“I won’t regret marrying Miranda,” Vaughn stated. Because his marriage had a shelf life of one year which would be written into the contract. They weren’t marrying for love. There wouldn’t be any surprises or broken hearts if the marriage didn’t work out. They would each take away what they’d brought in. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“If you’re sure?” She reached across and squeezed his hand.
“I’m sure.”
She smiled and nodded. “You know your father isn’t going to budge. When his mind is made up, it’s made up.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then know that though I may not agree with your decision, I’ll always love you.”
“Thanks, Mama.” Vaughn leaned over and pulled her into his embrace, squeezing her shoulders. He understood what she wasn’t saying, which was that his parents would not be attending his wedding.
* * *
Miranda’s parents, Tucker and Leigh Jensen, took the news of her impending nuptials when she called them on the phone rather well. Miranda hadn’t known what to expect when her smartphone dialed them. They weren’t exactly exuberant about the news. Neither of them had been happy with the stipulation in her grandfather’s will, but knew that her finding a husband was a necessary evil to keep the Jensen fortune in the family. What did excite them was the fact that Vaughn was a multimillionaire, a man who wasn’t interested in taking a chunk of it.
“You’re sure he doesn’t want anything for agreeing to marry you?” her father inquired.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“And you’re getting that in writing?”
“Yes, I’ve already contacted the family lawyer and he’s drafting the agreement now,” Miranda replied, “stating that Vaughn is relinquishing any rights to my inheritance.”
“Well, it sounds like it’s settled,” her mother replied. “I just hate that it had to come to this. I don’t know why Daddy did this to you, sweetheart.”
“It’s not your fault, Mom. I don’t blame you.” And Miranda didn’t. She and her grandfather had always butted heads about a woman’s place. Her grandfather was old-school and felt she needed a husband and he should be head of the household and the provider.
Her mother released a long sigh. “Thank you, sweetie. I’m just worried for you. Marrying a man you hardly know.”
Miranda knew enough about Vaughn and his character to make agreeing to his proposal easier. He was a man with a strong moral compass. After hearing her sob story, he could have sent her on her merry way. Instead, he’d to ask her to marry him and essentially agreed to put his love life on hold for a year. That showed Miranda that Vaughn was an upstanding guy.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Vaughn is a good man. You’ll see when you meet him this weekend at the wedding.”
“How are you arranging a wedding in a week’s time?” her mother asked incredulously. “You still have a few weeks before your thirtieth birthday.”
“If it was up to me, we would go to a justice of the peace or head to Vegas for a quickie wedding and get it all over with,” Miranda replied, “but Vaughn refused. With a man of his standing in the community, he wanted a proper wedding.”
“But a week?”
Miranda shrugged. “I know. It seems unlikely that he can pull it off, but then again, he’s rich, Mom. And when you have money, miracles can happen.” Miranda looked forward to when she was independently wealthy and didn’t have to rely on others. She could fulfill all her goals and dreams on her own.
“Alright, then just tell us when?” her father replied.
Miranda filled them in on all the details and her parents planned to arrive later in the week to San Diego. They would meet Vaughn before she walked down the aisle. Everything was happening so fast. Too fast. The proposal. The agreements. And now a wedding. It was hard to believe that in a week’s time she and Vaughn would be husband and wife. In name only. She didn’t plan on consummating their union. She couldn’t. Otherwise, Miranda feared she would be caught up in the whirlwind and lose her heart to this man.
She already was acutely aware of him. Whenever he was around, her senses were on high alert. Her blood raged in her veins while her heart would hammer loudly in her chest and her pulse would quicken. If she let him any closer, Miranda feared she’d combust. Just look at what had happened when she’d weakened and allowed Vaughn into her hotel room. She’d darn near thrown herself at him and she couldn’t let that happen again.
A marriage of convenience was all she could offer Vaughn. And nothing more.
Chapter 6
“I still can’t believe you’re actually getting married today,” Sasha said as she watched the makeup artist work on Miranda for her Sunday wedding. The hairstylist had already turned Miranda’s long hair into an intricate updo with sparkly pins. Miranda could hardly believe she was almost ready to walk down the aisle to Vaughn.
In a week’s time, she’d met Vaughn, he’d proposed and here they were getting married in one of San Diego’s most elegant resorts, the Hotel del Coronado. When she’d flown here, she’d come on the off chance that she’d find a man willing to marry for her sizable paycheck. Instead, she’d met Vaughn, a sexy surfer and multimillionaire, who not only didn’t need to marry her, but had signed away all rights to her inheritance just the day before when their lawyers had finalized their agreement. What was he getting in return?
A marriage to show the socialites he was off the table? Yes.
But in essence by marrying her, he was agreeing to a sexless marriage. She hadn’t written it into the agreement because she hadn’t wanted to be gauche. She was taking him at his word that he wouldn’t try to seduce her, but Miranda wasn’t just worried about Vaughn. Over the last week, he’d been nothing but a perfect gentleman, while Miranda had stewed in her own juices at her hotel room wishing she hadn’t taken sex off the table. Because it was at night that her treacherous body reminded her of just how good it could be with Vaughn if she’d let go. In the morning, however, her reason would return and Miranda was glad she hadn’t done something foolish like call Vaughn to extinguish the heat between her thighs.
