by Amy Brent
He’s agreed right away though, telling me to make it as big and splashy as possible. Even though that wasn’t my style, I’d had to eventually agree with him. That was kind of the point of this whole thing, to make it big and, most importantly, visible.
I had already booked Lori to photograph us, and she said she could get us in another article at Vibe, which would go a long way with the press.
Overwhelmed with everything we still had to get done in less than a week, Sam had asked the band to pitch in, and they had been more than happy to lend a hand. It made warmth spread through me at how quick they’d been to say they would help us. Even knowing that the whole thing was fake, it made me love them all that much more.
I took a grateful sip of the beer Casey had handed me and jumped in, sitting next to Alice on the floor as we dug through paper streamers and decorations, figuring out flowers and candles and centerpieces as music played on in the background.
For an hour, we all stayed like that, laughing and joking, and the whole thing felt more like a party than anything else. I lost myself in the mindless tasks, feeling myself relax among friends.
Suddenly, the music got turned down and I looked up to see Casey grinning at me from by the stereo.
“Uh-oh. Oh no. What’s—”
“Don’t worry, Faye,” Alice said, trying to get to her feet. After the third try, she gave up and held her arms out for Connor, who helped lift her up. The singer grimaced at having to be hoisted up, but she shook it off and shot a stern look in my direction. “It’s nothing bad.”
“Remember the last time you said that? We were at that bar in New Mexico. I was sick for three days after that.”
“Well, this is different,” Alice huffed, and then reached behind the couch and pulled out a box wrapped in paper with a bow on top and another bag full of tissue paper.
“What is all this?” I asked, still watching warily. Alice just shook her head. Connor was the one who answered.
“You didn’t think we would let you two get married without a wedding shower, did you?”
“Or a bachelor slash bachelorette party!” Casey added, chiming in from the couch as he pulled out another present.
I grabbed Sam’s hand without even thinking about it as a bolt of panic shot through me.
“You didn’t have to do all this. I mean, you really didn’t have to. It’s not a real wedding. We’re not really getting married.”
Sam’s hand tightened on mine at my words, but I didn’t even think he was aware of the movement. I gave him a sideways look, and he blushed, letting go to cross his arms over his chest. My fingers tingled at the sudden loss of contact.
Before I could think too much about that, though, Alice was leading us to sit down on the two chairs they’d pushed together at the front of the living room.
“As your maid of honor—”
“And best man!” Casey added, interrupting Alice and earning himself a sharp look. He just shrugged unabashedly before Alice started again.
“We all pitched in to make you guys something special.”
Connor handed me the box, and I sucked in a breath, opening the wrapping paper with shaking hands. I didn’t know I was so nervous, but at least Sam looked like he had just as many trepidations as I did.
I slowly unfolded one flap, then the other to reveal tissue paper inside. Under the tissue paper was a simple black-fabric-covered book.
Curious now, I lifted it out of the box, letting the packaging fall to the floor as I flipped it open and gasped. It wasn’t just a book. It was a photo album. Ever page had photos of me and Sam and the rest of the band. They were photographs from the tour and from Lori, from our impromptu photo shoot at the restaurant.
I glanced up at Alice, and she shrugged. “I know it’s not that much, but—”
“We honestly had no idea what to get for two people getting fake married,” Casey said, dropping onto the couch next to Alice. She elbowed him in the ribs hard enough to make the drummer wince.
“I was going to say I know it’s not much, I know this isn’t a real marriage, but it is a real friendship.” Alice shot a warning glance at Casey when he opened his mouth to interrupt again, and he snapped it shut with a click of his teeth. I had to fight back a grin at both of them. “Anyway, people who didn’t care about each other wouldn’t be going through all this for each other.”
It was Alice’s turn to look bashful. “There’s one more photograph that’s not in there yet.” She glanced at Connor, and he pulled a small picture from behind his back and held it out to me and Sam.
It was a sonograph of their baby boy.
Alice cleared her throat. “We were hoping that you two would be his godparents, officially.”
“Hey, what about me?” Casey asked from beside her, and Alice roller her eyes at him.
“Don’t worry, Casey, you’ll be the unofficial godparent.”
“Oh, well, that’s okay then.” Casey frowned in thought. “Wait, actually, can I be the unofficial uncle instead? I think uncle is cooler.”
I shook my head at him, but it was Alice I was looking at, trying to keep the tears that were pricking the corners of my eyes from falling.
“Of course! I would be honored!” I said as I got to my feet, giving all of them hugs and surreptitiously wiping the moisture from my cheeks. Sam was a step behind me, and soon everyone was laughing and sniffling at the same time.
Suddenly, Casey jumped up onto the couch.
“Okay, everybody! Now that all the serious stuff is over…time to party!”
Everyone was still laughing, and I had to brush away another tear as Casey put a sash around me that had the words bride-to-be written across the front. Sam got one that said groom.
I glanced over at him. His dark gaze so deep, I felt I could have lost myself in it, and that one look said more than words every could have.
“All right, guys,” Casey said, breaking the moment, “let’s have some fun!”
