Misadventures of a Backup Bride

  He doesn’t believe that for a moment, but that’s fine—for now. The public confrontation is over. The reckoning will come later. Soon. In fact, it’s possible he’ll even find some way to maneuver a word with us in private before we leave the hotel this evening.

  When he sticks out a hand, Carson pumps it furiously. “You are.”

  “Let’s dance, Daddy.” Kendra pulls on the man’s arm.

  With a curt nod, Shaw takes his daughter’s hand and leads her onto the floor.

  I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Carson turns to me and cups my shoulders. “You all right?”

  “Yeah. I handled him pretty well until you approached. The rest of his questions we’d planned for and I didn’t have to outright lie,” I whisper in his ear. “But the last one…”

  “I know.” He brushes a kiss over my lips. “We should dance, too. Look like we’re having a good time. It’s probably the best place to have an uninterrupted conversation.”

  “You’re right.” I follow him onto the floor and brush my body against his as he takes my hand, swaying to an Ellie Goulding tune that’s both haunting and hopeful.

  I nestle closer and take a moment to close my eyes. My argument with Shaw was stressful, but being near Carson calms me.

  “What did he say to you before I crashed the conversation?”

  I fill him in with a shrug. “The truth is, I don’t think he’s a terrible guy. I think he actually means well where Kendra is concerned. But he’s going about everything the wrong way. Obviously, he’s used to telling people to jump and them asking immediately, ‘How high?’ When I didn’t follow suit, it frustrated him.”

  “That sounds about right. I don’t think he means to be an asshole, either. He wants to take care of his daughter. After my last conversation with her, I completely understand why.”

  “Yeah?” I look up into Carson’s blue eyes. I’ll never get tired of the view. “What did she want?”

  “I think I told you that before you arrived, I called Kendra to tell her that you were coming here so we could figure out our feelings for each other. We never talked much before that. Our engagement was arranged before we’d barely met. Apparently, she thought I was determined to make her my wife. Now that she knows otherwise, she’s opened up about her own feelings. Tonight, she wanted to tell me about Brayden, the ROTC officer she met on Tuesday, and their ‘ah-mazing’ spontaneous date last night.”

  I raise a brow at Carson. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “Apparently someone has a video of them kissing…um, vigorously, in the parking lot. Everyone here probably already knew except me, since I’ve been too busy with you.”

  “So she wanted to tell you herself?”

  He nods. “In all honesty, I don’t care. I want her to be happy, of course. But I’m not sure she’s mature enough to know what will make her life sunshine and rainbows. She has the body of a woman, but when it comes to men, she’s like a child with a basket of toys, swapping one out for another on a whim. Brayden is probably just the latest. Though I will say, she sounds more interested in him as a person than she has the others I’ve overheard her mooning about.”

  “The others?” My jaw drops. “Has she been dating the whole time you’ve been engaged?”

  “Dating might be a strong word. But flirting would be fair.”

  “Batting her lashes or actually getting to know them?”

  “Probably both. I’ve never asked, and she’s never confided. I wasn’t even aware until recently that she’d lose her trust fund if she bailed on me.”

  “Do you think she’s slept with other men?”

  “That’s something I’ve never asked. If I had to guess? Yeah. I didn’t exactly discourage her from seeing her friends, going to parties, or any of the usual college antics.”

  I gape at him. It’s terrible that neither he nor Kendra is devoted to each other in the slightest, but neither knows how to put the kibosh on their pending nuptials without losing everything they value.

  “So she wanted to tell you about Brayden. Because she suddenly wanted your blessing? I don’t understand.”

  “I think Kendra wants someone to confide in. She can’t tell her father that she thinks this one might be serious.”

  “How can she believe that? She’s only known him for a couple of days.” Instantly, I realize what I’ve said. I press my lips to his ear. “I know that’s technically true of us, too. But…I think we’re different.”

  He brushes his thumb across my cheek with a smile. “I think so, too. I’ll admit I’ve never heard Kendra as intent about a guy as she is about this one. Brayden doesn’t sound like her usual frat-boy crush, so maybe this is more than a flirtation or a fling. Anyway, she said that after watching you and me together as we walked in, she realized that—” He stops abruptly, frowns, pauses, and seems to regather himself. “Well, she suggested we work together to make everyone mutually happy.”

  I frown. What did he not say? “To dissuade her dad from forcing you two to get married?”

  “That sums it up.”

  “Great. How did she suggest you two do that?”

  “She didn’t,” he admits wryly. “She left it up to me to devise a plan.”

  “Naturally. Do you trust her?”

  “In a relationship?” He shakes his head. “But we have a common goal here, so in this case I believe she’s on our side.”

