After the appropriate dramatic pause, Nikki and her dad started forward, the leaves rustling and crunching under their feet. When she passed the row with the Camp Wallakee girls, Nikki grinned and shot them a wink.
The ceremony was surprisingly short and the pastor spoke only a few words of advice before leading the couple through their vows. Erin had expected something a bit more dramatic, but it appeared Nikki and Darrin were content with short and sweet. They hadn’t even written their own vows.
After a long kiss, the beaming newlyweds turned to face the applause and cheers from the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Darrin and Dominique Pendleton,” the pastor announced while Nikki and her groom shared another kiss. “The couple will greet guests here on the mausoleum steps, then there are docents available if you’d like a tour of the cemetery,” the pastor continued. “If you prefer to skip the tour, there are cars waiting to take you directly to the Stratshire Club for cocktails and refreshments, then the reception will begin at six.”
Erin and her friends joined the line that had quickly formed. When they reached Nikki, she squealed and held out her arms. “My Wallakee girls!”
For a minute there was chaos as everyone tried to hug and talk at once, but after a few minutes Nikki glanced at the line of guests waiting to greet her. “Listen, I’ll see you at the reception, okay?” she smiled. “I put you all at the same table, so make sure to save me a spot.”
They promised and after a final hug, they moved away as a group to the cemetery road.
“So what do you think?” Erin asked, eyeing the group of black-clad docents waiting for tour requests.
Taylor huffed. “No offense to Nikki, but I really don’t want to traipse around a cemetery in these heels. I’d rather find some wine.”
The rest of the girls agreed, so they piled into one of the waiting limos. Erin slid along the black leather seat to the front to make room for everyone.
“One down,” she said in triumph.
“Almost two,” Alyssa put in. “Holly’s got her man.”
“And Taylor,” Lindsey added.
All eyes went to Taylor, who was staring fixedly out the window, even though the heavy tint made it hard to see much of anything. The unasked and unanswered question hung in the air. Does it count if you marry your billionaire, but then divorce him?
“Nikki looked so pretty,” Erin said quickly. “I loved the way her hair looked with the ivory veil.”
The girls launched into a conversation about the wedding, the dresses, the colors, the setting, and most especially, the groomsmen. Erin realized she wasn’t the only one hoping Darrin had some wealthy friends. Though what were the chances they would all get to marry their dream man? The odds were pretty good someone was going to end up embarrassing themselves at their reception.
Her mind drifted back to the day they’d made the pact. It had been raining for three days and the camp was a quagmire of mud. After lunch, the counselors, evidently tired of cleaning up muddy footprints and trying to entertain scraggly groups of increasingly bored teenage girls, ordered everyone to their cabins with orders to stay there.
They played several rounds of UNO, Phase Ten, and Dominos, and Erin and Kynley did an impromptu talent show, but by dinnertime, everyone was bored and hungry.
Erin couldn’t remember who came up with the idea of MASH (mansion, apartment, shack, house). Maryn handed out paper and they all listed four options for future dreams, including what kind of house they would have, who they would marry, where they would live, and how many children they would have. According to the rules, one of the options in each category had to be lame – like living in a shack, or ending up with two dozen children, or marrying a boy you couldn’t stand.
One by one, they took turns picking a number and crossing off the corresponding items on their lists until they were down to one option each.
“This is dumb,” someone, probably Holly, had finally said. “I’m definitely not going to live in a shack. My daddy says I’m going to marry a rich man and live in a mansion, end of story.”
Erin had looked at Holly in awe. Aside from a few who attended on grants, the girls all came from affluent families – you had to be well off to afford Camp Wallakee – but the idea that you could plan to marry money, was new to her.
“Me too,” Taylor had insisted.
“Let’s all promise to marry rich guys,” Erin said as inspiration struck. So the Billionaire Bride Pact was formed. They went around the room and each girl took her turn raising her hand and declaring, “I, ___________________, do solemnly swear that someday I’ll marry a billionaire.”
Lindsey drew up a contract and they all signed their names. As the years went by, they stayed in touch and eventually acknowledged that maybe billionaires was a little unrealistic. Nevertheless, they periodically reaffirmed their pledge to marry well.
And with Nikki’s wedding, they were underway.
Read more or buy The Passionate One here.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Additional Works by the Author
About the Author
Excerpt from The Passionate One
The Feisty One: A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance Page 18