“You look stunning,” Gemma sighed, kneeling on the floor to get an upwards shot of Lucy looking in the mirror. “You’ll knock Bryce’s socks off. Have you seen the response we’ve been getting on the Big Wedding series on Instagram and Facebook? The bookings for weddings are going cray-cray. Terry and Jerome have been hitting up Luke to hire them another assistant to handle all the details they don’t have time for.”
That was good. Creating good publicity for the resort at least assuaged a little of Lucy’s guilt over having so much effort expended on something which wasn’t even real.
“You’re a miracle worker, Shae,” she said, hardly recognising the woman in the mirror. That woman looked a good deal younger than Lucy’s thirty years, fresh-faced and bright-eyed, her hair elegantly arranged.
Shae laughed. “No miracles required when I’ve got such a wonderful canvas to work with. All we need now is the dress.”
Gemma set the camera down. “Let me help? Please? No shots until you’re in it, I promise.”
“Of course. It’s hanging up in the wardrobe right there.” Lucy gestured.
The only thing she was planning to wear under the dress was a pair of white silk panties and a blue silk garter Olivia had given her. Strapless, the boned corset of the dress lifted and supported her breasts perfectly when Shae laced it up for her, multiple layers of chiffon silk skirts falling just to her ankles. Lucy had flatly refused to wear the stiletto heels Olivia had tried to talk her into, preferring flats, especially since she knew she’d have to walk on sand to take the sunset photos on the beach which were part of the day’s plan. In the end they’d compromised on wedges with a one-inch heel, comfortable enough to walk all day in if she needed to.
While she didn’t officially have bridesmaids, the bridal shop who had provided her dress had outfitted Olivia, Nessa, Rosie and Jill with four silk sheath dresses in four different colours, with shoes to match. They looked like a garden of exotic tropical flowers as Lucy stepped hesitantly into the suite’s living area, bright and beautiful in turquoise, golden-yellow, emerald and fuchsia.
“Oh, you all look spectacular,” Lucy said, delighted. “Gemma, take some photos…”
They all laughed at her. “You’re the bride, darling!” Olivia took her arm, gently urged her into the middle of the group. “And you outshine us by miles, I must say. You’ll knock Bryce’s socks off.”
Gemma’s camera clicked rapidly as the friends embraced. Shae stood back, smiling a little wistfully, until Terry entered to tell them it was time to go.
“You look fabulous, darlings, but I don’t have time to pay you flowery compliments. Jerome’s babysitting Bryce and reports he’s in a bit of a panic.” Terry grinned at Lucy. “So let’s get you there on time, hm? I’ve got golf carts and drivers waiting downstairs. Move it, move it, ladies!” He clapped his hands together, chivying them from the room.
Of course, it wasn’t so simple. They had to pause everywhere, in the lobby so other guests could gawk at Lucy and Gemma could snap some more photos, at the golf cart where Shae helped arrange her skirt and tweaked her hair one last time.
Lucy felt as though she was about to burst with frustration by the time the procession finally got going, hers the last cart to roll away. Terry was driving her himself, Shae sitting beside him in case any last-minute adjustments were required to Lucy’s appearance, Gemma in the cart in front, even now hanging out the back to take more pictures.
“Are you okay?” Shae turned to ask as they drove slowly up the paved path to the scenic pavilion overlooking the sea where the ceremony was to be held. “You’re not wearing enough makeup to cover the fact that you’ve gone kinda pale.”
“I just want this to be over,” Lucy confessed.
Shae’s smile was sympathetic. “Just relax and let yourself enjoy the day,” she advised. “Look at the sky; not a cloud in sight, it’s the most perfect shade of blue. Listen to the birds, smell the sea air and the tropical flowers. Just take it all one minute at a time. Close your eyes for a moment and take deep breaths. I’ll count for you. Breathe in, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four, breathe out, two, three, four, hold, two, three, four…”
Breathing deeply in time with Shae’s quiet chanting, Lucy felt the tightness in her chest easing. She felt the cool breeze against her cheeks as the cart coasted along the track, heard parrots squawking in the trees as they passed, smelled the heady hibiscus mixed with salt in the air.
