Holiday Wedding

by Robyn Neeley

  Apparently Santa had already given her Christmas wish to Olivia.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Lauren picked up her step and rounded the corner for St. Patrick’s Cathedral, wrapping her coat straps tight around her waist. There would be no more awkward small talk with Drew and Olivia if she could help it. The bumper-to-bumper ride from JFK to Manhattan had been—one word—torture.

  Thank God Luke had called, breaking the awkward silence. He had asked her to bring Drew directly to the church. Man, he and Kate were going flip when they saw who had tagged along for the trip.

  Lauren didn’t have to look behind her to see Olivia’s smug, silent victory expression. Lauren had been behind saving Luke from making the biggest mistake of his life with the conniving witch. Thinking he’d lost Kate for good, Luke had actually—reluctantly—agreed to marry Olivia in Hawaii. Luckily, Drew and Lauren had set their own relationship troubles aside to team up to stop that sham of a wedding from ever happening.

  Never in her wildest dreams did she think Olivia would set her sights on Drew.

  Were they a couple now? Lauren’s stomach twisted.

  Her high boots clicked on the pavement as she picked up speed and distance from Drew and Olivia. She’d pop into the church for a second, say a quick hello, grab Miles, and get the hell out of there.

  She opened the cathedral’s bronze saintly door and was instantly calmed by the stunning gothic architecture. It’d been a while since she visited the New York City landmark located on Fifth Avenue. Serenity washed over her, but it was brief as Miles appeared from nowhere and rushed over.

  “You’re not going to believe this …” He paused and raised a curious eyebrow. “What’s the matter with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “Nothing.” She shook her head.

  He looked behind her as Drew and Olivia entered the church. “Who let her back in this country?” he whispered, nodding to Olivia. Miles had had Olivia’s number the minute he laid eyes on her in Maui and had worked with Lauren and Drew to ensure Kate and Luke got their happy ending.

  How could Drew be so insensitive and do this to his brother?

  Who was she kidding? How could Drew do this to her?

  “Miles, it’s good to see you.” Drew stepped further inside and offered his hand.

  “Drew.” Miles shook it, smiling at Olivia. “I see you brought us all a souvenir from Tokyo.”

  “You remember Olivia.”

  “Who could forget?” Miles asked coolly, shaking her hand. He turned back to Drew. “Your dad has an announcement. You’d better get in there.”

  While Drew and Olivia headed into the congregation room, Lauren grabbed Miles’s hand. There was no way she was staying a second longer. She needed a cocktail to squash the memory of Drew’s arms around that woman. “Let’s go,” she ordered.

  “And miss the cat fight once Kate sees Olivia?” Miles laughed. “I don’t think so. Plus, wait until you hear what Jack and Vanessa did. You’re never going to believe it. It’s so them.”

  “What did they do now?” Whatever it was, did she really need to be part of it? Lauren watched a beaming Olivia standing close to Drew.

  The hell she did. Even if Lauren wasn’t married to Drew, she’d been a part of the Cannon family for over a decade. She had just as much of a right to be here and hear Jack’s news as Olivia did. She followed Miles into the congregation room where Jack, Vanessa, Luke, and Kate were huddled in front of the altar in what appeared to be a heated conversation.

  “Why on earth would you think what you did was a good idea?” Luke’s hands flew up in the air.

  “Son, it’s my life. I can do whatever the hell I want with it.”

  “Dear.” Vanessa touched Jack’s arm. “Please, we’re in church.”

  “What’s going on?” Drew asked.

  Everyone turned, and Kate’s mouth dropped at the sight of Olivia. Lauren felt a twinge of guilt for not somehow warning her that the she-devil was with them. The fact that Luke’s ex-girlfriend, who had almost succeeded in getting him to the altar, was back in town really did warrant a preemptive text.

  “What are you doing here?” Kate blurted out, reaching for Luke’s hand.

  Miles leaned in to Lauren. “Told you this was going to get ugly. My money’s on my boss. I’ve seen her punch dozens of hungover groomsmen into submission.”

