The Wedding Truce

by Kerri Carpenter

  She scrunched up her nose. Today? That meant Xander had put this together...today?

  A sickening feeling washed over her and she felt like a hundred-pound weight was falling in her stomach. Her gaze flicked back to the bed, where they’d loved each other all night. All of Xander’s sweet words and tender gestures came flooding back to her.

  Maybe none of it meant anything to him. How could it when he’d left their bed only to put together a prenup for Jack and Emerson?

  She placed a hand to her heart, desperately trying to calm its rapid beating. Her other hand went to her mouth, holding in the cry that wanted to escape.

  How could he?

  All of her fairy-tale dreams came crashing down around her. Pumpkin smashed, glass slippers shattered, twinkling stars dimmed.

  This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

  Out of all the many variations of dream relationships she’d had, never once did a prenup show up. Love was love. It was concrete and resolute, unwavering in its veracity.

  Hadn’t Xander complimented Em and Jack’s relationship just last night? Then he’d romanced her all night. The things he said...the way he looked at her. What was all of that? She’d made it clear that she would sleep with him. There was no need for the facade of romance.

  She gripped the prenup so hard that she actually wrinkled it. These papers represented the opposite of everything she believed in.

  Love. Dedication. Devotion. Happily-ever-after.

  And she thought...well, maybe she assumed, that Xander had come around to feel the same way. At least, that’s what she wished. But it wasn’t coming true.

  Her heart hurt. But she didn’t want to think about that. She wanted to focus everything in her being on her anger. That was easier. Except she couldn’t. Because sadness was much stronger than anger.

  She gingerly placed the document on the table the way one might handle a live bomb. Quietly, she left the room, determined to find Xander and figure out what exactly was going on. Did he believe in love and romance, or was he so scarred that he would never allow his walls to fall?

  Sadly, she thought she already knew the answer. And it broke her heart.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Xander was still laughing at Jack’s feeble attempts to get the content of his best-man speech out of him. Eventually, Emerson had appeared and rolled her eyes at the pair of them. Then she dragged away a protesting Jack. One more reason to love Emerson Dewitt.

  The lobby was a flurry of activity. Xander sat back in a plush chair, content to people-watch as the wedding guests arrived. He knew some of them, of course, and offered his hellos.

  The earlier sun had been replaced with clouds. The sound of thunder could be heard in the distance as the first drops of rain began to fall outside.

  He overheard Emerson’s mother telling her that rain was good luck for a wedding. Xander had heard that saying before, but he always wondered if it was true or just something people said to appease anxious brides. In any case, he sat back and watched the lightning show outside the large windows.

  Just as another bolt lit up the sky and thunder crackled right overhead, Grace appeared in the lobby. His body reacted immediately at the sight of her. He could feel his lips turn up into what was surely a goofy grin.

  But something wasn’t right. His smile faded as quickly as it had come. The ease and grace that usually surrounded her was absent. Tension engulfed her body. He could tell by the rigidity of her shoulders. Her eyes trained on him and her hands curled into fists.

  She walked in a short, fast clip until she was right in front of him. Closer now, he could see that her emerald eyes were a much darker shade of green as they laser-focused on his face. Her cheeks were tinged with red.

  What had happened? He hoped she wasn’t upset about the weather. Although, with the way she was throwing death stares at him, he couldn’t pretend this mood had to do with the wedding.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Her lips trembled. “How could you?” There may have been anger in her eyes, but her words were dripping in sadness.

  The lobby was packed. Xander noticed quite a few heads turn in their direction. He attempted to usher her to a different, quieter, part of the room, but quickly realized that was a mistake. She shook off his hands and stepped back. Her voice rushed out on a shaky breath.

  “I saw the prenup in your room.”

  Huh? It took him a second to comprehend what she was saying. “Oh, the prenup for Jack and Emerson?”

  She looked at him as if he’d just said something ridiculous. “Ah, yes. That prenup.”

  He wasn’t getting it. “What’s the problem with a prenup?”

  “What’s the problem?” She blew out a breath of exasperation. “Just last night you claimed Emerson and Jack were an amazing couple. Today, you make them a prenup.”

  “What does one thing have to do with another?”

  “Did Jack or Em ask you to make that up for them?” she asked, biting her lip.

  “Ah, no. I did it as a sort of gift for them.”

  She slapped a hand to his chest. “You either believe in love or you don’t.”

  He stepped back. She was being completely irrational and the audience around them was growing by the second. “Grace, can we go somewhere and talk about this like two rational adults?”

  She reared back, even more color tinting her face. “No, we can stay right here. And I’m not the one being irrational. How dare you doubt Em and Jack’s love.”

  “I’m not doubting anything,” he said quietly. His patience was running thin. He glanced around the room, attempting to offer a small smile and convey that everything was fine. “Grace, can we please step outside?” His stomach was starting to twist into knots. He really hated public scenes, especially when they were negative.

