Page 17 of Heart Breaker

Madeline and Harper pull me into a group hug, and for a moment, this whole mess feels almost manageable.

Almost.

Victoria spends the first few minutes of our meeting going over the basics like she’s reading off a checklist she’s already memorized. She talks about what the press has picked up, what the public response has been. She rattles off numbers and predictions. She’s calm about it in a way that is deeply unsettling, like she’s discussing a marketing campaign instead of the fact that I am about to become Wes Winters’s wife.

She looks like she’s in her mid-thirties. Her bleached blonde hair is pulled back into a sleek knot at the nape of her neck, every strand perfectly in place. She’s wearing a fitted black turtleneck, tailored slacks, and diamond earrings large enough to catch the light every time she turns her head. She is beautiful. The kind of woman who knows exactly the effect she has when she walks into a room.

My eyes catch on her hand before I can stop myself. No ring, which means absolutely nothing, but it makes me wonder anyway. Has Wes ever hooked up with her? Do they have a history?

I don’t love that my mind automatically goes there.

I force myself to refocus on what she’s saying. I try to keep up, try to act like this is all perfectly normal as Wes answers her questions with that same steady, unreadable expression he seems to wear so well. He doesn’t look rattled. I, on the other hand, feel like I’ve been dropped into someone else’s life and I can’t find the exit.

Victoria finally folds her hands on the table and looks between us. “The problem is, the press is going to start digging and they’re going to want proof. A story like this needs more than a few photos and a vague statement. It needs a paper trail.”

Wes’s brows draw together slightly. “A paper trail?”

“Yes.”

He shifts in his chair. “Why do I think I’m not going to like where this is going?”

Victoria smiles. “Because you’re not. If this is going to work, you’ll need to be actually married.”

I blink at her. “Legally?”

Victoria’s gaze flicks to me, entirely too composed. “Yes. A real wedding, a real marriage. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to pull this off.”

Wes shakes his head. “Victoria, is this really necessary?”

Her expression doesn’t change. “Wes, we are too far into this to be careless now. If you get caught in a lie at this stage, it will be bad for your reputation, and worse for Cove.”

Wes doesn’t respond right away and I’m grateful for the pause because I need a second to gather my thoughts. His expression is unreadable at first, but then I catch the faint crease between his brows, the tension in his jaw, and I realize he’s just as shocked as I am. Maybe blindsided is a better word for how I’m feeling right now.

Married.

I had almost wrapped my head around being a pretend bride, but a real one? As in a dress, ceremony, vows, paperwork, the whole thing.

Despite the fact that I plan weddings for a living, I really haven’t put much thought into my own. I’ve just never been the girl who fantasized about my wedding day. Any thoughts I’ve have about getting married have always felt vague and very far away.

This is not that. This is happening right now.

Victoria keeps talking like she hasn’t just rearranged my entire future. “I’ll have my assistant book the courthouse for as soon as Wes gets back to town.”

Wes’s jaw tightens. “And if I don’t like that idea?”

Her brows lift, just a fraction. “Then you risk getting caught in the lie we’ve already spun.”

That makes me look at him. He doesn’t react outwardly, but I can tell he’s not thrilled, which helps me feel slightly less insane. Wes lets out a slow breath and looks at Victoria like he’s trying to come to a decision. “You really think this is the only way?”

Victoria’s mouth curves into something resembling patience. “I think it is the safest way. And right now, safe is what you need. Now—” she places both hands on the table like she’s ready to move on. “You’ll need to be seen in public—maybe a dinner date, something low key but intimate. You need to be photographed looking comfortable together, like this is already second nature for you both. After that, maybe a group date. Holding hands. Kissing.”

My stomach drops instantly.

“Nothing over the top, just enough to confirm that you’re together.”

I feel like I’m having an out of body experience, listening to this conversation unfold around me. I look from Wes to Victoria, but neither of them seem anywhere as shocked as I feel.

When the meeting finally wraps, Wes offers to walk me out. We exit the building in silence, my mind racing. The second we step outside and the cool air hits my face, I close my eyes, trying to take in everything that’s happening. Wes slows beside me. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I didn’t know Victoria was going to take it this far.”