  “Shh …” Lauren nudged him in his ribcage.

  “Guys, Olivia came back with me to spend Christmas with her family,” Drew explained. Lauren took a seat in the third row. So Drew was keeping whatever he was doing with Olivia a secret from the family, or maybe they weren’t a couple. Perhaps he’d just been caught up in the moment of being back home back at the airport and was giving her a celebratory holiday hug—or maybe he was helping her button up her coat or something. Lauren sunk into the pew, suspecting neither scenario was likely.

  Luke acknowledged Drew and Olivia and turned to Jack. “Why don’t you tell Drew what you did, Dad?” He shoved one hand in his pants pocket while continuing to hold Kate’s. Lauren rarely saw Luke lose his cool. Whatever his dad and Kate’s mom had done must be a doozy.

  “Son, I don’t think I like your tone.” Jack smiled down at Vanessa and wrapped one arm around her. “Drew, your new stepmother and I decided to elope.”

  “What?” Drew shook his head and Lauren glanced over at Kate, who confirmed it with an exaggerated nod and a roll of her eyes.

  “It’s really not that big of a deal.” Jack shrugged. “We were going to do it anyway.”

  Kate let go of Luke and motioned around her. “Yeah, here on Christmas Eve. I’ve been planning your ghastly expensive wedding for over a year, remember?”

  “We’ve been planning,” Miles interjected, but catching the look of disgust on Kate’s face, clamped his mouth and took a seat next to Lauren.

  “Kate,” Vanessa scolded. “That’s no way to talk to your stepdad.”

  “Right.” Kate took a seat in the first row, arms crossed.

  “Dad,” Drew began. “You mean I flew thirteen hours and forfeited Christmas in Thailand for a wedding that isn’t even happening?”

  Lauren’s heart sank. Would Drew rather be with Olivia lying on an exotic beach than spending Christmas here where she was? She fought back tears as she thought of Olivia rubbing suntan oil into Drew’s naked back—including that stupid NYU bobcat tattoo he’d gotten their senior year.

  She struggled to listen to Jack attempt to calm down Luke and Kate.

  “Nessa and I have come up with a solution.” He grinned down at his new bride.

  “We think Kate and Luke should take our place and get married here.”

  “What?” Kate shot up from the pew. “That’s not possible.”

  “Why not, dear?” Vanessa asked.

  “Because, Mom, I’ve been planning this wedding for over a year for you—your dress, your favorite flowers, your wedding cake. I even had Miles walk to the garment district in a snowstorm last week to order just the right fabric for your veil.”

  “She did,” Miles confirmed, then added, “but I’d walk all the way to Coney Island for you, Vanessa.” He blew her a kiss that she caught, grinning ear to ear.

  Kate shot Miles a “shut the hell up” look. “Mom, do you realize how much money we are going to lose, not to mention all the guests giving up their holiday to spend Christmas Eve celebrating your marriage?”

  “That’s why we think you and Luke should take our place. We thought about going through with the ceremony, but really there’s no need to.” She smiled up at Jack. “We want to give you our wedding. All of it.”

  Kate shook her head. “But that’s ridiculous. I don’t even have a dress …”

  Lauren watched as Vanessa went to work on her daughter. She suspected the new Mrs. Cannon wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  “Kate, darling, we can visit bridal shops starting tomorrow, and don’t worry about the guest list. Most of them are JDL employees and investor
s who would simply love to see you two get married.”

  Lauren bit her lip. Vanessa certainly had a point. This wedding could be a wonderful PR opportunity, and after their disastrous fall, it might be the silver lining they needed to turn the press on to a positive JDL Toys story. “I agree with Jack and Vanessa.” Lauren stood and approached the family.

  She reached for Luke and Kate’s hands, giving both a squeeze. “You should do it. You both love each other. You were only waiting to get married until after your parents tied the knot. Now they have. It’s your turn.”

  “And I’m here,” Drew added.

