Ayana was in her room getting ready to make her grand appearance. She had made up her face expertly, complete with false eyelashes. Hair extensions made her natural hair even longer, giving her a more glamorous look. Ed wanted an attendant to help her dress, but she insisted on being alone. Ayana needed to collect her thoughts before putting on the performance of her life. She stood at the foot of the bed in her underwear and peered down at the pearl-white wedding gown, which was spread out on the bed. There was no denying the dress was beautiful, with its hand-embroidered beading and lace. This was exactly the type of gown she would have chosen if she were marrying Brandon. She sat next to the dress and ran her hand over the duchess silk satin. The feel of the smooth fabric was calming.
Ayana glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Sixty minutes to showtime,” she said out loud and exhaled. A part of her wanted to get the show over with as soon as possible so that she could finally prove to Brandon that the wedding was just for ratings. She planned on showing him that the marriage license was never filed, rendering the union null and void. Ayana reached for the hotel phone. She wanted one last shot at talking to Brandon before he saw her in the wedding dress. The hurt she’d seen in his eyes during rehearsal would be even worse during the actual wedding, and Ayana thought that she could spare him the pain if he knew the truth.
“Hi, may I have Brandon Gilliam’s room, please?” she asked the operator.
“Hold on, please.” After a few seconds, the operator returned. “I’m sorry, miss, that line is busy. Would you like to call back in a few minutes?”
“Uh...okay, I’ll do that.” Ayana hung up and thought about calling Brandon on his cell phone, but he would probably ignore the call like he had done in New York. She desperately wanted to talk to him and reasoned that she could get in touch with him if she used the hotel phone. Ayana waited a few minutes and called the operator back.
“Hi, can you try Brandon Gilliam’s room again?”
“Sure. Hold on, please.”
After a few rings, Brandon picked up. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” she said sheepishly.
“Yeah, what do you want?” he asked coldly.
“We need to talk face-to-face before the wedding. What room are you in? I’ll come to you,” she said, speaking fast.
“You’re getting married in an hour. What’s there to talk about? This is a done deal. You’ve made your choice—now live with it. Goodbye, Ayana. Have a good life.” Click.
He hung up before she had a chance to explain the situation. Ayana felt like crying. The lie was killing her inside. Ayana had to do something and fast. She considered her options and realized the only thing to do was show Brandon the unauthorized marriage certificate. Maybe once he saw that the document didn’t have an official seal, he would believe her once and for all.
Ayana quickly slipped on the gown, zipped it up on the side, stepped into the white satin shoes, grabbed her key card and headed out the door. Ed’s suite was on the top floor of the hotel. She made her way down the hall to the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. When the doors opened, she stepped inside. An elderly couple stood near the row of buttons, dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts and holding souvenir bags.
“Oh, my, what a beautiful bride you are!” the woman said, putting her hand up to her mouth.
“I still remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. You were the most beautiful bride I had ever seen,” the man said, turning to his wife and smiling.
“Oh, aren’t you the sweetest?”
The husband kissed his wife on the cheek.
“We’ve been happily married for thirty-seven years. And I wish you and your groom the same type of bliss me and my Walter have found,” the lady said, holding on to her husband’s arm.
One look at them, and Ayana knew that true happiness was possible. Their love for each other was palpable. Ayana wanted her and Brandon to share that same type of love again. “Thank you. I plan on making that happen.”
Once the doors opened, she nearly leaped off the elevator. Ayana picked up the hem of the dress so that she could move faster, and dashed down the hallway. When she reached Ed’s suite, a bellhop was wheeling out a white, linen-covered dining cart. She quickly whisked past him. The suite was huge with a long L-shaped entryway. As Ayana was making her way toward the living room, she could hear voices.
“So what are you going to do about the license?”
Ayana stopped in her tracks at the sound of Steve’s voice.
“What do you mean?” Ed answered.
“I mean, you told Saturday that the marriage license wouldn’t be filed.”
“Yes, that was my initial plan, but the officials here said we couldn’t have a wedding without an actual license, so I had no choice but to file it.”
“The big question is...are you going to tell Saturday and Erick that the marriage is real?” Steve asked.
“I already talked to Erick and he’s okay going through with the wedding. He adores Saturday and would love nothing more than to marry her.”
Ayana’s knees nearly buckled. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her first instinct was to burst into the room and confront Ed, but this was her opportunity to learn what Ed was planning.
“Are you going to tell Saturday the truth?”
Ed started laughing. “Are you kidding? You know as well as I do that she won’t go along with this. She didn’t want to do a fake wedding, so do you honestly think she’ll be okay with an official wedding?”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right,” Ed said with an edge of cockiness to his voice.
And to think I saved his life, she thought, shaking her head. Ayana was hurt and disappointed. She’d thought that Ed was her friend, but the only thing he was loyal to was ratings.
Ed continued, “Besides, if the marriage doesn’t work out, they can always get an annulment. People do it every day.”
“That’s true,” Steve agreed.
Ayana had heard enough. She turned around and slowly walked out. As she made her way back to the elevator, she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that Ed was willing to dupe her into an arranged marriage for the sake of a stupid reality show. At that point, Ayana knew exactly what she had to do.
