“Can I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “I thought that was the purpose of this.”
“My aunts…they would never accept the money if they knew why we were doing this. If they found out—”
“No one needs to know the truth.”
“But they would expect there to be a proper wedding. They’d want to help plan it.”
“I thought we’d just go to the justice of the peace.”
I half nodded. “But my aunts and my friend Lisa, they won’t believe this is real if we don’t at least have a party, or something. They know me. They know I’ve dreamed of a big wedding since I was a little girl. To run off and elope…they know that’s not me.”
“Then what do you propose?”
“A small wedding in my aunts’ backyard?”
“It would take time to pull together a wedding. I need this to happen in the next two weeks.”
“Why the rush?”
That tightness came to his face again. I knew he wouldn’t answer, so I wasn’t surprised when he leaned forward and groaned. “If you can pull it together by the end of next week…”
“I can.”
“And we have to have a priest. My mother will not accept this whole sham if we don’t have a priest officiate.”
There was resignation to his voice that was beginning to sound a little familiar.
“No problem. My aunts attend St. Michael’s over on Third Street. I’m sure Father Brian would be more than happy to do it.”
Miles waved his hand at the paper still sitting in front of me. “So, sign the contract and we’ll get this thing going. Just tell me what I have to do.”
I signed with a flourish, growing excited despite myself.
Maybe this wouldn’t be the disaster I had feared.
Chapter 5
My hands shook as I reached up to pin the lacy veil to my hair.
“Let me do it.” Aunt Edna smiled at me in the mirror as she walked up behind me. She took the bobby pins and pressed her hand to the top of my head, positioning the veil just right.
“I’m so glad you decided to go with mother’s veil. It looks so nice with this dress.”
“Do you think so?”
She caught my eye in the mirror again. “You are a beautiful bride.”
Tears filled my eyes, but not for the reason Aunt Edna obviously assumed. She patted my shoulder softly as Aunt Colleen walked up beside her and grabbed a box of tissues from the top of my dressing table.
“Don’t ruin your face, my dear,” Aunt Colleen said, as she handed me a tissue.
I pressed it to my eye, catching a tear as it spilled.
This should have been the best day of my life. This was supposed to be the day I pledged to love, honor, and obey my soulmate. Instead, I was making a mockery of the whole thing by marrying a man I barely knew for money.
What did that make me?
I’d picked up the phone a dozen times last night to call this whole thing off. However, I knew Miles wouldn’t go for it. Besides, he’d already paid the mortgage on my aunts’ house. I was planning to give them the deed before we left for our honeymoon.
Honeymoon. It was actually a quick trip to Florida so that he could check out a building there that had been built using some advanced, environmentally friendly techniques that he was thinking of having his company adopt. He said it was a perfect cover, what with us trying to convince the whole world that our marriage was real.
It’d hit the tabloids on the internet two days ago. He swore it wasn’t him. However, he’d told his parents and his siblings about his upcoming wedding, so maybe one of them had done it. I suspected it was him and that he was lying for the same reason he continued to refuse to tell me why this was necessary in the first place. I’d had to quit my job a day earlier than planned because reporters kept calling the manager and tying up the phone lines. He hadn’t appreciated it much.
It was out of my realm of reality, all this attention I was suddenly getting. I’d told Lisa and my aunts. That was it. But now…the whole world knew and everyone wanted to know who I was. No one had ever cared who I was before.
Lisa was beyond excited. She was in the bathroom right now, fixing her face for the third time. When she heard that Miles had his best friend, Colin Parsons, coming to act as his best man, her mind immediately jumped to romance.
“Wouldn’t it be so cool if the best man at your wedding ended up with me?” she’d asked.
It didn’t hurt that Colin Parsons also happened to be the hottest new face in Hollywood at the moment. At least the excitement of meeting him had distracted Lisa from the fact that I’d only known Miles a few weeks. I introduced Miles to both Lisa and my aunts over dinner at a local restaurant. Miles was polite, even charming. And Lisa was blown away by him. My aunts had no clue that his family was one of the oldest and most respected in the country, let alone who he might have been engaged to a few months ago. But Lisa knew. She giggled whenever he looked at her, and she tried to ask a bunch of questions about Claire Watson, but he carefully redirected the conversation each time he saw her moving in that direction. But when it was all said and done…
How long have you known him? Where did you meet him? Why are you rushing into marriage? Are you pregnant?
It was overwhelming. I should have gone along with the eloping thing. At least then I wouldn’t have had to answer those questions until after everything was said and done. And I wouldn’t feel as though I were perpetuating a fraud on everyone I cared about.
