The Surprise Wedding

by Jean Oram

  This time, though, she wasn’t going to fail. They understood each other better and she was an adult with more choices. She was going to win. She was going to have Devon. She wasn’t going to let a love like theirs slip away twice.

  But what could she do? How could she stop this insanity without making it worse? Someone wanted her to fail.

  She looked up, spying a familiar form through the window. Olivia looked again. It was her sister, face pinched with worry, her tall, elegant form weaving through the crowds. People were yelling. At her, at the store. At Olivia.

  What was she doing here?

  “My sister’s out there,” she said, moving to Logan.

  Before she could say anything more, the bodyguard darted out and drew Emma inside. Olivia met them at the door.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked Emma.

  “Luke said there was a problem.”

  “Luke?” That made no sense.

  “He said you were acting differently and he was worried.”

  “I’m trying to save the company while keeping this craziness under control,” Olivia muttered. She gathered the skirt of the large wedding gown, and pushed her way out onto the sidewalk. The sun was hot, the crowd noisy.

  She was in PR and trained to handle this. She scanned the gathered group. Muriel was standing proudly, eyes narrowed in triumph as she lifted her sign in rhythm to the other protesters’ chanting.

  So that was why she’d been happy enough to meet later—she had plans to skewer Olivia beforehand.

  “What are you doing?” Devon asked, reaching her. Microphones were aimed in their direction as reporters jockeyed for position in front of the protesters and curious townsfolk.

  “I’m going to turn this.” It was her job, her responsibility. She had to protect Emma, protect Devon.

  “This isn’t a good idea.”

  “And since when did I ever listen?” she said lightly.

  He dropped her arm, stepping back.

  “You wanted to speak to me?” she hollered over the shouting. Her back was to a beautiful window display of a poufy dream gown, similar to the one she was wearing, veils pinned in the window all around it. It was light, airy and everything the angry crowd in front of her wasn’t.

  Logan was at her side, urging her back toward the door. She planted her feet with a solid “no.” Devon gave Logan a reluctant nod, siding with her.

  At the end of the block Olivia spied Barry talking to someone, one eye on her and the store.

  Reporters were asking her a million questions, the protesters chanting in front of her. People were banging on the store’s windows and it wouldn’t be long before things got broken. Things she might not be able to repair.

  “Carrington Cosmetics is killing the Carringtons!” they chanted. Olivia’s gaze slid to her sister, who had joined her outside, along with Mary Alice and Liz.

  Emma was pale, angry. Seething, actually. Her arms were tightly crossed, her gaze steely. Olivia gave her a small shake of the head, trying to communicate that she hadn’t been the one to cause the leak.

  It had to have come from somewhere else.

  Her attention moved back to Barry. He looked pleased.

  Too pleased.

  Out in the crowd were nameless protesters, but also faces she’d come to know over the past few days. People who had gathered to support her. People like Mandy, Todd, and even Vintra.

  But she didn’t know how to fix this.

  Her mind scrambled for a company party line.

  She grabbed a nearby reporter’s microphone and gave them the spiel. “All of Carrington’s cosmetics fall within the federal guidelines and exceed the standards set out by the industry.”

  “Isn’t your sister’s recent health issues due to toxins found in your lipsticks?”

  “There is no direct link.”

  “Is it true you’re marrying Devon Mattson, current contender for the mayoral seat of Blueberry Springs, in order to secure nontoxic ingredients—ingredients that will prevent Carrington Cosmetics users from becoming sick?”

  Olivia was still in the wedding gown. She looked like a fool, trying to deal with the pointed questions.

  What did everyone think of her right now? She’d come here trying to help and had only made things worse.

  “I’m marrying Devon because…” She looked down at the dress, then over at Devon. He was trying to act calm, but she could see his body vibrating, his need to take over was so strong. “Carrington Cosmetics and the town of Blueberry Springs have an agreement providing the company access to all valerian within the vicinity. There is no need for me to marry Devon Mattson in order to secure access.”

  Barry frowned, hands on his hips. At the outer edge of the crowd, Olivia saw her father, his expression stern. He had several men in suits flanking him.

  “Valerian simply brought me back to my—”

  Someone jostled her, a cluster of reporters pressing closer, a microphone accidentally whacking her chin. Immediately, Logan and Devon were at her side.

  She was running out of time to get her message across, her father’s men drawing closer.

  “As for Devon, he would make a great mayor. He has foresight and integrity and cares for his hometown.”

  “I think your engagement is a ploy!” shouted Barry. “A publicity stunt. A sham!”

  “I think you’re mistaking our relationship for your vision for the town,” she said, pleased with her redirect. “That’s the true sham here. Your dam is dangerous and will put Blueberry Springs under tremendous financial strain. It’s going to cost the town, not help all the struggling families and small businesses. Devon understands that and is looking for safe alternatives that will bring industry and jobs to this town. He cares about helping local enterprises and the folks who run them.”

  “We need to get you out of here,” Devon said in her ear.

  No. She was not running away, not going to let a man like Barry Lunn push her out when she’d finally found what she wanted. She belonged here and this time she wasn’t going down without a fight. This was her life.

