It’s all settled.
I’m sitting in a salon chair getting my hair done, and I can’t believe everything that has happened already today.
Travis and I got our marriage license.
We confessed to my parents just before breakfast that we got engaged last night, but they already knew thanks to Owen’s big fat mouth. We didn’t mention the surprise wedding to them, but we did arrange for the officiant the hotel will be sending along on our sunset dinner cruise tomorrow evening.
We stopped at one of the many shops in the hotel and found apparel for tomorrow’s events. He’ll be wearing khaki pants with an aqua blue button down shirt that sets off his gorgeous eyes, and I found a white dress with gorgeous aqua flowers on it that’s nearly a perfect match to his shirt.
I didn’t let him see the dress. I went back to purchase it later, and I found a children’s one in Harper’s size, too.
Speaking of Harper, she will be on her way tomorrow morning to the Bahamas with Evan and his family. Travis told Evan what we’re doing but asked him not to tell Harper.
I signed off on the paperwork he gave me. It all seemed standard enough, and maybe it would’ve been in my best interest to have a lawyer review it for me, but we’re running low on time. I trust that he chose a good lawyer and he’s keeping everything fair.
What I gathered from it was that he’d get to keep all his assets that he had going into the marriage should it ever end, and I’d get to keep all mine. There was a small lump sum payout I’d receive at the termination that grew slightly larger the longer we’re married, but there’s nothing in it that states a term end date, which to me means he’s going into this with the thought that we’re never going to have to execute the clauses in that paperwork anyway. There’s language in it about what to do if either of us wants to end it at any time, and it all seems like it’s for the protection of both of us—which is smart for him given his career and the size of his bank account.
I don’t want his money. It’s not something I’ve ever wanted from him.
I just want his love.
And his body.
That dick…mmhmm.
Whew. Is it hot in here?
Yes, it is. The window to the salon is open, and the heat of the day is rushing in along with the humidity. My hair is being curled now. It’ll go up into some style requested by my sister and then lacquered down with plenty of hairspray.
It’s four hours until showtime.
I’m getting my make-up done, and then we have three hours.
“Are you really going to wear that huge thing?” my sister spits at me after my mascara is applied.
She’s looking at the gorgeous four-carat princess cut diamond on the ring finger of my left hand.
I lift a shoulder and try to reason with her. “Everyone knows now, so why not?”
She glares at me, and that’s about the point when she stops speaking to me altogether.
We have some light snacks, and we’re down to two hours.
We take some photos, and then it’s one hour.
I keep in touch with Travis via text message. He knew I’d be busy this afternoon, and so far he’s spent some time in the pool, in the casino, and in the shops.
And then it’s time.
Vanessa hasn’t said a word to me since she asked me if I was going to wear my engagement ring. It’s not a great way to go into her wedding, but I’m still her maid of honor. I give her a hug and wish her well before I have to part with her to meet my escort, and she just glares at me in response.
I want to feel bad, but then I remember how hard she was pushing for Owen and me to get back together, and I can’t seem to muster up the feelings. I wish she could be happy for me rather than seeing this as a personal attack, but that’s not who she is, and it never will be.
I’m walking in the sand in heels toward Owen. I still can’t quite understand why Vanessa insisted on heels and not bare feet in the sand, but regardless, it symbolically feels like something is pulling me backward away from Owen.
I’m more convinced than ever that I’ve made the right choice in accepting Travis’s proposal.
When I get to Owen standing at the end of the aisle waiting to escort me, he says quietly, “You look beautiful. Far too good for that dumb jock you’re planning to marry.”
I offer a smile for show, and then I murmur, “Fuck you,” to him. “I can’t believe you told my entire family I got engaged before I got to tell them.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“That seems real sincere.” We’re hissing at each other at the back of the aisle, but we’re starting to approach people. “I hate you,” I mutter to him, and then I smile for the camera.
My eyes find Travis in the group gathered, and that’s when a genuine smile forms on my lips.
I love you , he mouths to me, and I mouth it back.
Now if that’s not perfection—seeing this man who is so good to me on the beautiful beach here—I don’t know what is. I just wish it was him escorting me down the aisle instead of my ex.
That’s what tomorrow is for , a little voice inside my head reminds me.
I can’t wait.
I didn’t utter his name when my sister asked me who I was bringing to her wedding with the thought I’d end up married the same weekend as her, yet here we are.
We get to the front of the aisle and part ways. Owen passes by Jake, who shakes his hand, and I take my place between Vanessa’s bridesmaid and the spot where Vanessa will stand when she makes her way down the aisle next.
The rest of the wedding goes off without a hitch, and my sister walks back up the beach the newly dubbed Mrs. Lambert, arm-in-arm with her new husband.
My engagement had literally zero effect on her wedding.
I wish she could see that, too.
Since she’s already mad at me, I have little less guilt about tomorrow’s surprise wedding. It doesn’t seem like the cruise is one of her official wedding events anyway, so she’ll get over it. But I do have a sneaking suspicion that she isn’t going to believe it’s real no matter when or where it takes place.
And I can’t help but worry what that’ll mean for Travis and the stability we’re attempting to provide to his daughter.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91 (Reading here)
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157