The Bridesmaid & The Jerk (Wedding Games Book 1)

by Daphne James Huff

  Fox shrugged. “I don’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Fox focused on Sienna, whose eyes were glued to his. “I only care about what she thinks.”

  Everyone in the room turned to Sienna. Her expression didn’t change much, but the tips of her ears turned a tiny bit red. Fox’s heart sputtered. This was a mistake. She didn’t want this.

  “Why don’t you come up here?” Jason asked with a dramatic wave of his hand.

  Sienna slowly stood up and walked to the stage. But she didn’t hurry to Fox, instead she stood on the other side of Jason. This was looking worse and worse for Fox. He inched closer to the edge of the stage, just in case he had to make a run for it to keep from experiencing the total humiliation of rejection on camera.

  “Did you know Fox was going to sing this song for you tonight?” Jason asked. Fox held his breath.

  Sienna shook her head. “No.”

  “And what would you give him as a score for his performance?”

  Her eyes panned from Jason to Fox to the cameras. A slow smile spread across her face. Did that mean she wasn’t going to reject him after all? Fox wasn’t sure, but he’d had enough. He’d just done one of the hardest things he’d done in ten years, and he needed to finish this conversation with Sienna privately.

  He reached out and grabbed her hand. When she looked up at him, he jerked his head ever so slightly to the exit doors. Her smile grew as understanding dawned, and she gave him a small nod.

  Fox didn’t hesitate. He ran down the small stage, his hand still gripping Sienna’s. The two rushed past the judges and wedding party, ignoring the protests that came from Jason and Bruce.

  Fox pulled Sienna down the hall, loving the way her laughter filled his ears as they headed in the direction of the safe room. Once inside, Fox slammed the door behind them and looked back at Sienna. Her smile was wide and her face bright.

  She was beautiful.

  “You’re full of all kinds of surprises tonight,” she said as she caught her breath from their escape.

  “I just couldn’t do it in there, in front of all the cameras.”

  Her smile fell. “Do what?”

  He reached out and grabbed her hands again. “I know we don’t always see eye to eye, and we’ve made mistakes. But in the short time I’ve known you, Sienna, you’ve shown me so much beauty.”

  She cocked a brow.

  “And no, I’m not just talking about your outward beauty, which is great by the way.” His face flushed with heat. Getting tongue-tied was not an option right now. “But the way you work so hard toward your goals, and the way you love your sisters, and the way you’ve opened up to me these past few days. Just being with you makes me feel alive for the first time in what feels like forever. I know we’re supposed to go our separate ways in a few days, and I don’t know what our future will look like, but I want to find out.”

  A corner of Sienna’s mouth lifted into a small smile. “I never thought I’d want to date a grumpy old man, and yet, all I want to say is yes.”

  Fox laughed. “Yeah?”

  Sienna nodded.

  “So, does that mean I can—”

  Sienna cut him off by pressing her lips to his. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck as he pulled her closer. She smelled like the fresh, green mountain air he loved so much as she molded perfectly into his embrace.

  Fox knew they’d have to pay for leaving the set yet again, and he hoped that Eli would understand. But for now, he was happy to have Sienna in his arms and was looking forward to what the future held for them.

  Twenty-Three

  5 Days Until Dream Wedding

  Sienna practically skipped down the stairs to the dining hall the next morning.

  After Fox’s declaration the night before, she wasn’t sure she’d ever leave the safe room. But after way too much kissing, and Harper’s persistent banging on the door, the two decided they couldn’t hide inside the small room for the next five days.

  So, Fox and Sienna had eventually left the linen closet and apologized for running off in the middle of the competition—again. Bruce asked them to return to the meeting room and said all would be forgiven if they agreed to do a short on camera interview about what was going on between the two of them.

  Apparently, they had enough footage of the two of them together that they wanted to play up this love story in the background of Eli and Audrey’s wedding. All in all, it was better than what either of them could hope for.

  Sienna checked her reflection in a mirror outside the dining hall to make sure her hair and makeup were the same as they were two minutes ago. Breakfast would technically be her first date with Fox, and she wasn’t about to look a mess or show up late.

  When she walked through the doorway her gaze immediately found Fox sitting alone at a table in the corner. Not that it was hard. The room was relatively empty. Her sisters hadn’t made it down yet, and besides Fox, Harry and Reagan were the only ones in the room. And they were having a tense conversation that Sienna wouldn't interrupt if her life depended on it.

  Sienna enjoyed the way Fox watched her as she made her way to the table. She gave him a quick good morning kiss before she sat down. There were two cups of coffee on the table, and a pile of cream and sugar next to Sienna’s cup.

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it.”

  Sienna opened one of the small containers of cream and poured it into her drink. “I’m not picky. Just as long as it has caffeine.”

  “Good to know.” Fox chuckled. “I wonder what else I don’t know about you.”

  Sienna squirmed in her seat. As excited as she was to be with Fox, they didn't have all the time in the world to get to know one another. They had five days. “Uh, yeah. But you know this has an expiration date, right?”

  Fox smiled. “I know. I spent a lot of time thinking about this last night.”

  She lifted a brow. “Oh yeah?”