*
Sam
I was staring again. I knew it, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it. I took another sip of the beer I had been nursing for the last hour as I sat on the couch. I couldn’t help it, not really. Faye was like a bonfire shining next to everyone else’s flickering candle.
Faye, Casey, and Connor were all playing a drinking game where they had to take a shot out of a plastic cup and then flip it upside down. So far Faye was in the lead, but her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink from the alcohol, and I had a suspicion that she would be feeling it in the morning. The jury was still out as to whether her victory would be worth it.
Casey took a shot, spun around, and tried to flip the cup but missed entirely, sending the other drinks spilling across the table. Faye and Connor both threw their heads back in laughter. Faye wasn’t the only one who would be feeling the effects of the game in the morning.
The sight of Faye laughing and relaxed, though, that was worth it for me. She had been on edge since all this had begun, and giving up control wasn’t exactly her favorite thing in the world. In fact, it was probably the thing she was worst at. She’d balked at moving in with me, even temporarily.
But in the end, she’d agreed to it, and that was the only thing that was important. Just the thought of it made me feel warm all over again. I knew it wasn’t real. I had to keep reminding myself. Otherwise, it was just too easy to forget myself and be…happy. Really happy—for the first time in my life. And I knew it was because of Faye.
I wished it had been other circumstances that had led her back into my arms, but I wasn’t about to let this opportunity go with taking a chance on her, on us. I knew I could be there for her. I knew I could make her happy too if only she would open enough to give me a chance.
At least she had stopped spouting her tired old line about not dating a musician. I nearly laughed out loud at the irony of it. She’d been so adamant ever since our first night together. Now she was marrying one.
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The smile slowly faded though, because I knew it was only temporary. My brow furrowed as I fumed. There had to be a way, some way. I had to show her, prove to her that I wasn’t like her ex, or the other’s she’d dated in the past. Somehow.
I was still trying to figure it out for myself when the couch dipped next to me. It was Alice. I knew that without even having to look over, but I didn’t say anything. I was happy to just sit there in silence and continue to stare in Faye’s direction.
Alice didn’t say anything, not for a long, drawn-out moment where she looked from me to where I was glancing and then back at me.
“So,” she said quietly so only I could hear, “that’s how it is then.”
I opened my mouth to ask what she was talking about but I already knew. She could see my heart in my eyes. Alice had always been able to read me like a book, ever since we were little kids. She always knew what was going on in my head, sometimes before even I did.
“I guess there’s no point in denying it, right?” I answered just as softly before taking another sip of my warm beer.
“Nope. You’re an open book to me, Sam,” Alice joked, nudging me in the ribs, but I didn’t laugh. I didn’t even crack a smile as she went on. “Probably a good thing Faye doesn’t know you quite as well as I do, because all it would take is one look over here to see you drooling after her like a love-sick puppy.”
“I’m not a puppy,” I grumbled, looking down at my hands as I fiddled with the soggy label on the beer bottle. “A wolf maybe. A big, strong wolf.”
Alice snorted loudly enough to draw Connor’s attention, but she just waved him back to the game. “Yeah, okay, Mr. Big Bad Wolf. Whatever you say.” Alice fell silent, and I wondered if she would speak again. When she finally did, I nearly wished she hadn’t.
“You really love her, don’t you?”
I drew in a deep breath. There really was no point in denying it. I was pretty sure I’d been in love with Faye Donnelly since the first night we’d met at the coffee shop.
Slowly, I nodded my head, and Alice huffed out a sigh.
“That’s what I thought,” she said, clapping me on the back in commiseration. “Just don’t get hurt, okay? Faye, she…”
“I know.”
“But Faye doesn’t…”
“I know, Alice,” I said again, looking sideways at her. My look was part dread and part determination. “I know. And I can’t promise I won’t get hurt.” I glanced over at Faye again. “But I can promise that she’s worth it. Whatever comes, she’s worth it.”
Chapter 21
Faye
I stared at my reflection in the mirror and hardly recognized the person looking back at me. My eyes looked enormous, lined and painted and tipped with mascara. They looked darker too, dominating my face. My cheeks were dusted with rosy powder that made me look luminous and my lips were tinted a berry red that made them look fuller somehow, as if I were pouting.
My long, espresso-brown hair was curled and pulled back in some sort of twisted bun at the nape of my neck that left tendrils to tease my neck and shoulders. My skin was a dusky olive next to the cream color of the wedding dress.
It was a stranger I was looking at, all dressed up in a wedding dress that hugged her curves and flattered her skin. A red-lipped and rosy cheeked bride. Who was this woman staring back at me? It couldn’t be Faye Donnelly, the woman who swore off marriage, and musicians, and relationships in general.
And now she was just minutes away from walking down the aisle with a guitarist and songwriter.
What had happened to the world? How had my life gotten turned upside down so quickly?
Oh, right, crazy stalker and her crazy threatening messages. I smoothed down the front of the wedding dress, telling myself the flutter of fear was because of the threats. Certainly not because of the idea of marrying Sam.
