Fox was ready to bolt out the door. This had to be a joke.
“You’ll have one hour to pick three songs from the list and rehearse your choreography.”
With a clap of Jason’s hands, they were dismissed—and Fox’s resolve wavered slightly.
He grabbed Eli’s arm on their way out the door and to their assigned practice areas. “Singing and dancing in costume? Really?” he whispered furiously.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” said Wade, coming to slap him on the back. “Just like when you performed in college, right?”
Fox raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Not quite.”
He remembered his first open mic night, and the weight of his guitar strap on his shoulder as he looked into the dimly lit smoky bar. Pretty much the exact opposite of singing karaoke on reality television.
While dancing.
In costume.
The memory of that first performance also featured Becky, front and center at a table in front of the stage. Her eyes had shone with tears as he sang the song he’d written for her after their first date. Remembering how that moment of elation had led to so much heartache, Fox suddenly found it hard to breathe.
Maybe he wouldn’t be able to do this after all—not even for Sienna.
“I can’t do this,” Fox said. The guys were walking toward the barn where a clothing rack was waiting for them. The sequins and beads on the various items glistened in the sun.
“After this it’s all wedding prep stuff, and you won’t have to be there,” Eli said, his voice low. They didn’t have mic packs yet and the cameras were still getting set up. “Please, Audrey is stressed out enough. Harry is refusing to help if anything goes south, and our offer on the house just got accepted. I just need this last effort from you.”
“Can I just get a few minutes to clear my head?” Fox ran his hands through his hair.
Eli waved his hand in the direction of the trail behind the barn. “Be back in ten or I’m picking the songs without you.”
Needing no other motivation than that to get back on time, Fox practically bolted for the safety of the woods. His shoulders instantly relaxed as soon as he stepped into the trees, and the sounds of everyone’s voices faded away.
He didn’t have to do the whole Sienna thing now, he told himself. He could wait until it was all over and see how things went the rest of the week. There was sure to be another opportunity to show her how he felt. Besides, she’d made it pretty clear how she felt about him when she’d called him a knight in shining armor. A big fancy declaration in front of everyone could end up falling flat. Taking that risk privately, where no cameras could capture his humiliation, seemed like the right choice.
Fox took a deep breath and let it out. He still didn’t know what he was going to do, but at least he knew that it wouldn’t be today. He had time to figure this out.
Deciding to at least take in the view Eli had shown him earlier this week before heading back, Fox turned the final corner in the path toward the ridge.
And ran right into Sienna.
“What are you doing here?”
Fox’s angry voice cut straight to Sienna’s heart. She’d come out here for a few minutes of peace before diving into the ridiculous embarrassment that would be her singing and dancing with her sisters. Hopefully Reagan, the former beauty queen, had some tricks to getting them all synchronized in record time, because Sienna had zero ideas.
And zero clue what to say to Fox’s frowning face.
“Nice to see you too, grumpy.”
A corner of his turned down mouth twitched. Maybe they could pretend yesterday hadn’t happened, and she was still the annoying drama queen while he was the grumpy grandpa.
“Shouldn’t you be rehearsing?” he asked.
“Shouldn’t you?”
Sienna felt an odd satisfaction at the pink that tinged the apples of Fox’s cheeks.
“I needed a break,” Fox said, and Sienna’s heart nearly broke at the sad look that descended on his face.
“Last night wasn’t enough of a break?” She winced at how harsh her words sounded. Apparently she only had two modes with Fox: pouring her heart out or teasing meanness. Neither was appropriate at this moment, and she struggled to rein her emotions in.
“Who told you?”
“Harper.”
Fox leaned against a tree and crossed his arms. “It was just some stupid fun. Not my best moment.”
All because of me. The guilt in Sienna’s chest was an inescapable tightness that threatened to consume her. So, she changed topics. “Today should be fun, at least.”
He raised an eyebrow and his frown deepened. “This last competition is not what I was expecting.”
“You don’t want to sing?” Sienna would have been thrilled if they’d have been asked to put on a skit or play or something. She was also secretly dying to hear Fox sing again. She couldn’t get the memory of his voice out of her mind ever since she caught him singing in the woods.
“Not like this, when it doesn't mean anything.”
“It means something to Audrey and Eli.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Judging by its unruly state, he had been doing that a lot during his walk. “When I sing—I mean, when I used to sing—it was to say something I couldn’t with words. It was to make people feel something.”
Sienna’s breath hitched. “And karaoke doesn’t make anyone feel anything except ridiculous?”
His lips twitched again, and a flutter of hope in Sienna’s chest gave her the courage to say the words she’d been mulling over during her walk.
“I’m sorry.”
His head snapped up, and a line appeared in between his eyebrows.
“I know, not what you’d expect from me, right?” Sienna gave a weak chuckle and flipped her hair over her shoulder. But that movement felt too playful for what she was about to say. She straightened her posture but felt too stiff.
Since when did she have a hard time acting the part? Since Fox. She didn't want to act around him anymore. She wanted to be herself. The real Sienna.
