Temporary Groom: Left At The Altar

by J. S. Scott

  I smiled back at him because I couldn’t help myself, but inside I kept reminding myself that the agreement wasn’t going to last forever.

  I had no idea why the thought that Zeke was just pretending to be attracted to me made me slightly sad.

  CHAPTER 4

  Zeke

  “She didn’t believe me when I said I wanted her,” I muttered unhappily to my friend, billionaire tech mogul, Jett Lawson.

  Jett’s fiancée, Ruby, had left his penthouse with Lia. The moment Lia had told Ruby that she needed to plan a second wedding in a hurry, the two of them had hightailed it out of the building to go arrange the event.

  Ruby had met Lia first, and in addition to being friends, the two women saw each other almost every day since Ruby supplied the baked goods for Lia’s coffee shop, Indulgent Brews.

  In spite of the fact that Jett Lawson was one of the richest men in the world, he was a nice guy, and we’d become friends, too.

  Hell, maybe misery did love company. Jett was trying to give Ruby some time and space before their wedding took place because Ruby was only twenty-three, and she’d been through hell. But I knew it was killing him to wait.

  “Then you’ll have to seduce her,” Jett answered. “Where is the honeymoon?”

  “I haven’t really thought about that,” I said, annoyed with myself that the honeymoon had never entered my mind.

  I’d been too damn focused on the fact that Lia was going to be mine. To hell with the “temporary” shit. I had to find a way to convince her that we belonged together.

  “She trained up a manager for the store, and Ruby is there almost every day. We can watch the shop.”

  Lia had only gotten a manager because she had planned on being on her honeymoon with Stuart. I grimaced as I informed him, “Stuart was taking her to Dubai.”

  “On their honeymoon?” Jett questioned, his face incredulous. “She’d have to dress conservatively. No touching in public, either. What in the hell was he thinking? That’s not a romantic honeymoon.”

  “He apparently has some business interests there, and wants to drum up a few more,” I grumbled.

  “Asshole,” Jett said irritably.

  I nodded. “Definitely.”

  “You need to take her someplace warm and romantic. Hell, I’m no expert on women, but there are a lot more romantic places in the world to go,” Jett suggested.

  “Bora Bora?” I considered aloud.

  Jett shook his head. “Too far into fall. You’ll hit the rainy season.”

  I shrugged. “So we’ll end up shacked up together in an overwater bungalow.”

  There was nobody I’d rather be rained-in with than Lia.

  “Stop thinking with your dick,” Jett insisted. “You can’t have sex every minute of your honeymoon.”

  Considering how long I’d wanted Lia, I was pretty sure I could spend the entire time getting naked with her, but Jett was right. No matter how much I wanted to fuck her, I also wanted to see her smile. I probably wanted her to be happy more than I wanted to get her naked, and that was saying something.

  “Hawaii?”

  Jett shook his head. “Uninspired. Everybody goes there.”

  “Bahamas?”

  “Boring,” he replied.

  “Cancun,” I growled, getting annoyed.

  “I’d go for Playa del Carmen,” he countered.

  I’d been to both Cancun and Playa. They were close to each other, but Jett was right. Playa was a little quieter, but didn’t lack for things to do.

  “I’ll get the trip planned,” I agreed.

  “She’ll love it,” Jett replied, like he hadn’t just told me that I was uninspired.

  Hell, I was plenty inspired. I’d be on my honeymoon with the woman who had haunted my wet dreams for years.

  “I want this trip to be special for her,” I shared. “Lia has never really traveled, and I know she wants to. I should have offered to take her on vacation a long time ago, but I guess it just never came up.”

  Jett lifted a brow. “You were never planning to sleep in the same room before.”

  I shrugged. “Still, she’s my friend, the best one I’ve got.”

  “Ruby is my best friend,” Jett considered. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to touch her every time I see her. Honestly, I have no idea how you’ve managed to keep your hands off Lia if you have the same feelings for her that I do for Ruby.”

  I heaved a sigh as I reached for the beer Jett had given me a little earlier. “I guess I didn’t always feel this way. Lia was fourteen when we met, too damn young for a guy who was almost eighteen. All I really wanted back then was to protect her.”

  “But that changed when?” Jett questioned.

  “I guess it was while I was going to college. But she was still pretty damn young, so I tried to tell myself that I was just in my sexual prime, and it would go away.”

  “It didn’t,” Jett concluded.

  “Hell, no. It just got worse.” I chugged some of my beer before I added, “But the timing was never right. One or both of us was always seeing somebody else.”

  “You would have let her marry another guy?” Jett reached for his own drink as he sat across from me on the couch.

