The groom’s side was half-empty, but what did she expect with last-minute invitations? Jamie sat on the first row beside Brody, her brown hair caught up in barrette. Two part-time employees from Lucas’s shop sat on the next row, straining to see around a tall, spindly man she recognized from someplace.
She imagined how upset Lucas’s parents would be at missing the ceremony. And at finding out about the wedding after it was over . . . But it was what Lucas wanted, and it was his decision. They’d have to smooth things over later.
They . . .
She was going to be joining another family. The thought struck her hard and quick. She didn’t even know these people—she barely knew the groom!
What am I doing?
She didn’t meet Lucas’s eyes until she nearly reached the gazebo and then realized her mistake. A bride would be gazing adoringly at her groom. Was she smiling widely enough? Her dry lips stuck to her teeth.
Lucas had cleaned up well, even shaved his perpetual five o’clock shadow. His long hair was combed back from his face. The hairstyle, combined with the formal suit, gave him the look of a nineteenth-century nobleman. His eyes met hers, pulling her in—a solid lifeline in what felt like a turbulent storm.
They reached the foot of the gazebo, and her dad stopped and kissed her cheek, then took a seat on the first row.
She was on her own now.
What am I doing? . . . What am I doing? . . .
She stepped into the gazebo as the last strains of the wedding march rang out and drew to a halt between Anna and Lucas. Her bare arm brushed his. In the distance, whirring clicks of cameras captured every second of the event, and she knew the best photos would grace the pages of tomorrow’s newspapers. But as the justice began talking, all Kate could think about was the way the heat from Lucas’s arm seeped clean through his tux and settled against her skin like a thick fog.
“Marriage is commended to be honorable among all men,” the justice began. “And therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly—but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and solemnly.” He emphasized each word, his bushy gray eyebrows inching upward disapprovingly. When Kate had told him Lucas was taking Bryan’s place, she’d been half-afraid he’d refuse to perform the ceremony. But he’d only pressed his lips together and nodded formally.
Now he continued. “Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined for life.”
Joined for life. She turned her head a fraction of an inch toward Lucas as the ugly scent of fear filled her nostrils, mingling with the tangy, salt-laden air. Life? She hardly knew him!
What am I doing?
She dragged in a breath and slowly released it, careful to keep her expression neutral. There’s no going back now. Focus. Just get through the ceremony.
Was Lucas afraid too? Was he asking himself what he’d gotten into, wishing he were back in his shop, sitting in a thin layer of saw-dust? Was that his arm trembling against hers? He had every right to panic. He was giving up a year of his life. He was being thrust into the public eye.
What if he backs out? Right here in front of everybody? Jilted twice in one day. Had it ever happened before? She imagined the headline. “Dr. Kate Jilted at Altar by Two Grooms.”
The justice stopped talking, and the moment’s silence sent alarm scuttling through Kate. Instinctively, she slid her right hand from her bouquet and reached out, searching for an anchor. When her fingers touched Lucas’s hand, his encircled hers. It was warm and strong, and—oddly—confident. It’s going to be okay, his grip said.
Mrs. Petrie began her solo, her warbly, butterfly soprano wafting on the breeze, and Kate’s mind wandered. The song had seemed perfect for her and Bryan. How could she have been so wrong? Who was it who had stolen his heart? Just the night before, he’d held her close and kissed her good night at her apartment door. What was it he’d said? “I guess I’ll see you soon.”
Had there been something in his tone? In his expression? Some warning she’d missed? She’d been too flushed with excitement to notice. And just like that he was gone.
And now she was marrying Lucas. Committing a year of her life to a man she didn’t love. Good grief, most of the time she didn’t even like him. Not that he was a bad person. He was just so . . . irritating sometimes. Vexing. The way he was late and careless and so laid-back she wished she had a remote control so she could push the fast-forward button.
She couldn’t think of a man less suited for her.