Aunt Edna finished fastening the veil to the top of my head. I stood and moved to the full-length mirror that hung on the back of my closet door. I almost didn’t recognize myself. My mahogany hair was pulled back into a French knot, a few curls just touching my forehead and covering the tops of my ears. Lisa had done my makeup. It was a little heavier than I usually liked, but it was tasteful, pulling out the color of my eyes and making them look wider than they normally appeared. And my dress…I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. When I went shopping with Lisa last week, I hadn’t expected to get anything near to what I wanted. But this was perfect. It was white satin with a sweetheart bodice and a high waist, the skirt flowing into an almost bell shape that flattered my hips rather than making them seem wider than they really were. It wasn’t the belle of the ball type of dress I’d always dreamed of, but it was close enough so that I felt like an angel wearing it. And the veil was the icing on the cake, old lace that my great-grandmother made herself for my grandmother’s wedding.
It would all be so perfect if only…
“It’s about that time,” Aunt Colleen said, moving up behind me, tears in her eyes.
“You are so beautiful,” Aunt Edna said at my other elbow, also wiping away tears.
It was almost too much. But then I thought of them packing boxes, moving out of the house they’d always lived in and going to some facility where they wouldn’t be cared for as well as they could be here, and I knew I had no choice. I took a deep breath and nodded as I turned to face the door.
“Let’s go.”
Lisa stepped out of the bathroom at that moment, nerves like what I should have been feeling crisscrossing her normally relaxed face.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she said.
***
The backyard had been transformed into some sort of wedding day dream. There was a white arch at the end of a path created with a fine, red cloth and rose petals. There were red ribbons on everything with rose stems weaved through them, decorating the guest chairs, the arch, even the lapels of the three gentlemen who stood beside the makeshift altar: Father Brian, Colin Parsons, and Miles.
Lisa gasped when she saw the guys in their tuxes. I had to admit that Colin was attractive. He was blond with blue eyes, a bigger, more muscular version of Brad Pitt. But not really my type. Lisa, on the other hand, was Miles’ type. I found myself watching his eyes as she walked slowly down the aisle in her short, red dress. However, he wasn’t looking at he
r. His attention was drawn to someone seated to his right.
There was a decent crowd at our little, impromptu wedding. I recognized Joan Tarek sitting just to Miles’ left. And a few of the other people I’d seen in the office—architects, secretaries, and others whose roles with his company I didn’t yet know. My aunts had invited their bridge buddies and the ladies from their book club. There was the guy who brought their groceries twice a week and their doctor—a kindly man who was so patient with them that he probably deserved some sort of medal. And Lisa’s brothers sitting with their significant others—those who had them—and their parents.
There were a few others I didn’t recognize, including the dark-haired woman Miles was staring at. I could only see the back of her head and the curve of her jaw. I couldn’t imagine who she was or why she was here. But Miles seemed unsettled by her presence.
The music changed as Lisa arrived at the altar, and Colin took her arm to lead her into position. It was my turn. I had considered having my aunts walk me down the aisle. But I didn’t want to waste that sentiment on this. So I decided to walk alone. And, in this moment, I was regretting it.
My knees were shaking, and my feet didn’t seem to know how to take a step. I bit my bottom lip, and then remembered the lipstick Lisa told me to be aware of, not to eat it off. Heads were turning in my direction, and I just felt that much more rooted to the spot. I was panicking, even as I willed myself to move. Little titters rose in the air around me as Lisa’s brothers began to laugh behind their hands. My heart was pounding, and I simply couldn’t move.
And then Miles was there, his hands gentle as he touched my upper arms.
“You okay?”
I couldn’t even shake my head. I was so lost in my panic that I it was like I was paralyzed. He ran his hands slowly up and down my arms, the heat of his touch bringing back some sense of feeling. His eyes never left mine as he said quietly, “One step at a time, okay? Just follow me.”
He began to walk backward and, by some miracle, my body remembered what to do. I followed him as he walked backward, his hand slowly slipping down to mine, his fingers intertwining with mine. He stepped back and turned, walking beside me as we approached the altar. My heart began to pound again, beating so quickly that I couldn’t hear anything for the roar it created in my ears. But then Miles leaned close and whispered, “It’s almost over.”
I held on to that thought as the priest began the ceremony.
***
“Can you believe you’re really married?”
No. That’s what I wanted to say. I couldn’t believe it. The whole thing was so bizarre. I couldn’t even remember the ceremony. All my mind could focus on was the feel of Miles’ hand in mine, the feel of his sweat that proved he was just as nervous as I was. But I couldn’t remember the words, couldn’t remember repeating them to Father Brian. Couldn’t remember anything about it until we were walking down the aisle again, his hand on the small of my back.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I remembered the kiss.
I remembered how soft his lips were. I remember thinking they shouldn’t be that soft. And then I remembered all thought disappearing, as he drew me closer to him and the tip of his tongue brushed against my lips. I remembered the way my body responded to him, the way my belly fluttered and my heart skipped a beat. I remembered that I wanted it to go on forever, and when he pulled away it was like he’d taken away a gift he never should have offered in the first place. And I remembered the little spark of surprise in his eyes, as he looked at me in the seconds after that kiss.
I touched my lips now, the memory almost overwhelming for a second.
“You okay?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“Did you pack a bikini? I mean, I don’t suppose you’ll need many clothes on this little honeymoon, but it never hurts to pack a few essentials.”
“I have a bathing suit.”