“Fake-marrying Sam,” I told the perfectly made-up doll in the mirror. “It’s a fake wedding. A fake marriage. Just until the recording contract is over and there’s no more threat to my safety. This marriage already has a termination date.”
The words didn’t make me feel any better. There was a crowd of people waiting downstairs for me to make my entrance, and Archer had spent a lot of dough making this wedding plan a reality.
“Oh my god. What the hell am I doing?” I asked my reflection, but there was no answer. I knew what I was doing. I was protecting myself. I was keeping myself safe the only way I knew how, besides packing up and moving away, which I just wasn’t willing to do. Or sitting there with a target on my back, which I really wasn’t willing to do.
But no matter what I told myself or how many times I rationalized it, I just couldn’t get my nerves to go away. They made me feel jittery, like I’d just downed a whole pot of black coffee.
I paced away from the mirror, kicking the dress out in front of me.
“It’s not real,” I told myself for the hundredth time. Maybe the thousandth. I’d lost track. “None of this is real. It’s all just pretend.”
But if it was all just pretend, why did it feel so real? Why did my feelings for Sam feel so real?
I didn’t have an answer for any of those questions either.
Panic had me pacing again as the door to the dressing room opened. Alice’s purple hair showed through the opening.
She took one quick look behind her before ducking inside and stomping toward me in her dove-gray bridesmaid dress and her high-heeled black leather boots. I felt instant relief when I saw her walk in. I knew Alice would at least help me escape out the window.
It was becoming a more and more attractive alternative to going through with this whole ridiculous thing.
But instead of offering me support in my breakout, Alice took one look at me and her big eyes filled with tears.
I turned on her with a fierce frown. “Don’t you dare start with the water works, Al. If you start crying, I’m going to start crying, and then I’m going to ruin my makeup, so just keep it to yourself.”
I had to turn and pace away. Alice’s frayed emotions and pregnancy hormones were no help to me at all. I might have needed to get out of this one by myself. But Alice suddenly was at my side and wrapping her arms around me in a big bear hug.
“You’re just…this is just all so…beautiful!” She sobbed the last word, adding way too many syllables. I patter her gently on the back, trying not to turn on the water works either but for an entirely different reason.
“I know,” I said, finally disentangling myself from her and taking a step back, but I stopped as sudden lightheadedness washed over me. Maybe the window wouldn’t be the best idea. We were on the second floor. “I can’t even believe it to be honest.” I looked over at her, my eyes going wide. “I think…I think I’m going to throw up. I can’t breathe. Al, I can’t breathe!”
My vision narrowed, going dark around the edges as I gasped for air with lungs that suddenly refused to work. But Alice came to my rescue.
She grabbed my arm and led me to a nearby chair, making me sit and pushing my head down between my knees despite the layers of tulle and chiffon that were in the way.
“Just close your eyes, Faye. Think of the rain. Think of the ocean. Oh, the beach! You love the beach. Just think of sandy white beaches, the ocean tide tickling your toes. The water is nice and cool. That’s it. Just relax.”
Beaches. Beaches. I did love the beach. I really did. Slowly, the pressure squeezing my chest began to loosen, helped along by Alice’s soothing words.
She helped me through the rest of the panic attack, rubbing my back until I no longer felt like I was about to hyperventilate. When the panic receded a little bit more, I finally forced myself to sit up.
I sat there, not saying anything for another five minutes, just breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, trying to dispel the last of it. The nerves were still there, and just underneath that, the trepidation that I had carried around with me all day,
but I could handle both of those now.
With an embarrassed blush making my cheeks even more rosy, I turned to Alice, who was still sitting next to me.
“Thanks. I, uh, kind of freaked out there.”
“Yeah, no shit.” Alice snorted, rolling her heavily lined eyes. But when she glanced in my direction again, I could easily make out the look of concern on her face.
“What? Don’t tell me you’re having doubts about this plan now,” I said softly, but my voice was hoarse from the panic. “It’s a little late to tell me to back off. Besides, you were the one who said I should do all this in the first place!”
I threw my hands up at the end, desperation trying to seep back in, but I forced it out. I needed to keep a clear and level head. I couldn’t give in to the panic again.
“I know. I did,” Alice said. softly. Then she bursting into a tirade, throwing her hands into the air as she spoke rapid-fire. “Because it would keep you safe! Because some crazy woman thinks you are trying to steal Archer Calloway away from her even though the man is a total asshat that you would never be interested in anyway! But now…”
She finally trailed off, hesitating, and I just looked at her, wide-eyed and waiting to see what she would say next. There was obviously more that was on her mind. I could see it in her eyes. Alice just gave a shake of her head, though, before going on in a more normal voice.
“You know what, Faye, you’re right. It is too late now to go back and undo this, and honestly, if it keeps you safe, then it’s worth it. We both know it’s worth it, but…”
“What is it, Al? Just spit it out,” I said with a huff.
“I just think that you should be careful.”
“Careful!” I snorted out the word. “I am being careful. I’m being so careful that I’m going through with a fake wedding to keep myself safe. How could I possibly be more careful?”