Mrs. Petrie finished the song and returned to her seat. The justice began talking about the seriousness of the vows they were about to take. Kate wanted to plug her ears. She was a proponent of life-long marriages. It was her life’s work to help couples stay married. And now she was making a mockery of the process.
I’m a hypocrite. A fraud. What would my readers think if they knew?
The justice turned toward her, and Kate focused her attention on him as he announced the reading of the vows. She was supposed to face Lucas. She handed her bouquet to Anna and turned toward Lucas. She wasn’t sure if she was capable of breathing, much less speaking.
Then she saw the corner of Lucas’s lip tilt up ever so slightly, his eyes soften. Instinctively, she relaxed.
I can do this.
The justice read the vows, and Kate repeated them. “I, Kate Lawrence, take you, Lucas Wright, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.” Kate swallowed hard. “Until death do us part.”
The last words were rushed, but she’d done it. Now the justice prompted Lucas.
He repeated the vows, and he did it well. His eyes said as much as his voice. The way he looked at her . . . It was the way every bride yearned to be looked at. Like she was precious. Like she was his chosen one. His voice was low, as if rumbling up from the deepest part of the ocean. It was more than credible. It was convincing.
The justice said a prayer and ended it with an amen. “It is tradition to exchange rings as a symbol of the love between a man and a wife.”
Rings! Kate felt something akin to a tidal wave inside her. Bryan’s best man had her ring. Lucas wouldn’t have a ring to put on her finger. She turned a desperate look toward the justice, but he was looking at Lucas as he spoke. “. . . representing the unending love of your union.” He cleared his throat as if the words had left a foul taste.
Kate stared hard at the justice, hoping mental telepathy would work just this once. There are no rings!
But then Lucas turned to Ethan. When he faced Kate again, he held a ring in the hollow of his palm. He’d taken care of it. Relief washed over her, and she smiled her gratitude.
He took her left hand in his and slid the ring onto her finger until it rested beside the glittering diamond. “With this ring, I thee wed.” The look in his eyes burned the words into her heart.
The band was white gold, elegant in its simplicity. When had he had time to buy a ring? And how had he known her size?
The justice was prompting her to get Lucas’s ring. She turned to take the ring from Anna. There was no way Bryan’s ring would fit Lucas. She hoped it would at least slide over his knuckle. Maybe no one would notice.
She took the ring from Anna’s palm . . . but it wasn’t Bryan’s white-gold band with diamond-shaped cuts. This one matched the one Lucas had put on her finger. She turned toward him and took his hand in hers. The ring slid easily onto his wide, tapered finger and looked bright against the darkness of his skin. “With this ring, I thee wed,” she said.
Lucas caught hold of her hands, and the justice gave his closing thoughts. Kate was aware of nothing except Lucas’s hands holding hers, his fingers rough and calloused against hers. She noticed that he was almost a head taller than her five-foot-five frame. One strand of his hair had come loose and fallen over his forehead, rogue-style. Her gaze fell to his eyes. He looked straight at her, into her, anchoring her.<
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The justice was making his closing statements. “By the power vested in me by the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The relief she felt brought a smile to her face. It’s done. I made it through.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Her eyes flew back to Lucas. In all the commotion of last-minute changes, she hadn’t even thought about the kiss. Had he?
One of his eyebrows quirked as if challenging her.
She leaned toward him and felt his hands go to her waist. She brought her fingers to his jaw just as their lips met. His mouth was soft against hers. His lips moved slowly, deliberately, as he pulled her closer until their bodies nearly met . . .
Oh my . . . goodness . . .
It was over in seconds, but it left her rattled. Good grief, he was a great kisser. Who would have thought?
He was watching her, most likely noting her newly flushed cheeks. His eyes twinkled as if he could tell the kiss had left her shaken. She drew her shoulders back and tilted her chin as the justice said his final words.
“I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Wright.”
Expectations can make or break a
relationship.
