My heart warms at the grins and affectionate gazes fixed on us. I can’t believe I’m marrying into such a family.
It’s temporary, Vi. Don’t you forget that.
As my brain continues to talk and argue with itself, Zane pulls out a chair for me. I perch down and Lukas, Zane’s friend, gives me a careful smile. I met him this morning while we were getting our marriage license. He asked Zane more than a few times if he was sure. If I’m not wrong, he’s the only one in this room who’s aware of the truth of our situation.
My hands curl around the soft fabric of my skirt.
What am I doing? Am I really going to cheat and lie to these amazing people? My breath gets caught in my throat, and as if he knows what I’m thinking, Zane places his hand over mine under the table. His touch is soft, yet reassuring. Exactly like him.
“So, how did you two meet?” Zander probes, and for a second it feels like everyone has stopped whatever they were doing and are now only interested in us.
Zane clears his throat before grabbing his glass of water. After carefully sipping, he replies, “At S-Steamy Beans.”
“How haven’t we seen you before, Vienna?” Kristy asks before throwing a quick glance at Rose. “Rose and I used to go there almost every day up until around four months ago. That’s when Hope decided to open a Cakes for All branch at all of Elixir’s offices.”
“I didn’t,” Hope comments. “Everything is Zach’s doing. He’s the owner of the bakery. I’m just the head chef.” This earns a grin from everyone, which I don’t really understand, but then Zach provides some context.
“I thought we agreed upon this, Hopper.” He puts his arms over his wife’s chair and pulls her closer.
“But we didn’t.” Hope grabs a cherry from the fruit bowl on the table before her and pushes it inside her husband’s mouth.
He nibbles on the fruit, but their gazes never leave each other.
My heart squeezes at the love between all these couples. How did Zane agree to a fake wedding after experiencing this life that looks like it’s plucked out of a romantic fairytale?
* * *
Finally, the dinner is over, and we all move to the comfy couches in the living room.
Several times now, I’ve had to remind my brain to not think stupid thoughts of Zane and me being like everyone else in this room. A true, loving couple. But Zane’s concerned gaze intermittently sliding to me doesn’t help my resolve.
I’m still lost in my thoughts when Zander asks, “So, what’s the plan now? What sort of wedding do you guys have in mind?”
Before we can answer, Zach replies, “A grand one of course.” Mischief shines in his eyes as he throws us under the bus.
“Grand or not, we really need a celebration,” Sophia says. “It’s been too long since we last shopped for a party.” As soon as the words are out of her mouth, everyone starts throwing out ideas, and in no time there’s a plan ready for a huge celebration at Butterfly Inn, a beautiful and cozy location in Cherrywood.
“Vienna, do you have a wedding dress already? Or something in mind?” Kristy asks. She’s the one sitting with an iPad on her lap, making notes and delegating tasks.
“Um…no.” I shake my head. While I was pulling out my lavender dress for this evening, I thought I could get married in my peach skirt and a white blouse. But now, with these grandeur plans, I’m sure it’ll look horribly plain.
“Don’t worry at all.” Kristy gives me a comforting smile before typing something on her phone. “I’m going to shoot Clementine a text. I’m sure she can drive down to Cherrywood for half a day.”
“Do you mean…Clementine Hawthorne?”
It can’t be!
Kristy nods once before resuming her typing. “Clem is Oscar’s sister.”
My head jerks up. “You’re Oscar Hawthorne? I thought you looked familiar,” I blurt. My eyes widen, and Oscar shifts in his seat. When his lips purse, I remember how tabloids mention that Oscar likes to keep a low profile and hates the attention of paparazzi that comes with his family name.
But holy crap, how rich is Zane to have associations with the Hawthornes, one of the richest families in Cherrywood?
Feeling utterly self-conscious, I look around and immediately meet Zane’s gaze fixed on me. He glances away for a second before looking back at me, and whispers, “You d-don’t like something?”
I shake my head.
What’s there not to like?