I grinned at Blade through the veil. He was smiling at me softly.
“You look beautiful,” he said, leaning forward slightly and resting his forehead against mine.
I couldn’t wait to be married to him.
Judge Edna started the service. “Dearly beloved…”
I barely registered it. I was already thinking about the life I would have with Blade—renovating the mansion, him moving his company to Harrogate. We would have a garden. We could go canoeing on the river and attend charity events together. I thought about the eventual three daughters he wanted to have. They would have an ideal childhood in Harrogate, since Blade was absolutely nothing like my dad.
“And now for the vows,” Judge Edna said. “Where are the rings?”
Davy handed her the pillow. He had allowed Blade to set him down and was standing next to him, his chubby little arms wrapped around Blade’s leg.
Edna handed Blade my ring. Blade took my hand.
“Avery, from the minute I saw you and you told me that the red tie I was wearing made me look as if I had tuberculosis…” The crowd laughed. “I realized you were the woman for me. You keep me honest and make life fun. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” He slid the ring onto my finger.
“Blade,” I said, gazing up at him. “You are a strong, kind, thoughtful man. You love your family. The moment I realized I adored you was when I caught you having a full-on conversation with Cesario, my rabbit. This day has been crazy but good, and I can’t wait for our life together to be more of the same.”
I slid the ring onto his finger. It felt real, like we were really doing this—building a life together.
“Short and sweet,” Edna said. “Now by the power—”
“I have evidence!” Nathan shouted, jumping up from his seat.
What. The. Fuck. Blade looked alarmed. His brothers Hunter and Greg moved in Nathan’s direction. He was waving an oversized tablet around.
“I have video evidence that this marriage is a sham!”
The audience gasped in surprise.
“Get him out of here,” Blade hissed.
“Let him say his piece,” my half sister Cassie announced. “I think we’ve all had suspicions about this wedding.”
Hunter had grabbed Nathan by the arm and was dragging him to the door. The tablet dropped to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then Stacy picked up the tablet and hit play. The sound of the conversation between me and my friends outside the hotel echoed around the cavernous space.
You could clearly hear me say, “I will never ever ever get fake married again ever. Honestly, that house better be worth it, because I’m not sure going through all the wedding trappings is even worth it if you aren’t in love with the person you’re marrying at the end of it.”
The video ended to a deafening silence.
My grandmother looked crushed.
Garrett looked murderous. “You tricked my brother,” he spat.
Blade glanced at me in concern.
“It’s a deep fake?” I warbled.
“This is clearly Avery in the video,” my sister proclaimed. She and Stacy came up to the front with the tablet.
“How dare you try and trap my brother?” Garrett snarled, advancing on me.
“I told you!” my father yelled. “I told you she was just like her mother.”
Blade looked shocked. I’m sure people thought that it was because he was just as surprised as they were, but I knew it was because he was sick that everyone would find out that he had been in on it too. Even though my life had clearly taken a turn for the worse, I would be damned if I dragged Blade down with me.
Guess you’re about to fall on your sword,I told myself.Isn’t that what you do for someone you love, though?
