Chapter Eight
Anna never imagined she’d be wearing white and walking down the aisle again.
At least this time, she’d planned her escape before taking the plunge. Nothing made a wedding day more tolerable than a preplanned divorce.
She looked in the mirror and frowned. In the week since Clark’s proposal, she’d flipped back and forth several times, totally unsure if she was doing the right thing. She’d wished a dozen times she’d opted for the courthouse ceremony, but in her heart, the church seemed like the right place.
They had to make this marriage look as real as possible.
Regardless of how she felt, marrying Clark was the only thing she could do. In only a few minutes, she’d be Mrs. Clark Wainwright. For better or worse.
In the week since Clark’s proposal, Taylor had taken care of everything.
She’d rented a small country chapel just outside of Franklyn. While most venues were booked on every spring and summer Saturday until doomsday, Fridays were open. The second Friday in May, today, was their wedding day.
The church was a tiny, rural chapel with only room to seat fifteen or twenty people, but it was charming and rustic. Nestled in bright silver buckets, Taylor had arranged bright-blue hydrangeas and placed them by the front door and throughout the chapel. She’d hired a violinist from the local college.
It was going to be the perfect low-key wedding. Anna’s dream wedding. If it were real.
An old rhyme her grandmother used to say played in her head. Marry in May, rue the day. It was just a superstition, and Anna forced herself to stop repeating it over and over.
At least there would only be a few people to witness the event. Clark’s parents were out of the country. Anna’s weren’t invited. The guest list included Taylor, the maid of honor, and Clark’s best friend, Jake, who would serve as the best man. The pastor and the violinist bumped the count up to four.
Louie was with her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Rosemiller.
From the start, Clark had wanted to include him, but Anna felt differently. The kid had already had enough disappointment in his life, and while this would be a big transition for him, she wanted it to be as easy as possible, and she didn’t want to ramp up his expectations by having him at the wedding.
It would be too much to explain.
After all, it was a business deal. An arrangement. Clark felt horrible for what he’d caused and he needed to make amends. Anna needed help making sure her son stayed with her.
I’ll think of it as a vacation, a little break from reality.
The deal was clear: get married and live together until the custody issue was settled. During that time, she could save a little money, spend some time with Louie, and the landlord could clean up the house. Six months, at the outside.
Anna checked her hair and makeup one last time. She didn’t know why she was worried about how she looked. It wasn’t a real marriage, and she hadn’t hired a photographer. The only photos would be on smartphones. No reception was planned. She frowned into the mirror. She should be relieved they were keeping things low key, and she already had an exit plan. But something about the church, the dress, the cozy country chapel made her wish it were real.
Shit. The faux romance is getting to me. Ridiculous.
She should’ve chosen the magistrate. She had no business in a church marrying a man she barely knew, much less loved, but that might have raised some red flags, and in order for this plan to work, it had to look legitimate.
There was a knock at the door. “Ready for me to help you get into the dress?” Taylor asked.
Anna opened the door. “I’m ready.”
Taylor stepped inside and handed her a beautiful bouquet. A mixture of flowers, every color of the rainbow, wrapped in a wide purple ribbon. “Clark sent these. He wanted me to tell you there are no roses. He checked.”
Anna hadn’t ordered a bouquet. She’d thought about it but it seemed frivolous. Flowers seemed to convey emotion in a complicated way she couldn’t put into words.
Clark had been thoughtful enough to send her a wedding bouquet. Her heart squeezed. Too bad they’d met under such awful circumstances. Too bad she’d shut Taylor down every time she’d tried to introduce them. Now it was too late. They were entering into a business-only agreement. Despite the trappings, this wedding was for Louie. Period.
Taylor unzipped the dress and gestured to Anna who walked to the full-length mirror in the corner of the suite. Taylor took the dress off its hanger. “It’s so beautiful. I can’t believe you found it on such a great sale.”
It was a vintage dress Anna had found at the local thrift store. While Clark had been generous and insisted on paying for everything, she hadn’t been willing to ask him for money to buy a dress.
A white silk gown, tea length, with a lace over jacket and a bright-blue belt around the waist. It was the best of the 1950s. Anna had felt like Audrey Hepburn when she’d tried it on in the store. Thankfully, the dress was cut for a woman quite a bit shorter than Miss Hepburn and it fit Anna like it was made for her. For less than fifty dollars, she had the dress she would’ve chosen if money had been no object. She had even been able to buy a pair of killer shoes to match without feeling guilty.
Taylor zipped up the dress and adjusted the shoulders. “You look amazing.”
Anna smiled at herself in the mirror.
“So, the dress is the something old and the shoes are the something new.”
“The belt is something blue,” Anna added.