  “No. I couldn’t. I guess I just snapped yesterday. I was on my way to tell her every reason why I didn’t think she should marry Stuart, but the bastard’s brother had already found Lia to call off the wedding because Stuart had met somebody else.”

  “Ouch,” Jett said sympathetically. “Ruby told me what happened, and that’s pretty damn cold.”

  “Exactly,” I agreed. “Can you imagine being dumped like that? And what in the hell was he thinking? Lia is the very best he could ever have, and the dumbass never even appreciated her.”

  “I have a feeling you won’t make the same mistake,” Jett said drily.

  I put my empty beer bottle on the side table. “I wouldn’t,” I confirmed. “But Lia isn’t taking any of this seriously. She thinks I’m doing some kind of noble sacrifice to help her get her inheritance.”

  Jett nodded slowly. “Yeah, Ruby told me about the will requirements. It’s kind of strange. Was her grandmother in her right mind when she did it?”

  I let out a bark of laughter. “You didn’t know Esther,” I informed him. “She was as sharp as a tack until the day she died. I don’t completely get it, either. She adored her granddaughter, and Lia took care of Esther when she was sick. I don’t understand why she made any rules for the inheritance. And there’s nothing that says that Lia has to stay married for any length of time. She just wanted her…married. Not like Esther at all.”

  “So the terms are easy to fulfill?”

  “Very,” I informed him. “Lia asked me to look over every document, and I have. I’m not an expert in wills and trusts, but it was pretty straightforward.”

  “Do you think Lia was convinced that she had to marry Stuart because of the money?”

  I frowned at Jett. “No. She had plenty of time to back out. And she didn’t exactly give a damn about the money other than the fact that she couldn’t pay me back. I think she convinced herself that she loved him, and that he was her perfect partner. I have no fucking idea why.”

  “Is she okay?” he asked in a serious tone. “I mean, she didn’t really look terribly broken up earlier, but it could all be an act.”

  “She’ll be fine,” I said. “I’ll make sure that she is.”

  “You need to tell her how you feel,” Jett insisted. “Keeping your mouth shut hasn’t gotten you anywhere.”

  “I tried. Like I said, she thinks I’m just making up a reason to help her.”

  Jett rose from the couch and I followed him into the kitchen. I gratefully took the second bottle of beer from him as we both leaned against the counter.

  He took a gulp from his own chilly bottle before he said, “Make her listen. Maybe you haven’t confronted how you felt until yesterday. But it’s pretty damn obvious that you care about her.”

>   I nodded, giving up all pretense. “I have for a long time. I can’t exactly pinpoint the moment that everything changed for me. Hell, I’ve been in major denial because I knew she was going to marry somebody else. But I’m over worrying about whether or not I’m going to lose Lia completely if I tell her.”

  Lia Harper and I were never meant to be just friends. Not once we’d both become adults. Not in my mind, anyway. And ever since I’d really come to terms with the fact that I had to risk everything to get what I wanted, I’d been okay with that.

  “At least you’ll be able to say you tried,” Jett agreed.

  “Failure really is not an option,” I said gruffly.

  “Then don’t fail,” he suggested.

  “I don’t plan on it,” I confirmed in a tone that was almost a growl.

  Lia didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be mine.

  And I didn’t mind playing dirty to make sure it happened. In fact, I relished getting just as dirty as we could get.

  CHAPTER 5

  Lia

  “What in the hell am I doing?” I asked my friend, Ruby, in a moment of panic.

  Only a few days ago, I’d been getting ready for my wedding to Stuart, and now I was just about ready to walk down the aisle with my best friend.

  I had no idea how we’d managed to pull this whole thing together, but I’d forever be grateful to Ruby, and to Zeke’s mother, Marlene.

  Zeke’s mom had been elated when she learned that her son and I were getting married, and she’d taken the whole last-minute wedding thing in stride. If I didn’t already think she was an amazing woman—which I did—I’d be totally in awe of her skills.

  Marlene had hooked up with Ruby and me by video chat, and arranged to get us hitched in a century-old chapel in Gig Harbor, a lovely town about an hour from Seattle in good traffic. And the reception was taking place at the yacht club nearby.

  Everything had come together perfectly, but the fact that I was actually marrying Zeke was still surreal.

  “You’re getting married to the right man this time,” Ruby answered as she smoothed down the skirt of my second wedding dress. “And you look gorgeous.”

  I had to admit that I felt pretty as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

  I’d had no qualms about trading in the dress I’d had for my wedding to Stuart since I’d paid for the dress I’d never liked in the first place.

  The traditional dress with the long train and old-fashioned veil had never been my style. So I’d opted for something I could feel comfortable in.