“Better?” Shae asked quietly.
“Yeah.” Lucy kept her eyes closed, though, maintaining the steady rhythm of her breathing.
“That’s good, because we’re here and Terry’s about to stop the cart. Keep up that breathing, sweetie.”
Lucy opened her eyes. They were just slowing down, Terry bringing the cart into line with the others waiting behind the pavilion. Her four ‘bridesmaids’ were waiting for her, smiling broadly, and behind them she could see quite a little crowd seated in front of the pavilion.
At the front of the crowd, Bryce was standing between Luke and Cory, his eyes fixed on her as Terry helped her out of the cart. Seeing him there, standing tall and straight, his fair hair cut neatly short, his face clean-shaven, wearing a silver-grey waistcoat over an open-collared white shirt and light grey formal pants, he looked so handsome the unreality of the situation struck Lucy forcibly.
Of course this wedding wasn’t real. No way would she be walking up the aisle to marry a man who looked like that. She was just ordinary, by her own choice, and guys like Bryce didn’t marry ordinary.
Lucy didn’t even see her mother in the front row pretending to cry, as she walked through the crowd to Bryce. He was gazing at her, lips slightly parted as though about to speak, an expression she couldn’t really define on his handsome face. She had to remind herself to walk slow, not to just run to him and cling on tight. It seemed to take an eternity to traverse the short distance which separated them, reminding herself to keep her smile in place with every step.
***
Bryce stared in awe as Lucy walked towards him. She looked like a princess in that dress, a single white lily clasped in her hands the perfect finishing touch to complete the illusion of classic perfection. A soft smile illuminated her face as she approached, and he reached out to take her hand instinctively.
“You look incredible,” he said sincerely, causing a little ripple of laughter among their audience and Lucy’s smile to widen.
“I was thinking the same,” she said saucily, letting her eyes drop and come back up again in a blatant once-over.
I love you, he almost blurted, but managed to close his lips over the words, squeezing Lucy’s hand lightly instead before turning to face Luke, who was grinning broadly at both of them.
“Welcome,” Luke began, “to the wedding of Bryce Seabrook and Lucinda Grace Manning…”
Chapter Nineteen
Lucy struggled to pay attention as Luke spoke. She and Bryce had opted to go with the simplest, shortest version of the marriage ceremony and standard vows. Bryce’s look of horror when Luke asked if they were going to write their own had been enough for Lucy to immediately veto the idea.
“I do,” she said at the appropriate moment, surprised by how clear and definite her voice sounded. Her gaze locked with Bryce’s, she felt strong and confident, somehow certain she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Suddenly, it was all over and Luke was pronouncing them to be man and wife.
“Kiss the bride, mate!” Cory yelled loudly, and Bryce laughed, slipping his arm around Lucy’s waist and dipping her backwards. She found herself giggling too, reaching up to hook her arms round his neck and hold on tight as his mouth came down on hers.
“Save that for later,” Luke said in a gently reproachful tone about a minute later, amid loud cheers and shouts of;
“Get a room!”
Lucy was laughing as Bryce lifted her back upright, her eyes sparkling with joy, and he very nearly kissed her again right then. They were bein
g swarmed by their friends, though, separated and both hugged and congratulated loudly. Accepting a surprisingly tearful embrace from Olivia, Bryce spotted from the corner of his eye Juliette edging in to embrace Lucy.
“Danger incoming,” he muttered in Olivia’s ear, and she promptly released him, in time for him to get back to Lucy as Juliette spoke.
“You look beautiful, my darling,” Juliette gushed, “although…”
Bryce spoke loudly, before Juliette could make whatever backhanded compliments or outright criticisms she’d undoubtedly spent the whole ceremony thinking up. “Doesn’t she, though? I’ve always known you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever met,” he spoke directly to Lucy, “but today… well, you take my breath away.”
High colour staining Lucy’s cheeks, she ducked her head a little and laughed shyly. “It’s the dress.”
