Billionaires Runaway Bride (A Standalone British Billionaire Romance Novel)

by Claire Adams

  Tony cracked an egg a little too hard over the side of the large metal mixing bowl. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “He said it was their idea, but I know it was hers. And conveniently it happened after I dropped by there.”

  “Sienna, you have to try and stop this,” Tony said. “He’s making a huge mistake.”

  “What else can I say?” I asked, turning to face him with my hand on my hip. “I told him what I heard, and he’s choosing to be an asshole about it.”

  “Well, I don’t know if it’s that easy,” Tony said, attempting to be the voice of reason.

  “If someone told me that my boyfriend was cheating on me, especially if it was Parker, I would at least investigate and not call him jealous.”

  “It’s pretty obvious you are jealous.”

  My jaw dropped. “No, I’m not!”

  He gave me a look.

  I let out a groan of frustration. “I’m done talking about this. Parker’s getting married tomorrow and I’m going to be his stupid best man, and then I’ll probably never see him again. And that’s that.”

  I turned away from Tony and I could feel his eyes on my back. I chose to move on and not be egged on by him anymore.

  Later that morning, my saving grace, the Lamontes, came in for breakfast. I handed over the reins to Tony and went into the dining area to greet them.

  Kenneth was a slow mover this morning but I accompanied them to their table. He groaned when he sat down, pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, and hacked into it.

  “Let me bring you some water with your coffee,” I said leaving them to retrieve the drinks.

  When I returned, they thanked me.

  “So what big plans are going on for you two today?”

  Harriet smiled. “Not much, dear. We have a few doctor’s appointments.”

  I stuck out my lower lip. “That doesn’t sound very fun.”

  “We’re going to Bingo tonight,” Kenneth said then hacked into his handkerchief.

  I slid the water closer to him and he nodded in thanks, taking a long swig of it before clearing his throat.

  “Speaking of fun,” Harriet said. “Any fun wedding plans this weekend?”

  “Actually, I’m attending a wedding.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Harriet said, clasping her small, wrinkly hands together. “Whose?”

  “Parker’s.”

  Harriet’s thin eyebrows rose. “I thought that wasn’t for a little while?”

  “He and his fiancée decided to do it sooner rather than later.”

  Her shoulders dropped and she shook her head slowly. “I thought you’d have more time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Harriet looked up at me with her soulful eyes. “It’s obvious you care for Parker.”

  “He is my best friend,” I agreed.

  She gave me a knowing smile. “Everyone but you two can see that it’s more than that. The love you two share deep down only comes once in a lifetime.” Harriet reached across the table and took Kenneth’s hand.

  As much as I wanted to deny it, this was Harriet. She was the keenest older woman I’d ever met. Lying to her would be disrespectful. “I don’t want to lose him as a friend. I’d rather that than risk it.”

  “Darling,” Kenneth said. “If Parker gets married to someone else, you’re going to lose him, anyway. You might as well go out throwing punches.”

  I stared at him. He was absolutely right. My stomach churned with the thought of losing Parker for good. If I allowed this wedding to happen, I knew he’d be out of my life. I’d fought my way through my business but never my personal life. We were getting down to the wire, and I had a choice to make. Could I really do this? The only way to convince Parker to not get married was to tell him how I truly felt. The feelings that I kept locked away needed to be freed, no matter what the cost. I had nothing to lose since Parker had one foot out of the door of our relationship, anyway.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to the Lamontes. “But I have to go.”

  Harriet winked at me. “Good luck.”

  I squeezed her arm then kissed Kenneth on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  I pushed through the kitchen doors. “Tony, something just came up. I have to go.”

  “Okay?” he said.

  Before he could grill me, I grabbed my bag and keys and sprinted for the back door.

  On the way home, I tried to think of what I was going to say to Parker. I only had one shot at this, and I needed to plan accordingly.

  When I got home, the weight of the situation pressed on my body. What the hell did I think I was doing? Was I really going to try to break up a wedding? I knew deep down that Rachel was no good for Parker, but who was I to think I’d be the one for him? And who was I to say that he even thought of me that way? My confidence from Harriet started to fade. Then I did something I hadn’t done in years. I grabbed a pen and paper and started to write down my feelings. I knew I was going to burn the paper when I was done, like hell would I allow anyone to read it, but it helped organize my thoughts about Parker.

  The more I wrote, the more tingles fluttered through me with the knowledge that I was going to put it all out there for him. I found myself reaching for more pieces of paper and writing until my hand cramped.

  And when my doorbell rang, I nearly fell off the chair. I had zoned out my surroundings while I delved deeper into my thoughts about Parker.

  “Coming!” I said and went over to the door.

  I opened it and sucked in a breath when I saw Parker standing in my doorway.

  “Hi,” I said, frozen to my spot.

  “Hi,” he said and scratched his chin. “I went to the diner, but you weren’t there.”

  “I’m here,” I said.

  He chuckled. “Obviously. Can I come in?”

  I muttered something and moved out of the way. He walked in and my palms started to sweat. Since when had I ever been nervous around Parker? I guessed admitting how I felt about him on paper had opened up something inside of me that I had buried for years.