  The protesters had quieted, listening, her father’s men waiting.

  “Yeah, of course he cares about those firms and their owners,” Barry scoffed. “His siblings own three of the five food businesses in town.” His words were met with a few laughs. “And what about your family?”

  “My family, Carrington Cosmetics, is looking forward to working with the people of Blueberry Springs and has signed an agreement to hire locally whenever possible.”

  See? She totally had this.

  Devon’s grip tightened on her arm. “Now.”

  “I meant your family.”

  Olivia swore the sky suddenly swung to the left. She blinked, realizing it was her swaying with the shock of Barry’s implication. He could not have meant what she thought he did.

  “What about my family?” she called back, with more strength than she thought possible.

  Devon began tugging on her arm and her frustration grew. He wasn’t trusting her to take care of this, to protect them. She had this. She was trained for this. She was proving she loved him, standing up for him as well as their relationship, instead of letting someone else take over, call the shots.

  “We need to clear out,” he said.

  “Devon…”

  “Nope. Time to dance right on out of here.”

  “Your illegitimate child,” Barry said. “Tell me how you getting pregnant out of wedlock shows a strength in family values.”

  Olivia felt her jaw unhinge and she turned to Devon, trying not to kill him with her glare. But he was pale, his expression entirely closed off. Behind him her sister was staring at her in shock. Then her eyes shut tight in what was clearly a feeling of betrayal topped with disappointment.

  Her rejection hit Olivia like a slap.

  She was alone.

  “There was no child,” Olivia said quietly and the microphones were shoved closer. Devon pushed them away. “I had a
miscarriage. Is that all, Barry? Have you proved to the town what a caring soul you are yet?”

  The crowd was silent and Barry looked down. Obviously whatever tidbit had made it to him hadn’t included the story’s ending.

  She felt decimated. Exposed.

  She was shaking with shame and humiliation.

  She tried to push her way through the crowd, seeking the solace and safety of the nearby helicopter. People parted to let her pass, as Logan commanded them to, her father’s assistants coming to join them.

  But Devon’s rival wasn’t finished yet. He moved closer, his voice carrying over the crowd’s silence. “You’re in PR, Olivia, and we see what you’ve done with Devon—pretended to be engaged, dressed him up. But we can spot the truth. You can put a spin on Devon’s campaign, just like you will with the toxins, but Blueberry Springs isn’t fooled. We know who you really are and you’re not welcome here.”

  Shame leeching deep within her, Olivia kept blindly moving toward the machine that would lift her out of this humiliation.

  She didn’t want to fathom what people must be thinking of her and Devon right now. She’d tried to protect him, but instead she’d aired all their secrets, destroyed his life and his image alongside hers—just like before.

  As she reached the edge of the crowd, she glanced back, seeing Emma. The pain of being lied to, shut out from the truth was there like a knife in her sister’s side.

  Logan ushered her along before she could find Devon in the crowd. She might love him, but there wasn’t much for him to love back. She was nothing but a liar, protecting a company that hurt others, failing every time she tried to make things good.

  But worst of all, she’d forced him to lie to the people who loved him most, and now he was going to lose it all.

  Devon didn’t know what to say, what to do. He felt gutted.

  Olivia had done the unthinkable, letting everything explode like a watermelon dropped from a skyscraper. He knew Barry, had recognized that glint in his eye, but she’d ignored his warnings, had pushed him away. Turned into Miss Carrington, cool and businesslike, confident her way was The Way.

  And now she was marching toward her father’s helicopter, ready to get out of Dodge because everything had crashed and burned.

  The end.

  He didn’t care what everyone thought. He didn’t care that they knew about the baby, about the toxins. He only cared about Olivia.

  He caught up to her, the silence after all the shouting feeling strangely loud.

  “Olivia.”

  “I need to leave.”

  “Livvy, please.”

  “Devon, I’ve made a mess. I need to go.”

  “Stay. It’s okay. We can fix this together.”

  She turned, facing him. Her expression was soft but determined. She laid a hand against the side of his face. “Devon, this has been an incredible few days with you, but we both know it’s best that I leave. I’m no longer helping, I’m hindering. I’m nowhere near perfect enough to not make this worse. You need to win and you won’t if I stay.” Her eyes, filled with sorrow, gazed out at the crowd behind him. They were already dispersing, the drama over.

  “You said you wouldn’t run from them.” He pointed toward the protesters, knowing he’d already lost her, knowing she’d already made up her mind. And who could blame her? Barry Lunn had just slaughtered her, run her out of town.

  “I said my piece and fixed things the best I could. I no longer enhance your image, so it’s best that I go while everyone still likes you.” Her hands were flexing. Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Ready to run, ready to fight. Her voice had developed a tremble and he wasn’t sure if it was from anger or anguish. “A company that’s killing its own family? A woman who—”

  “Don’t say it,” he pleaded. She needed to stop punishing herself. “The people who matter know the truth about us.”

  “That we’re in love and about to go through with that wedding they’re planning? I don’t think so, Devon. He showed them the truth.”

  She turned away, her expression unreadable, her shoulders drooping as if she was trying to hold up the entire town on her own.