  She nodded and smiled over at her ex. “And Drew’s here. It’s really a wonderful plan. You two will get married and then the reception at The Four Seasons can be a joint celebration of all of your nuptials.” She winked at Luke. “JDL Toys will get a lot of wonderful publicity out of the CEO’s romantic holiday wedding.”

  “When did you move over to the PR dark side?” Luke asked.

  “Marketing, public relations, it’s all the same.” She grinned. “We might even somehow spin the Happily Ever After dolls into your wedding. Your real life happily ever after.” She paused, tacking on five words for Olivia’s benefit. “That no one will ruin.”

  Luke reached for Kate and brought her in close. “Honey, I’m game if you are. We have waited long enough.”

  Kate smiled at Luke. “Are you sure?”

  He leaned down and kissed her his answer. When they broke, Kate wrapped her arms around him. “I guess we have a bride and groom.”

  “One holiday wedding back on.” Miles jumped up and clapped his hands. “Ladies, we begin wedding dress shopping first thing tomorrow.” He turned to Kate and smirked. “You, my dear, need to take it easy on the Christmas cookies from now until Christmas Eve.”

  Lauren swatted Miles. Tall and lean, Kate always looked fantastic.

  As the group made plans, Lauren stole a glance over at Drew laughing at something Olivia had said, and the uneasiness in her stomach returned.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Miles came up to her.

  “I charge a dollar.” She laughed sarcastically, remembering Luke had said the same thing to her when he thought he had lost Kate for good.

  Miles nodded in the direction of Drew and Olivia. “When did that happen?”

  “You see it too?” She turned and sighed. “I was hoping I was imagining it. There’s definitely something going on between them.”

  Miles linked arms with her. She could tell her best friend understood exactly what was going on in her head without her saying a word—that this new development was breaking her heart. “Let’s go get a drink. We have a bachelorette party to plan for Kate!”

  A drink she definitely needed, although she didn’t know how much good it would do. Trying her best to remain calm, she let Miles escort her up the aisle. She couldn’t help looking behind her shoulder one last time, gazing at the love of her life as he stood at the altar with another woman.

  A Mack truck carrying a heavy dose of reality hit her head on as she watched Drew smile down at Olivia. Her ex had moved on.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Drew stood on the second floor of JDL Toys and stared at the floor to ceiling rows of unsold Happily Ever After dolls with a heavy heart. There were probably hundreds more in the basement storage room, if not thousands.

  He picked up a package containing a fresh-faced boy doll with short, wavy chestnut hair. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you find your soul mate, little dude.” How could he have been so wrong about their success? His brother would be ripping him a new one this morning, he was sure of it.

  This has been his opportunity—the one big chance—to show his father and Luke that he was just as serious and committed to the company’s success as his twin brother. Luke had popped out into the world four minutes before him, and had been one step ahead ever since.

  When their father had announced his retirement last year, there was no question that Luke would take over the reins as CEO, and that was exactly what he did.

  Drew understood and hadn’t questioned that decision, even though at the time, he and Luke were equals in title, responsibility, and salaries. Nevertheless, Luke had always worked toward one goal and one goal only: to one day run JDL Toys. It had been his dream since they were stock boys in high school.

  But what about Drew’s dream? Moving to Tokyo had been his big break to finally prove that he was also committed to their dad’s legacy and JDL Toys’s future. Running the Asia Pacific office seemed like a good fit, his chance to finally establish his position as a leader in the company.

  So much for that.

  He held onto the doll. Unwilling to return it to the doomed shelf, he took it with him as he walked down the turned-off escalator to the first floor. Bright red bows and green garland surrounded him. There was no shortage of Christmas cheer, that was for sure. While brightly wrapped presents hung from wire off the ceilings, huge JDL nutcracker soldiers had been placed strategically around the store for photo opportunities.

  There once was a time when Christmas had been his favorite holiday. That all changed after a drunk driver took his mother’s life when he and Luke were ten. They spent all of their subsequent holidays with their nanny or the housekeeping staff while their grief-stricken dad threw himself into building the JDL empire.