Sienna took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you we had cameras following us yesterday. I thought I’d avoided them, but clearly they’re smarter than me.”
“You’re smart.” Fox’s voice was so soft Sienna wasn’t even sure he’d spoken.
“For an actor, right?” She chuckled again, trying to bring forced levity to the situation once again. “I’m also sorry for what I said in the safe room. Just, you know, a blanket sorry for everything that happened yesterday.”
“Everything?” The quirk of his eyebrow just about melted her right there in the middle of the forest. Was he thinking about their almost kiss?
Her heart sped up, and she decided to ignore the flutters the memory gave her. “I’ve been having roommate issues. Money issues, really. And it turns out I need to find a new place to live.”
He opened his mouth, probably to make some snarky comment about how immature she was, so she kept talking to avoid hearing it.
“Which is totally not your problem, and not something you need to or want to help with, but I just thought you should know why I was so mean. And I’m sorry, again, for being mean. You were just trying to help, but it’s all taken care of, my mother and I talked, and everything is fine now so I’ll be good the rest of the week, and I won’t bother you anymore.”
He snapped his mouth shut and blinked a few times once she was done with her long-winded babbling, and Sienna felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She looked at the ground and counted breaths in and out, waiting to see if he had any response.
When she got to fifteen, she looked up. He was staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and something else that she couldn’t quite place.
“You don’t have to say anything,” she said, her face heating again. “I know you don’t feel the same way I do, not after what I did, but—”
“How do you feel?” He tilted his head. “Besides sorry?”
&n
bsp; Oh goodness, did she have to spell it out for him? Well, she’d already made a total fool of herself.
“I really, really like you,” she said, her throat suddenly going dry. She swallowed hard, twice. “I don’t—I don’t know what exactly this is, or was, but I had hoped…” She trailed off and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t feel the same, and I totally understand. It’s fine.”
She turned to head back down the trail. A hand on her arm stopped her. With a deep breath, she cleared emotion from her face and looked back at him, ready for whatever he was going to say. It would crush her heart, no matter what, but he was a nice enough guy to do it gently, at least.
“Sienna—” He glanced down at the watch on his wrist and dropped her arm. “I have to go.”
And with that, he ran away, taking a piece of her heart with him.
Twenty-Two
6 Days Until Dream Wedding
Stage fright was not something Fox had ever really experienced.
He’d been in front of big crowds without even breaking a sweat. The music was so much a part of him that it usually couldn’t wait to get out. Before shows he would be buzzing backstage, eager and ready to sing and play for as long as they’d let him.
So why was he a nervous wreck about performing in front of twenty people?
“Fox, buddy, you okay?” Eli slapped a hand on his shoulder, and Fox jumped as if he’d been electrocuted. Eli laughed. “Nervous?”
“A little.” They were all milling around outside the meeting room, waiting for the crew to tell them they could go in. Fox crossed his fingers that some electrical malfunction would keep them outside forever.
“That doesn’t sound like you.” Eli crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Fox frowned. “Well, neither does this love song about candy we have to sing.”
What he’d told Sienna in the woods had been true—he used his songs to say what his words couldn’t. Eli didn’t know that, so he couldn’t know how frustrating it was to put on a performance like this. Even now, after everything, Sienna managed to get him to open up in ways he hadn’t in years.
But the most surprising thing from their brief interaction had to be her apology. Completely unexpected, rambling, and insanely adorable. And it was obvious she had meant every rambling word with all her heart. A heart that apparently belonged to him, despite everything that had happened and everything he’d told her.
And he’d just stood there. The perfect, quiet moment he’d been hoping for, no cameras around, to tell her he wanted to give it a shot, to reassure her that he still felt the same, still wanted to see where this would go. But everything had hit him all at once, and so deeply, he’d been unable to say a single word.
So, he’d gone back to meet the guys and rehearse the ridiculous dance number with Eli and Wade. If nothing else, he didn’t want Eli to have to eat an almond truffle cake infused with lavender and poppy seeds at his wedding. The fire he’d felt earlier in the week to beat Sienna had completely fizzled out, and his loyalty to Eli took over to keep him motivated.
And it was going to take a lot of motivation to get through this.
The meeting room had been transformed into a small concert hall. There was a guy manning the karaoke machine off to the side and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The group of judges sat front and center to the makeshift stage that Jason Castle was currently standing on.
“Alright, alright,” he said. “It’s time to see what you guys are made of. The bridesmaids won the last challenge, which means they got to choose who goes first. Drumroll please.”
Jason turned to the DJ—not that you could call him that—and nodded his head. With a push of a button, a track of a drumroll started playing through the small room. “First up, the groomsmen.”
Fox groaned as Audrey and her bridesmaids burst out in laughter.
Of course they chose the guys to go first. And from their perspective, it was funny. There was no way for them to know how hard this was for Fox. He tried to calm his frantic heart, and all of the guys—minus Harry, who said there was no way he was wearing those ridiculous costumes and making a fool of himself—made their way to the stage.