“Tell me you didn’t pack that old, black one-piece that you wear every summer?” Lisa groaned without waiting for an answer because she knew me too well to expect a denial. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“This whole seduction game. Just because you got the guy, doesn’t mean you don’t have to keep working at it. You have to make the man happy he chose you.”
“I think Miles understands better than I do why he chose me.”
Lisa didn’t seem to hear me. She was too busy rooting around in her backpack. A second later she mumbled something I couldn’t hear and came back over, a small bag in her hands.
“Here,” she said, shoving it at me.
“What is this?”
“A wedding gift. Don’t open it until you get to the hotel, okay?”
“Lisa…”
“Go on, now,” she said, pushing me toward the door. “Your husband is waiting downstairs.”
I grabbed my overnight bag, nearly tripping over my own feet as she gave me another shove. I’d changed into a white pant suit that my aunts insisted was the proper attire for a honeymoon trip. The ceremony had only ended an hour ago, but Miles was in a hurry to get to Florida. Lisa followed me down the stairs, her back growing a little stiffer, her posture a little straighter, when she saw Miles talking to Colin at the bottom of the stairs. The dark-haired woman was there, too, her face still turned away from me. She hadn’t come to congratulate Miles and me after the ceremony like everyone else, choosing to remain in her seat as everyone else milled around, enjoying the refreshments my aunts had worked all night putting together. But she was here now, and Miles seemed to be deep in conversation with her.
Colin spotted us and touched Miles’ shoulder. He turned, his eyes unreadable as he watched me come toward him.
He seemed as frozen as I had been earlier. Colin moved around him and slid the bag from my shoulder, smiling politely as he said, “Let me take that.”
“Thank you.”
Lisa moved up beside him. “Such a gentleman,” I heard her say as the two of them moved off, stepping deeper into the entry hall.
But my eyes were glued to Miles. There was something about the way he was watching me that felt different. Like something had changed between us that he didn’t bother to explain to me. Maybe it was just the stress of the day. Or maybe I was seeing things where they didn’t exist. But he seemed more aware of me than he had been before.
He continued to stare at me even after I stepped onto the laminated floor of the entry hall. I smiled softly, not sure what else to do. And then the dark-haired woman moved around him and I suddenly realized who she was.
“We haven’t had a chance to meet,” she said with a smile of her own. “I’m Lila Gardner, Miles’—”
“Sister.” At the slight frown that word produced, I said, “I recognize you from pictures.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Didn’t realize you were that sentimental, brother,” she said, pushing her shoulder into his side.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, darling,” Miles said, as he slid his arm around her shoulders.
“I didn’t realize you were going to be here,” I said.
Lila looked up at Miles. “If it was up to my brother, I wouldn’t be. He didn’t bother to tell anyone about his nuptials. I actually found out from the internet. A well-timed call to Joan, and I was able to get here in time.”
“I’m glad you did. I told Miles we shouldn’t do this without his family.”
Miles’ eyes narrowed slightly. “And I told you we could do a bigger ceremony for them later. I just wanted to get married.”
I pressed my hand to his chest and moved closer to him. “Well, so did I.”
He hesitated just slightly, but then he slid his free arm around me, tugging me closer to him. And then he pressed a kiss to the top of my head, the movement almost natural, like we’d actually shared little gestures of affection before.
Lila watched us, a touch of weariness in her gaze, but then she pulled back and smiled a smile that did
n’t quite reach her eyes.
“Well, I understand you have a plane to catch, so don’t let me get in your way.”
“I’m glad you came,” Miles said, moving around me to give her a hug.
Lila pressed her face to his shoulder for a long second. “I just wanted to make sure you were really okay. I know—”
“We’ll talk about all that later.”
Tension burned between them for reasons I couldn’t even begin to understand. And then she nodded, rising up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the end of his nose.
“Call me when you get back to town.”
“Of course.”
She turned to me and took my hand, drawing me close to her.
“Take care of him. He doesn’t always do it himself.”
I nodded. “I will.”
She glanced at Miles again, worry clear in every fine line of her face. But she didn’t say anything else and didn’t touch him again. She walked away, joining Lisa, Colin, and the others on the front steps of my aunts’ house.
It was time to go.
Miles didn’t even look at me as he took my hand and led the way to the car.
Chapter 6
I didn’t know what to expect on my wedding night. I knew that it wouldn’t be traditional, but I didn’t expect to spend it with a surly man who wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence. The moment we were alone, he shut down. It was as if I’d played the role he’d asked me to play, but now he was done. He was silent on the flight, silent on the car ride to the hotel, and silent as we rode up the elevator to our suite with the bellboy. The moment we were alone, he went to the bar and pored himself a hefty glass of whiskey. I stood there and watched him for a minute, not sure what I was supposed to do.
“You want a drink?” he asked.
I shook my head, but his back was to me so he couldn’t see it. He turned, his eyes almost cruel, as they found me standing there, still dressed in white, clutching the handle of my clutch.
BOUGHT: A Standalone Romance Page 63