  Carson knows Kendra better than I do, so I’ll go with him on this. But I still have to ask one question. “You didn’t tell her anything about…us?”

  “Not a word. She’s not the malicious sort who would rat us out, but she’s not cautious enough to stay silent.”

  I agree. “So now what?”

  “We wait. We eat, drink, laugh, kiss, schmooze. And at the end of the night, I’ll confront Shaw.”

  Chapter Six

  CARSON

  The next three hours pass in agony. I feel Shaw’s eyes on us every moment of this gala. He’s across the table from Ella and me during dinner. He’s beside me as we each wait for our turn to speak at the center stage podium about this great cause. He’s following us as we head to the bar for another drink, work the room, dance some more… Finally, I glance at my watch. It’s nearly midnight, and my prospective father-in-law is still giving us the critical stare.

  When Ed Sheeran sounds over the speakers, I grab Ella’s hand. If the evening is going to end in disaster with Shaw refusing to believe that I have feelings for her, I don’t know what I’ll do next. If I sacrifice Sweet Darlin’, I’ll put over a thousand employees at five different plants out of work. I’ll fail in a task I studied to accomplish my entire academic career. I’ll end my late father’s dream.

  But goddamn it, I want Ella. I want to be with her more than I thought possible. We could have something real and strong and lasting if we simply had better circumstances.

  Since we don’t, I don’t know where that leaves us.

  “Hey,” Ella murmurs softly, her fingertips caressing the back of my neck, drifting over my shoulders. “Are you all right?”

  “Maybe.” I shake my head solemnly. “I don’t think Shaw is going to budge on the idea of marrying me off to his daughter for a stake of Sweet Darlin’, and I’m going round and round in my head.”

  “About what to do next?”

  I nod. “Kendra and I don’t belong together, and I’d like to spare us both the heartache. But I also know what my mom and stepdad would have said about the fact I’ve been lying to a man to whom I gave my word. I hate not doing the honorable thing.” I sigh. As long as I’m putting my cards on the table, I might as well show Ella the ones I tucked up my sleeve. “And now I’m worried about something else.” I cup her cheek. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  Her face softens. “I don’t want to lose you, either. To be honest, I didn’t expect all the feelings…”

  “Me, either.” I press my lips together in what I know must be a grim line. Everything about this moment feels
sadly inevitable. “I’m having these crazy thoughts…”

  Her brow furrows in concern. “Like what?”

  “If we tried to make this work for real, in the long run, how would we manage it so we could both be happy? Am I the only one thinking that way?”

  “No,” she whispers, to my relief. “Scenarios have crossed my mind, too. But I don’t have any answers.”

  “Yeah.” I shake my head in agreement. “No matter what we do, someone has to give up something big.”

  “We’re not in an easy position, are we?”

  We turn quiet, and I’m sure we both wish everything could be as simple as the last couple of days have been. Breathing with Ella is effortless. So is sleeping, laughing, talking, cuddling, eating…just being together.

  Why is everything suddenly so fucking complicated?

  As the song ends, I pull her close. I hate this feeling of being torn in multiple directions and having no control over my life. I want to damn Shaw. I even want to damn myself for being desperate enough to take his deal. But none of that changes where we are and the fact that I may have to make some difficult decisions after tonight. My earlier decision to put space between Ella and me seems more logical…but less possible. I’d far rather tell her how I feel and simply let the chips fall. We might not end up together, but at least I’ll know I was one hundred percent honest with her.

  “Let’s not worry right now,” she whispers, then she leans in to kiss me.

  Avoidance of the problem, I know. But as I meet her halfway and press my lips to hers, that sounds damn fine.

  The moment we kiss, the room seems to fade away. The music disappears. I’m left with only the sound of my beating heart and the feel of her clinging to my shoulders.

  In that moment, I want to give her my breath, my future, and my heart.

  I pull back, smooth a dark curl from her face, and swallow hard. “I think I’m in love with you.”

  Her face is blank for a terrible moment. Then excitement dances in her eyes. Her lips curl up in a joyous smile. Happiness brightens her whole face. I find myself smiling back.

  Ella blushes, bites her lip. “I think I’m in love with you, too.”

  She sobers for a moment, seeming to remember, as I do, that our feelings don’t change our circumstances. Someone is going to have to give up something in order for us to be together. Or we’ll have to part ways. There’s no way to have our cake and eat it, too.

  “Oh, how touching,” Gregory Shaw drawls as he dances Kendra across the floor in the opposite direction.

  Kendra sends me a pleading stare of apology. She’s trying…within the scope of what she can do. Her father doesn’t listen to her—or to anyone.