“Are you listening to me, Miranda?” Sasha inquired, coming to stand in front of her line of vision. “You must realize how crazy this is. Marrying a man you hardly know and who couldn’t even be bothered to give you his real name when you first met.”
“Excuse me,” Miranda said to the makeup artist as she rose to her feet and grasped Sasha by the arm. She led her into the bedroom of her suite. She’d checked in to the Hotel del Coronado a couple of days ago when her parents made it to town to meet Vaughn. The meeting had gone better than she’d expected and her parents had seemed happy with her choice of spouse. Miranda was thankful for it because she had enough to deal with, like her irate friend. “Sasha!” She glared at her friend. “You can’t be spilling our secrets out there—” She pointed toward the door. “What if those women spill what they heard to the gossip rags? It could be bad for Vaughn as well as for me. The only reason he’s marrying me is to stop the socialites from coming after him, not give them more fodder.”
“C’mon, Miranda.” Sasha folded her arms across her chest. “It has to be more than that. He has to have another agenda. I strongly urge you to reconsider this marriage.”
“Sasha, you know why I have to do this.” Miranda had finally broken down and told Sasha the truth because her BFF hadn’t believed for a single minute that it had been love at first sight like the papers did. They had eaten up the love story and she and Vaughn had been the talk of the town all week.
“Of course I do. I know the trust fund has your hands tied, but there has to be another way. What did your lawyers say?”
“The same thing they’ve said for months, Sasha. This is the only way. So I need you to get behind this and stop trying to undermine my decision.”
“That’s not my intention.” Sasha sighed. �
��You know I love you and I only want what’s best for you, Miranda. And I worry that you’re doing this—committing yourself to a marriage without love as a way to protect your heart. I know Jake and all those other men did a number on you, on your self-confidence. But you don’t have to shackle yourself to this man.”
“For Christ’s sake, Sasha. It’s a year. One year. That’s all I’ve committed to, not the rest of my life.”
Sasha threw her hands up in the air. “Okay, Miranda. It’s your life. And I get that, but I wouldn’t be your BFF if I didn’t try to talk you out of what I believe to be a mistake. But that’s it. I won’t say any more.”
“Thank you,” Miranda said. “Now can I please get back to my makeup?”
“Of course, we have to get you beautified for your big day.”
Time went by quickly when she opened the bedroom door. The makeup artist finished Miranda’s face and then the photographer arrived to take getting-ready pics. Soon, Sasha and her mother were helping Miranda into her wedding dress, putting on her jewelry, shoes and handing her her bouquet.
“Let’s say a quick prayer,” her mother said before they left. She and Sasha circled around Miranda, placing their hands on her, and her mother prayed that their marriage would be the blessing Miranda needed and would help secure her future. Miranda was nervous as they led her out of the suite, into the elevator and through the hotel toward the beach. Onlookers were watching as Miranda made her way in her one-of-kind gown with embroidered bodice of lace and beading and stunningly full tulle skirt.
Miranda hadn’t wanted a dress this grand, but Vaughn had wanted her to feel special and she did. The dress was everything she would have hoped for and loved to wear if she were getting married for real, but she wasn’t. Today, she would make vows in front of Vaughn, their families, close friends and acquaintances and Miranda couldn’t feel more like a fraud.
Perhaps Sasha was right. It wasn’t too late to walk away. But if she did, she’d walk away from her dream of being her own boss one day. She stopped walking, startling her mother and Sasha. “You guys go ahead, okay? I just need a minute.”
Sasha’s brown eyes met Miranda’s. She knew her better than anyone. Could she read the apprehension inside her? If she did, Sasha was remaining quiet because she had promised to be supportive for the rest of the day. And so her best friend stepped away with her mother, leaving Miranda some quiet time to think.
Miranda paced the corridor of the hotel that led to the breezeway. The beach was only a few feet away and she was sure Vaughn was standing there waiting for her in a tuxedo, probably looking fine as always. Was he as scared as she was? He certainly hadn’t given her any indication. As the days had drawn near to their wedding, he’d seemed surer than ever that they’d made the right decision. So what was holding her back? She was benefiting the most from their arrangement.
Was it possible her feelings for Vaughn weren’t as clear as they once were? Was she developing feelings for her pretend fiancé? And what did that mean for their marriage?
Miranda wrung her hands nervously together. She couldn’t leave Vaughn standing out there in front of all their family and friends. She had to go through with it. But first, she should check her makeup one final time before heading to him. Where was her maid of honor? Picking up the train of her dress, Miranda started down the breezeway, but then she caught sight of Sasha and Vaughn.
They were in the breezeway having a heated discussion. Miranda slid out of the line of vision, while still allowing her to see them. What were they talking about? From Miranda’s vantage point, Sasha was doing all the talking. Was she yet again trying to convince Vaughn to not go through with their marriage? What else could it be? She knew how strongly Sasha felt about Miranda marrying Vaughn. And when she hadn’t been successful with her, she’d gone to the groom! How could she do this? She’d promised Miranda she would stay out of it. What if she was successful and Vaughn didn’t want to go through with the wedding?
