Maybe she'd been so caught up in lying to everyone, she’d started lying to herself?
Considering the underlying buzz of attraction between them, thatiflooked mighty shaky. Jax had made it perfectly clear he wouldn't mind sex as part of their arrangement. She'd refused. Easy in theory. But could she hold out once that ring slipped on her finger and they had to act cosy? Thatifcould be in serious danger of morphing intowhen.
"No, not I’m not pregnant, but it's something almost as serious."
Opal grabbed hold of her hand. "What?"
"You can't tell Sapphire about this."
Opal released her hand as if she'd asked her to lie to the pope.
“Until after I'm married," she amended, and Opal sagged in relief. "I'm going to visit her and tell her the good news in person as soon as the ceremony's over."
Opal searched her face for answers she had no intention of giving. “Are you sure about this?"
Ruby nodded. "I'm getting married in thirty minutes." And nothing, not even those butterflies trading a waltz for a stomping hoedown in her stomach, would stop her. "Let's go."
Opal sighed, but wisely kept the rest of her far too astute observations to herself as Ruby checked her makeup and hair in the rear-view mirror. In reality, she didn't care how she looked. The tonged curls carelessly arranged in a loose bun on top of her head leaving tendrils loose, the cosmetic-counter department store makeup job, the classic sheath and matching shoes, were nothing but props for the performance of her life.
Adjuncts to a sham she had to perpetuate to benefit them all: Sapphire, Opal, and all the employees and their families that had worked at theSeabornmine for decades.
She could do this.
Channelling a rapidly dwindling supply of courage, she reached up to swivel the rear-view mirror back into place. As she did so, she caught sight of her one concession to emotion on this surreal day.
Her mum's pearls.
The baroque pearls Mathilda had worn on her own wedding day, the pearls her dad's great-grandfather, the founder ofSeaborn, had bestowed to be passed down to every Seaborn girl getting married.
She'd always wanted her mum to be a part of her wedding, whenever that was, and wearing the pearls made her feel close to her.
And vindicated her decision to marry for convenience rather than love.
Sapphire had promised their mother to cherishSeabornand make it flourish, and Ruby had done the same when she insisted Sapphire take an enforced absence or risk losing her health as well as their livelihood.
She'd be damned if she failed a month after Sapphire's collapse, and only a year after their mum's death.
Swallowing the lump of emotion lodged in her throat, she swivelled the mirror away. She may have skipped the chapel but all too soon she’d be getting married.
Chapter 13
Jax alternated between tugging at his cuffs, sliding a finger under his collar, and adjusting his tie.
He couldn't breathe, a vice slowly but surely constricting his chest until the simple act of dragging in a breath hurt.
"Relax." Murray slapped him on the back, annoyingly chipper.
"I am," he said through gritted teeth, glancing at the door and his watch for the umpteenth time.
"She'll be here." Murray straightened and smoothed the lapels of his tux. "Though it's not too late to change your mind." He winked. "You make a run for it, I'll take care of the damsel in distress."
Jax's scathing glare made Murray laugh. "You're a riot but I wish you'd shut the hell up."
Murray's laughter subdued to smothered chuckles. "Why? Nervous?"
"Hardly."
Jax usually took everything in his stride, from occupational health and safety officers threatening to close his mine if he didn't comply with their outrageous demands, to weepysecretaries pining for their outback lovers who vanished without a trace.
