But I could do it and continue to play a part. I’d spent most of my life pretending to be something I wasn’t. What was one more night?
And that was another problem right there; it wouldn’t be one more night. If I did marry Jasper, it would be for a lifetime.
As we entered the ballroom where the rehearsal dinner would take place, I held my breath. The room looked beautiful. I had known it would, having left my mother to fine-tune the details with the wedding planner she’d hired.
Rachel Summers had always had a flair for the extreme and was a sought-after interior designer before she quit. She had never agreed with the term less is more. Well, she’d certainly pulled it off. Fancy as fuck would be the crude way to describe what I was seeing. And it was only the practice run.
The main wedding table sat at the opposite side of the room from the entrance where I was standing, open-mouthed with Molly and Harper.
“It looks perfect,” Molly whispered in my ear. I gave her a soft smile, not wanting to burst her bubble. I took in the circular tables set around the polished-wood dance floor with their huge flower arrangements, white tablecloths, and chairs with satin covers. Perfect was the last word I would use to describe the scene before me. Abomination was more like it.
Every flounce and frill, from the ballooned archway to the strings of delicate fairy lights which were woven through the exposed beams overhead, screamed over the top. And why? Because they had all been put in place by a dedicated wedding planner who lived and breathed romance from her fingertips to her toes. And let’s face it. Romance had no right being anywhere near that room just then.
The ballroom had started to fill up. People were already milling around as Molly and Harper nudged me further into the space, and then a few guests came over to congratulate me. I thanked them between gritted teeth and was as polite as I could be. Molly and Harper also made small talk, not leaving my side, almost like two lionesses protecting their cub.
My stomach growled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The buffet was set up in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. They showcased a stunning view of the gardens. I thought about how horrified my mother would be if she saw me syphon a sausage roll off that table.
Members of what appeared to be a string quartet were warming up their instruments. Staff wearing black and white milled around the room, but I politely declined the offer of champagne. The Moet from earlier, without the sponge of food in my belly, was already churning my stomach.
“Shall we go to the bar?” Harper asked. “You know, Dutch courage and all that. You’re very pale, Storm.”
“Where’s Phoenix?” I asked her.
“He’s on his way down.” I wasn’t sure why that made me feel better, but it did.
“Hudson’s parking the car,” Molly supplied. “We’re all here for you, Storm. Whatever you need, OK?” As she said, we areallhere for you. I couldn’t stop the words from leaving my mouth.
“Reed?” I blurted, turning to face them both with a yearning expression. What the hell was I asking?
They exchanged another sheepish look, and then Harper hooked her chin in the air, motioning over my shoulder.
A beat of confusion had me turning on my heels, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
A maelstrom of emotions crashed into me simultaneously, and I wobbled on my heels, forcing both Molly and Harper to steady me.
Reed.
The man of both my dreams and nightmares was now standing at one end of the room next to the buffet. He was eyeing the food there with his hands in his dress pants, no shock there then.
And who the fuck was that standing with him? Had he brought a date to my wedding rehearsal? Albeit a wedding rehearsal to a marriage I never asked for and a life I didn’t choose? How tacky was that? My joy at seeing him was smashed away by annoyance. I wasn’t overly jealous; the girl was OK looking, but she didn’t look like she was dressed for a formal event. She was wearing leggings, and I could see the outline of her thong through them. Nasty.
“Excuse me a sec,” I whispered to the girls who both had big grins on their faces. I then took off. I didn’t even check to see if Jasper was in the room.
Sliding in and out of the various guests with a nod here and there, I made my way towards him with a forced smile. The girl next to him saw me first and nudged his shoulder, causing him to turn around. As he saw me approach, he gave me the biggest, stupidest grin I’d ever seen on his face. I planted my hand on his chest and motioned for him to follow me with a flick of my head. The girl he was with trotted behind us.
As we made our way across the room, Reed was stopped a handful of times and asked for selfies. It didn’t annoy me that he was more popular than the bride-to-be at her own wedding rehearsal. I was just pissed at the constant interruptions.
When I got us away from the area where most of the guests were congregated in one well-dressed blob, I rasped. “What are you doing here?” My voice felt tight.
“Why do you think? I’m here for you.”
That should have made me happy, but the worry of what Jasper would do when he saw him smashed that away. Seeing Reed’s still bruised face was a reminder of how genuine Jasper’s ruthless threat was. The man would stop at nothing to get his way.
His face had healed slightly, but I still felt that twinge of sorrow, knowing that Jasper was the reason for those marks. I wondered if Reed knew that. He hadn’t told me the truth of how he got them when I’d questioned him that day at the house, so I assumed not.
“You’re here for me?” I echoed, wondering if he’d gone mad.
“Yes. For moral support.”
