I take her hand confirming that I am Carly, but my voice doesn’t hide my confusion as to who she is.
“I’m Ava, Liam’s sister.”
Here’s something that reassures me a lot! I let out a quiet breath of relief and smile a little more confidently.
“Whoa!” she exclaims. “My brother was right, you’re beautiful!”
“Thank you.”
I look down blushing, shooting a quick glance to Liam behind her. He’s smiling as he walks up and kisses me tenderly.
“I thought she could go with you to find an outfit for the wedding,” he says. “My sister has an unbelievable talent when it comes to shopping.”
“I know all the best places along with the best sellers, and we can dine in this sublime coffee shop. It will be an amazing day!”
“Okay.”
I smile, but I’m a little intimidated by it all. More importantly, I’m mentally calculating whether I have the money for it all, but there’s no way I could explain to them that I don’t have that kind of money in my bank account; Liam would insist on paying and I’d feel really uncomfortable about it. After all, I want to keep some independency, as I have been insisting on this fact from the beginning. I have made a lot of tips recently with this whole Cinderella story, so I should be able to manage.
We begin our journey walking through a dress shop, and we go through it extensively. They’re all beautiful, but way overpriced! Damn, I’d need a whole month’s salary to just pay for half of one of these!
“You see, this is a very important event,” Ava explains, pushing one dress after another on the rack. “There will be plenty of very important people and celebrities, too. Everybody has been talking about this marriage for the past three months. All the newspapers and magazines will have their eyes on this ceremony. Women are already snatching up jewelry and the most luxurious dress they can get since they all want to be the most beautiful. Of course, it’s too late to have it made to measure, but we’ll find something.”
“Isn’t the bride supposed to be the most beautiful?”
Ava stops and turns to me, a compassionate expression on her face.
“Well, you’re lucky I’m here to help you. You’re going to get your head bitten off with that innocence and kindness. Here, it’s like this. Everyone wants to be the star, all the time; who lost the most weight, who has the best style, elegance and class, and who has the best date. There are many ways to be the center of attention without seeming to do it on purpose.”
“I think I’m just gonna get married far away in the Caribbean,” I say sarcastically.
No way that there is going to be all this drama about the best day of my life. Ava giggles, turning to me with a puzzled look on her face.
“No way my mother will let you do that!”
“Oh, I… I didn’t mean…”
I can’t finish my sentence. I didn’t necessarily think about Liam when I said that. I mean, I’ve known him for what, six weeks?
“I know, don’t worry. Still, you are a beautiful couple, and Liam hasn’t been the same since he met you.”
“Really?”
“He smiles, he laughs all the time, he is distracted, he sings… he’s becoming awkward.”
“Has he always been so… well, the way he was before?”
“You mean cold, distant and controlling?”
She shakes her head, taking a long, sky-blue dress out of the rack.
“No. You know, he’s always been a bit of a black sheep in the family.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes, at school he barely passed his classes. Mother was furious! She told him he was shaming our family.”
She hands me the dress while I enter into a fitting room.
“It wasn’t because he wasn’t brilliant,” she says. “On the contrary, he just simply loved partying with college girls a little too much, and it made my parents furious. I think that’s why he was doing it. Everyone feared he would end up a pizza delivery boy. Dad never wanted to give him a chance in his business because he feared bad publicity.”
“No way?”
“Oh, Liam never wanted to work for him anyway. He had his own projects and ideas, only he never told anyone.”
“What made him change so much?”
I’m already struggling with the corset of my dress that’s way too tight on my chest. I think it’s too small.
“A trip, I think. One day he went to Bolivia with a girl, and she introduced him to humanitarian work. He hated the experience, obviously, but I think it opened his eyes. When he returned, he founded a company to raise money and help underprivileged people. He developed good business connections and got the money to start his own business.”
She lets out a chuckle when I get out.
“My father was furious!”
“Why? He’s very successful.”
“Yes, and that’s precisely why he was furious. His son had done better than him in just three years. But it’s fine now…You know, I’m not sure about the color…”
“Me neither,” I confirm grinning. “And it’s too tight.”
“Yes, definitely. You need something more lively, more… Come with me!”
I go back into the dressing room and remove the dress to put on my normal clothes, and we leave for another shop. The dresses are a little less conservative here, more my age. Ava smiles at the saleswoman while I flip through a display of dresses. She returns moments later and guides me to the back of the shop. My gaze stops on a red velvet dress. Ava doesn’t seem convinced.
“Carly, we can do better than that.”
“I have no desire to steal the show,” I retort.
Especially since it’s fifty percent off. It’s two hundred and seventy-five dollars! Compared to the five and nine hundred dollars the others cost, it’s already more of a possibility for me.
I try it on. The fabric falls perfectly around my curves, stretching my waist and raising my breast with a nice push-up bustier. It’s long and fitted, but seductive and classy at the same time. My complexion is perfect with this color. I get out to show it to Ava, just out of politeness because I’ve already made up my mind.
“It’s not so bad,” she admits.
“Yes, I think it will be fine.”