“And this,” Taylor said, pulling something from her purse, “is the something borrowed.” She handed Anna a beautiful silver hair clasp. “My mother gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday. She wore it in her wedding to my dad. I thought it would look beautiful with your hair and the dress.”
Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes. “It’s so beautiful. I’d love to wear it.”
Anna took the cheap clasp from the Dollar Tree out of her hair and replaced it with Taylor’s. With most of her hair caught in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, she allowed a few curls to wiggle loose and touch her shoulders.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, still looking into the mirror. “It’s almost time.”
Standing behind Anna, Taylor placed her hands on Anna’s shoulders. “It’s going to be just fine. I promise you. My brother can be nosy and meddlesome, but he’s a good man. I’m glad you’re letting him help you.”
Anna nodded. “It feels like the right thing.”
“It is. Who knows? You might even have a little bit of fun.” Taylor gave her an exaggerated, lewd wink. “Now, remember, make the kiss count. The pastor has no idea this isn’t on the up and up.”
Anna took a deep breath. Kissing Clark wouldn’t exactly be a problem. “I’ll give it my best.”
“See you later, sis.”
…
Anna looked radiant. For the first time in Clark’s life, “beautiful” was too small of a word. She was vibrant, beaming. Everything a woman should be on her wedding day.
The dress was perfect. Classy, feminine, and tailored to bring attention to her figure. There was nothing fussy about it, no ruffles or bows or shimmery things to take the attention off Anna’s perfect hourglass shape.
It reminded him of an old black-and-white movie his mother used to watch, Roman Holiday. He smiled at the memory. Even though his mother was mostly his father’s puppet, he did have good memories of spending time with her when his father was out of town. She’d let him crawl into bed with her and watch movies. They’d loved watching Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck fall in love surrounded by the grandeur of Rome.
“She’s a stunner, Duck,” Jake whispered. “Are you sure you don’t want to marry her for real?”
“Shhh,” he whispered in answer. He didn’t want anything to ruin this moment. He wanted to remember it exactly as it was. This was very likely his one and only chance at being a bridegroom, and even if it wasn’t the fairy tale, it was powerful. With the marked exception of Jake, all his other friends were married. Some already had kids.
Clark had always been a fixer. Since the moment Taylor was born, he’d been driven to protect her from the rejection he felt from his parents. After the accident, he felt it was his responsibility to look after Jake. And now, he was getting married as a way to take responsibility for his actions.
What it would feel like to know the beautiful woman walking down the aisle toward me was going to be beside me every day for the rest of my life?
What would it feel like to know she loved you? What would it feel like to know you were worthy of her?
He’d never know the answer to that question. With Jake beside him, the wheels of his chair gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the window of the chapel, Clark knew this was as close as he’d ever get to being a family man. He’d never deserve that title.
A few of Anna’s curls escaped the hair clasp and touched the white lace covering her shoulders. It was the sexiest and the sweetest thing he’d ever seen.
Why hadn’t he listened to Taylor when she’d tried to set them up? Before the birthday party? Before the accident?
He couldn’t think about that now. It was too late in the game. He was doing the right thing, and that was always more important than personal satisfaction or fulfillment. Principle over pleasure. Always.
It’s a simple business deal. Remember that.
The closer Anna got to the altar, the more stunning she was. She deserved to be walking down the aisle into the arms of a man who really loved her, really knew her. Clark never imagined doing the right thing could make him feel so lousy.
The music stopped when Anna reached the altar. She placed her tiny hand in his.
“Ready?” Clark whispered. She nodded and they both turned to face the pastor.
Getting married didn’t take long at all. Clark was so focused on the feel of her small hand in his. So mesmerized by her smell, the closeness of her.
The vows, the exchanging of the rings.
Just as he was settling into the moment, the pastor said, “You may now kiss your bride.”
Clark’s heart pounded in his chest.
My bride.
He hadn’t realized how big the moment was until it had passed. There was no such thing as just a marriage.
He turned to face Anna, and she looked up at him as if he were the only man in the world. For the moment, it was too hard to convince himself this wasn’t entirely real. She deserved a kiss worthy of a bride.
He bent and lightly touched his lips to hers. “You look absolutely beautiful, Anna.”
“Then you should kiss me.”
Anna tasted sweet, like champagne and strawberries. Even though he’d kissed her before, this felt totally different.
Her lips were soft and firm, hot and cool, and the taste of her went straight to his head. He didn’t want to scare her. This kiss might be just a formality, but he didn’t want it to end. Anna seemed hesitant at first, but then she relaxed and kissed back. There was hunger just below the surface, and it was something he definitely wanted to explore.
Anna was a passionate woman.
And for the first time since he’d proposed this crazy scheme, Clark was a little scared.