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“Because I thought I’d lost her.” I pointed to Ariel and brushed my thumb across her lips. “She’s the girl, Dad. The one that I’ve been searching for.” I know I sounded desperate, but I didn’t care. The woman in my arms was the one I wanted. The woman who I needed like I needed air to breathe. The one I spent years looking for. Finally, Fate had given her back to me and I’d be damned if I’d ever let her go again.
Dad froze mid-step. His eyes went wide. Eyes that were mirror images of mine stared at me for a second before glancing down at the sleeping beauty in my arms.
“Wait… She’s the girl from the fountain?”
I nodded as I tucked her hair behind her ear. Tenderly, I caressed her soft cheek with the backs of my knuckles. “The one Mom saw in her dream the night before she died.” I leaned down and pressed my lips against her forehead. I brushed Ariel’s hair back once more before kissing her again. “I’m not marrying Vanessa, Dad. I won’t be marrying anybody except Ariel. I’ve loved her from the moment I saw her, and I’ll love her long after my bones have turned to dust.”
Lou choked back a sob and rambled about how romance wasn’t dead.
“Then you know what to do, son. And I suggest you get to it ASAP. Don’t let this go on any longer that it has to.”
Dad was right. Seeing that I suddenly had a mess to clean up, Dad all but ordered me to let Ariel go and forced me from the room. I’d argued, insisting that I wasn’t going anywhere, but ultimately his raised voice warned me that I couldn’t put things off. There was business to be dealt with. The first was telling the shrieking harpy that this wedding was over.
“I’ll be back momentarily. Let me know as soon as she wakes up,” I asked as I reluctantly left my angel in the expert care of my father and Lou, who it turned out, was a hospice nurse.
“Man, is she okay?” Ryan was waiting for me by the door as I stepped out.
“Yeah, my dad’s taking care of her now,” I managed, avoiding looking at him and instead fixing my stare in the direction of where Vanessa was still getting ready. “He thinks she fainted.”
“Dude.” Ryan gripped my arm and pulled me into the corner, far from prying ears. “What are you going to do about Hoezilla?” Ryan used one of his overly-affectionate pet names for my fiancée. A woman he loathed more than life itself. The same one he warned was only after my money. Ryan had been right. If only I had listened to him sooner.
“Doing what I should have done months ago. Getting rid of her.”
Squaring my shoulders, I left Ry and marched toward the bride’s quarters. I gave the door two hard raps before letting myself in.
“What?” A shrill voice screamed while a flash of white tulle and satin nearly blinded me. Vanessa had been guzzling champagne but upon seeing me, she dropped the glass flute, not caring that it shattered upon the floor, before seeking refuge behind a floor-length mirror. “Lucas? What the fuck? You can’t be in here! Get out! Get out!” Vanessa shrieked, her voice rising along with her over-the-top theatrics.
“No,” I said gruffly, no longer in the mood and met her eye. “I’m not leaving until I say this.” I began stalking the space, one hand clenched while the other swept through my hair. Seeing that I wasn’t going to leave and I wasn’t about to give in to her demands, Vanessa stomped over and blocked my path.
“What the fuck is going on? Why are you in here? It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. You need to go before you fuck all this up!” Any pretense of nicety was long gone. Vanessa pouted, albeit prettily, and crossed her arms over her chest, no doubt minutes away from a hissy fit.
“It’s over. I’m calling off the wedding,” I said, cutting straight to the chase. “I’ve decided that I don’t want to marry you and nothing will change my mind.”
“What the fuck do you mean you’re not marrying me?” Vanessa hissed like the viper she was. “You can’t call the wedding off! You can’t just change your mind. We had plans. Big plans!”
“Plans change.”
“Did that fucker Ryan talk you out of this? If he did, he’s a dead man!”
“No one talked me out of it. I’m not marrying you because I don’t love you. I’m not going to make the mistake of wasting my life with you.”
More words were said. Harsh, cruel words that came from her mouth instead of mine. Over and over, she threatened me and begged me to reconsider, stating that she was the best thing that I could ever find. With a flat scoff and a final emphatic no, I turned to leave.
“Aargh!” Vanessa’s blood-curdling scream pierced the air before something whizzed by my head and shattered against the wall. I glanced down to see the shattered remains of a small vase lying in pieces on the floor, mixed with the shards of the champagne glass. I eyed the mess for what it was. Tangible proof that I’d narrowly avoided shattering my life to pieces. Blowing a hard breath out of my nose, I stepped past Vanessa’s last attempt to get her way.
“Goodbye, Vanessa,” I said flatly, looking her in the eye one last time. “Have a nice life.”
Storming out of the room, I closed the door with a pointed slam and kept going. Vanessa’s angry wail quickly infected the air. Her sister and cousin immediately rushed to her aid. As I stalked back to where Ryan stood, I cast a glance at the room where I’d left my Ariel and wondered if she’d woken up yet.
“Don’t think about going in there yet,” said my best friend as he flashed a set of car keys. “I just went to ask how your girl was doing and your dad told me to get my ass out of here.”
“Was she awake?”
“I didn’t get a chance to find out. That other bridesmaid was in there with her. The loud one.” Ryan grimaced.
Since they’d met two days ago, he and Lou had been at each other’s throats. It was almost comical how they’d instantly hated each other.
“When I tried to look over your dad’s shoulder, she was guarding Ariel like she was Cerberus and your girl was the entrance to the underworld. And then I accidentally stared at Cerberus’s rack and I don’t know why, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Hell, I even think I drooled. That’s when she told me to keep my eyes to myself and called me a dickhead! The nerve of her!”