  He nodded. “I really like you Sienna. And I don’t think five days is enough.”

  “But I’m going back to the city in five days, and you have your life in Kitty Hawk.”

  “I don’t love it there.” He lifted the coffee cup to his lips and took a sip.

  “So what? You’re going to come to New York with me?” She laughed, but Fox didn’t join in.

  He held her gaze. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting. I know we don’t know each other that well yet, and I’m not saying I think we should move in together. But I don’t want to be an eight-hour drive away from you.”

  Her heart dropped into her stomach. “Are you serious?” The smile that broke out on her face was so big it hurt. “I don’t want you to be somewhere you hate.”

  He shook his head. “Even if I didn’t already love New York—which I do—I could never hate anywhere you are.”

  Well if that wasn’t the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her.

  “Are you pulling these lines from movies? These are solid gold. You should consider being a writer.”

  “Nah, I think I’ll stick to singing.”

  “You want to sing?” Sienna’s eyes were wide.

  “Well, after the show airs, I’m pretty sure I’ll have agents banging down my door,” said Fox with a smug shrug. “I’ll see if one of them can book you a commercial.”

  He winked, and she laughed.

  New York with Fox was going to be fun.

  “But seriously, it’s because of you that I realized how much I miss it,” he said, his eyes going dark and serious—and seriously smoldering. “It’s not too late for me to give it another shot. I don’t have to have a miserable life just because that’s what I’ve had for the past ten years.”

  “I made you see that?” Sienna tried unsuccessfully to keep her voice steady.

  As she leaned in for another kiss, she wondered how things had changed so quickly. She’d gone from no apartment with a strained relationship with her mother and sisters, to falling for an incredible guy and
an exciting new life ahead of her.

  Maybe reality shows weren’t so bad after all.

  Just as Fox’s lips found hers, the door to the room banged open.

  Harper stood in the doorway, out of breath. “Have either of you seen Audrey this morning?”

  Sienna gave her sister the stink eye. “I’ve been kind of occupied. Isn’t she in her room?”

  Harper shook her head. “I’ve looked everywhere. And her car is missing.”

  Sienna stood up, all thoughts of Fox and New York put on hold.

  Tears started to pool in Harper’s eyes. And Harper never cried. “I think...I think she’s gone.”

  What will happen next?

  Where is Audrey? Will the wedding bells ring or will the show be cancelled before it even airs? Find out in The Bridesmaid and the Ex, the next installment of Wedding Games. (Keep reading for a sneak peek!)

  5 Days Until Dream Wedding

  Harper speed walked through The Emerald Inn. Her entire body wanted to bolt down the hallway like a wedding cake was on fire, but she was afraid that kind of urgency so early in the morning would draw the attention of the production staff. And that was not what she needed right now.

  It was supposed to be easy. Just take ten days off from work to film Wedding Games and get her sister Audrey the dream wedding she’d always wanted.

  But now Audrey was missing. And Harper’s Flour Girl Bakery was getting slammed with orders. Not to mention an even bigger surprise that Harper couldn’t even let herself think about right now.

  Harper had to focus. Bruce, the producer, couldn’t find out the bride was MIA. He’d all but threatened to get the network’s legal team involved if anything else went wrong. And this was a pretty big anything.

  Harper had to make sure her sister was really gone before anyone else noticed.

  First she looked for Audrey in her room. Miraculously, there were no cameramen around. Then she snuck out to the parking lot and discovered her older sister’s car gone, and her luck held: no one from the production team was in the tech tent they’d set up outside. So, for now, it looked like her secret was safe.

  But that didn’t mean that things were okay. Not by a long shot.

  Harper burst through the door of the dining hall, still secretly hoping Audrey would be sitting there with a cup of coffee and some fantastical excuse of why her car was missing. But instead, she found her youngest sister, Sienna, cozying up with Fox, the best man.

  Harper would have much rather had privacy with Sienna, but she also knew Fox could be trusted. And thankfully, the only other people in the room were the maid of honor, Reagan, and her fiancé, Harry. And they were completely absorbed in a very heated discussion. Harper doubted they even registered her presence, even though she’d accidentally slammed the door against the wall when she came in.

  Heck, even Sienna didn’t seem to register Harper’s presence, too absorbed in getting lost in Fox’s light blue eyes. Barf. But what could Harper expect? Sienna and Fox had literally declared their feelings for each other the night before, and were in the gooey, disgusting honeymoon stage.

  And they’d be the only ones on a honeymoon if Harper didn’t fix this quick.

  Harper tried to catch her breath. “Have either of you seen Audrey this morning?”

  Sienna looked up and glared at Harper. “I’ve been kind of occupied. Isn’t she in her room?”

  Harper shook her head. “I’ve looked everywhere. And her car is missing.”

  Sienna stood up, all color draining from her face. And in that moment, Harper knew things were really bad. It wasn’t just the stress of this week and everything that had come with filming Wedding Games.

  Tears pooled in Harper’s eyes. “I think...I think she’s gone.”

  “Gone where?” Fox asked.

  Harper shook her head frantically. “I don’t know.”

  “How can you not know?” Sienna said, her eyes wide.

