Page 9

On my wedding day, I woke at four a.m., the same as any other morning. For a moment, I lay perfectly still, eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to convince myself this was just another day. In seven hours, I would be married to a man I barely knew—a man who'd purchased me like one would purchase a comfortable piece of furniture.

"Purchased is harsh," I whispered to myself. "It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."

I hauled myself out of bed, dressed in my usual jeans and t-shirt, and headed to the bakery. If today was going to be bizarre, I at least needed these few hours of normalcy.

The bakery was silent and dark when I arrived, exactly as it had been every morning for the past three years. I flipped on the lights, turned on the ovens, and pulled out the dough that had been proofing overnight. The familiar routine settled my nerves: weighing, mixing, kneading. The physical work of baking had always been my anchor.

By six, the first batch of pastries was cooling, their buttery scent filling the air. I'd told my part-time morning staff that I was moving in with a new boyfriend today, but hadn't mentioned the marriage. That conversation could wait—preferably until after I'd processed it myself.

"Something smells amazing," called a voice from the front. Chloe appeared in the kitchen doorway, holding two coffees. Her keen eyes assessed me immediately. "You look like hell."

"Thanks. Just what every bride wants to hear." I accepted the coffee gratefully.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Does staring at the ceiling for six hours count?" I pulled another tray from the oven. "I kept thinking about Grandma Rose. What would she say if she knew I was essentially selling myself to save her bakery?"

Chloe hopped onto a stool, blowing on her coffee. "She'd say you're resourceful as hell. And that men have been getting the better end of marriage deals for centuries, so it's about time the tables turned."

That surprised a laugh out of me. "She would say exactly that."

We worked side by side for the next hour, preparing for the morning rush. I'd made more pastries than usual, unsure when I'd be back. As I boxed up my favorite aprons and essential baking tools, reality started sinking in.

"What if this is a huge mistake?" I whispered, staring at my grandmother's rolling pin in my hands.

Chloe stopped what she was doing and faced me directly. "It probably is. But you know what? Sometimes huge mistakes are exactly what we need."

"That's terrible advice."

"True," she grinned, "but it's authentic. Look, you're saving the bakery. That's what matters. And it's only for three months. Just... be careful."

"Careful?"

"With your heart." Her expression turned serious. "I saw how you looked at him yesterday. The ice man is hot, I get it. Just remember this is business for him. Don't fall for someone who's literally paying you to pretend."

"I'm not going to fall for him," I scoffed. "He's arrogant and cold and—"

The bell above the front door jangled, cutting me off. Chloe peeked through the kitchen door window and grimaced. "Speaking of complications... your aunt is here."

My stomach dropped. "Aunt Carol? Now?"

Before I could hide my half-packed box, my aunt's cheerful voice echoed through the bakery. "Sienna Rose! Where's my favorite niece?"

I plastered on a smile as Aunt Carol bustled into the kitchen. After my parents moved to Italy, Aunt Carol had stepped in as my surrogate mother, helping with the bakery renovation and checking in regularly. She was the last person I wanted to lie to.

"There you are!" She enveloped me in a hug that smelled of her signature lavender perfume. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd surprise you with—" She froze, her eyes locked on my left hand where the engagement ring glinted traitorously. "Sienna Rose Williams. What is that on your finger?"

My mind went blank. I looked desperately at Chloe, who raised her eyebrows in a "you're on your own" expression.

"It's, um... I'm..." I took a deep breath. "I'm getting married. Today, actually."

Aunt Carol's eyes widened to comical proportions. "Married? To whom? Since when are you even dating someone?"

"His name is Jax Harrison." The words tumbled out. "He plays hockey for the Kraken. We've been seeing each other... quietly. It's been a whirlwind romance."

"Whirlwind is right," Aunt Carol said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Honey, this isn't like you. You're the most cautious person I know. You research coffee makers for six months before buying one."

"When you know, you know?" I offered weakly.

The bell jangled again, and Leo's voice called out, "Sienna? You ready to go?"

Saved by the agent. I quickly introduced Leo to my aunt, who was still eyeing me with concern.

"You're getting married in that?" Aunt Carol gestured to my flour-dusted jeans and t-shirt.

"I have clothes to change into," I assured her, grabbing my duffel bag. "It's just a simple civil ceremony."

"I'm coming with you," she declared, in a tone that brooked no argument.

"That's not necessary—"

"My only niece is getting married to a man I've never met. Wild horses couldn't keep me away." She linked her arm through mine. "Now introduce me to this hockey player who's swept you off your feet so quickly I got whiplash."

The drive to City Hall was excruciating. Aunt Carol sat beside me in the back of Leo's car, peppering him with questions about Jax.

"So, Leo, how long have you known Jax?"

"Since college," Leo replied smoothly. "I saw his potential early on."

"And what kind of man is he? Does he treat my niece well?"

