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We rarely shared meals. He usually woke much earlier than I did—he didn’t seem to sleep well—so I was often in the kitchen alone of a morning. There had been occasions where we’d eaten dinner together, but that was mostly when we stayed late at o-Verve.
Dane often went straight to his home office after work, no matter how late it was. Other times, he hit the gym upstairs or one of the pools. I never sought him out, respecting that he preferred to be alone. I just did my own thing. I mostly spent time in my room or in the library. Although I did love those little sanctuaries, I missed my family.
I’d invited Simon, Melinda, and Wyatt to come for dinner one evening, since they constantly hinted at it. They’d loved the estate, and seeing it seemed to make them like Dane a little more. Not because he had deep pockets, but because he’d never looked down on their homes, despite being used to this level of luxury. Ashley also came to visit me one evening. Being a hedonist, she fell in love with Dane’s home.
While he laid out our situation for the wedding planners, I skimmed through their portfolio and read the impressive and confidence-inspiring testimonials. I was surprised to learn they were brother and sister. The resemblance was there, but it was so slight, I doubted that I’d have picked it up on my own.
Chris was tall and stylish and camp as Christmas, and I suspected I was going to love him. Miley was warm and friendly and just oozed professionalism. Feminine appreciation had briefly glinted in her eyes when she first greeted Dane, but she’d boxed it away instantly—she didn’t batt her eyelashes at him, didn’t make any subtle attempts at flirting, nothing. So, yeah, I liked her.
Miley clasped her hands together. “What kind of post-wedding celebration are you hoping for? Something small and informal for family and close friends? Like a barbecue or house party? Or would you prefer something grander that has that special wedding feeling?”
“The latter,” replied Dane, his fingers threaded through mine. “But my wife and I are busy people. We need to be able to trust that you can see to as many details as possible. We’ll collaborate with you on several points, but we’ll expect you to take on most of the leg work. Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all,” Miley assured him. “Do you have a particular date in mind?”
“Sometime in late autumn that doesn’t clash with the holidays.”
“We can make that work. Before we get started on the plans, we need to know your budget.”
Dane tossed out a number that made my mouth drop open and my heart begin to pound. I supposed it was pocket change to him, but still.
I licked my lips and placed the portfolio on the coffee table. “Dane, that’s a lot of money.”
He gave me an amused look. “I’m well-aware of that.”
“We don’t need to spend that much. I mean, we’re already married.”
“And this will, essentially, be the wedding reception we didn’t have. Do you really think I’d skimp on something so important?”
No. Which meant he needed to act as if it was in fact important to him. Fine. Whatever.
“We also need to know your dream venue and how many people you plan to invite,” said Miley.
“I’d imagine there’ll be approximately one-hundred and fifty guests in total,” said Dane.
Really? I didn’t even know one-hundred and fifty people.
“As for the venue, we’re open to suggestions,” Dane added.
“Well, I had an idea when I caught sight of all your lush landscaping,” Chris told us. “There’s a grand hotel about an hour’s drive from here. It has a beautiful, large indoor botanical garden. Would you consider holding the celebration there, if we can secure the date?”
“I like the idea.” Dane looked at me. “What about you?”
“Yeah, I’d really like that.” I originally wouldn’t have thought of such a setting.
Chris grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that. Here, you can take an online tour of it.” He brought up the hotel’s website on his phone and played the video tour for us. The indoor garden was absolutely stunning for sure.
“Make the necessary calls,” Dane said to him.
Chris nodded. “We’ll try our best to book the venue for you. If it proves to be impossible, we can find somewhere similar.”
“Now, we’d like to ask you a few more questions,” said Miley. “If we better know you, we can better determine what type of flowers, food, and décor you might prefer. Then we can provide you with some ideas.”
The planners asked us dozens upon dozens of questions, and Miley jotted down notes on her tablet.
Chris looked at me. “Do you plan to wear the dress you wore for your wedding ceremony?”
I poked the inside of my cheek with my tongue. “I think I’d look pretty underdressed if I did, considering Dane has all these grand plans for the party. But I’d also feel overdressed if I wore an extravagant white wedding gown.”
