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Not even Paul. Despite her longing for a relationship to developing with him, she feared that if she remained in Charleston, eventually her past would come between them. He’d dedicated his career to hunting criminals. She could imagine his fury when he discovered her grandfather was in prison. And learning what had put him there would confirm Paul’s initial opinion of her as an opportunist.
Part of her recognized he was probably still digging into her background. She’d be wise to tell him the truth and face his displeasure before her growing feelings for him made heartbreak inevitable, but as they walked back to the estate, Lia lost her nerve. She was gambling that he wouldn’t turn up anything with less than a week until she left Charleston. Better that she stay silent so that his memories of her remained unsullied.
They parted company at the driveway and Lia headed for the house. Upon entering her bedroom, she
spied something that hadn’t been there when she’d left. A garment bag, twin to the one from the boutique hanging on the armoire door, lay across her bed, along with an envelope. Puzzled, Lia set aside her long ice-blue gloves, opened the envelope and read the note.
We know you loved this dress and wanted you to have it.—Dallas & Poppy.
Overwhelmed by the twins’ generosity, Lia slowly unfastened the bag’s zipper to reveal the stunning blush gown she’d fallen in love with. Guilt clawed at her. She shouldn’t accept the gift. The twins had purchased the expensive dress believing she was their real cousin. Yet to refuse would force awkward explanations.
Lia wanted to scream in frustration. Why did everyone have to be so kind to her? The deception would’ve been so much simpler if she’d been greeted with the same sort of suspicion that Paul had demonstrated.
After shooting the twins an effusive thank-you text, Lia jumped in the shower. As she applied her makeup and experimented with several hairstyles, she tried to ignore her anxiety over what she might encounter at the upcoming event. Pretending to be Ava’s daughter had grown easier these last few days. Not that her subterfuge rode any easier on her conscience, but once she’d answered the tricky questions surrounding her childhood to everyone’s satisfaction, she’d been able to lower her guard somewhat.
But attending this wedding with Paul meant she would be under scrutiny once more. Although he’d promised his circle of friends wouldn’t ask too many questions about her, Lia suspected that they’d be wildly speculative about any woman he’d bring. Once again, the opportunity to spend more time in his company was a temptation she couldn’t resist. Hopefully it wouldn’t backfire on them.
The dress fit as perfectly as when she’d tried it on in the shop, reviving Lia’s confidence. Tonight she would demonstrate to Paul that she could at least appear as if she fit into his social circle, even if she’d be completely out of her element. As long as she smiled a lot, said little and stuck like glue to Paul’s side, she should be fine.
Lia arrived in the formal living room five minutes before she was scheduled to meet Paul only to discover that he’d beaten her there. She had a fraction of a second to appreciate the way his charcoal-gray suit fit his imposing figure and to indulge in a little delighted swoon before he glanced up from his phone and swept a heated gaze over her.
The possessive approval Lia saw there stripped her of her ability to speak or move. As often as she’d donned a costume and played the role of a princess, she’d never truly felt like one before. But now, as she basked in Paul’s admiration, she understood what it meant to be treasured.
“You look gorgeous,” Paul said, walking over to her. Clearly cautious over the possibility that anyone could stumble on them, he limited his contact to a brief squeeze of her fingers, but even that fleeting touch sent Lia’s pulse into overdrive. “I’ll have to stay close tonight or my friends will try to lure you away.”
“Oh.” His low murmur set the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “No.” She shook her head as the full import of his words struck her.
“No?” He looked taken aback.
She shook her head and rushed to explain. “I didn’t think I’d stand out in this dress.”
Paul’s posture relaxed once more. A sensual smile curved his chiseled lips. “You stand out no matter what you wear.”
With her skin flushing at his compliment, Lia slid a little deeper into infatuation. Even so, she recognized that the easing of Paul’s earlier distrust gave his approval greater significance. Still, there was no fighting the inevitable. She was falling hard for his man.
He took her by the elbow and propelled her toward the door, his confidence muffling her concern. “Relax, you’ll be fine.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” she muttered grimly. “This is your world.” And she didn’t belong.
Twenty minutes later, Lia’s mood had lightened. During the short drive to one of the most impressive mansions in Charleston’s historic district Paul had shared Ryan and Zoe’s inspirational path to love.
Long before the pair met, Zoe had been in the middle of a scandalous divorce. To appear the wounded party and avoid having to pay her alimony, her husband had publicly accused Zoe of infidelity. Eventually the truth of her innocence came out, but by then her reputation was ruined and her finances were in tatters.
Devastated and bitter, Zoe had joined a revenge bargain with two strangers, women who’d also been wronged by powerful men. To deflect suspicion, each woman was tasked with taking down a man she had no connection to. In Zoe’s case, her target had been Ryan and she was supposed to hurt him by damaging his sister’s political career.
Zoe hadn’t counted on the romance that bloomed with Ryan or the difficulty in extricating herself from the vengeance pact. In the end, because Zoe hadn’t been directly responsible for the resulting scandal that harmed Ryan’s family, he’d chosen to put aside his anger, unable to imagine a future without her in it.
Paul obviously approved of the union despite its rocky beginning, leading Lia to hope he could set aside his stubborn and judgmental nature when faced with true happiness.
As soon as they went inside, the soothing strains of a string quartet enveloped them. Lush floral arrangements in warm shades of peach and pink decorated every room on the main floor. Lia inhaled the richly scented air as they strolled through the various rooms on their way to the rear garden where the ceremony would be taking place.
Paul introduced her to several people before his best man duties called him away. He left her with Zoe’s former brother-in-law the race car driver Harrison Crosby and his fiancée, London McCaffrey. Lia appreciated the couple’s easy acceptance of her company as they sipped preceremony champagne before making their way to the area in the garden where the chairs had been set up for the wedding.
The ceremony was short but beautiful. The bride wore a romantic confection of tulle embellished with lace flowers. Her groom stood beside Paul in a charcoal suit and pink bow tie, looking positively gobsmacked as she walked up the aisle toward him. They were emotional as they exchanged vows, bringing both smiles and tears to the thirty or so guests who’d come to celebrate with them.
Lia was still dabbing tears from her eyes when Paul came to find her after the ceremony.
“Are you okay?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