“I’ll tell you what! A good pedicure, manicure, facial, and hair style with the right accessories, and you’ll steal the spotlight whether you like it or not.”
I take a deep breath, adding a few hundred dollars to what the dress is already going to cost me. Still, I absolutely don’t want to remind her that I’m poor, and that I don’t live the same lifestyle as them. After all, Liam’s family is rumored to be unforgivable, so I need to make a good impression. If I can have a friend among them, I’d better keep it! I will work some overtime, and I won’t have trouble convincing Cayden because I am the most demanded waitress.
We dine at a small bistro and fortunately, Ava insists on taking the bill. She tells me about her boyfriend, Derick, with whom she has been with for a little more than a year.
“His father, Yoan, is an important partner in my father’s company,” she says. “One evening, during a fundraising dinner, I met Derick. We danced all night long and we laughed and… Oh, he was so charming!”
I smile at the nostalgic tone she uses when speaking of him. I can tell she loves him very much.
“My mother was delighted, of course,” she adds, telling me about her parent’s reaction. “My father, too. ‘He’s a good party’, they said. We were lucky. You should have seen mother’s reaction when my brother introduced her to his bride!”
“She didn’t like her?”
She lets out a chuckle.
“Phelicia Bayer works for a rival company. We have long suspected that Karl had chosen her deliberately to upset our parents, but we soon realized it was serious. Besides, she had the ring on her finger when he brought her home.”
“Really?”
“They were dating for over two years and nobody knew.�
�
“I think I heard about that.”
She nods, remembering.
“Yes, journalists were all over it. However, Phelicia is not a tramp, she has never been pregnant, and they never married in secret at a drinking party, either…”
I laugh.
“Is there anything else I forgot?”
“Actually, I only read the headlines. I think it said that your brother and her had done it on a whim.”
We talk like this for a long time. She’s actually very nice and we get along very well. She explains to me how she majored in advertising studies in order to work for her father. She now runs the marketing team and is responsible for all their projects.
“What about you. Did you go to college?” she wonders.
I shake my head, shyly. Compared to her, I’m a total nobody; waitress in a restaurant with no real opportunities for advancement; minimum wage; no benefits or medical care; and not even a stable schedule. I think this is the first time I find myself dreaming of a better life and a better job.
“I work in catering,” I tell her.
“Oh yeah? For which company?”
“Umm… A small restaurant in Jersey City. I’m a waitress.”
She stops eating for a second, chewing so slowly. I realize she is wondering how to react. I thought Liam had already told her?
“Are you joking?”
“No. I… Well, this is my life.”
She falls back in her seat with a sigh.
“My mother is gonna go crazy,” she replies. “And you live in New York?”
I shake my head again.
“With a roommate in an apartment in Jersey City.”
She takes a deep breath, purses her lips together, looks down and then breathes out.
“You know, actually, I envy you,” she replies, breaking the awkward silence that had settled between us.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Neither do you. If you had my life and my family, you would understand better. I always wanted to be out on my own, make my own choices, and deserve everything that I have. You know, money buys many things, but none of it is worth the freedom that you have.”
She pauses and I can see an old family dispute in her expression. I gather that she is not where she wanted to be, but where her parents wanted her to be. As for me, I may never have had a family, but I’m free to make my own choices. I guess there is an upside to my situation.
I come back to my place where I sneak into my room so that Sean doesn’t see my shopping bags. He would worry I spent money I haven’t earned yet, and he would be right. But everything will be fine.
Fortunately, I wasn’t scheduled to work today. Ava was waiting for me this morning for a pedicure and manicure, a hair appointment, a facial and makeup application, and waxing; my whole body got it today. I look in the mirror before leaving my room and I don’t even recognize myself. My hair is placed in a chic bun over my head with some curls falling out of it. My makeup highlights my eyes and perfectly unifies my pale complexion. Two chandelier earrings hang from my ears, paired with a silver necklace.
“Please don’t tell me you spent this month’s rent on all this,” Sean tells me when he sees me come out of my bedroom.
“I look beautiful? Oh, thank you, how nice of you to notice, Sean,” I retort sarcastically.
He sighs. “You are beautiful, Carly.”
“Thank you.”
“What time does the ceremony begin?”
“In an hour. Liam will be here in”
The doorbell rings.
“Now,” I finish.
I approach the door to allow him to enter.
“So?” Sean insists about the rent.
“I know what I’m doing, don’t worry.”
“I hope you do.”
“I’ll convince Cayden to give me overtime this week.”
As I open the door to Liam, Sean has the decency not to add anything, keeping our financial problems to ourselves.
“Carly, you look beautiful!” exclaims Liam looking at me head to toe with wide eyes.
“Thank you! Since I’ll be with the most handsome man on earth, I had to meet the standards.”
Liam smiles and leans in to kiss me tenderly.
“You’re so sweet,” he whispers in my ear.
He looks up at Sean who greets him with a simple nod. I introduce them to each other and the climate lightens by the seconds. I sense a careful look at Sean from Liam, as if studying a rival, or rather the possibility of a rival. In fact, me and Sean is totally unthinkable; there’s just not that kind of chemistry between us. But I understand that Liam would be worried about it.