—Excerpt from
Finding Mr. Right-for-You
by Dr. Kate
Chapter Four
“In honor of the first man in her life,” the DJ announced from the makeshift stage, “The bride would like to have the first dance of the evening with her father.”
Kate disengaged herself from Lucas’s friends and wound her way through the circular tables to the parquet dance floor, where her dad waited with extended hand. She went into his arms with the first notes of “Unforgettable” playing behind her. It was the only part of the day going according to plan. Everything else had been turned on end, but sharing this dance with her dad was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Kate closed her eyes and relished the normality of it, unwilling—unable—to think past this moment.
“You’re holding up well.”
She looked up at her father. His face had aged the last couple years, and Kate realized she hadn’t visited him in Maryland enough. Phone calls and letters didn’t allow the same connection, and she’d spent most of her spare weekends with Bryan in Boston. And for what?
“Really?” She felt as transparent as Saran Wrap and just as fragile. Making rounds with Lucas had been hard. Everyone wanted to know how they’d met and how they’d kept it a secret. Lucas’s eyes had said it all. We didn’t. The two of them had a million details to work out. She didn’t know how they’d remember everything they’d come up with on the fly tonight.
“What do you know about this guy?” Her dad shuffled stiffly, leading more like a boot-camp drill sergeant than a dancer. His hair—what was left of it—was combed neatly to the side in a part not quite deep enough to be a comb-over.
What did she know about Lucas? Not even enough to fill a pen cap. “He makes furniture, and his shop is right below my place on Main Street. In fact, he owns the building. I was renting my office space and apartment from him. He did the renovations.”
She’d let Lucas know months ago that she was moving out this month. Little had she known she’d be moving into his home. She realized she didn’t know where he lived.
“What else?” A benign smile hid his concern.
“He’s a nice man, Daddy. Harmless.”
She glanced over her dad’s shoulder at Lucas. He stood with Ethan, hands resting in his vest pockets, his jacket long since discarded. His white shirt was crisp and fitted, tapering from broad shoulders down to narrow hips. Maybe “harmless” was overstating it.
“I’m not leaving until morning, so if you need anything tonight, call me.”
Kate laughed. “Not the words most fathers say to their daughters on their wedding night.”
“This isn’t most wedding nights.”
Kate sobered. No, it wasn’t. She didn’t know how she was going to survive the honeymoon at the White Elephant, much less the next year.
“If anyone can do this, you can.” Her father squeezed her hand in a rare gesture of affection. Behind him, the vocalists belted out the chorus, the lead singer’s face reddened from the strain.
“Thanks, Dad.”
They danced quietly for a few moments before her dad broke the silence. “I know your mom and I had our disagreements, but I wish she could be here tonight.”
Kate didn’t want to think about her mom, tonight of all nights. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.” They took one last turn as the band wound down the song and the crowd applauded.
Lucas approached as her dad stepped away. “May I cut in, sir?”
Kate knew he’d scored brownie points for the honorific title. Her dad smiled cordially, but the look in his eyes warned that the points wouldn’t carry far.
The band struck up the song she’d selected for the bride and groom’s “first dance,” and her heart stuttered. “When a Man Loves a Woman” had been their song. It had played on the radio the first time Bryan kissed her. A constricting knot lodged in her throat as Lucas’s hands came to her waist. She felt his eyes on her, and she worked to steady her smile. There were people watching. Always people watching. She had to hold it together.
As if sensing her need to hide, he pulled her close. She laid her cheek against his chest, away from all the faces. Above the swelling music and chatter, she could hear the waves swooshing the shoreline with rhythmic certainty. The consistency of the sound soothed her.
“It’s gonna be okay, Kate,” Lucas’s voice rumbled next to her ear. “You’ll see.”
Her eyes burned, threatening to spill, and she blinked. Breathe, just breathe. She needed to think about something else, anything else, but the thoughts wouldn’t budge: “I’m in love with someone else.” Were harsher words ever spoken?
