“Why don’t you come up here?” Jason asked with a dramatic wave of his hand.
Sienna slowly stood up and walked to the stage. But she didn’t hurry to Fox, instead she stood on the other side of Jason. This was looking worse and worse for Fox. He inched closer to the edge of the stage, just in case he had to make a run for it to keep from experiencing the total humiliation of rejection on camera.
“Did you know Fox was going to sing this song for you tonight?” Jason asked. Fox held his breath.
Sienna shook her head. “No.”
“And what would you give him as a score for his performance?”
Her eyes panned from Jason to Fox to the cameras. A slow smile spread across her face. Did that mean she wasn’t going to reject him after all? Fox wasn’t sure, but he’d had enough. He’d just done one of the hardest things he’d done in ten years, and he needed to finish this conversation with Sienna privately.
He reached out and grabbed her hand. When she looked up at him, he jerked his head ever so slightly to the exit doors. Her smile grew as understanding dawned, and she gave him a small nod.
Fox didn’t hesitate. He ran down the small stage, his hand still gripping Sienna’s. The two rushed past the judges and wedding party, ignoring the protests that came from Jason and Bruce.
Fox pulled Sienna down the hall, loving the way her laughter filled his ears as they headed in the direction of the safe room. Once inside, Fox slammed the door behind them and looked back at Sienna. Her smile was wide and her face bright.
She was beautiful.
“You’re full of all kinds of surprises tonight,” she said as she caught her breath from their escape.
“I just couldn’t do it in there, in front of all the cameras.”
Her smile fell. “Do what?”
He reached out and grabbed her hands again. “I know we don’t always see eye to eye, and we’ve made mistakes. But in the short time I’ve known you, Sienna, you’ve shown me so much beauty.”
She cocked a brow.
“And no, I’m not just talking about your outward beauty, which is great by the way.” His face flushed with heat. Getting tongue-tied was not an option right now. “But the way you work so hard toward your goals, and the way you love your sisters, and the way you’ve opened up to me these past few days. Just being with you makes me feel alive for the first time in what feels like forever. I know we’re supposed to go our separate ways in a few days, and I don’t know what our future will look like, but I want to find out.”
A corner of Sienna’s mouth lifted into a small smile. “I never thought I’d want to date a grumpy old man, and yet, all I want to say is yes.”
Fox laughed. “Yeah?”
Sienna nodded.
“So, does that mean I can—”
Sienna cut him off by pressing her lips to his. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck as he pulled her closer. She smelled like the fresh, green mountain air he loved so much as she molded perfectly into his embrace.
Fox knew they’d have to pay for leaving the set yet again, and he hoped that Eli would understand. But for now, he was happy to have Sienna in his arms and was looking forward to what the future held for them.
Twenty-Three
5 Days Until Dream Wedding
Sienna practically skipped down the stairs to the dining hall the next morning.
After Fox’s declaration the night before, she wasn’t sure she’d ever leave the safe room. But after way too much kissing, and Harper’s persistent banging on the door, the two decided they couldn’t hide inside the small room for the next five days.
So, Fox and Sienna had eventually left the linen closet and apologized for running off in the middle of the competition—again. Bruce asked them to return to the meeting room and said all would be forgiven if they agreed to do a short on camera interview about what was going on between the two of them.
Apparently, they had enough footage of the two of them together that they wanted to play up this love story in the background of Eli and Audrey’s wedding. All in all, it was better than what either of them could hope for.
Sienna checked her reflection in a mirror outside the dining hall to make sure her hair and makeup were the same as they were two minutes ago. Breakfast would technically be her first date with Fox, and she wasn’t about to look a mess or show up late.
When she walked through the doorway her gaze immediately found Fox sitting alone at a table in the corner. Not that it was hard. The room was relatively empty. Her sisters hadn’t made it down yet, and besides Fox, Harry and Reagan were the only ones in the room. And they were having a tense conversation that Sienna wouldn't interrupt if her life depended on it.
Sienna enjoyed the way Fox watched her as she made her way to the table. She gave him a quick good morning kiss before she sat down. There were two cups of coffee on the table, and a pile of cream and sugar next to Sienna’s cup.
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it.”
Sienna opened one of the small containers of cream and poured it into her drink. “I’m not picky. Just as long as it has caffeine.”
“Good to know.” Fox chuckled. “I wonder what else I don’t know about you.”
Sienna squirmed in her seat. As excited as she was to be with Fox, they didn't have all the time in the world to get to know one another. They had five days. “Uh, yeah. But you know this has an expiration date, right?”
Fox smiled. “I know. I spent a lot of time thinking about this last night.”
She lifted a brow. “Oh yeah?”
He nodded. “I really like you Sienna. And I don’t think five days is enough.”
“But I’m going back to the city in five days, and you have your life in Kitty Hawk.”
“I don’t love it there.” He lifted the coffee cup to his lips and took a sip.
“So what? You’re going to come to New York with me?” She laughed, but Fox didn’t join in.
He held her gaze. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. I know we don’t know each other that well yet, and I’m not saying I think we should move in together. But I don’t want to be an eight-hour drive away from you.”
Her heart dropped into her stomach. “Are you serious?” The smile that broke out on her face was so big it hurt. “I don’t want you to be somewhere you hate.”
He shook his head. “Even if I didn’t already love New York—which I do—I could never hate anywhere you are.”
Well if that wasn’t the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.
“Are you pulling these lines from movies? These are solid gold. You should consider being a writer.”
“Nah, I think I’ll stick to singing.”
“You want to sing?” Sienna’s eyes were wide.
“Well, after the show airs, I’m pretty sure I’ll have agents banging down my door,” said Fox with a smug shrug. “I’ll see if one of them can book you a commercial.”
He winked, and she laughed.
New York with Fox was going to be fun.
“But seriously, it’s because of you that I realized how much I miss it,” he said, his eyes going dark and serious—and seriously smoldering. “It’s not too late for me to give it another shot. I don’t have to have a miserable life just because that’s what I’ve had for the past ten years.”
“I made you see that?” Sienna tried unsuccessfully to keep her voice steady.
As she leaned in for another kiss, she wondered how things had changed so quickly. She’d gone from no apartment with a strained relationship with her mother and sisters, to falling for an incredible guy and an exciting new life ahead of her.
Maybe reality shows weren’t so bad after all.
Just as Fox’s lips found hers, the door to the room banged open.
Harper stood in the doorway, out of breath. “Have either of you seen Audrey this morning?”
Sienna gave her sister the stink eye. “I’ve been kind of occupied. Isn’t she in her room?�
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Harper shook her head. “I’ve looked everywhere. And her car is missing.”
Sienna stood up, all thoughts of Fox and New York put on hold.
Tears started to pool in Harper’s eyes. And Harper never cried. “I think...I think she’s gone.”
What will happen next?
Where is Audrey? Will the wedding bells ring or will the show be cancelled before it even airs? Find out in The Bridesmaid and the Ex, the next installment of Wedding Games.
Acknowledgments
Daphne and Kayla would like to thank their husbands for putting up with their crazy, and their kids for being so darn adorable.
Thank you Designed with Grace for this amazing cover.
Thank you EditElle for proofreading this book.
And to our AMAZING readers, thank you for letting us keep this dream alive.
About the Authors
Daphne and Kayla have been writing buddies since 2017.
They have three joint series together, but this is their first cowriting project.
Between the two of them they have: four kids, three cats, two husbands, and one fierce love of writing.
Kayla wishes she could eat tacos every day, and Daphne will never turn down free cake.
You can find them online at:
www.daphnejameshuff.com
www.tirrellblewrites.com
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The Bridesmaid & the Jerk Page 17