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She seemed to think that every word, every caring gesture, was part of the game when it wasn’t. How was he supposed to know if anything she said or did with him was genuine? That orgasm was genuine enough, but everything else? He couldn’t be sure. Perhaps the idea of something real between them was a bridge too far.
But for now, he was going to go with it.
“I don’t really care,” he said, dipping his head and capturing her lips in a kiss.
* * *
As rehearsed, Harper marched down the rose-petal-strewed aisle in her lavender bridesmaid gown clutching a bundle of purple-and-cream roses with dark purple freesia and ranunculus in her hands. She was the last of the bridesmaids, with the rest of the wedding party already waiting up front with the minister.
Today, the Markree Castle gallery was acting as the chapel where the wedding was taking place. The long hall was lined with wooden paneling and pale blue-green walls. As she made her way down the long stretch of chairs that lined the aisle, she looked up to the pitched wood-beam ceiling and the intricate stained-glass windows that adorned the far end of the chapel, taking in their beauty.
Turning to the left, she lined up with Emma and Lucy to await the arrival of Violet in her wedding finery. She glanced over at the groomsmen across the aisle. They all looked handsome in their black tuxedos and lavender ties. Even little Knox had a matching tux. Aidan had managed to comb his wild red hair into submission for the special occasion. He was practically beaming with his eyes laser-focused on the back of the hall for the arrival of his bride.
The musical crescendo started and all the guests stood. The doors opened and Violet stepped through on the arm of her father. Even knowing what the dress looked like on Violet, Harper still felt the magnificence steal her breath as everything came together so beautifully.
The Pnina Tornai gown from Kleinfeld’s was a beautiful but relatively plain gown from the front, allowing Violet’s beauty to shine. It was a strapless, white ball gown with a crystal belt and corset top that molded to her perfectly. Her neck was as long and graceful as a swan’s with her hair up and a simple diamond-and-pearl choker at her throat. In her hands, she carried a magnificent hand-crafted brooch bouquet made of silk rosettes in different shades of purple and covered in Swarovski crystal pins in two dozen different styles. Dripping from the teardrop-shaped bouquet were strings of pearls and strands of crystals.
But that was just the beginning. Harper heard the gasps of the guests as Violet passed and the back of the dress was revealed. That was where the beauty of the gown shone. From the waist down, the dress was a waterfall of large, silk roses that cascaded to the floor several feet behind her. The moment Violet had put on the dress at the bridal salon, they’d all known it was the one. Few other dresses could stand up to the grand venue like this one could.
As she looked out, Harper spotted Sebastian in the crowd. He’d chosen to sit on Aidan’s side since he had fewer guests attending.
He was looking incredibly dapper in his tuxedo. He claimed he hardly ever wore it, but it fit perfectly and suited him well. The only thing missing were his cufflinks that had been stolen. She had gone that afternoon to Oliver’s room and borrowed a pair, claiming Sebastian had forgotten to pack his own.
Unlike everyone else in the church, whose eyes were on Violet, Sebastian’s eyes were on Harper. When he realized she had turned his way, he smiled and gave her a wink before looking over to Violet with the others as she stepped up to stand beside Aidan.
Harper handed her bouquet off to Lucy so she could straighten Violet’s train and veil. Once they were perfect for pictures, she took the very heavily jeweled bouquet so Violet could hold Aidan’s hands during the ceremony.
Once the service began, Harper looked down at the beautiful arrangement in her hands and the reality of the moment finally hit her. She was the last of her single friends. Practically, she’d known that. Violet and Aidan had been engaged for a while as they’d planned the event, so it’s not like it had snuck up on her. But until that moment, she hadn’t allowed herself to really grasp what it meant.
She was on the verge of thirty, hardly an old maid, but seeing the last of her friends pair off made a wave of sadness wash over her. Why hadn’t she found someone like they had? She should be happily engaged and ready to start her life with someone, and yet here she was, basically bribing a man just to pretend to be her boyfriend at the wedding.
Her gaze drifted back to Sebastian. He was sitting in the chair, listening attentively to the service. She was so thankful he was there with her for this. Yes, it was because she had asked him to be, but she wondered what would’ve happened between them if things had gone differently. If he had asked her to dinner instead of her asking him on this trip...if there had been no wedding and they’d decided to go for drinks after they’d met at the store...would they have become real lovers instead of ones just for show?
In that moment she wished they were in a real relationship. Not just because she didn’t want to be alone, but because she found she really cared for Sebastian. He was smart, handsome, thoughtful and kind. He was there for her when she needed someone. There was a part of her that was extremely susceptible to being treated the way he treated her. That part of her wanted to fall head over heels for him.
The other part didn’t know where they stood.
Yes, they had crossed the line of their fake relationship that afternoon in their room, but their ruse had muddied the water. Was their attraction real or did they just think they were into one another because they spent all day flirting and pretending to be a couple? She was pretty certain that her draw to Sebastian was authentic. The moment she’d laid eyes on him outside Neiman Marcus, she’d been attracted to his dark eyes and strong jaw. She’d wanted to know more about him instantly.
Honestly, after spending a week together, Harper found that she still wanted to know more about him. Mainly because he wasn’t opening up to her the way she’d hoped. In all their conversations there had been plenty of chances for him to tell her about his childhood or where he’d grown up. His time in college. Anything outside of work. But that was really all he spoke about. His work was his life.
She knew Sebastian was passionate about his job, but she couldn’t help but feel that there was more to him that he wasn’t sharing. Intentionally. That worried her. Not because he was keeping potentially damaging secrets that would run her off, but because he didn’t think he could open up to her.
If he didn’t think he could share with her, what would happen once they returned
to New York and didn’t have a wedding packed full of events to get through? Would he call her? Would he want to kiss her again? Or would he return to his lab and disappear into his tools and toys the way he had before the trip?
She didn’t know the answer. And that uncertainty scared her. Perhaps because no matter what the answer was, she knew it was already too late for her. Those dark eyes and that crooked smile had already captured her heart.
Maybe it wasn’t being the last single friend that was troubling her today. Being single hadn’t really ever bothered her before. Maybe it was knowing that, yes, she wanted a romantic moment like this for herself, but that she wanted it with Sebastian. She wanted him to be the man to whom she recited her vows to love, honor and cherish. She was upset because she knew deep down that she would never have this moment with him.
The loud sound of applause jerked Harper out of her thoughts. She turned to the altar in time to realize that the wedding ceremony had ended. Aidan and Violet were sharing their first kiss as husband and wife.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Aidan Murphy!”
Violet turned to Harper to get her bouquet and face the crowd of wedding guests. Harper moved behind the bride to straighten her dress and veil one last time before Aidan scooped up Knox in his arms and they marched down the aisle as a family. Once they departed, she took her bouquet from Lucy.
Lucy followed the bouquet with a tissue she’d tucked away in her bra. “Here,” she said, despite fighting tears of her own. “Don’t mess up your makeup before the photos.”