  Those had been difficult times. Luckily, their father had gotten the help he needed to move forward with his life. Drew still had a hard time getting through the Christmas season when painful memories of losing his mother during that time of year were linked to it.

  On a snowy December night so many years ago, their mother had left them to run to the store to get her essential Christmas cookie ingredient. She’d wanted to wait until the next day as it had just started to snow, but Drew had begged her, saying he needed to bring them to school for his class Christmas party.

  She’d never made it home that night due to the semi that skidded on black ice, hitting her head on. To this day, Drew never wanted to take part in any Christmas traditions. He’d grown up carrying around the guilt that he’d been responsible for his mother leaving the house that tragic night.

  Since then, this time of year just didn’t hold any magic or merriment for him, beyond unveiling the must-have toy of the season and huge sales figures. Luke had shared that sentiment until recently. Judging by the goofy Christmas card he’d sent earlier this month of him and Kate in Key West wearing Santa hats and bathing suits, it appeared his brother was turning a corner.

  He walked over to the brightly decorated tree in the center of the store, touching a glittery snowflake. It reminded him of the decorations Lauren had purchased for their very first Christmas tree.

  That Christmas memory gave him a welcomed laugh. God, that tree had been pathetic. Knowing how he felt, she’d done her best to make each holiday they spent together special while not shoving Christmas down his throat.

  Lauren. He hadn’t expected to see her at the airport, and couldn’t deny, that when he had turned around and saw her at baggage claim last night, his heart had pounded against his chest for the first time in over a year, demanding to be let out. Being around his ex for the next two weeks was going to be much harder than he thought.

  Drew roamed the first floor, enjoying the silence before the doors flew open. He’d missed the flagship store. He’d grown up here, reading children’s books or playing with the latest toys in his dad’s big office. Despite his recent failure, this place was his home.

  Taking it all in, he noticed there had been some changes since he left for Tokyo, including a new chocolate bar near the entrance.

  Luke had mentioned its opening in one of their video conference calls. The new addition had been inspired by their mother, who would often take Luke and Drew out for frozen hot chocolate before their afternoons spent reading in the children’s books section on the second floor.

  “Morning, Luke.” An older woman with a head of curly gray hair gave him a warm
smile. “Can I get you your favorite?”

  Drew smiled at her mistake. It happened all the time. “Hi.” He looked down and read her name badge. “Annie. I’m Drew, Luke’s twin.”

  Her mouth dropped, and she quickly covered it with her wrinkled hand. “Oh, my. I heard you two were identical. I’m so sorry.”

  “No need to apologize.” He stepped back. “But tell me, Annie, I’m definitely better looking than Luke, right?”

  Her rosy cheeks indicated he’d embarrassed her. “I think you both are equally handsome. What can I get you, Mr. Drew?”

  He took a few seconds to study the red swirly words on the menu, amused at all the fun names that had been concocted: Rocket Chocolate, Red Velvet Swirl, and Naughty or Nice Peppermint Surprise limited editions.

  “Hmmm …” He paused. “The Naughty or Nice Peppermint Surprise sounds tempting, but how about I take Luke’s favorite?”

  “You got it. One Rocket Chocolate coming up.” Annie turned to make the drink while Drew took a seat at the bar, setting the Happily Ever After doll down on the counter. He loosened his Burberry scarf.

  Soon it would be time to face the music. God, he hoped Luke was in a good mood. How could he not be? He was getting married to the woman of his dreams in two weeks.

  They hadn’t talked much last night, but Luke had offered Drew his place to crash since he’d be staying with Kate. That had to be a good sign.

  Drew had planned on getting a hotel room. But, since Luke offered his pad, he wasn’t going to turn it down. He’d always loved that place.

  Luke and their dad had cornered him briefly at dinner when Olivia had excused herself to go to the restroom, asking what was going on between Olivia and him. Truth was, he didn’t really know.

  He told them exactly what he had planned on saying: that they were taking it slow. Olivia would be staying with her sister, and they’d just have to deal with her being here. Luckily Olivia had returned to the table before Luke or their dad could probe any further.