Chapter 28
The harpist softly strummed her harp strings, playing Bach as the guests arrived. Ed had hired local islanders as extras, so every chair at the ceremony was filled. The outdoor pool area was decorated with white and lavender roses. Large lavender bows were tied to the backs of white chairs and the gazebo was draped with white and lavender chiffon fabric that floated on the midday breeze. The entire scene looked like something out of a fairy tale.
Brandon sat in the last row, taking in the idyllic surroundings. He looked down at the lavender runner and couldn’t believe Ayana would be walking down that aisle on her way to marry another man. She had said that the proposal was for ratings and that she had told Erick before that she couldn’t marry him. But clearly that was one big lie.
How did things go so wrong? he thought. Brandon reached in his shirt pocket and took out the airline napkin. He gently unfolded it and read the front: Blissfully Yours, B. Then he turned it over and read Ayana’s writing: Blissfully Yours, A. He put the napkin to his lips and kissed the ruby-red lip imprint that she had made. Brandon knew this would be the last time he kissed her lips. His heart ached, but there was nothing he could do about it. Now he wished like hell that he had listened to what she had to say when she’d called his room earlier. She could have been calling to tell him that she wasn’t going through with the wedding, but now he would never know. It was too late for should’ve, would’ve, could’ves. He refolded the napkin and put it back in his pocket. That memento was all he had left from their time together and he planned on cherishing it forever. As he was sitting there feeling forlorn, his cell phone vibrated. Brandon’s heart started racing faster, thinki
ng it might be Ayana. He quickly retrieved the phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. His heart stopped racing. It wasn’t Ayana; it was his agent.
“Hey, Mario, what’s up?”
“Hi, Brandon. My assistant told me you called. Sorry I’m just getting back to you, but I was in Italy on my honeymoon.”
Damn! Is everybody getting married but me? “Congratulations, man. I didn’t even know you were engaged.”
“Well, it wasn’t a long engagement. We met at an industry function and had an instant attraction. I just knew she was the woman for me, and I didn’t want to wait around and chance somebody else swooping in and stealing my lady.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Brandon said, looking straight ahead at the altar.
“Well, I didn’t call to talk about my honeymoon. I have great news for you.”
“Good. I could use some good news right about now,” he said.
“It’s a good thing you only signed on to work on Divorced Divas for one season,” Mario said.
“And why is that?”
“I have an awesome deal on the table for you. It’s directing a 60 Minutes–type show for one of the majors. If you want the job, I can start negotiations right away.”
“Hell yeah, I want the job! The sooner I leave this train wreck of a show, the better.”
“Excellent. I’ll contact the executives at the station and get the paperwork going.”
“Thanks, Mario, for coming through for me.”
“Hey, man, that’s why I get paid the big bucks.” He laughed and then said, “Oh, I forgot to ask—why did you call?”
Brandon was momentarily so caught up with the news of his new gig that he forgot all about mentioning Ayana to his agent. For a split second he thought about forgetting the favor. Now that she was marrying a rich Swiss banker, she probably wouldn’t be interested in pursuing an acting career. However, he had made a promise to her and planned on keeping it.
“Are you taking on any new clients?”
“Yes, I’m always looking for talented people. Why? Do you have someone in mind?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Saturday Knight is looking for representation. She...”
“Oh, wait right there,” Mario said, cutting him off. “I said I’m looking for talent. I’m not interested in repping a soiled reality-show diva.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Brandon lowered his voice and put his hand over his mouth, careful not to be overheard. “Saturday Knight is a fake persona that Ayana Lewis puts on for the show.”
“What? Who’s Ayana Lewis?” Mario asked, confused.
“That’s Saturday’s real name. Ayana is a sweetheart and is nothing like the person you see on television.” As Brandon defended his former lover, he realized that he was still in love with her.
“Wow. So you’re telling me that whole routine is nothing but an act?”
“Yep, Ayana is a natural actress and would be an asset to your roster,” Brandon said, singing her praises.
“I would definitely say so. I really thought that was her true personality. Man, she had me fooled. Have her call my assistant and set up an appointment so we can talk.”
“Listen, why don’t I just give your assistant Ayana’s number instead?” Brandon suggested. He didn’t know if or when he and Ayana were going to speak again, and he didn’t want to stand in the way of her career.
“That’ll be fine. Talk to you later.”
“Okay, goodbye.” Although he and Ayana were no longer together, he was happy that he could fulfill at least that one promise.
“Why are you sitting all the way back here?” Ed asked, walking up to Brandon.
“What’s up, Ed?” he said, looking at the white linen pants and shirt he wore with a lavender scarf draped around his neck. Ed looked like a bride himself in his outfit.
“We’re ready to get started, and I need you in director mode. I want to start in five.”
Brandon exhaled hard. The moment that he had been dreading was finally here. “No problem.”
“I’ll have Gabby go get the girls,” Ed said, turning and scurrying away, his long lavender scarf floating on the breeze behind him.
