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“My parents weren’t in love when they got married, remember? And look at them now. It can happen for me, too.” A flutter of hope takes wing in my chest, but it’s a fragile thing.
“Your parents put up with each other,” Meg says.
I purse my lips. Their connection goes deeper than that, but is it really worth arguing about with her?
Meg’s expression softens, but her skepticism remains etched in the creases of her forehead. She opens her mouth, perhaps to argue, but I turn away before she can speak, unable to bear any more doubt.
Stepping closer to the window, I peer out at the assembled crowd dotting the manicured lawn. The sun casts a golden hue over everything, bathing my future in a warm light.
I study the guests, one person in particular catching my eye. Felix.
His tall frame is easy to spot. And even from this distance, his presence is magnetic, his black hair tousled by the breeze.
My heart skips a beat. It’s ridiculous, this reaction. Felix, with his wild charisma and fleeting romances, isn’t the kind of man you marry. He’s the kind you dream about in the dark and then kid around with during the day. A friend. And a good one at that.
Still, watching him laugh at something someone says, a smile playing on his lips, I can’t help the warmth that spreads through me. His dark eyes seem to dance with secrets, and he rocks on his heels, unchecked energy rushing through him.
“Earth to Lily.” Meg’s voice pulls me back, and I blink, feeling caught. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Of course.” I take a step back from the window. The veil in my hair rustles softly. “I’m just… taking it all in.”
“Okay,” she says, though her voice tells me she doesn’t believe it. “As long as you’re sure.”
“I am,” I affirm, locking my doubts away.
It’s not the time for what-ifs or might-have-beens. Today, I step into my future — one neatly laid out for me, free of uncertainty and heartbreak. Felix is a dear friend, nothing more. And today, I’ll become Rick’s wife.
“Let’s go back.” I offer Meg a smile.
“Sure, let’s get you married.” There’s some sarcasm there, but I choose to ignore it.
We return to the bridal suite, to the chatter and clinking of champagne glasses, leaving the quiet room — and my momentary weakness — behind.
CHAPTER 2
FELIX
The sun feels like a spotlight, harsh and unyielding, as I take my seat on a white folding chair that’s been strategically placed in the manicured yard of Lily’s family estate. The pounding in my head is an insistent drumbeat, a not-so-friendly reminder of last night’s escapades on Valencia Street.
I wince as the sound of string music floats through the air, somehow magnifying the throbbing behind my temples.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I mutter to no one in particular, feeling the pull of loyalty that dragged me out of bed on too little sleep and too much alcohol.
But it’s Lily’s big day. Despite everything, or perhaps because of it, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.
As guests continue to trickle in, a parade of familiar faces from countless galas and charity events, I lean back and let my gaze wander over the scene before me. It’s a picture of elegance and opulence, every detail painstakingly curated.
Yet, it all pales in comparison to the woman we’re here for. Lily.
I’ve known her for years, yet it seems like just yesterday we were introduced at that embassy ball. We became fast friends, two kindred spirits adrift in a sea of expectations and formality. She was the one person I could be myself around, the one woman who saw past the frivolous playboy prince to the man beneath. And God, how I crushed on her from day one.
But I never acted on it. Couldn’t. Because getting close means complications, and complications lead to the one thing I’ve successfully avoided: heartache. I’ve watched my friends go through it, and that’s why I’m determined to be a bachelor forever.
“Love doesn’t follow a plan, Felix,” my mother always says, her words laced with the wisdom of someone who found her true match.
But she doesn’t understand that for guys like me, plans are a safe harbor. They’re the only way to weather a predictable world.
And my plan?