“It’s a pretty dress, but it’s the woman wearing it I can’t stop staring at.” Very conscious of Juliette standing by, lips pursed as though she’d just sucked on a lemon, Bryce tucked his arm around Lucy’s waist, holding her possessively close.
“Could I get a photo of you as the mother of the bride, Juliette?” Gemma asked at that moment. “Love that hat, by the way!”
Juliette preened, lifting a hand to touch the brim of the angled, super-fashionable scarlet hat she wore, a stunning foil for her designer white silk gown printed all over with huge red poppies. “I took a trip over to Hamilton Island to get it. There are some quite nice shops there.”
Bryce saw Lucy roll her eyes, grinned. ‘Quite nice’ was a very understated description for the upmarket boutiques Juliette had spent a day touring. She’d had to buy an extra suitcase to take all her new purchases back to England in.
Luke touched his arm then, drew them both aside to sign the wedding certificate and the resort’s wedding register. Then it was time for Lucy to have some pictures with her ‘bridesmaids’, and Terry and Jerome became Gemma’s willing assistants, chivying everyone into the perfect positions for photos.
Lunch was booked for the party at La Sirène, the resort’s Michelin-starred restaurant, and even Juliette could find no fault with the incredible food served to them by unobtrusive staff, nor the superb wine Jace had provided from his private cellar.
Anticipating that Juliette would, given the opportunity, stand up and say any number of unkind things about Lucy in the guise of reminiscing about her childhood, Bryce had already put his foot down and declared there weren’t going to be any speeches, because he quite simply didn’t want to give one. Cory presented a toast to the bridesmaids, grinning besottedly at Olivia as he did so, and then Luke proposed one to the bride and groom, and that was the sum total of the formalities at the meal.
Bryce was pretty sure Juliette was gritting her teeth to keep her smile firmly fixed in place, but he’d deliberately asked Terry and Jerome to seat her in between Luke and Jace, so she could hardly complain she wasn’t given a place of honour. Bryce just had no intention of allowing her to belittle Lucy on their wedding day.
Once again, he had to remind himself the wedding wasn’t real. Lucy would have a real wedding one day, to some lucky bastard Bryce already hated without knowing a thing about him. The mere thought of her walking down the aisle to some other man, her eyes glowing with love for someone who wasn’t him, made him feel sick to his stomach.
After the luncheon was when Bryce and Lucy really had to earn their keep, or at least earn back the cost of putting on the wedding, by letting Gemma photograph them at every scenic spot on the island, including in the honeymoon cabin they were getting for the night, complete with a beautiful feast of cold foods laid on for them, before another quick trip out for sunset photos on the beach. Lucy blessed the speedy tropical sunsets as darkness finally fell and Gemma regretfully lowered her camera at last.
“That’s all, folks,” she said with a smile. “You can drop the glued-on smiles now.”
“Good, because my face feels like it’s about to crack,” Lucy joked, sagging against Bryce.
“You’ve been a trooper,” Bryce praised, putting his arm around her. “We done, Gemma?”
“Consider your dues paid. I’m off to lock myself in my office and spend the next few days buried in Photoshop and Instagram.” Gemma grinned wickedly at them and said teasingly “I’ll let you know if we need any reshoots.”
That prompted Lucy to flip her the bird, which made Gemma burst out laughing before she hopped in her golf cart and headed back to the resort. Bryce had long since commandeered one to drive himself and Lucy around, and he helped her back in now before getting into the driver’s seat.
“Do you want to check in with everyone else?” he asked.
“Absolutely not.”
He grinned at her definitive answer. “Leaving them to their own amusements it is, then. Let’s go see if there’s any of our feast left.”
“Gemma said a staffer was coming in to put everything in the fridge, so we can just help ourselves.” Lucy leaned her head against his shoulder as he put the golf cart in drive. “I’m so tired, Bryce.” She smothered a massive yawn in her hand.
“Me too. No idea how people have the energy for wedding nights after doing this for real, plus an evening reception,” Bryce joked.
“Can’t imagine.” Lucy yawned again. “Maybe I’ll perk up once I’ve gotten out of this dress and had something to eat.”
