AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was like Alex was speaking in a foreign language. I caught different words here and there, but the world had gone silent since he asked me that question. And in the space remaining, a horde of unpleasant, nasty voices crept into the silence. The sum of all the years of bitterness spent waiting to hear from him until our chance encounter.
Of course it would never be a real wedding, they hissed.
No one would ever want to marryyou, they sneered.
Only a fake wedding.
And the worst part?
When I looked into his face, past his strong, chiseled features and to his bright, blue eyes, all I could see were Macy’s eyes.
“Say, Lola…” said Alex. “Are you feeling all right?”
I was shaking, and there was a stinging feeling at the corners of my eyes, as though I was about to cry.
“I have to go,” I said.
“No, Lola…” said Alex.
“I have to,” I said, and didn’t even finish the sentence this time.
I stood up, and felt my legs, trembling, seizing as I went down the stairs of the gallery, and out through the front door of the restaurant.
Chapter 16
Alex
Itwasthesecondtime I’d chased Lola through the streets of Manhattan. And this time, I’d very nearly lost her.
I was standing on the corner of 54thand 7th, wondering where she’d got to, when I finally saw her, zigzagging on the pavement up towards Central Park.
I followed her at a distance into the Park. It wasn’t dark yet, so I knew she’d be safe. But I couldn’t just leave her like this. I knew that whatever my question had triggered, it was important. And if I didn’t explain to her now, there might not be another chance.
When I finally caught up to her, she was sitting on a park bench, under a crowd of apple trees, staring down the rolling fields and meadows of Central Park. It was a warm evening, and I could see pollen floating through the air.
“I think I need to explain myself,” I said, as I approached her and sat down.
“You’re damn right you do,” snapped Lola. “What do you think I am? A wife-for-hire?”
“No,” I said, quickly. “I told you. If anything happens to me, then I need someone I trust to keep the businesses intact.”
“I have a child, Alex,” she said. “And you know what? Somewhere down the line, I was kind of hoping to get married forreal.”
“Youcan,” I said. “Like I said. Once we can prove what Luca’s up to, we can get the ceremony legally annulled.”
“How do you think it feels,” said Lola, “for someone to tell you that they’d like to marry you as a joke? As a prank?”
“It’s not a prank,” I said, bemused.
“No, it’s a lie,” said Lola. “A lie. I thought you were an honest guy. But now I see what they mean about billionaires and millionaires all being crooked. Nothing’s sacred to you, is it?”
“That’s not true,” I said.
“So whatdoyou believe in? If getting married’s such a joke to you that you’d fake one to save your restaurant?”
“I believe inyou, Lola.”
I really meant it. The trust I was placing in her, the confidence I had in her to carry this through. Couldn’t she see that?
