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“Yes. You’ll be my bridesmaids, right?” I close my eyes and feel tears seep down my cheeks. I imagined asking them that question to the tune of squeals and hugs and huge smiles on all our faces while showing off the sparkling diamond on my hand. But the lies feel so terrible, and I don’t think I’m capable of sounding ecstatic right now. I’ll settle for solemn and pray they interpret my quiet as me feeling the gravity of the situation. But if they could see my face, the jig would be up. Despite my being an actress, Eryn and Echo know me too well for me to hide much from them.
And I’m terrified that I don’t have long to figure out how I’m going to act my way out of this snarl. If I can’t, the ploy will be over before the wedding has even started.
“Yeah. Sure,” Echo vows to me.
Eryn takes longer to respond. “You know I’d do anything for you, but I need to meet this guy before he takes my sister from me.”
She doesn’t sound thrilled. I understand. If Carson and I find a way to be together after this wedding fiasco, I might have to give up the only home I’ve ever known. It’s pretty here. Charming…but different. Where will I work? What about my aspirations? And what will I do without my sisters?
“That’s the plan,” I say.
“Are you telling Mom and Dad?” Eryn asks.
“I will, but I don’t think they’ll come.”
“Sorry, sis,” Echo says softly. She doesn’t even try to tell me I’m wrong because I’m not.
Suddenly, Carson opens the door to the office and drags in a big breath. I can’t read his face except that he looks a little shocked.
“Can you two each bring a black dress when you come? We don’t have time for bridesmaids’ gowns now and—” Carson glances my way like he’s a man with something to say. “Hey, let me call you later. I need to talk to my fiancé.” It feels so weird saying that…but I better get used to it—at least temporarily. “He just walked in the door.”
“Where was he?” Eryn quizzes.
I could have lied that he was running errands or something, but I’m already in that pit too deeply. “I’ll get the plane tickets situated and let you guys know the details, okay? I love you both. Bye for now!”
“Bye. Love you,” Echo says.
“Damn it, Ella. I don’t understand—”
I hang up on Eryn and let out a shaky breath.
“Your sisters?” he asks. “How did they take the news?”
“About how I expected. Echo is seeing visions of me in a Scarlett O’Hara-type wedding dress, walking down the grand, sweeping staircase of Tara toward a southern version of Prince Charming. Eryn wants to know if I’ve lost my mind.” I sigh. “It’ll be fine…eventually.”
“I’m sorry this is rough on you.” He grabs my hand and squeezes it. “And your family.”
“Thanks. How did it go with Kendra?”
“She’s really happy for us. She’s going to drop her ring off at my office sometime this week. Then that will be that.” He rubs at the back of his neck and gives a self-deprecating laugh. “Actually, she couldn’t wait to get off the phone with me so she could tell Brayden that she was a free woman.”
“Does she worry that if she doesn’t marry you her father will withhold her trust fund?”
He shrugs. “She says she’s been giving that a lot of thought over the past couple of days. She’s decided she doesn’t care.”
Kendra stating that she’d rather be happy than rich is not the reaction I expected. I thought she’d gladly give up her new ROTC boyfriend for all that money. Wealth is all she’s ever known. Or is she simply hoping that she can wheedle and manipulate her father into backing down? I don’t know if she’s even more unrealistic than I’ve imagined or whether she’s matured enough to stand on her own two feet because she finally found something that mattered.
“Interesting,” I finally murmur. “I guess that’s good for us. And for her.”
“I hope so. I also called the head of the charity, Roger Clarke, and told him about you. He’s more than happy to have you join the organization.” Carson rattles off a salary that’s not cushy, but more than I expected from a nonprofit. And certainly more than I was making back home. “Roger said that he and the rest of the staff are taking Monday off to recover from Friday’s benefit, but he’ll look forward to seeing you on Tuesday morning at nine. I’ll forward you his contact information, along with the office address.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” I’m actually excited to start this position, but at the same time I’m sad I won’t be able to hang around long enough to really make a difference in the lives of the kids I’m supposed to be impacting.
As if he can read my thoughts, Carson assures me, “They’ll be happy for whatever time you can give them. I promise, it will be fine.”
I hope Carson is right, but he knows Roger Clarke better than I do, so I’ll do my best to believe him. “All right.”
“After that, I called Gregory Shaw and told him you and I will be getting married. He sent me the contact info for the wedding planner he hired. I met her once. Her name is Vasha. I’ll text her number to you, as well.”
“I’ll call her and find out the details. I guess we at least need to know when to show up.” Despite the weight of our dilemma, I have to laugh.
“The wedding is scheduled for August twenty-sixth at seven p.m. at the Aria. I know that much. But I don’t have any of the other details.”
When I start thinking about everything else wedding related, a light bulb goes off in my head. “I need a dress! I can’t wear Kendra’s.” And I wouldn’t want to. “We’re not the same size.”
Carson grimaces. “Can you find something in the next couple of days?”
Like that’s a simple task? I’ve never looked for one personally, but I’ve watched Say Yes to the Dress for years. Choosing never looks easy. I don’t really want to go dress shopping without my sisters. I’ll feel alone and lost, trying to wade through a sea of tulle and satin by myself. Then again, it’s not the dress I’m going to wear for the real ceremony at my forever wedding. I just need something that fits.
I scuttle the disappointment I have no business feeling. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Do you want me to…come with you?” He must be making this offer strictly to please me, because he looks like he would rather pull out his own molars with a pair of pliers.
“I’ll only get you involved if I’m striking out. How’s that?”
He looks relieved. “Good. Call me when you find something. I’ll come over and take care of the rest.”
I nod. “My sisters will bring their own dresses. I hope two bridesmaids are enough for the ceremony they had planned.”
“We’ll make it work. I, um…haven’t even asked anyone to stand up with me yet. But I should do that.”
“Yeah.” It already seems late. “Beyond that, I guess Kendra and the wedding planner should have everything under control. Right?”
“Everything…except this.” Carson reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little black velvet box.
My heart stops. Rings. Right. I completely forgot about those.
When he opens the box, I see a simple but beautiful emerald-cut diamond set in white gold. The inside lid proclaims the gem is from Tiffany.
I gasp. “It’s beautiful.”
“It was my mother’s. This is the ring Craig gave her when they got engaged.”
With just two sentences, our fake marriage suddenly feels very real.
“Oh, no.” Frowning, I take a step back. “I shouldn’t be wearing that.”
“Why not? You said you like it.”
“I love it. It’s elegant and timeless and…” I take a deep breath. “But what I think doesn’t matter. Your mother’s ring means something. It should only be worn by the woman you truly intend to marry.”
His face tightens as he watches me with softening blue eyes. “How do you know that won’t be you someday?”
My response is instant. I go warm and gushy insid
e. It’s so girly and stupidly, hopefully romantic, given the situation. I need to temper myself.
“But right now, do you really want to dishonor something so special with a lie?”