  “We can show them the truth. We’re a team, remember?”

  “I need to be with my family,” she said quietly. “I need to fix this with Emma, with the company. I have to leave before we lose what we’ve gained—if we haven’t already.”

  He reached for her hand, playing with the ring.

  He wanted her to stay. Stay until their children were grown. Stay until they were both in a nursing home with no remaining memories of anything other than that they had once loved someone so intensely that it overwrote everything else. A love that wove its way into the fabric of their lives, their very beings, for they weren’t themselves without each other.

  Olivia looked out beyond him, at the town and the mountains beyond. Her eyes were damp.

  “Stay.” They could fix things by sticking together.

  She sniffed, her face wrinkling as she tipped her chin upward. “Tell them I had to take care of business. Tell Ginger I’ll mail the dress back to her.”

  She kissed him, slow and sweet, and he knew it was over. That he’d never really had a chance and would always live with a hole in his heart where Livvy should be because she was already gone.

  Olivia argued with herself as the helicopter lifted her out of the town of Blueberry Springs.

  She’d made a promise to Devon not to shut him out or run away.

  She wasn’t running away. She was protecting him.

  But that’s what she’d called it last time, too.

  This time was different, though. Barry Lunn had laid out everything she’d tried to hide, from Emma’s illness to the fake engagement to her and Devon’s baby, a public feast of shame and humiliation. There was no way that her staying in Blueberry Springs would make any of it better.

  Last time, she’d been protecting herself, her family. This time she was protecting Devon.

  We see what you’ve done with Devon—pretended to be engaged, dressed him up. But we can spot the truth.

  Blueberry Springs isn’t fooled. We know who you really are.

  The town still loved Devon Mattson, and she didn’t want to be the one who changed that fact.

  She had to leave.

  Surely he understood?

  “You made a royal mess of that,” her father said. “We’ll be lucky if we still have a company come tomorrow.”

  Beside her, Emma sniffled. Olivia reached for her hand, but her sister pulled away.

  “What a bunch of lies,” he muttered. “Making people sick?”

  At Olivia’s side, Emma stiffened. “I am sick, Dad,” she said. “I’m sick and it’s from the toxins in our cosmetics.”

  The cab of the helicopter grew silent and Olivia kept her gaze averted, watching the small town below grow smaller, wishing she had a parachute, a do-over.

  Her father kept clearing his throat, a sure sign he was having trouble keeping it together. “You sure?”

  “Yes. It’s not terminal.”

  “Thank the heavens for that…” He cleared his throat again.

  Below, Olivia could see the meadow. The downtown, even Devon’s house, her Porsche parked outside.

  “I need to get my dog,” she said, finally looking away from the window.

  “Ricky’s taking care of it.”

  Olivia nodded. Of course. Her father had set up a protective perimeter around her like always, taking care, taking charge. She was doing the right thing, leaving. She was protecting Devon from even worse publicity, because she knew things like this didn’t die down overnight and he still had days before the election. It would be best for him if she disappeared, stayed out of sight and out of mind. And anyway, she’d just splashed every bit of dirt Carrington had across the media and she had to spin this before they lost everything. And before she found herself in a position where she could no longer help Blueberry Springs.

  “I’ll issue a press re
lease. We have to put our resources into doing whatever we can to make sure Devon wins this election.”

  “Olivia…” her father began.

  “I love him, Daddy. Just like I always have. But this is about the valerian. If he loses, we lose. Even more so now that this bit about the toxins has gotten out.”

  “You promised me you wouldn’t let the valerian go!” Emma said, bursting into tears, her earlier stoicism gone.

  Olivia pulled her sister to her and Emma collapsed in her arms, a surprisingly heavy weight.

  “I’m so sorry,” Olivia whispered. “I wish I’d done better out there. I wish I’d convinced them we’re the good guys.” If Devon lost…

  Stop thinking!

  She was doing everything she could, including avoiding Devon so her dramas wouldn’t taint him. All he had to do was say she was home dealing with the media hailstorm, and maybe, just maybe, the town wouldn’t think about whether or not Barry had been right about the fake engagement, and they’d continue to favor Devon right up until election day.

  It was a long shot, but it was all they had.

  “Do I still have a job?” Olivia asked her father.

  “Olivia Dawn,” her father replied on a sigh.

  “Do I?” She needed to know if he was planning on kicking her out of the company. She had work to do.

  “Yes. Fine. But everything goes through me. You understand? No more shenanigans.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll help,” Emma said.

  “Are you sure?” Olivia asked.

  She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. “My health issues are already out there. Why not leverage them to create some exposure into our upcoming product line changes?”

  Her father leaned forward, pinching his nose. “That’s incredibly risky.”

  “That’s life.”

  He sagged into the seat as though exhausted. “I swear I will never understand you two no matter how long I live.”

  He might not, but Olivia hoped Devon would, and that he knew how hard it had been to walk away from him moments ago. And that she was doing it for him.

  Because like always, with just one kiss, he had turned her life upside down and made her his. And as a result, she’d taken everything good, her snow globe of a life in Blueberry Springs, and smashed it on a concrete floor. And along with it, Devon’s.