Miranda would be humiliated and she would be down to barely three weeks to find a new spouse. Tears sprang to her eyelids, but she clamped them down. No, no, no, this was not going to happen. “Sasha?” She called out her best friend’s name and saw her jump away from Vaughn. “Sasha, where are you?”
“Coming,” she heard Sasha say as she walked up the breezeway. Sasha was wearing a smile. What did it mean? “There you are. You almost saw your groom and we can’t have that. It would be bad luck.”
“No, we can’t.” Miranda couldn’t read Sasha’s expression. Was she putting on a good front or actually hopeful that this marriage wasn’t going to be a disaster?
“Alright, let’s get you over that broom.” Sasha walked behind Miranda to lift her train. Miranda just hoped that when she got down the aisle, there was a groom waiting for her.
* * *
His bride had never looked lovelier than she did when she began walking toward him. Vaughn’s heart constricted in his chest as Miranda glided down the aisle in a dress that was simply made for her. It hugged her every curve and revealed just a hint of cleavage before sweeping down to her hips until finally swelling out into a large train made of tulle. The look on her face as she approached him had been one of wonderment and, dare he think, happiness? Was she surprised to find him waiting at the altar?
He’d given his word that he would marry her, but perhaps as the seconds had ticked by, she’d begun to doubt his conviction? He hated to think so. He prided himself on being a man of honor. When he gave his word, he meant it.
And even as he said the traditional marriage vows, he meant them. For as long as Miranda was his wife, he would honor and cherish her, forsaking all others unless parted by death. And when the pastor from his family church pronounced them husband and wife and told Vaughn he could kiss his bride, he didn’t give her a chaste kiss.
Vaughn kissed Miranda as if they were madly in love with one another. He cupped her face between his hands and she stared up at him in awe, then he crushed his lips to hers. His kiss was deep and passionate and he would have probed further if not for the incessant clapping in the background which told him that he’d better stop. Otherwise, they’d pass the moment of decency.
He lifted his mouth and when he did, her eyes popped open, but she didn’t say a word. Instead, she allowed him to lead her down the aisle as they waved to the crowd. She was quiet as the wedding planner gave them a glass of champagne to toast their marriage. There was little time for congratulations as the photographer led them away from the cocktail hour being held on the Windsor Lawn so they could take pictures. The next hour was an arduous one for Vaughn. Thanks to the intimacy of the photographs, he and Miranda were required to kiss, touch and hold each other countless times, until Vaughn was a ball of unleashed sexual energy. He badly wanted to take Miranda back up to his room and make love to her until she cried out his name.
Instead, the planner heralded them into the reception in the hotel ballroom where they were greeted with lots of fanfare, congratulations and toasts. Together, they made their way around the room, thanking family and friends for coming. Her parents gave them best wishes, but Vaughn struggled to find them sincere. How could they allow Miranda to sell her life away? He found it hard to believe that they couldn’t have figured out a way to void her grandfather’s will.
They also stopped by the Millionaire Moguls’ table. He’d made sure to invite a select few of the members from his organization, all of whom offered their congratulations. Christopher Marland was there and that made Vaughn uneasy. He would have thought Christopher would decline given his history with Vaughn’s sister. Had Eliza seen Christopher? He sure hoped not; otherwise it might make for a very uncomfortable evening for her. Notably absent were Vaughn’s parents, but at least Miranda got to meet his three sisters. Emily and Brianne had come with their respective spouses, while his baby sister, Eliza, had come solo.
“We’re so excited to have you a
s part of the family.” Emily, his oldest sister, pulled Miranda into a hug later that evening. “We never thought this one—” she jabbed her thumb at Vaughn “—would ever get hitched.”
“Yeah, he had always been so anti-marriage, I thought we’d be old and gray before we saw the day.” Brianne chuckled. “But now look at him. He’s positively beaming.”
Miranda glanced in his direction and something passed in her eyes that he couldn’t quite name, but she smiled and said, “I’m an only child, so it’s exciting to be part of a large family like the Ellicotts.”
“And now our family has only gotten bigger,” Eliza added.
“Thanks, sis.” Vaughn squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “You’re looking lovely today, as well.”
Eliza was slender, but a stunning beauty at five foot nine. Her stylishly long hair hung in soft waves down her back and she was wearing a black dress that could only be called a work of art, thanks to three tiers of ruffles along the side.
“And you, big brother—” Eliza pulled him aside from the group “—are full of surprises. You know the Commander and Mom are beside themselves at your latest stunt.”
“It’s not a stunt, Eliza. As you can see, Miranda and I were married for real.”
“Yes, I know that,” she whispered. “But why all the subterfuge? Why are we just now meeting her?”
Vaughn refused to be questioned by his little sister, no matter how well intentioned. “You met her now and that’s all that matters. How are you doing, anyway? How’s life in San Diego after leaving the Big Apple?” Before the ceremony had started he’d been standing at the altar, looking at the guests, and had seen Eliza looking wistful. Was she wishing her life was different? That her relationship with Marland had lasted?
His San Diego Sweetheart Page 7