his phone. “…’I can’t marry you. I’m hideous.’”
“Oh for the love of God, can you keep your voice down?”
Bret held his temples.
“Can you stay sober for the day?” David shot back, then
continued, “The next one says…’I broke a nail and ripped my
panty hose.’”
“Who wears panty hose in this heat?” Bret scoffed and all
eyes slowly turned on him.
“Well, now we know why your wife left you.” Nathan
jabbed. Even Bret laughed at that.
“And this last one…this last one takes the cake.” David
laughed a hysterical laugh. “‘I sent Pilar to get tampons. I just got my period. Our honeymoon is ruined!’”
The entire band erupted in a fit of laughter.
“Well, at least you know she’s not pregnant.” Nathan
brushed his red bangs out of his eyes.
“So much for a white wedding.” Bret agreed, sipping his
coffee and grimacing in disgust.
“I can still call for the getaway boat.” Nathan held up his
cell phone hopefully.
Steph dressed in silky green capris and a matching tunic
style top. She skipped the heels and opted for flats. She knew
she’d be contorting into awkward positions for the remainder of
the day to get good angles, and she wanted to have some strength left for Phillip tonight. After arriving at the bride’s bungalow, 207
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she spent an hour convincing Yara that she looked amazing and
that any tiny flaws would be handled with touch ups. Steph as-
sured her could work miracles in a darkroom. She hadn’t had to
sell herself or her skills since she was twelve years old, but the future Mrs. David Evans had her actually doubting herself by the time she was done with her. She’d never taken wedding pictures
for anyone, and she vowed never to do it again, not even for the royal family.
Yara’s insecurity was laughable. The way her dark hair and
olive skin contrasted with her stark white gown made the quality of the wedding shoot a no-brainer. It wouldn’t take Stephanie
Brier to pull it off. Yara was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl, and her soon-to be-husband was one of the most
photographable celebrities in the world. Liam could get good
pictures of them with any old disposable camera.
She made sure to get lots of traditional pictures: the bride’s
dad putting on her garter belt and her mother adjusting her hair and fussing with her bouquet. The bridesmaids were not pleased
with their attire; they looked like wenches in a fairytale tavern, their breasts compressed behind tight bodices made of peach-colored material. She did her damndest to shoot Pilar (Saffron’s
‘fat’ bridesmaid) away from all the other bridesmaids—
Cheyenne included. Pilar was the maid of honor, so Steph had a
legitimate reason. Frankly, Steph wanted her to look as lovely as possible. Pilar was a cool girl, open and down to earth. She was also a busty, but very attractive woman, but what normal girl
wants to be shot standing next to a bunch of rail-thin profession-al models?
After getting a text from David that the groomsmen were
dressed and ready, she left the female contingent and headed
outside to the pool. When she rounded the corner and saw Fury,
she nearly dropped her camera.
With the exception of David, who looked ravishing in a
shocking white tux, the other band members wore billowy poet
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style shirts and dark pantaloons with knee high boots. By the
time she was done laughing, she was hoarse, and her throat hurt.
“You all look like extras in a gay porno version of the Pi-
rates of Penzance.”
“My, aren’t we witty today? Still have an endorphin high
from last night’s antics?” Nathan purred, looking particularly
ridiculous in his wedding garb. Steph placed a hand on her hip
and gave Phillip as suspicious glance.
Phillip shrugged, looking like a rakish devil. Steph ran her
eyes from his boots to his disheveled hair. She raised her eye-
brows and bit the inside of her lip. She planned to have some
role playing fun with Blue Beard later.
David sighed, looking up from his phone. His shoulders
slumped visibly. “Bret, Yara wants you to pull her hair back for the wedding.”
Bret scoffed. “She can toss off. I’m wearing my hair down.”
“But it’s all frizzy,” Nathan complained.
“Nathan, why don’t you go be a girl somewhere else?”
Steph interjected. Phillip and Scot laughed.
“At least put some product into it.” Nathan mumbled.
“You guys look pretty hot.” Steph raised her camera, then
put it down. “I don’t even know where to start. Your future wife is a cruel bitch, DJ Dave.”
“Let’s just get this shit over with.” Scot begged, tugging at
the frilly sleeves of his shirt.
As she lined them up in front of the view of the bay, Steph
called out “Okay, everyone. Say ‘ride me, Captain Sparrow!’”
As she snapped the first photo, they all flipped her off in
unison.
“I think that needs to be the cover for Rage.”
“I think not.” David frowned.
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An unexpected downpour delayed the ceremony for an
hour. It took another 45 minutes for the staff to dry off all the chairs and for Pilar to redo Yara’s smeared makeup from her
latest crying jag. A string quartet began to play the familiar
strains of Cannon in D, and Stephanie tiptoed around the anxious crowd as Scot and Cheyenne started down the aisle. Even though
they looked like a total fashion nightmare, their dark good looks complimented each other nicely. Steph planned to crop out as
much of their clothes as possible when she developed the shots.
