Reality Wedding

by Laura Heffernan

  “Then why the makeover?”

  “Two things. One, my mom freaked when she saw the headlines. She believed me when I told her what happened, but insisted I improve my image.”

  I thought about how my mom would react to a headline about me having sex with two teenagers. Even legal teenagers. “Fair enough. Two?”

  “When I got out of school, I realized I didn’t want to go straight into the hotel business. I wanted to make something of myself first, see if I could be more than just the rich kid who caused trouble. I like weddings. And some day, this will all help me with events in our hotels. Win, win, win, you know?”

  The patio door slid open, and Rachel stuck her head out, mouthing an “OK?” over Logan’s shoulder. Birdie peeked out below her, and Ed’s head appeared above Rachel’s. I nodded and flashed a thumbs-up at them. Logan gave me a quizzical look, but didn’t turn around. My friends vanished from the doorway, but a second later, the door opened all the way, and the three of them passed by on their way to the pool.

  The warm water seemed inviting, stress-free. No fake dads or body paint lurked beneath the waves.

  “I get it,” I said. “Thanks, Logan. If the Network doesn’t need me right now, I’m going to join my friends.”

  He reached across the table as I stood, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand. His blue eyes filled with sincerity. “You’ve got a friend here, too, you know. Whenever you need one. I’ll do anything I can to help make this wedding go smoothly.”

  At least someone in the house was on my side. Maybe.

  Chapter 13

  Madison Green to Jen Reid:

  We’re flying out tonight! Can’t wait to see you!

  Jen Reid to Madison Green:

  Me, too! Is your flight okay? Half the wedding party is stranded due to Hurricane Cara.

  Madison Green to Jen Reid:

  I got a direct from JFK to LAX. Should be fine. Storm is way south.

  Jen Reid to Madison Green:

  Great! Can’t wait to see your beautiful baby.

  Madison Green to Jen Reid:

  We’ll see. I got 45 minutes of sleep last night. He might not make it to LA.

  Jen Reid to Madison Green:

  Please do not get arrested on the way to my wedding. Talky Ted would have a field day.

  Madison Green to Jen Reid:

  I’ll do my best. For you, of course.

  The next morning after breakfast, Logan took me around the grounds, pointing out his vision for the ceremony. It all sounded lovely, if exactly the same as when he last explained it. At least I felt calmer about the disaster this wedding was turning into after getting outside and walking around for a while.

  Our tour ended on the patio beside the pool. I waited while he told me again about rose petals on the pool and fairy lights spelling out “Jen & Justin 4-Eva.” At least they weren’t dyeing the pool water red as a testament to our love or something.

  “Everything sounds wonderful,” I said, trying to mean it. “Thank you for all the work you put into this.”

  “I’ve got a confession to make,” he said. “I didn’t just bring you out here so we could walk around the grounds.”

  “Oh, no? You didn’t want the joy of listening to me rant about the evilness of the Network and how annoying Joshua is for the past forty-five minutes?”

  He laughed, not the horrible forced sound he used on-air, but the real laugh saved for more private moments. I liked it. “Not that you aren’t delightful company, but no. There’s something else we need to talk about.”

  “Please tell me there isn’t more bad news about my cake.” My plan to call and order a real cake had been foiled by the simple fact that the Network had my purse—and all my credit cards—until filming wrapped up. I’d never managed to reach Sarah.

  “I’m going to assume you consider ‘it’s still going to be all natural’ to be terrible news.”

  “Yup,” I said. “What’s wrong now?”

  “I wouldn’t necessarily say wrong,” Logan said, “But I’ve got your vows here, and I don’t think you’re going to like them.”

  “What do you mean, I won’t like them? Did I imagine you helping me write vows the other day? Justin’s working on his, too.”

  “Yeah, I gave those to Janine, and she sent me back with this. She said your vows didn’t have enough ‘wow factor,’ and they wanted something people would remember.”