“I’m glad we have a minute alone,” Lucas said. “Because I have a question for you.”
She swallowed. “What’s that?”
“Are we going on a honeymoon?”
Her laugh was feeble. “I’m sorry.” She pulled back enough to look at him. “We have reservations at the White Elephant for the week. Is that okay?” He had his work, after all. But if they didn’t take a honeymoon, people would wonder.
“I have a couple jobs to finish up this week, but I’ll get them pushed back.” He pulled her closer. “The White Elephant, huh? Your publisher went all out.”
She moved her hand down his shoulder. “The hotel offered an unbelievable rate. They’ll get a lot of publicity.”
“Surprised you didn’t want to go to Hawaii or something.”
She shrugged. “Nantucket’s done so much for me. I wanted to do something to help the community. The publicity is good for the island.” She smoothed the stiff lapels of his jacket. He’d put it back on for the dance. For the photos that were being snapped.
He’d been a perfect gentleman all evening. She was beginning to wonder why he’d gotten on her nerves before. “Thanks for not shoving the cake in my face,” she said.
His lips tilted. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The singer crooned the chorus, but Kate kept her eyes on Lucas. They were supposed to be the “happy couple.” It was harder than she’d imagined; the pretending was wearing her out.
“So when does this shindig end?”
Not soon enough. “The band has to stop at nine thirty.”
Lucas started to look at Kate’s watch, but she grabbed his hand and kissed it. The hairs on the back of his hand tickled her lips. “You’re dancing with your bride. Time is meaningless.”
His eyes clouded, and he settled his hand at her waist, looking away.
“When the band winds down, we’ll make our exit,” she said. “There’s a carriage scheduled to take us to the White Elephant.”
It hit her how deceiving appearances could be. For all that this looked like a fairy-tale wedding, a true marriage, it was a farce. Empty and fake,
it was an elaborate mansion, gutted on the inside.
“I haven’t packed.” He spun them around, surprisingly graceful.
“That’s taken care of.”
The flash of a bulb flared just off the dance floor. She gave Lucas her “adoring bride” smile, letting her eyes rove lovingly over the planes of his face even though she was seeing black spots, as the photographer snapped half a dozen more photos. When he stepped away, she continued. “Anna is going to grab some things for you tonight. That is, if you don’t mind her riffling through your stuff. You can pick up the rest of your things tomorrow.”
“Not sure how I feel about a stranger riffling through my underwear drawer.”
She could tell by his tone that there’d been a shift in Lucas’s mood, though she had no idea what had caused it. Of all the things to fuss about. He’d married her at the last moment, but the underwear drawer stopped him cold? What else could they do? They couldn’t send his family after his things and have them knowing he hadn’t planned for his honeymoon. Even Lucas wasn’t that disorganized.
“Do you have a better idea?” she asked.
He looked over her head now, wearing an insipid smile. “Fine. Just send Anna.”
Kate opened her mouth to respond, then changed her mind. The last thing she needed was an argument on the dance floor.
Kate faced the mirror in the bathroom of the White Elephant’s Shoreline suite. Her dark hair, caught up on the sides, disappeared beneath the triple-layered veil. Her makeup still looked fresh, her dress stunning. Her shoulders, carefully tanned over the past month, looked every bit as lovely as she’d hoped.
Only none of it mattered now. Bryan loved someone else, and she was married to a man she barely tolerated.
Ah, but my career is salvaged. At least I have that.
She set her heavy bag on the marble counter and opened it, resting the floppy lid against the beveled mirror. The zipper clanged against the glass.
The carriage ride to the hotel had seemed to take forever even though it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. She was tired of pretending. Which didn’t bode well—the entire next year would consist of nothing but pretense, and just one night of it had worn her to the bone. Her feet hurt, her head ached, and all she wanted was to slide between the sheets and pull them over her head.
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