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That little sneak ranfrom me. She left me sleeping in the hotel room all alone. No note, nothing. Like I would make love to her and then still marry her sister. Doesn't she know she's mine? I replay the night before in my head over and over again. Shae is perfect for me, sweet yet demanding. I know we don't know each other very well yet, but I plan to spend the rest of my life learning about her.
"Your grandfather will see you now." Charlotte's voice pulls me out of my thoughts—that and the low growl coming from Tate as he watches Charlotte.
I nudge Tate, silently motioning for him and our other brother, Drew, to follow me into our grandfather's office.
"Boys! How great to see you all. Have a seat. What brings you to my office?" There's a slight glimmer in his eyes as he addresses us.
We each take a seat, still cautious about the look in my grandfather's eyes. I say, "It's about the wedding on Saturday. There's been a slight change of plans."
"What do you mean by that, Nile? A slight change of plans. Why, Miss Shae has done an amazing job planning this wedding. We are going to have this wedding." He pounds his fist to his desk, not in anger but to emphasize his words.
"Oh, we are still going to have this wedding." I glance over at Drew, and he nods his head in agreement. "We just need to amend the marriage contract."
Our Grandfather took our slight change of plans better than we had expected. It almost makes me wonder if this wasn't the outcome he wanted all along. Once we explained our plan, he gladly helped make the needed changes.
Now, today, on the day of the wedding, we hope the bride isn't a little too mad at our little bait-and-switch.
"Are you ready for the wedding to begin?" Tate asks, looking between me and Drew.
Pushing through the new marriage contract took a couple of days and a lot of cash. Luckily Grandfather had the foresight to add a clause in the first contract stating any changes to the original contract did not need both party's signatures, only the executor's signature, which was him, and he gladly signed the amended contract.
"Ready than I've ever been," Drew replies.
"OK, gentlemen, let's take our places at the altar." Tate slaps us both on our backs, a huge grin splitting his face. I'm glad it's you and not me." Striding in front of us down the aisle.
My cocky younger brother is so sure of himself that I take the opportunity to take him down a notch. "Isn't that Charolette, with a date in the third row?" I say it loud enough for only my brothers to hear.
Tate's steps falter as he twists his body to see who's sitting with Charlotte. "Son of a Bitch. That's Mark from accounting. I'm going to kill that mother fu…"
"Language." I hiss at him. "We are in a church, you know."
Tate grits his teeth, glaring at Mark the whole way by their row.
We reach the altar as the pianist begins the first few notes of the wedding march. The flower girl walks down the aisle first, gently tossing the pink rose petals out of her basket. Next to walk down the aisle are two of Lydia's friends from school. I hold my breath, knowing Shae is next.
Shae walks down the aisle with her head held high and her shoulders thrown back. The only sign she is upset with the wedding is the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. I don't see them at first. It isn't until she is standing next to Tate that I see her tears.
I also see confusion in her eyes when Drew is standing in the groom's spot instead of me.
The confusion seems to be contagious as Lydia walks down the aisle on her father's arm, looking between me and Drew. Hereyes narrow as she realizes what's happening. She pushes away from her father.
"This was not part of the plan." Lydia glares at her father and then over to my grandfather as all eyes swing to her, "He was never part of the plan." Lydia screeches shaking her bouquet of pink roses at Drew.
Drew walks over to Lydia, "The plan's changed, darlin'," he says before scooping her up in his arms and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Me and the misses need to have a few words before the wedding," Drew says to the wedding guest as he strides down the aisle with a kicking and screaming Lydia in his arms.
Shae swings her gaze to mine, confusion still written all over her face, "I think it's time we talk."
Shae
"You look beautiful." Iblink back the tears that are threatening to fall. I'm not sure if the tears are for how beautiful Lydia looks in her wedding dress or for the loss of Nile, I've felt since I left his bed three days ago.
A small part of me had hoped he would come after me and declare his undying love that he wanted to marry me instead of my sister. Even though I know it wouldn't have been possible because the money had already been transferred and our company was no longer worrying about going bankrupt. But when I close my eyes at night, I can still dream that I'm the one marrying him and not my sister.
"Thank you. You look beautiful, too." Lydia says the words, and they sound sincere, but I know I'm not a beauty like she is. "Why such a sad face, Shae?"
I tried to hide how sad I was about losing Nile. I even thought about begging off by claiming I was sick for the wedding today, but I knew I couldn't do that to Lydia.
"I'm fine don't worry about me," I say, holding back the tears.