“It’s spectacular, but I’ve been wondering all day how you were breathing in it. Your waist looks so tiny.” The golf cart only needed one hand to drive, so Bryce slid his free arm around said tiny waist. Lucy chuckled quietly against his shoulder.
“Breathing’s not too bad. It’s eating and drinking which is the problem, or rather the aftereffects of. Going to the bathroom is a bit of a production - I was glad Gemma wasn’t there taking photos while Olivia and Shae were both helping hold the skirt above my head so I could pee!”
Bryce broke up laughing at the mental image her words invoked, and Lucy giggled along with him.
“This has been a really awesome day,” Bruce said impulsively.
“It has, hasn’t it?” Lucy agreed. “Honestly, it’s been the most perfect wedding day. I couldn’t have wished for anything more.”
Say something, a little inner voice yelled at Bryce, but they were pulling up outside the honeymoon cabin now and he shut off the motor, getting out of the golf cart and offering Lucy his hand. She took it with a bright smile up at him.
“You look so beautiful,” he managed to get out as he led her inside. “The, uh, the pearls in your hair really… really look amazing. And the dress, and… everything.”
“You scrub up pretty well yourself.” Lucy flicked at the edge of his waistcoat with a polished fingernail.
Closing the door behind them, Bryce glanced around the cabin to check they were really alone. “Lucy,” he began, but she was already tugging her hand out of his, kicking her shoes off and walking away towards the bedroom.
“Please come help me out of this dress,” she begged. “It’d be really nice to take a deep breath.”
Swallowing the words, he followed her.
She stopped beside the bed and glanced over her shoulder at him. “The laces untie here,” putting one hand to the small of her back, she plucked at the ribbon bow tied there. “Then loosen them upwards. You shouldn’t need to unthread them all the way, just loose enough to slide down.”
“Okay.” He felt all thumbs as he took the thin silk ribbons in his fingers and picked clumsily at the knot, silently cursing whoever had tied a double knot in the bow. “Did you have to hold onto the bedpost to get laced into this?” He tried to make small talk as he worked.
Lucy chuckled softly. “Like Kate Winslet in Titanic? Have you seen that?”
“I confess I have. I like movies, and we do get free access to the resort’s movies-on-demand channel.” Finally the knot came loose in his fingers.
“Not exactly like that. I didn’t need to get laced into a nineteen-inch w
aist or whatever it was. I was holding the front up while Shae laced the back, actually.” As the laces came loose, Lucy sagged a little bit, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. “Phew. I understand now why all the pictures of ladies from the old days show them with perfect posture, though. You don’t have much choice.”
The bodice came loose and Lucy made no attempt to catch it as the whole dress slid to the floor, leaving her nude but for her thong and the blue garter around her thigh. Bryce almost swallowed his tongue.
“Fuck, that’s all you’ve been wearing under this dress all day?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
Lucy turned to him, smiling, and reached to put her arms around his neck. “Bet you can’t get out of your clothes that fast.”
“Bet I can give it a red-hot go!”
She’d only managed to remove her earrings and necklace before he’d shed everything and was on her, pulling her down to the bed with him, both of them laughing wildly.
“Wait, wait, I gotta get these pearls out of my hair,” Lucy begged through her giggles. “If I break the strand I’ll be in so much trouble.”
Bryce sighed exaggeratedly, but helped her unpin the arrangement which held up the top part of her hair. The pearls fell free and he discarded them to the bedside table, running his fingers through her silky dark locks.
“Lucy.” He put all the depth of emotion he felt for her into the single word, and her laughter died, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.
“Bryce?” Her voice was small and soft, questioning.
“You have to know how I feel about you.” The words burst out of him, too fast, tangling on his tongue, but he knew she understood by the way she went stiff against him, pupils blowing wide with shock. “I’m in love with you, Lucy, I have been since the first time I saw you, I think, and today has been like the culmination of every dream I ever had, but… but I can’t do this. Not if you don’t feel the same way. I can pretend until your mother goes home, but…”
Her Fake Island Wedding Page 11