Thankfully, Jason nor Bruce made any mention of the missing groomsman, and with any luck, his absence wouldn’t affect Audrey and Eli’s wedding. Fox could only hope the same could be said for the secret performance Fox had planned.
Fox hadn’t told anyone about the details of his plan to woo Sienna. He was too afraid they would talk him out of it. And Fox knew he would look for any excuse not to bare his soul on reality TV. The only reason he could follow through was knowing it would mean so much to Sienna. Or, at least he hoped it would. It was entirely possible Fox completely misread the situation.
Jason reached out and put a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “So, what do you guys have in store for us tonight?”
Eli’s mouth stretched into a large grin. “We’re going to sing ‘The Sweetest Thing’ by U2.”
“Sounds like a great choice. Good luck.”
Eli thanked Jason as he exited the small stage, and the music started playing through the speakers.
Eli, Wade, and Fox all rushed to the back of the stage where they had stashed their costumes. Eli had the bright idea of dressing like the guys from U2 in the music video. Since Fox was uncomfortable, he got to hide behind dark sunglasses and a black cowboy hat, while Wade decided he would be all the random people in the background and had about ten costume changes. Meanwhile, Eli kept his Bono impression simple and wore a fedora and frameless glasses.
When they returned to the front of the stage in their new digs, the girls all squealed in delight.
Audrey clapped her hands and yelled Eli’s name as he began belting out the ballad. Wade danced wildly from side to side, while Fox managed to get away with a lame, swaying back and forth move.
When Eli had finished singing the final note, Jason ran back on stage. “I must say, I’m impressed, Eli. Let’s see what the judges have to say.”
Fox held his breath as the judges held up signs similar to the Olympics. The groomsmen got a couple of eights and a nine.
“Looks like that risk paid off,” Jason said once the scores were tallied. “What do you have next for us?”
Eli opened his mouth to say “Pour Some Sugar on Me”—another dessert-based song, though the lyrics were questionable—but before he could get a word out, Fox rushed over and pushed himself between Jason and Eli.
His heart pounded in his ears, and his palms were sweaty. He took a steadying breath and smiled at Jason. “Actually, I’d like to sing a solo, if that’s okay.”
Eli leaned in and whispered, “What are you doing?”
Fox shook his head and glanced at Wade. “When you know, you know. And I think it’s time for me to put myself out there.”
A line formed between Eli’s brows, but thankfully, a grinning Wade pulled Eli aside and whispered in his ear.
Satisfied that Wade would explain everything to Eli, Fox looked over to the DJ and nodded. He’d snuck in just before everyone was supposed to gather inside the meeting room and asked if he could be ready to play a song for him when the moment was right. And it had only taken Fox slipping the DJ a couple of bills to make it happen.
Fox only hoped that the guy manning the equipment knew this was the moment he’d paid him for. He walked up to the microphone, looked Sienna directly in the eyes, but didn’t say anything.
Instead, Fox then put on a giant pair of rhinestone sunglasses and waited for the music to start playing through the speakers.
Fox didn’t have a lot; he worked on boat motors for a living. But music was his passion and was what he could give Sienna. Even though they were someone else’s lyrics, Elton John’s “Your Song” said everything Fox wanted to.
He ignored the pit that formed in his stomach as the lyrics appeared on the small screen in front of him. He gripped the microphone as if it were the only thing keeping him upright as he san
g the first line.
Once he did, everything else faded away. The stage fright, the cameras, even Wade and his stupid, knowing grin. There was only Sienna, and she was sitting perfectly still as she stared back up at Fox.
When his voice cracked, he hoped Sienna could hear the emotion he was putting into every word. He hoped she knew that he wasn’t mad about what had happened. But most importantly, he hoped she could see that this was him telling her that he cared about her, and it didn’t matter that all ten million viewers knew.
But Sienna hadn’t moved a muscle, and Fox felt a creep of panic start in his stomach and reach up through his throat. He swallowed hard to loosen it up and put everything he had left behind the swell of the chorus and the words he felt with his whole heart.
When Fox finished singing the last note, and the music stopped, there was complete and total silence. Fox was breathless and the adrenaline pumping through him left a haze around his vision.
This was a huge mistake.
Suddenly, everyone burst into applause. Jason rushed back on stage, but frustratingly, Sienna stayed glued to her seat.
Jason patted Fox on the back. “Wow, someone give this guy a record deal! You’ve got a great voice. Let’s hear what the judges have to say.”
Just like before, the judges held up signs with a numeric score on them. A couple of sevens and a couple of eights.
Jason shook his head. “Tough crowd. But just so we know, why did you score Fox’s performance lower than the group’s?”
A young man from the hotel staff was the first to speak. “Well, he didn't really dress up. He only put on a pair of ugly sunglasses. And then, like, the song doesn’t have anything to do with dessert or anything.”
“Good points.” Jason nodded. “And what do you think about that, Fox?”
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.
The Bridesmaid & the Jerk Page 16