Brandon went to his designated position, put on his headset and cued the crew, making sure everyone was in place and ready to shoot. From his position near the altar, but out of the camera’s frame, Brandon watched Erick and the minister walk onto the gazebo, which was an indication they were ready to begin.
“Okay, everyone. Ready in five, four, three, two, one. Action!” Brandon announced into his microphone.
On cue, out came Trista in a lavender halter dress, carrying a bouquet of white and lavender flowers. Brooke followed behind Trista, also wearing lavender, but her dress was sleeveless. Next was a tiny flower girl also in lavender. She tossed out white rose petals as she walked slowly up the aisle. Petra was a no-show. Brandon figured that she probably didn’t want any part in Saturday’s wedding.
Once the bridal party had made their way to the altar, the harpist stopped and the bridal march began. Everyone rose to their feet in honor of the bride.
Brandon watched Ayana glide down the aisle in a gorgeous white beaded gown. She looked like a traditional bride with layers of tulle covering her face. His mouth became dry, and his palms began sweating more and more the closer she got to the altar.
Oh, shit, this is really happening. He wanted to voice his objection before the minister had a chance to ask if anyone had “just cause” to stop the wedding. Brandon took a deep breath. But this was Ayana’s choice and there was nothing he could do about it.
When she reached the altar, the music stopped and the minister began speaking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage between this man and this woman.”
Brandon tuned out the minister’s words. Once the minister reached the vow part of the ceremony, a few words caught Brandon’s attention, bringing him out of his zone and back to reality. He couldn’t believe his ears. This must be some kind of mistake! Brandon listened as the minister asked them to repeat after him, and he then watched as they slipped platinum bands on each other’s fingers.
“...By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
A lump caught in Brandon’s throat as he watched Erick lift her veil.
Erick then kissed his new bride, Petra, on the lips, as the audience clapped. The happy couple then turned around and walked arm in arm down the aisle.
Brandon was dumbfounded. A million questions ran through his head, but most important, where was Ayana?
Once Erick and Petra disappeared inside the hotel, Brandon yelled, “Cut!” He took his headset off and raced toward the front of the hotel. He had to find Ayana and fast. He didn’t know what had happened, but he planned on finding out.
Chapter 29
Brandon searched the main floor of the hotel but didn’t see Ayana anywhere. He hurried to the front desk and asked the clerk to call up to Ayana’s room. He tapped his fingers on the counter while he waited.
“Sorry, sir, there was no answer.”
“What’s her room number? I can go and see if she’s upstairs.”
“Sorry, sir, we can’t give out the room numbers of our guests.”
“But it’s urgent that I see her,” he said with panic in his voice.
“I’m very sorry, but it’s against hotel policy to give out room numbers.”
Brandon sighed. He took out his cell phone and called Ayana, but his call went to her voice mail. “Hey, it’s me. Please call me as soon as you get this message.” He didn’t know what else to do. He was dying to talk to Ayana. First, he wanted to make sure she was okay, and second, he wanted to know the reason she hadn’t gone through with the wedding.
Since he couldn’t find Ayana, he went in search of Ed, who was no doubt behind switching brides at the twelfth hour. Brandon bolted through the doors of the Grand Ballroom, where the r
eception was being held, and made his way through the throng of people milling about drinking champagne and eating hors d’oeuvres.
“Where the hell have you been?” Ed asked, rushing up to Brandon. “We should have already started taping this reception. I spent good money to have the entire event filmed, not just the wedding.”
“Speaking of...what happened to Ayana?” Brandon asked, totally ignoring Ed’s comment.
“Ayana?” A shocked expression appeared on Ed’s face. “How do you know her real name?”
“Answer my question first. Where is she?”
Ed waved his manicured hand in the air. “I don’t have time to waste talking about her. Get your headset on and direct this reception. You are still under contract, remember?”
Brandon really wanted to tell Ed to shove his contract, but he didn’t want to walk off the set on the last day of filming. He was a professional and didn’t want the word getting out that he had abandoned a show. Brandon turned his back to Ed and went over to the cordoned-off area that was set up for the crew. He put on his headset and went into action.
The reception was a lavish affair, from a Moët & Chandon champagne fountain, to freshly caught seafood, to delicious Jamaican fare. There was a deejay and one of the island’s most popular reggae bands. Brandon could hardly concentrate on his job. His mind was intent on finding Ayana. She was somewhere on the island, but where?
“Would you like a glass of champagne?” Brooke asked, walking up to him with two glasses in her hands.
“No, thank you. I’m working.”
“So am I,” she said, taking a sip.
“Our jobs are totally different. You’re paid to party, and I’m paid to direct the party,” he said without making eye contact.
“Why are you so mean to me?” she asked, looking wounded.
Brandon turned and looked at her. “Brooke, I’m not trying to be mean. I’m in love with someone else, and I don’t want to lead you on.”
“I get it. I was in love once, and it’s a beautiful thing when two people are on the same page.”
Brandon listened to her words and only hoped that Ayana still felt the way he did. A lot had changed since they had left Jamaica. Brandon just hoped it wasn’t too late to win her back. “Yes, love can be beautiful.”
Blissfully Yours (Mills & Boon Kimani) Page 15