“He’s successful…and you must have noticed that he’s handsome.”
I didn’t notice at all. “Daddy, I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but it’s okay. I’m doing this to survive. I’m doing this so I can still have the life I want—with a few sacrifices. Maverick and I had a conversation, and we found a way to live our lives separately but also together.” I turned around and looked at him. “No, it’s not what I want…but it could be worse.”
It was a dream wedding.
White chairs on a perfectly manicured lawn as the Tuscan sun shone overhead. Pink and white flower petals were sprinkled on the ground, and the three hundred guests rose to their feet as my father walked me down the aisle.
My father kept his body strong as he guided me forward, refusing to let anyone know he was struggling to live every second of every hour. He smiled despite his pain, happy to be a witness to my wedding—even if it wasn’t a fairy tale.
The harp music played as I made my way forward, approaching the man waiting for me at the end. In a black suit and tie, he watched me come toward him, his brown eyes unblinking as he studied me. His expression was stony like always, but he allowed a hint of affection to enter his gaze. Everyone would notice if the groom hated his new bride, so he adopted a lie to match the story.
When he allowed his aggression to fade away, he was actually handsome to me. With the sun on his tanned skin and the shadow shaved from his chin, he looked like a man who could have been in my fantasies. He was tall, fit, and he carried himself like a man with pride.
But his soul didn’t match his looks—and he was vile.
I made it the rest of the way, wanting this moment to pass so we could move on and forget about it. The only positive memory I would have of this day was walking with my father. I knew it was probably the last time we would ever be together like this, when he would be healthy enough to get out of bed. He would no longer be the man to take care of me—because he was now handing the responsibility to the man waiting for me.
When we reached Maverick, my father kissed me on the cheek. “I love you, princess.”
“I love you too, Daddy.” I hugged him, and I let the embrace linger for a long time. I should have pulled away sooner, but I didn’t want to. It was the last time I would get the chance to hug him in the sunlight.
My father patted me on the back, understanding the emotions that were swirling around inside me. He was the one to pull away first, because he knew I would never move otherwise.
I walked the rest of the way and looked at Maverick, doing my best to control my trembling lip. Marrying this man wasn’t nearly as bad as losing my father, and in that very moment, I felt like I was living with his ghost. I knew this moment would be a memory all too soon.
Maverick watched me, dropping his artificial look of affection as he stared at my trembling lip. His eyes fell as he looked at me, and in that instant, there seemed to be a hint of compassion. He did the unexpected and wrapped his powerful arms around my waist and pulled me to his chest, making my head turn the other way so I would have a moment of privacy.
The crowd aww’d at this gesture, assuming Maverick loved his new bride so much that he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
But I knew he was just giving me a moment to say goodbye to my father, to swallow the sorrow at the loss. That made me hate him a little less, made me wonder if he did have a soul under that intimidating façade. My father seemed certain Maverick would take care of me…and maybe he was right.
Maverick gave me as much time as he could before he stepped back.
It was enough for me to breathe a few times, to steady my bottom lip, to keep my eyes dry and my makeup intact. It was a momentary reprieve from the unbearable reality of my world. I’d lost everything—and now I would lose the most important thing to me.
Maverick faced me, his eyes glued to my expression so hard he didn’t even blink. He didn’t stare at me like he was in love with me, but he stared at me like he could look at me forever.
The priest performed the ceremony, asking us to repeat lines when necessary.
In a daze, I did my part.
Maverick spoke with a powerful voice, fooling the audience into thinking he actually wanted me to be his wife.