  “Wow factor? She said my vows needed wow factor? Is she high? Wedding vows should come from the heart.”

  Cartoon smoke must have been emerging from my ears, because Logan stepped away, stuffing the pages into his back pocket. “It’s no big deal. I can give them to you later.”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m sorry. You’re having a rough week. Let’s go do something fun.”

  Hands out, I approached. He stepped backward again, onto the cement edge of the pool. “Give me the pages, Logan. If it’s as bad as you say, we’ll do shots after.”

  “Actually, I lied,” he said smoothly, sidestepping me. “They’re wonderful. I’m sure you’ve always wanted to tell Justin that your love is as vast as the ocean, and that you pray you never have to make him walk the plank.”

  I stopped dead. “It doesn’t say that.”

  “Of course it doesn’t. Who would think because you got engaged on a cruise ship, you wanted vows full of nautical references? My personal favorite part is where Justin talks about embarking on life’s journey with you, praying for smooth waters.”

  His eyes twinkled, but he met my gaze squarely. Logan was highly amused at the train wreck…er, shipwreck…someone had made of my vows. But he wasn’t lying. Not about this.

  “We’re not going to say those things,” I said. “But you have to let me see it.”

  “If you’re not going to say them, what does it matter?”

  “Because I want to know what they’re going to dub over my actual vows when the show airs.”

  Laughing, I put my arms out, and again he moved away. This was getting ridiculous. I lunged forward, grabbing Logan by the wrist and pulling him toward me, harder than I meant to. Our bodies collided, and the firmness pressing against my stomach made my eyes widen. I looked up, prepared to demand the vows again, but impact of his body against mine knocked the words out of me.

  Instead of speaking, I reached my arms around Logan’s back, pulling him even closer. His pupils dilated. I pressed my boobs into him, watching his gaze drop to the top of my sundress. Logan’s hands found my hips.

  “You’re not laughing anymore,” he said.

  “Suddenly, things don’t seem very funny.”

  My hands moved down his back, tracing the firm muscles beneath his too-tight T-shirt. I slipped one hand into the pocket of his jeans, cupping his ass firmly with my right hand. As Logan dipped his head down toward my lips, my questing fingers found their prize in his other back pocket. Triumphantly, I pulled the vows out of Logan’s pocket and shoved away from him.

  My sudden movement threw him off balance. Logan stepped backward, his foot slipping into the open air above the pool. As he fell, his long fingers closed around my wrist. The two of us flew through the toward into the deep end. With my last coherent thought before we hit the surface, I tossed the papers behind me, hoping they landed on the deck so I could still read them.

  * * * *

  We landed with a splash. Cold water enveloped us. Chlorinated water filled my still-open mouth. My hair swarmed around me, blinding me with a mass of extensions. I put my hands out, wanting to put some distance between me and Logan before pushing for the surface. My palm came into contact with something firm, yet soft. It was only after the object began to grow and harden that I realized what I’d inadvertently grabbed.

  Snatching my hand away like I’d been burned, I planted my feet a
gainst the bottom of the eight-foot-deep pool, and stretched for the sunlight above me. One good kick, and I was out in the air again, coughing and sputtering. Despite the coolness of the water, my face burned when I emerged, gasping for breath.

  I didn’t want to see Logan’s face when he broke the surface. Instead, I swam for the stairs in the shallow end.

  On the other side of the pool, I gasped for breath, willing my racing heart to slow. So Logan had almost kissed me. It didn’t mean anything. I’d only gotten close to him to steal the vows. Vows he knew I’d tackle him to get if necessary. This was the guy who was famous for being a player. He’d probably perfected those moves in kindergarten. Standing a little too close, flirting a little too much.

  The memory of those pages made me turn to scan the water, but I didn’t like what I saw. Not the papers, Logan. His head broke the surface, gasping, then went back under. His arms flailed. Uh-oh. I didn’t know he couldn’t swim. He’d sat on the sidelines when we were splashing around, but I’d figured he had better things to do than join us.