Leo caught my eye in the rearview mirror. "Jax is... complicated. But he cares about Sienna, in his way."

In his way. What a perfectly ambiguous phrase. I stared out the window, my stomach clenching with nerves. What had seemed like a straightforward business arrangement was already spiraling into a web of lies that would hurt people I loved.

We arrived at City Hall to find not just Jax waiting, but a small gathering. His teammates Finn and Anders stood nearby, along with Olivia, who was speaking intently to a man with a camera.

"I thought this was supposed to be private," I whispered to Leo as we approached.

"It is," he assured me. "Just a few strategic photos to release. Nothing too public."

Jax looked up as we approached, his expression unreadable. He wore a simple dark suit that fit his athletic frame perfectly, making him look even more imposing than usual. For a moment, our eyes met, and I saw a flash of something—uncertainty, perhaps—before his professional mask slipped back into place.

"You brought family," he said quietly as I reached him.

"Aunt Carol surprised me at the bakery. I couldn't exactly tell her no." I took a steadying breath. "Jax Harrison, meet my Aunt Carol Williams."

To his credit, Jax switched smoothly into charming mode, taking my aunt's hand and smiling warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Williams. Sienna speaks of you often."

"Does she now?" Aunt Carol raised an eyebrow. "Funny, since she's never mentioned you until today."

Jax didn't miss a beat. "We wanted to keep things private. My public life can be... intrusive."

Olivia approached, saving us from further interrogation. "We should head inside. The judge is waiting."

The ceremony itself was a blur. We stood before a judge in a small courtroom, repeating vows that felt hollow and significant at the same time. I was acutely aware of Jax beside me, his large frame radiating tension as he recited promises neither of us intended to keep.

"I, Jackson, take you, Sienna, to be my lawfully wedded wife..."

His deep voice was steady, his hand firm around mine. When he slid the simple gold band onto my finger to join the engagement ring, I was surprised by the gentleness of his touch.

Then it was my turn. "I, Sienna, take you, Jackson, to be my lawfully wedded husband..."

The words stuck in my throat, not because they were lies—though they were—but because a part of me recognized their weight. Marriage had always been sacred in my family. My grandparents had been married for sixty-two years, my parents for thirty-five and counting. And here I was, making a mockery of those vows for money.

"By the power vested in me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The judge smiled benevolently. "You may kiss the bride."

Jax turned toward me, his expression inscrutable. We hadn't discussed this part. In all our careful planning, we'd somehow overlooked the kiss that would seal our fraudulent union.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, then lowered his head toward mine. I expected a perfunctory peck—a business transaction kiss to match our business transaction marriage.

What I got instead stopped my breath.

His lips met mine tentatively at first, a gentle pressure that was almost a question. Then, as if something shifted between us, the kiss deepened. His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing my skin with surprising tenderness. For a moment that stretched into eternity, I forgot about our audience, forgot about our arrangement, forgot about everything except the unexpected heat of his mouth on mine.

It was brief—a few seconds at most—but when he pulled away, I felt dizzy, off-balance. I met his eyes and saw a flash of something that mirrored my own confusion before he quickly masked it.

"Perfect!" Olivia's voice broke the moment. "Marcus, did you get that?"

The photographer nodded, snapping a few more photos as we signed the marriage certificate. My hand trembled slightly as I wrote my name, officially becoming Sienna Harrison—at least on paper.

Outside City Hall, we posed for more photos, Jax's hand resting possessively on my lower back. It felt warm through the thin material of the simple blue dress I'd changed into, a constant reminder of his physical presence.

"Sienna, a moment?" Aunt Carol pulled me aside while Jax spoke with his teammates. Her expression was troubled. "Honey, are you sure about this? It all seems so... hasty."

I forced a smile. "I know it seems sudden, but I'm happy, Aunt Carol. Really."

"You always were a terrible liar." She squeezed my hands. "Does this have something to do with the bakery? Because if you need money—"

"It's not about money," I interrupted, the lie burning my throat. "I love him." Three simple words that felt like a betrayal of everything I believed about love.

Aunt Carol studied my face for a long moment, then sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Before I could respond, she turned and walked directly to Jax, who was saying goodbye to Finn and Anders. To my horror, she enveloped him in a warm hug.

"Welcome to the family, Jax," she said, loud enough for me to hear. "Take care of my girl. She's the only Sienna I've got."

Jax looked startled by the genuine affection, his body stiffening briefly before he awkwardly returned the hug. Over my aunt's shoulder, his eyes met mine, and I saw something flicker in their depths—discomfort, certainly, but also a trace of guilt.

As we drove away from City Hall—now in Jax's sleek sports car—I stared out the window, my new rings feeling impossibly heavy on my finger. I'd just legally bound myself to a stranger for the sake of my bakery.

Grandma Rose had passed the bakery to me with pride in her eyes. "You're the future of our family tradition," she'd said.

I wondered what she'd think of the tradition I'd just begun.