  “I want to talk to you about what you said,” he said.

  I held up a hand. It was now or never. I didn’t want Parker to leave me angry again. I had to lay it all on the table and let him make the choice.

  “Can I talk first?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  I took a steadying breath and glanced at the pieces of paper scattered across the counter.

  “I don’t understand why you won’t believe me about Rachel—”

  “Sienna—”

  “Wait,” I said, “please let me get this out.”

  He opened his hand to indicate me to continue. “Rachel aside. I think you deserve more. You deserve someone that appreciates you for who you are, and not how much money is in your bank account. You love to smile, laugh and joke around, and you should be with someone who loves that side of you. Someone who won’t put you down, but build you up. Someone you can come to in any situation and not worry about being judged.” I poured my heart out to Parker, and as much as I’d been nervous about it, the more I said, the better I felt. I was finally free.

  “Where are you going with this?” he asked.

  I took a steadying breath, willing the heat behind my eyes to subside. “That someone is me, Parker.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. The steady rise and fall of his chest slowed. He blinked a few times.

  I let out a laugh and took my own slow breath. “It’s news to me, too. But after a lot of thought, I want you to consider me. Instead of Rachel. I can—”

  “Stop,” he said.

  My lips pressed together. I was unable to read him.

  “It’s too late, Sienna.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  He laughed sardonically. “Yes, it is. I’m getting married tomorrow.”

  “To someone who doesn’t love you.”

  “Rachel loves me. Everyone expresses it differently. Even you. You bottled
up these emotions for who knows how long.”

  He had me there. “Even if you don’t want me, you can’t marry her. She’s a liar and a cheater.”

  “Yes, I can. And I’m going to.” He wiped a hand over his face. “Jesus, Sienna. I came over here to fix things with you. And you’ve made everything worse.”

  “By telling you how I feel?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “I don’t see it that way.”

  “I have to go,” he said.

  “Parker, wait. Just tell me if you feel the same way. If you do, then we can figure this out.”

  I thought I saw a glimmer of a “yes” in his eyes. “I don’t,” he said firmly.

  I inhaled sharply; I must have been mistaken about all of this. Wow, did I ever feel like a total ass. And the fact that he could be so callous with my feelings hurt even more.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t come tomorrow,” he said and turned away from me. I watched him walk out the door and out of my life forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Parker

  The streak of sleepless nights continued into the morning of my wedding. I hadn’t returned home until late last night, unable to face Rachel, or anyone for that matter, after hearing Sienna talk about us being together. Why the hell did she decide to bring this up the day before my wedding? Did she not want me to marry Rachel so badly that she’d make up lies about wanting to be with me? If she had, it was the cruelest thing I’d ever heard.

  Sienna never opened her heart to anyone, so as much as I tried to deny it or make excuses for her losing her mind, I had a feeling she was telling the truth. I didn’t understand the timing. She had years to tell me how she felt. What had changed in the last day? Tony had said she talked to the Lamontes, maybe Harriet had said something. She was a sweet older woman, but she had a tendency to meddle. I hoped she didn’t encourage Sienna to confess her feelings for me. I bet Sienna told Harriet about how Rachel “cheated” on me; then I’d understand them trying to break up Rachel and me. But Sienna was wrong.

  It was hard for me to admit that at a few points in my life I considered trying something with Sienna. Hearing her talk about me in that way had stirred something inside of me. I only wished she had better timing.

  I couldn’t end everything now with Rachel. It wouldn’t be fair to her.

  I was about to drift off early that morning when an electronic noise made me jolt.

  Rachel reached over and turned off her phone, which had been charging on the side table next to her.

  She turned around. “Happy wedding day,” she said with a smile. She kissed my cheek and hopped out of bed and went into the bathroom.

  I didn’t remember the last time Rachel had kissed me. Granted, it was my cheek. In the past, she said it was hard for her to hold onto her virtue if we did much more than kiss.

  I turned and leaned on my side, listening to Rachel humming in the shower. I smiled, thinking of how happy she was for our wedding day. I’d been right about not taking a risk on Sienna. As much as it pained me to think that, we were better off as friends. I had a feeling she thought she was going to lose me when I got married. And even though we were fighting at the moment, I knew we’d find our way back. If she had those feelings for me, of course, she would want to stop the wedding. But that didn’t mean I had to stop it on a chance of us being together.

  I was still in bed when Rachel got out of the shower. “I’m going over to Ophelia’s to get ready, then the limo is going to take us to the venue around eleven. Are you going to get up anytime soon?”

  “Yeah, I was waiting for you to get out of the shower,” I said. Plus, I didn’t take as long to get ready as she did. I literally had to take a shower and put on my tux and I was ready to go. But I knew if I said that, I’d probably get a nasty look.

  She went into the closet. “Where is Sienna’s dress?”

  “Hm?”

  She poked her head out into the bedroom. “She’s not getting ready here? I thought her and her friend were coming here before the wedding.”

  “About that…” I said.

  She came out of the closet with her arms crossed. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” I said, and that was the damn truth. “Sienna is no longer a part of our wedding.”