  “No,” she said, determination in the small word even as her eyes widened and moisture threatened to spill over. “Answer my question.”

  “Fine. The bigger question is how can you get this mad over a document that has nothing to do with you? That prenup was about Jack and Emerson.”

  “What? How can you...?” She tugged on a strand of her hair, suddenly seeming very young and very naive. “You believe in prenups.”

  “I’m a divorce attorney. Of course I do. It’s a very easy way to protect yourself and your assets.”

  “Prenups aren’t... I mean, you can’t... Love is... You’re wrong.”

  She sounded like a child, and that’s what it took for Xander’s anger to dissipate. A realization hit him faster than the lightning outside. Despite her resolve, it wasn’t anger that was emanating from Grace. When he looked deep into her eyes, he saw fear.

  Grace Harris was afraid to let someone love her.

  He remembered the story about her mother. The selfish woman who hadn’t put her child first. How did someone get over that? She had to carry that with her on a daily basis.

  His heart ached for her. She’d grown up with a mother who didn’t care. Even though her grandparents had swooped in and rescued her, there had to be permanent scars.

  This was heavy stuff. How could someone who’d begun her life without love, learn to love now? For Grace, she’d buried herself in fairy tales and storybook romances. That was fine for the average child, but for someone who had no other basis of real love, that had to mess with her perception.

  “You are not the man I thought you were,” she said on a shaky breath.

  A quick glance around the room showed him that they were definitely the main attraction. Everyone, including the hotel employees, was watching their show.

  His first instinct was to run. This whole situation—Grace’s outburst—was a little too reminiscent of his parents. All of those holidays and big parties when his parents had fought and made scenes and embarrassed him.

  Emerson and J
ack came around the corner hand in hand. They stopped, trying to assess the situation. They wore twin expressions of concern.

  At the sight of his best friend, Jack’s earlier words came back to Xander. His parents’ relationship had no bearing on him and his relationship with Grace. He should fight back. He should shut down. Instead, he did something completely unexpected.

  “I’m in love with you, Grace.”

  The statement took the wind out of her sails. He knew the feeling. He couldn’t believe what he’d just said. He waited for the regret to set in, or even embarrassment. It didn’t. In fact, he felt relieved. Happy that he’d been able to speak his truth. Shocked that he’d been able to express an emotion that he’d always assumed would evade him.

  Grace’s mouth dropped open. Her shoulders collapsed and all of the fight appeared to go out of her.

  “That’s right,” he said quietly. “I’m in love with you. I love you.” He blocked out all the pairs of eyes trained on them. At this moment, it was only about the two of them.

  He knew she wouldn’t return his sentiment. Not right now. But he also knew it was important that she hear it.

  “You—you, uh, you don’t know what you’re saying,” she said, her words tumbling over each other. She pointed at him. “You’re just trying to distract me from the real issue.”

  “The real issue is that you’re scared,” he said calmly.

  She shook her head, almost violently. “The real issue is that you aren’t right for me.” She waved a hand between them. “This isn’t right. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. You can’t say you love me and not believe in love at the same time.”

  “I believe in what I feel for you, and I know that’s love.”

  “I can’t do this with you.” She took a step backward, and then another. With a last glare at him, she turned on her heel and fled toward the hallway.

  “Grace,” he called after her.

  She didn’t turn around, didn’t face him. But she did pause and glance over her shoulder. He’d take it.

  “I still love you,” he said resolutely.

  A mixture of emotions passed over her face. Then, she shook her head and walked away from him.

  Xander didn’t know what would happen. But the one thing he was sure of was that he’d spoken his truth. The curse his parents had started had been broken. Now he was living and now he could truly love.

  The only question was whether Grace would be brave enough to love him back.

  * * *

  He loved her?

  How dare Xander utter those three precious words—the most coveted words—to her as she attempted to call him out on that prenup. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Professing love was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It should be magical and romantic. Not hastily said during a heated moment.

  Did he even mean it? Did Xander really...love her?

  She took a deep breath, but it did little to calm her frayed nerves.

  Did she love him?

  “Doesn’t matter,” she said out loud to no one in particular, except the empty hallway. And it didn’t matter. Because Xander wasn’t the man she thought he was. Their relationship wasn’t following the correct path.

  Her heart ached again. She stopped walking and actually pressed a hand to her chest. Confused and torrid emotions swirled around her. How was she supposed to react to this?

  Emerson came flying down the hallway. “What was all that about?” she asked. Her friend was practically running to catch up with her. She felt Emerson’s hand on her arm. She paused and then slowly turned to face her. Meeting Em’s concerned gaze, tears stung her eyes. Attempting to steady herself, she meant to take a long, calming breath.

  “He’s not the man for me,” she said, her chest tightening.

  “But, I see the way you guys look at each other.”

  “Well, forget about that,” Grace said. She threw her arms out for extra measure.

  “What happened?” Emerson asked.

  “It’s complicated.”