  “It is, actually,” I snarl because I’ve had enough of him manipulating me. “Stop spitting out the most sarcastic quip in every scenario and start caring more about the fact that you’re making everyone around you—even your own daughter—unhappy for the sake of some ambition or rivalry none of us even understands.” I stop dancing and grab Ella’s hand. “You know my heart is with Ella. But if you want to keep pushing and force me to marry Kendra, you’ll wind up with a disaster. I’ll bury myself in work to make sure you never gain another smidgen of influence at Sweet Darlin’. Don’t expect grandchildren. And don’t be surprised when your daughter sneaks around behind my back and breaks her marriage vows repeatedly. I won’t stop her because I know she’ll be looking for a deep, true love—something we don’t share. She’ll come to resent you for her loneliness and the impossible position you’ve put her in. She’ll run off the second she comes into her trust fund. There won’t be a damn thing either of us can do to stop her. So unless you want to see us in divorce court in three years, I suggest you find another tactic. Or go fuck yourself.” I tug on Ella’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  She follows me off the floor, squeezing my hand tightly in silent support. I don’t know who overheard us and I don’t care anymore. If I have to marry Kendra in fifteen days, it doesn’t matter if people know neither of us is happy before the vows. I’m sure it will be obvious as hell to them afterward.

  As I open the door for Ella, I’m so glad to escape the hotel. I give the valet my claim check. He dashes off and we wait to make our final escape.

  “That was a good speech,” she praises me.

  “It was the truth. I hope I didn’t just fuck everything up.”

  “What you said needed to be said. If Shaw doesn’t see how right you are, it’s because he doesn’t want to.”

  I nod. “But it also doesn’t change anything, sweetheart. I either have to break the deal altogether and come to you a poor man with nothing that resembles the means to make a productive livelihood or ask you to wait for Kendra to come into her trust fund when she’s twenty-five and I’ve managed to divorce her. That’s three years from now.”

  She must feel my tension because she fits herself against me, buffering me from the lash of hot wind and anger with a hug, cupping my cheek in her hand. “We don’t have to have all the answers tonight.”

  “No, but if we’re going to last, we need them soon.”

  Ella doesn’t argue. She knows I’m right.

  “I’m sorry,” I say into the silence.

  “For what?”

  “Dragging you into this hopeless situation. If I’d had any inkling we’d wind up here…”

  “In love and unable to see a way we can be together?” She caresses my face. “How could you have known?”

  “I called you, rather than someone else, because you made me feel something when we met.”

  “And besides the money, I said yes for the same reason.” She gives me a sad smile. “Even if we can’t stay together, I wouldn’t have missed spending this time with you for anything. I’ve looked for love for years without knowing what I want or need out of a relationship. Now, I do. I’ll probably never find it again,” she admits softly. “But at least I’ll know.”

  Damn it, how is this woman so amazing?

  The car arrives, and the valet helps Ella inside. We share a silent ride home, me steering with one hand and curling my fingers around hers with the other. All I can think about is being close to her.

  The trip seems like the longest fifteen minutes of my life, but we’re finally pulling up in front of my building. Without exchanging a word, we make our way through my door. The mood has a solemn excitement that confuses me. We both know our time may be limited to a number of days we can count with fingers and toes. But we’re together now, alone, aware that we’re falling for each other.

  She sets her purse on the hall table just inside the door. I toss my car keys beside it. Our stares meet. The pull between us tugs and pings. Our chemistry takes up all the air in the room.

  “Show me the zipper on your dress.”

  Ella turns her back to me, lifting her hands to unwind her hair from its elegant updo. As I pinch the tab and tug, parting the silk, her hair comes tumbling down, the long curls brushing the pale skin halfway down her back. I caress her shoulders, draping the delicate straps of her dress over her arms. The fabric is so silky it clings to her every curve as it slinks to the floor. Before I even speak, she steps out of the silken puddle, clad only in a strapless bra, a sexy-as-hell thong, and heels that make her legs look endless and lean.

  “Take off your panties,” I murmur in her ear, gratified when she shudders and complies. I unclasp her bra at the same time. They both litter the floor moments later, just beside her shimmering dress. But she’s still not naked, and I need her to be. “Shoes.”

  At my prompt, Ella steps out of them and onto the hardwood floor. She slides closer, until her backside cradles my front. She’s bare from head to toe, her soft skin abrading the fabric of my tux as I splay a palm over her abdomen and caress my way up to cradle her heavy breast. When I bend to kiss her neck, she tilts her head to give me more access to her graceful throat and lets loose a groan. I nip and suck at her while my other hand finds its way between her legs, fingers sinking b
etween her folds. She’s completely drenched.

  “Why so wet?” I ask as I toy with her clit. “What have you been thinking about, sweetheart?”