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“Thisis the hundred-dollar dress?” Levi asked as I moved close to him.
I shrugged. I’d had it altered to fit me to a T, yet my skin itched, wondering if the people staring at me were finding something wrong with how I looked. “Does it look okay?”
“It doesn’t just look okay. It’s fucking stunning.”
“Thanks,” I said. His words meant more than I wanted to let on.
Our officiant cleared his throat, and I stepped into my position. Our vows were going to be short and to the point. We had agreed on something that represented joining lives, but I didn’t care much for the words themselves, so Levi had taken care of it.
All I could do was half listen as the officiant spoke about love and happiness. I knew I might start crying if I looked out at the crowd.
“Amy.” The officiant’s words were soft, yet I jolted anyway. “Do you take Levi to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I put what I hoped was a relaxed smile on my face and nodded. “I do.”
“And do you take Amy to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I do.”
“Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
I leaned in, heart still skipping a beat as he got close. Our guests clapped, but my eyes were stuck on him. His lips pressed against mine and my brain whited out again, choosing to focus on one stupid sentence.
This is forever.
I pulled away and shook off the thought.
No, brain. This wasn’t forever. This was a plan for revenge. I was tied to a man who only wanted me for my brother. There was nothing else.
But then he smiled so wide his eyes crinkled, and for one second, I could pretend that he wanted this.
That he wantedme.
And it was fake. No one wanted me. Not in the beginning, middle, or end of my story. I’d long since made peace with this fact of my life.
But I didn’t realize how easy it would be to pretend that things were different.
Chapter Eleven
I didn’t thinkthings could get worse, but then I saw Mom and Dad glaring at me, and my heart nearly stopped.
I had a grip on Levi’s hand and it tightened the second I saw them.
And he noticed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“This is a lot of attention. Everyone’s looking at me.”
I could tell he didn’t get it, and I didn’t blame him. Half of it didn’t make sense tome.I was prepared to force myself to deal with it, but then Levi tugged me away.
“Sorry, everyone. Need a second with my wife.”
There was a sound of a wolf whistle, and I heard Nancy yell, “Isra,no!”
It almost made me laugh as I was pulled into the house.
While I was alone, I was able to catch my breath.