Ethan, shirtless, comes out of the kitchen and walks towards us.
“Take care of her,” he orders my suitor.
“She’s in good hands with me, don’t worry.”
I kiss my brother on the cheek before leaving. I notice that there is much less animosity between Ethan and Liam than during their first meeting. Maybe Ethan is beginning to understand that I really love him? However, I wonder what they told each other exactly when they spoke on the phone?
“Walker,” Ethan calls, motioning for Liam to follow him.
I’m stunned, not knowing what my brother wants with him. I hope he’s not going to give him a talk about bringing me home early or anything like that! Liam’s hand touches my back while he follows Ethan. Liam’s smile reassures me that everything will be fine.
I stare at Sean, wondering if he knows something about this, but my roommate just shrugs. We sit in the living room until they come back. To my amazement, the conversation lasted several minutes. I wonder what they had to say to each other that was taking so long?
When I finally see Liam come out of the kitchen, I let out a sigh of relief. He smiles, and so does my brother. Perhaps they became friends? I wouldn’t have thought this possible a few days earlier, but who knows.
“Are you ready?” Liam asks.
“Yes.”
I get up and walk with him out of the apartment.
Outside, his car is waiting for us along with Javen. My heart almost misses a beat in my chest seeing this luxurious car outside my apartment. This will certainly attract attention on us, but then I remember what we agreed on. We’re officially, publicly dating. People will know who I am, and it’s better that we don’t try to hide it so they won’t make a fuss out of it. On the other hand, the article about me will inevitably appear some day, because I will not accept my father’s offer. I prefer it to be on my terms, not Richard’s.
“What did you and Ethan talk about?” I ask as I sit in the back with Liam.
“He wanted to ensure that no picture of you is published in magazines.”
I sigh.
“I’m sorry about that. He’s my big brother and…”
“Don’t be,” he interrupts. “I have great respect for him and what he did for you. I can only be grateful to him for protecting you and for loving you so much.”
“I know. Only sometimes I feel as he suffocates me, so if you’re in on it, too… Oh, please don’t become like him!”
He chuckles before pulling me against him and pressing a kiss on my head.
“I’ll try, I promise.”
“So what do I need to know about your family?” I ask.
Liam takes a deep breath, thinking for a second.
“That it’s not personal.”
“Okay… That’s supposed to encourage me?”
“Hey, I never said this would be easy. But don’t worry, Ava loves you, my brother will love you, and I won’t leave you.”
I take a deep breath to relax, and we arrive at this huge castle with towering fences that was rented for the occasion. A valet team is at work to park the expensive cars stopping in front of the entrance.
Liam comes out of the car along with Javen, and he gives him instructions that I don’t understand from the inside. He opens the door for me.
“Everything
will be fine,” he assures me, smiling.
As with every time I see him smile, a comforting warmth immediately spreads over my body.
“Liam?”
“Yes?”
“What do they know about me exactly?”
He stares at me for a moment.
“Practically nothing. Why?”
“I don’t intend to lie to them, I just wanted to know what to expect.”
“Okay.”
With that, I grab his offered arm to climb the stairs.
“Liam, darling!” exclaims a lady who awaits us at the top.
She has long brown hair, a pale complexion and visible face-lifts and Botox around her eyes and lips. She’s wearing a long, orange dress with a pearl necklace and matching earrings. Although she smiles at us, her look cries danger; she almost looks like a panther ready to pounce and shred its prey. I swallow. It’s his mother.
“Hi mother,” Liam greets, kissing her cheek.
Immediately, the woman’s attention lands on me.
“And you must be Carly?”
I nod, forcing myself to smile as naturally as possible, but deep down, my whole body is trembling.
“Pleasure to meet you,” I say, holding out my hand.
“Well, my son certainly has not exaggerated your beauty.”
She smiles proudly towards Liam and I let out a breath of relief. I’m still alive. Well, maybe what people say about Aubelia Walker is a little exaggerated.
“Will your parents be present today?” she asks me.
“My parents?”
I almost choke on my words. Of course my adoptive parents won’t be here, but my father… I don’t know. Actually, he probably will. I hadn’t really thought about it, but his family is definitely on the guest list everyone is.
“Um, I…”
I turn to Liam. I promised not to lie, but it wouldn’t be lying to say that I’m Richard Lexington’s daughter, although I swore to myself never to be. It would be incredibly hypocritical of me to say today that I am, only to deny it tomorrow.
“They died, unfortunately,” I tell her. “A car accident.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay, I was very young.”
“It probably explains why I don’t know you.”
I don’t dare to answer that. Obviously, she knows everyone that’s upper-class and I’m definitely not apart of that. At that moment, a man in his fifties comes up behind her wearing a tuxedo that suits him perfectly, flashing an honest and warm smile. A loving, but in-charge look on his face, much like Liam’s. He’s very attractive for his age. His hair hasn’t lost any of its dark color and his eyes are of the same blue as his son’s; Liam definitely looks more like his father than his mother.
A Borrowed Life (Carly and Liam #1) Page 20