  “Hold on, Logan!” I yelled. “I’m coming for you.”

  With a lunge, I pushed off the side of the pool, my arms and legs slicing through the water. Seconds later, I reached his side.

  “It’s okay, Logan. I’ve got you.”

  One of his flailing arms hit me in the eye, sending my head under the water. I tried to grab him, but he was moving around too much. His left hand tangled in my hair with a force that brought tears to my eyes. This would never work.

  Usually, when someone is hysterical, they say the answer is to slap them. However, the water slowed my movement, so instead of a slap, I found myself cupping Logan’s face, the brush of his stubble sending tingles up my arm.

  His wide eyes met mine beneath the surface, and the flailing stopped. A shiver went through me. Even though it was June, it was still morning, and this water chilled me to the bone. We needed to get out of here.

  “It’s okay,” I mouthed. “I’ve got you.”

  Logan was bigger than me, more muscular, heavier, and his clothes weighed him down. I tugged at him, managing to break the surface and gasp some air before he dragged me back down. This wasn’t working.

  When I was in college, they made everyone on the diving team take a lifeguarding course, but it had been years. I reached for his belt, pulling at the leather so I could tow him to the deck. Once the belt came free, Logan’s pants dropped, revealing very tight purple boxer briefs I never needed to see. My eyes went to his crotch involuntary, and my hand burned as if the earlier contact branded me. He kicked out of his shoes, letting the pants float away.

  Without the weight of his heavy shoes, we shot to the surface. I eggbeatered my legs, placing the leather belt into Logan’s hand while maintaining a safe distance. We couldn’t afford for him to keep pulling me under.

  “Hold this. Lie on your back.”

  He didn’t respond. I rolled him over myself, but his eyes were shut. Oh, no. Here I was distracted by the bulge in his pants, and my friend was drowning. What the hell was wrong with me?

  With not a second to lose, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and towed Logan to the shallow end. I pulled him up the steps, resting his head on the top. His eyes were still shut. I slapped him lightly.

  “Logan? Logan? Can you hear me?”

  No response.

  Tilting his head to the side, I opened his mouth. Water dribbled out. He wasn’t moving. Groping for his wrist, I found a pulse. But when I moved my head closer to his, I couldn’t hear any breathing. Couldn’t feel air against my cheek.

  With a deep breath, I plugged his nose with my left hand, and pressed my mouth to his.

  Logan moaned, a deep rumble in his throat. His strong arms came around me, pulling my body flush against his, and his lips moved beneath me. Before I could react, his tongue darted into my mouth, circling mine. This was not the response of a drowning man. I started to pull away, but Logan rolled, landing firmly on top of me, his crotch rubbing between my legs.

  Oh, hell. Technically, this was part of the Plan, but when Justin and I made the Plan, I’d never expected to feel so awkward. Logan’s lips mashed against my teeth until I could barely breathe. His tongue helicoptered around mine. He had the most enormous tongue in the world. Maybe he was in the Guinness World Records book for it. In stark contrast to his usual pleasant, musky scent, the stench of chlorine filled my nostrils.

  Kissing him back wasn’t even an option. I couldn’t move my head. There wasn’t room in my mouth for both our tongues. His teeth scraped mine. Not knowing what else to do, I whimpered. I tangled my hands into his hair, tugging slightly. When he pulled back enough for me to get a breath, I let out a breathy sigh.

  “Oh, Justin…”

  He jerked his head back, allowing glorious oxygen to rush into my lungs. “What did you say?”

  One hand went to my mouth. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “What the hell are you doing, kissing me and using some other guy’s name?”

  I suppressed a giggle at his outrage. “What are you doing, kissing me like that at all? I’m about to marry that other guy!”

  “Sweetheart, I hate to break it to you, but you kissed me.”

  “That’s called mouth-to-mouth,” I said. “I thought you were dying.”