Liam shouted “Mamma!” from Kara’s lap and the crowd snick-
ered.
Bret started down the aisle with Yasmin, closely followed
by Phillip and Antonella, who all seemed nervous that it might
begin to rain again at any moment. The sun was peeking through
breaks in a heavily clouded sky, so Steph considered that they
might be onto something. Liam shouted “Pip” and broke free
from Kara’s grasp, chasing Phillip down the aisle and tugging on an effeminate lace cuff. Liam broke in between the couple and
took both their hands, escorting them to the altar, much to the
amusement of the on-looking crowd. Cheyenne looked around
horrified, but Scot beamed proudly.
Phillip scooped up Liam and tickled him. Liam exclaimed
“up,” and Stephanie knew that he wanted Phillip to throw him in
the air. Phillip whispered something to him. Both Kara and Scot
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made attempts to get Liam to come to them while the string
quartet vamped for time. Liam shook his head and snuggled into
Phillip, sucking his thumb. Steph took several shots of that mo-
ment and felt as if someone was gently squeezing her heart. Phillip shrugged at Scot, then turned and winked at Steph.
Pilar and Nathan were the last to make the trip. It was odd
seeing Nathan with a woman who didn’t tower over him, and
Pilar’s dark hair and skin contrasted fabulously with his fair skin and emerald eyes. The Maid of
Honor and Best Man both smiled
dashingly, and Steph was pleased with the series of photos she
snapped of them.
Once they arrived at the altar, the quartet struck the familiar
chords of the bridal march, and all the guests rose from their
seats. Steph maneuvered around the crowd for the best vantage
point as Yara and her father stepped onto the red carpet in the
sand. Yara appeared as if she did this every day, and you’d never have known she’d been a raving lunatic only an hour before.
Stephanie’s shutter made whirling sounds as she took photo after photo, then turned and zoomed in on David’s smiling face.
Earlier, while they were waiting out the storm, Phillip had
regaled Steph with David’s rampage about his betrothed’s text
messages. Looking at him now, one would never guess that he
thought of Yara as anything but perfection. The frank love his
face expressed made Steph have to suppress a sniffle. She as-
sumed it was the flood of hormones from reuniting with Phillip,
but like the Grinch she was, she swore her heart grew three sizes that day.
Yara’s father lifted her veil and kissed her cheek, handing
her off to David. The priest launched into his spiel in Portuguese, and Steph made every attempt to get shots of the crowd in as
unobtrusive of a way as possible. As she moved to the far back
to take a shot down the aisle, she noticed an SUV pull up and a
figure in pink hop out. Steph tilted her head and narrowed her
eyes curiously. She lifted her lens and zoomed in on the ap-
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proaching figure.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it was Bret’s
wife Sarah. Her long blonde hair whipped around her, framing
the flush apples of her cheeks. Her eyes had a bright quality that made her look like she’d been crying, but she took determined
strides as she rushed in the direction of the ongoing ceremony.
Choking back a gasp, Steph pulled her eyes away from the
camera and looked around wildly for someone to tell. Every eye
was on the bamboo altar and the beautiful bride and groom un-
derneath. Every eye, except for Bret’s. As if he sensing Sarah, he turned and looked over his shoulder. Steph pointed, and Bret’s
eyes followed her finger. As he zeroed in on Sarah, his mouth
fell open, and his hand grasped his chest.Sarah came face to face with Steph and opened her mouth to speak, but Steph just pointed mutely up the aisle. She turned, and Steph got a front row seat to the moment Sarah locked eyes with her husband. As if unaware of his surroundings, Bret slowly turned away from the cer-
emony and with unsure steps walked back down the red carpet
toward his wife. The priest faltered in his speech, and soon
hushed murmurs peppered throughout the gathered crowd.
Sarah rushed forward and Bret opened his arms as she flung
herself into them.
“I’m sorry, I love you. Bret, I’m sorry!” She cried, and she
clung to him, her hands entangled in his long dark hair. Tear
streamed down Bret’s face as he showered her with little kisses.
“I love you, too, Darling. I missed you so much.” His voice
cracked with emotion, and Steph stole several pictures of their
reunion, wiping away tears of her own. After two full minutes of ignoring the crowd around them, Bret took Sarah by the hand
and led her away from the wedding. Steph wanted to applaud
him, but looked up the aisle nervously at Yara. She waited for
the meltdown, but Yara had her hand to her mouth as if stunned
with emotion.
“Oh my God, that was so beautiful,” The bride cried, turn-
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ing to her groom. She reached up and pulled him in for a deep
kiss, “That is true love, David!”
The priest cleared his throat and without any further delay,
he proceeded to marry them just before the first raindrops began again.
Several hours later, after a whirlwind of photos, cake,
toasts, and dancing, Steph was completely spent. If Phillip ex-
pected to get laid (by her, at least), he was probably out of luck.
Every muscle in her body screamed, and she ducked away from
the reception, curling up in a hammock around the corner. She
told herself she was only going to rest her eyes for a minute, but soon drifted into a light sleep.
She nearly had a heart attack when she felt the hammock
swing wildly, nearly hurling her off the side. Phillip’s hands
grasped her shoulders, and he uttered a hearty chuckle.
“Arrrrr, Wench. I’m here to claim my booty.” His awful
cockney pirate snarl would have made him a shoe in for any
made for basic cable feature film. He grasped the ropes on both
sides of her head as his mouth passionately claimed hers.
After a long and fiery kiss, Steph reluctantly pushed on his
chest. His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Make me walk the plank if you must, but this booty’s been plundered enough for one day.”
He tried to situate himself, and she nearly fell off into the
sand again.
“Don’t move,” she ordered, and he held has hands up in
mock surrender as she positioned herself next to him. She sighed as she cuddled in close and breathed in his divine scent. She
stroked the hair of his chest which his cheesy seventies style
neckline exposed. The storm clouds had rapidly moved on, and
the clear night sky glittered with a million stars.
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“I could just stay with you in this moment for the rest of my
days.” He sounded matter-of-fact, and Stephanie held her breath.
It was time for “the talk.” She’d known it was coming; it was
their last night before everyone flew back to their real lives. She took several slow breaths and began.
“Phillip…listen…” Steph began, nervous but excited at the
road she saw before them.
“No, you listen to me. Before you open that talented mouth
and say something we’ll both regret, I have a few counterpoints
I’d like to present.” Using only his thumb, he tilted her face up to meet his. He refused to let her eyes wander, and Steph bit the
inside of her lip to keep from snickering. “Steph, I love you. I don’t say that word flippantly. I mean love. Like “bleed to death on a battlefield” love. My worst day with you was a billion times better than my best day without you. I find spending another day away from you unthinkable, and refuse to go on waking up without you by my side. I know you don’t believe in marriage—and
after this week, I can see why—but I’m done being away from
you, so we’d better figure something out quick.”
Steph giggled, and Phillip looked like she’d stabbed him
with a butcher knife.
“You find that funny?” His bewilderment was darling.
She struggled to compose herself, but several additional
chuckles escaped. “Oh, Pip. Don’t be so dramatic. You had me
at ‘arrrrr.’”
She watched a myriad of emotions flicker across his face as
he realized she was in. For whatever lay ahead of them, Steph
was on board and ready for the journey. His eyes shone like glittering sapphires in the moonlight, overflowing with adoration.
But Phillip’s lips twisted in a wicked and naughty sneer.
�
�Dramatic? I’ll show you dramatic.” He was on his feet,
hoisting her over his shoulder in true conqueror fashion.
“Phillip, put me down.” She squealed with laughter. “Bad
pirate!”
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He slapped her on the ass as he lumbered toward the path
leading to the bungalows.
“Naughty prisoners are taught their lessons in the captain’s
cabin. I think maybe I’ll tie you to the bed for a sound lashing.”
He flipped her off of his shoulder and held her in his arms like a princess.
“A tongue lashing?” she asked breathlessly, her lips curling
wryly.
When he spoke, it sounded like an animalistic growl. “Is
there any other kind?”
Saffron and Nathan watched as Phillip carried Stephanie to
the trail, and he vanished with her into the encroaching trees.
“Isn’t it romantic?” Saffron cooed ironically. Nathan smiled
at his beautiful lady as he lit a cigarette.
“I just love happy endings; really I do.” His tone was sardonic, but Nathan’s relief was genuine. He’d always felt Stepha-
nie and Phillip belonged together, and he had always been one of their biggest supporters. He glanced at Bret and Sarah on the
dance floor. They moved in slow circles, their foreheads touch-
ing as they gazed at one another.
David and Yara had left the party moments before, presum-
ably to consummate their union. Yara’s mood had greatly im-
proved the minute the ceremony ended. Though it was their par-
ty, the pair seemed oblivious to the world around them.
Cheyenne and Scot took turns twirling Liam around on the
dance floor. The toddler giggled hysterically and chanted
“again…again!” It seemed like everything was falling into place
for all the members of Fury, himself included.
“Don’t you mean ‘happy finishes’?” Saffron purred, her
hand sliding up dangerously high on his inner thigh.
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Nathan felt his eyebrow twitch as she pressed herself
against him. He slid his palm down the bare skin exposed by
Saffron’s backless dress. “Is there a difference?”
She leaned in close, her face an inch from his. He could
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