  Rachel almost looked relieved, and for a moment I thought of the cheating conversation with Sienna. I quickly pushed away from the thought.

  “So, you’re not having anyone stand with you?”

  “That’s what it looks like.”

  Rachel sighed heavily and went to the side table to pick up her phone. “That’s not acceptable. I can get Ophelia’s brother to do it. You need to have a best man.”

  “Rachel, it’s not a big deal.”

  She held up a finger. “This is my wedding day. We’re already off-sides; I’m not going to let you embarrass me because you have no friends.”

  I blinked a few times and the scowl on her face slowly faded as she typed into her phone. Sure, Sienna had been my best friend, but I had other friends. On any other day, I might have asked Tony, but he always sided with Sienna. I briefly wondered if I should have pushed harder for a courthouse wedding. I’d sure be happy when the stress of this wedding was done.

  “It’s all set,” Rachel said and brought her phone with her in the closet. She closed the doors behind her, signaling the end of that conversation.

  I had just finished my cereal and coffee when Rachel came out of the bedroom dressed in a white terry cloth outfit. The back of the jacket had the word BRIDE written in sparkling jewels.

  “I’ll expect you there by eleven fifteen, at the latest,” she said. Then she was off.

  I’d become used to her abrupt goodbyes as of late. And with my mind going crazy all morning, her absence was welcomed. I needed some time to myself for a little while.

  I stood and put my dishes away, then went back into the bedroom and out to the balcony. I had a few hours to kill before heading over to the venue. While I had the urge to go surfing again, I knew if I wiped out, I might miss the wedding completely. Then Rachel would have a real reason for being pissed at me.

  I sat down on the lounge and propped my feet up on the railing, looking out over the other houses and into the distant ocean.

  My mind started to wander back to Sienna. I’d never known her to maliciously want to hurt someone. And if I had any thought of her manipulating me into not getting married, I found it hard to hold onto that as an excuse for what she said to me. Especially about Rachel cheating. With Sienna’s feelings for me aside, I realized I never confronted Rachel about the accusation. And she’d been quick to replace Sienna this morning. Had something happened on her vacation? Was it true that she wasn’t a virgin?

  I rubbed my hands through my hair then down my face. I didn’t like being so conflicted about this. But if I was going to go through with this wedding, then I needed to be one-hundred-percent sure I was marrying someone who wanted me for me and not just my money. I knew Rachel loved her lifestyle, but if she wasn’t in it for the long haul, then what the hell was I doing with her?

  I stood up from the lounge and gripped the railing. “Damn you, Sienna,” I growled. I hated that she put these thoughts in my head.

  There was only one thing left I had to do.

  I arrived at the venue right around eleven. I expected Rachel and her friends to be there, but I didn’t see the limo. When I asked one of the workers, they confirmed they hadn’t seen the bride that morning.

  I couldn’t believe it was Rachel who was late. I hoped she wasn’t having second thoughts.

  I went into the assigned groom’s suite to change. If Rachel showed up and I wasn’t ready, I was sure to hear it from her.

  I finished tying my bow tie after several unsuccessful attempts when someone knocked on the door. For a split second, I hoped it was Sienna.

  I went to the door and opened it.

  “Good morning, Mr. Liston,” said Cheryl, the florist.

&nbs
p; “Good morning.”

  She handed me a boutonniere and a corsage. “These are for you.”

  I stared at the corsage, which had been assigned to Sienna. “Thank you.”

  She took her box of flowers, which contained the bouquets, down the hallway to where Rachel was supposed to be finishing up getting ready.

  I closed the door and placed Sienna’s corsage on the table. The delicate flowers wouldn’t be seen at my wedding, and that was a damn shame.

  I pinned the boutonniere to my jacket, which was hanging in the small open closet. I was already sweating with the anticipation of what I was about to do.

  A few minutes later, I heard Rachel coming down the hall. I waited until I heard her door shut before I entered the hallway and headed down to her room. My head felt light, as if I’d drunk a whole bottle of champagne. As difficult as this was going to be, I had to have a straight answer before I could marry her.

  Inside the room, Rachel and her bridesmaids were laughing and being the loud single girls they always had been.

  I knocked on the door loudly. Someone shushed the other girls and a few of them giggled before the door opened.

  Ophelia was in my face. Her pink glossy lips frowned. “You’re not supposed to be here,” she said, reeking of booze.

  I leaned back a little. “I need to speak with Rachel.”

  “It’s bad luck to speak with the bride!” one of the other girls shouted from the room.

  I rolled my eyes. “Rachel, I need to speak with you.” I narrowed my eyes at Ophelia. “Alone.”

  Ophelia turned around to look at Rachel. I still couldn’t see my fiancée. I had the urge push open the door and make the decision for everyone. But then Rachel spoke.

  “Girls, can you leave us for a minute?”

  Four women dressed in the same pink outfit strode out the door. Ophelia stumbled on her heels and one of the girls suggested getting her some water so she could walk down the aisle without falling over.

  “I’m going to stay behind the door,” Rachel said.

  “That’s fine.”

  “So, what did you need to talk to me about?”

  I took a deep breath and just went for it. “Are you a virgin?”