  Harper tried not to take the question personally. Sienna was just as worried as she was. But it still stung because she should have known where Audrey was. The weight of Audrey’s absence lay heavy on Harper’s shoulders.

  The three sisters were all three years apart, which was just enough so that they’d grown up in separate social worlds, rather than the best of friends that people liked to imagine when they saw the three of them together. But ever since Audrey had moved back to their hometown of Wellspring to teach, Harper and Audrey had made time to hang out and had discovered that, as adults, they had a ton in common. Their Sunday afternoons spent cupcake testing while lesson planning were the highlight of Harper’s week.

  At least, they had been the highlight until Eli finally popped the question, and Audrey became consumed with wedding planning. It had been fun at first. The two sisters talked flowers, bridesmaid dresses, and best of all, cake.

  But when Audrey mentioned her engagement to a parent at a school conference—who just happened to be one of the owners of The Emerald Inn—one thing led to another. And now the entire family was stuck on this stupid mountain filming a reality show. And all the sister time Harper and Audrey had been having went flying out the window.

  It had been months since their last Sunday afternoon sister time. And now Audrey had run off in the middle of filming, and Harper didn’t have a clue why or where.

  It killed her that she didn’t know what was going on with Audrey. But right now, she had to focus on doing what she did best and get everyone out of a sticky mess. Whether handling twenty last-minute orders at her bakery or keeping their weekly family dinners going, Harper could handle anything. Finding a missing bride should be a piece of cake.

  So why did she just want to run up to her room and hide under the covers?

  The door to the dining room burst open again, and Harper turned, hope fluttering in her stomach. But it wasn’t Audrey running in crying about a flat tire. No, it was a tall, handsome, blond production assistant who looked perfectly refreshed.

  Austin Mariani, the only guy she’d ever loved, looked just as delicious as he did every time Harper saw him—which was quite often these days considering he was a part of the Wedding Games crew. Hadn’t that been a fun surprise the first day of filming?

  “Is everything okay?” He looked from Sienna to Fox, then, after a beat too long, finally caught Harper’s eye. She inhaled sharply, angry at herself for how his deep amber eyes still make her heart thump wildly after all these years.

  No, everything most certainly was not okay. Her sister was missing, she didn’t know where to find her, and now she was forced to stand right next to Austin, who, if his bland expression was any indication, had completely forgotten who she was. Her traitorous body leaned toward him, fondly remembering the days when he was hers.

  He’s not yours, he never was, you are over it.

  She took a step back and straightened her shoulders. “Everything is fine,” Harper said, her voice nearly cracking under the strain of appearing normal. She’d barely been coherent the past few days, on camera or off.

  Sienna shot Harper a look before she put on a bright smile that Harper could barely tell was fake. She laced her hand through Fox’s arm. “We were just waiting to hear what the plan is for today. The schedule just says ‘dress day’ so I assume the guys have a break today?”

  “A break would be great,” said Fox, his acting skills less convincing, but good nevertheless. “It’s been hard to adjust to all these cameras around all the time.”

  Austin looked down at the clipboard in his hand. Harper hadn’t seen him without it in the five days they’d been filming, but it didn’t surprise her how attached to it he seemed to be. When she’d known him in college, he had been a super organized person. He’d always kept a calendar, and nothing ever slipped through the cracks. When projects were due, when exams were, the dates and locations of all the sorority parties across campus…

  Back then, Harper had thought Austin knew everything. And it looked like some things never changed, because
when he turned his gaze to Harper, the corners of his mouth turned down just the tiniest bit. He knew Sienna was lying.

  She did her best to adopt the same carefree smile that Sienna still had plastered to her face, but his frown deepened. He looked down at the clipboard again briefly before looking back at Harper.

  “Bruce should be down soon to go through today’s schedule,” he said.

  At the mention of the producer’s name, Harper felt a cool trickle of sweat make its way down her neck into her shirt. Did Bruce already know about Audrey? She casually wiped her hands on her jeans, but the clamminess didn’t go away. She resisted the urge to do it again.

  “Actually, Harper, I’m glad you’re here,” Austin continued. “Could you come with me, please? I have a quick question about some footage from the bakery the crew took the other day.”

  The footage from the bakery? The only thing they’d filmed inside Flour Girl was Harper rolling dough. There was nothing special or confusing about that. And even though Austin hadn’t been there, he had seen her roll out dough hundreds of times in her college dorm. Maybe he just wanted to talk to her. A splash of hope surged through her, like a drop of red food coloring spreading through cake batter.

  Then he lifted an eyebrow at her and jerked his head toward the door. A giant ball of dread settled in her stomach like a burned Christmas cookie. She’d forgotten he also knew what she looked like when she lied. Maybe she wasn’t as forgettable as she’d thought. She certainly relived that painful graduation day over and over. Her embarrassing declaration of love. Maybe he did, too, and ignoring her the past few days was just his way of being nice.

  Harper glanced over at Sienna and gave her what she hoped was a believable “everything will be totally fine” smile before she followed Austin out into the hall.

  But deep down, she knew that it wouldn’t.

  5 Days Until Dream Wedding