  He smiled, a slow, sensual movement that reminded me of his entire body still pressed against mine. “Well, I’m glad to see you’ll miss me when I’m gone.”

  Rolling my eyes, I shoved at him. “Get off me. I was trying to save your life.”

  Even knowing it was okay, even knowing I could kiss Logan if I wanted for the show, it felt wrong. I wasn’t positive his feelings for me were pretend. He wasn’t some random guy. Logan was a friend. If his flirtation was more than an act for the cameras, taking advantage made me a horrible person.

  He raised himself up on his arms, allowing me to slither out from under him, pulling myself out of the pool. “I’ve never been a lifeguard, but I didn’t think mouth-to-mouth involved tongues and full-body contact.”

  “That was all you, bro.” I said. “Next time I’ll let you drown.”

  Ugh. Justin seriously owed me for this. The last thing I wanted to do when I came on the show was argue over who initiated the worst kiss of my life.

  The papers that started this whole mess sat beside the pool. Water covered most of the deck, but I still wanted to see what vows the Network wrote for me. Ignoring Logan, I swept the pages up with one hand and turned toward the house.

  “You keep telling yourself that.”

  The words brought me to a halt. I spun around. “What are you talking about?”

  “We’ve had a connection since day one.” Logan pulled himself out of the pool slowly, shedding water as he went. I tried not to notice the way his sodden shirt plastered itself to his muscular frame. The bulge in his drenched boxers. “Before we went into the water, you put your arms around me. You looked deep into my eyes, and I know you felt the same thing I did.”

  “I was trying to get the damn pages you were hiding behind your back,” I said, waving them in the air.

  That sensual smile never left his face. He kept walking toward me, a tiger stalking his prey. I was suddenly very aware of the way my very cold nipples pressed against my wet sundress. When Logan stood only a step away, he spoke again. This time his voice was low, like a caress. “You wanted to kiss me. I saw it in your eyes.”

  “You’re imagining things. I’m in love with Justin.”

  “Justin’s not here.”

  “I still love him!”

  “Maybe, but you want me,” he said. “And you know I want you. You felt it in the pool.”

  I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. He stepped closer again. His pupils obliterated the blue of his eyes.

  The producers must be giddy, watching us. I swallowed,
letting the air stretch and thicken between us.

  “I’m getting married in less than a week,” I finally said.

  “Maybe. Or maybe within the next week, you’ll be lying with me, our limbs tangled, breathing hard.” His lips nearly touched my ear. “We’ve gotten to know each other very well the last few days, and I think I’m falling in love with you, Jen.”

  A shiver went through me. I wanted to push him away, but couldn’t. This wasn’t part of the Plan. My whole body shook, whether with rage or the cold, I didn’t know. This needed to stop, immediately.

  Logan continued to speak, his voice moving along my jaw. “In a second, I’m going to kiss you again. You’re going to kiss me back. And you’re not going to be able to blame it on the vows, or the pool, or anything other than how badly you want me.”

  Justin and I talked about this. I could kiss him again. It would boost the ratings. It wasn’t cheating. It probably would be only the second-worst kiss of my life, if I were expecting it. But I didn’t want to kiss him. Not even when it wasn’t real.

  Joshua’s words by the pool the other day came rushing back to me. The words Ed and Rachel and even Koji all seemed to agree with: Did Logan have feelings for me? I assumed he was putting on an act for the show, but if he were sincere, playing with him wasn’t an option. I couldn’t allow myself to take that step as long as it might mean something to him. No matter how strongly I suspected he felt nothing, playing with Logan’s emotions wasn’t fair to him, to me, or to Justin.

  That thought finally broke through my stupor, bringing me back to reality. As Logan’s lips descended toward mine, I put one hand over his mouth. My voice shook. “No. You’re wrong. You may be an expert at seduction, but this isn’t going to happen.”

  Before he could change my mind, I turned and bolted for the house.

  Chapter 14

  Jen Reid to Justin Taylor: