her tablet and fierce determination to tackle the day, but the expression of awe on her face was new.
“Do I look okay?”
Natalie nodded, coming close to admire the dress. “You look amazing. Every bit the girlfriend of a movie star, no doubt.”
Gretchen beamed. She thought she looked nice, but was nice good enough? It seemed so, at least in Natalie’s opinion.
“I especially like the well-bedded glow. Is that a bronzer or an all-night lovemaking session?”
Gretchen’s eyes widened and she brought her hand to her lips to shush her. “Bronzer,” she said pointedly. “We’ll discuss the brand and how well it was applied later.”
Natalie gave her a wicked grin and swung her dark ponytail over her shoulder. “You bet we will. The ballroom looks great, so relax and have fun today.”
“I’ll try.” Gretchen put her things into her office, then went around the facility checking on a few last-minute things. All was well in the ballroom. The pin lights were perfect, and the floral arrangements added the ideal touch. Amelia’s wedding cake was an eight-tier masterpiece nestled in a bed of white pastillage roses. All that was left was for the servers to light the candles and the guests to mill in.
She crossed the lobby and found Julian, Murray and the other groomsmen in the chapel taking photos with Bree and another guy who was probably from the magazine that had the exclusive to the event. Gretchen couldn’t help the wide smile on her face when her eyes met Julian’s, especially when his own smile returned her excitement. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo, as if he were auditioning to be the next James Bond. And he was hers, at least for now. Their relationship might be short, but it was special, and she’d always think of it that way.
Natalie followed her into the chapel, this time on official planner duties. “Okay, gentlemen, we need to get all of you except the ushers back into the gentlemen’s suite. The guests are about to arrive. Ushers, please meet me back here so we can go over your instructions one last time.”
The men filed out, Julian pressing a kiss to her cheek as he went by, so as not to mess up her lipstick. “I’ll meet you in the lobby after these two get hitched.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said, trying out a seductive smile. She wasn’t entirely sure that it worked, but Julian sighed and reluctantly followed Murray out of the chapel. That was proof enough for her.
“All right,” Natalie shouted. “Ushers at the doors. Musicians, please cue up the string medley to take us through to the groom’s entrance. Gretchen...do something with yourself. Let one of the ushers seat you. They need practice.” Without another word, she disappeared from the room.
As she was told, Gretchen returned to the entrance and approached one of the ushers with a polite smile.
“Are you a guest of the bride or the groom?”
“The groom.”
He nodded, handed her one of the programs she’d made and took her arm to lead her down the aisle and to a seat on the right side of the chapel. She wasn’t alone for long. Guests started arriving in huge waves. This was a big wedding, putting the facility’s capacity limits to the test. Every spot in the parking lot, every seat in the chapel, would be taken, and taken by Nashville royalty.
The room filled quickly. Gretchen tried not to act out of place as different country music stars were seated around her. Before long, the chapel looked like the audience at the Country Music Awards. She was pretty certain Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were sitting right behind her. It was odd, but that hadn’t fazed her when she was working—a guest was a guest—but as a guest herself, it felt extremely bizarre to be sitting among them. She had to keep reminding hers
elf that her date was a movie star and she needed to be cool.
The string quartet’s music medley faded, and she recognized them changing to the song they played when the parents were escorted in, then the officiant and the groomsmen entered. Julian sought her out in the crowd and gave her a sly wink as he went by. It was enough to make her heart flutter in her chest.
They assembled on the raised platform, and the music announced the arrival of the bridesmaids, then Kelly with her father. Gretchen stood with the crowd as the bride walked down the aisle in a lace-and-crystal extravaganza, custom-made for a country music diva.
As the wedding began, Gretchen felt her mind stray. Her gaze drifted to Julian, standing by with the ring and to catch Murray if he fainted. He looked so calm, so natural, compared to Murray, who’d started to sweat and could barely make it through his vows his voice was shaking so badly. Of course, Julian wasn’t the one getting married.
She imagined he’d still be calm at his own wedding. Even if he felt nervous, he’d fall back on his actor training and play the part of a confident groom. He’d speak the words to her without faltering, with nothing but love and adoration on his face and in his voice...
Oh, no. She stopped herself. Gretchen might be in the midst of a lusty haze, but she wasn’t letting herself go there. She wasn’t a naive girl who thought the man who took her virginity would love her forever and marry her and they’d live happily ever after. She knew the truth and she’d accepted it, despite the ridiculous tangent her brain had taken. Like it or not, she was a paid companion. He wouldn’t be looking adoringly at her and speaking vows of any kind, ever.
With a sigh, Gretchen let her gaze drop into her lap as she pretended to study the program. Maybe it was a good thing that their time together was coming to an end. Keeping her heart out of the arrangement with Julian was getting harder and harder.
He needed to get on that plane back to Beverly Hills before she lost the fight.
One Week with the Best Man: Reclaimed by the Rancher Page 10