  Emerson studied her for a long time. Finally, she linked fingers with Grace. “Come on. Let’s go to my room.”

  They made their way to Emerson’s suite on the third floor, where flowers had been delivered. The sweet scents of roses and peonies filled the room. Her wedding gown hung on the door of the closet. Grace walked to it and ran her fingers over the elaborate beading.

  Seeing the dress only made the tears come again.

  “Gracie, sit.”

  Emerson was on the couch. She patted the cushion next to her. Grace went to her and they clasped hands.

  “Tell me everything.”

  Grace told her about what had happened between her and Xander since coming to the hotel. How they’d become intimate, and how she’d thought he was changing his stance on relationships.

  “That’s wonderful, Gracie.”

  “I thought so, too. But I was wrong.” Her lip began to tremble. “You need to know something, Em.”

  Emerson looked up.

  Grace needed to warn her friend, but she truly didn’t want to be the one to cause her pain. Surely this news would upset Emerson deeply.

  Grace took a deep breath. “Xander is going to give you a prenup.” She held her breath.

  Emerson scrunched up her nose. “A what?”

  “A prenuptial agreement. It’s a contract that—”

  Emerson covered Grace’s hand with her own. “I know what a prenup is, Gracie, and Jack and I are not getting one.”

  “Em, I saw it.” She told her about finding the document in Xander’s room.

  “Gracie, you’re wrong. Jack and I already talked about a prenup.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. I brought it up. My parents’ pastor gave us a list of difficult things to discuss before our wedding. You know about those lists. Hard topics that aren’t easy to talk about, but really should be discussed.”

  Grace nodded.

  “So we went through the list. It had everything on it from children to where you want to live to when you want to retire. And it had a ton of stuff about finances, including prenups. So I brought it up to Jack, but he didn’t want one.”

  “He didn’t?”

  Emerson nodded.

  “But—but... I saw the document and your names were on it. So was Xander’s,” she said in a low voice. “He made it for you. Today.” She rose suddenly, needing to pace.

  Emerson scratched her head. “I don’t get it. What’s the big deal if Xander did offer us a prenup?”

  “It’s not about the prenup. It’s about...well, it’s about love and believing in love.”

  “Please sit down, Gracie. You’re not making any sense.”

  “I believe in love and marriage and happily-ever-afters.”

  “And sometimes that’s a beautiful thing,” Emerson said.

  “Right—”

  Emerson cut her off. “But not always. It isn’t practical, Grace. You can’t run around thinking you’re in a romantic comedy.”

  “But that’s what I want,” she said in a soft, strangled voice. A lump formed in her throat.

  All she’d ever wanted was to be part of a fairy tale. Ever since she’d been taken away from her mother—maybe even before then—she’d wished and hoped that everything would magically come together for her. That she would get to live out her princess fantasy. And it would be perfect.

  “I don’t mean to be so hard on you, Gracie. I just don’t want you to miss out on something wonderful that’s right in front of you because you’re too busy waiting for some unrealistic prince to come along.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Emerson’s eyes filled with understanding. “You always give men at least three chances. Even if the first date was horrible, you always give them the benefit of the doubt.�
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  “I do.”

  “I always respected that about you. But then I started to notice something. After the third date, you seemed to come up with some reason why that man wasn’t perfect. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I agreed with you. Remember the guy with the dummy?”

  Grace actually laughed. “Please don’t remind me. And let’s not forget Derek.”

  Emerson groaned. “I can’t even.” Her eyebrows drew down in concentration and she leaned in. “But I started noticing that you were finding more and more reasons as to why a guy wasn’t the one for you.”

  “Em—”

  “I think you’re afraid to be loved.”

  That’s what Xander had said to her.

  Grace tried to pull away, but Emerson held on to her hand. She squeezed it tightly, showing Grace that she was there for her.

  It was true. Emerson’s words were hard to hear, but they were spot on. She didn’t have to think long and hard as to the why. It was because of her mother.

  “You’re never going to get a perfect life, Gracie. Perfect doesn’t exist. And why would you want one?”

  When she put it like that... Grace felt overwhelmed. Was she really afraid of love? Did she fear the one emotion she valued more than any other? In her experience, love brought pain and hurt. Her mother’s face flashed before her eyes.

  Emerson lightly tapped Grace’s temple. “You can stay in here, waiting and hoping and wishing for your Prince Charming. Or you can open your eyes and see that he may just be right in front of you and answering to the name of Xander Ryan.”

  Grace had been thinking of her mother, but her thoughts turned to her grandparents—two people who’d dropped everything in their lives to rescue her. They raised her with love and kindness.

  She thought about Emerson, her best friend, and the person who had been there for her every single day since they’d met. They weren’t technically sisters, yet Emerson filled that role.

  “As for this prenup business, I don’t know what Xander was thinking,” Emerson said. “But I’m sure he has some reasonable explanation. Believe it or not, Xander actually helped Jack realize his feelings for me.”