  “It’s a really nice dress,” I said as I looked at the deceptively simple long-sleeved ivory gown. There was no veil, no train. My current choice was a vintage style that cinched at the waist, and fell in curtains of silk and lace to my feet.

  When I caught Ruby’s reflection in the mirror as she flitted around to arrange my dress, I added, “You look gorgeous, too.”

  Ruby stood up straight next to me in her muted dusty-rose silk gown. “I feel like a princess,” she said breathlessly. “I’ve never had a dress this beautiful.”

  I shot her a tremulous smile. Ruby had been homeless before she’d met Jett. So I loved seeing a smile on her face over a simple bridesmaid dress. Actually, it was humbling.

  Oh, God. I really hoped I was doing the right thing. “I just feel so guilty,” I confessed. “You know this is all a ruse, but Marlene doesn’t. And she’s so happy.”

  “Does it feel right?” Ruby asked as she fussed with the silver clips that were holding my curly blonde hair back from my face.

  “Strangely, it doesn’t feel wrong,” I told her. “I know that sounds weird, but I trust Zeke. I always have.”

  “Then roll with it,” Ruby replied. “And stop feeling guilty. Zeke really wants this, and I think you do, too. I know you think this isn’t real, but there’s a marriage license that says differently. I think you’ll both be happy.”

  “You’re saying that like I’m staying married,” I answered.

  Ruby shrugged. “Who says you won’t? Maybe you’ll come back from your honeymoon knowing that Zeke is the right guy for you. I think he always has been, but you just never noticed.”

  “Zeke and me?” I squeaked. “That’s crazy. We’ve always been just friends. Guys like Zeke don’t marry women like me.”

  Ruby gave me a disbelieving look. “Why wouldn’t they?”

  “He’s rich, and he’s obscenely hot. Zeke is educated, a Harvard Law graduate. He’s in control of one of the most prestigious law firms in the city. I’m not even remotely the woman for someone like him.”

  Ruby pulled a face. “Please. Don’t start talking about a guy being out of your league. I’m a homeless woman who just got engaged to one of the richest men in the world. Sometimes those superficial things just don’t matter. It’s what’s in here that counts.” She thumped a hand on her chest.

  She was right. “But we’ve always been friends.”

  Ruby rolled her eyes. “Not for Zeke. He’s always looked at you like you were the only female who existed. If he looked at you as a friend, it was a long time ago. The guy adores you. It’s pretty obvious. Are you saying that you’ve never seen him as an attractive guy?”

  “I did. I do. I just never thought about…him being mine. I admit, I was infatuated with him when I was younger, but even then, I wasn’t thinking he’d ever marry me.”

  Ruby let out a playful laugh. “Well, you better consider it, because you’re about to walk down the aisle, and your groom looks a lot like Zeke.”

  “But you know it’s not for real.” Zeke was doing all of this for me, and I shuddered as I thought about just how much he was giving up to do this whole charade.

  “We’ll see. You’ve obviously never seen the way he looks at you,” Ruby answered mysteriously as she took my hand and led me the short distance to the chapel.

  The distance from the doorway to the altar wasn’t exactly long, and Ruby managed to get there faster than I could blink.

  I froze. As I looked around the small venue at the family and friends who had come to see Zeke and me get married, I realized the gravity of my decision.

  Oh God, I can’t do this to my best friend.

  I know he cares about me, but I can’t make him marry me just to get my inheritance.

  I have to stop this right now.

  It was like déjà vu. Except I wouldn’t be calling the wedding off for me this time. I’d be doing it for Zeke.

  I’d gotten so caught up in doing tasks that had to be done over the last few days that I’d failed to think about how really unfair this all was to Zeke. Maybe because he kept telling me that it was no big deal.

  But it was a very big deal.

  I looked up, and I met Zeke’s beautiful eyes across the small room. His gaze was steady and reassuring, but I couldn’t shake the guilt that was pummeling me.

  I didn’t move, so he stepped down from the platform and made his way to my side.

  “You’re not backing out,” he said roughly in my ear as he took my hand. “Don’t even think about it.”

  I wasn’t surprised that he knew exactly what I was thinking. He usually did.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t do this,” I whispered loud enough so that he could hear. “It’s just not right. I should have never said yes.”

  “We’re going to walk down this aisle together. Come on, Lia. We’ve always made it through everything together. And this is no different. Walk with me. You look stunningly gorgeous, and my family is here. Please don’t make me tell them that the wedding isn’t happening.”

  I didn’t have any relatives in the small gathering, but Zeke had family present. A few cousins, an aunt, an uncle, and most importantly, his mother.

  I felt my heart galloping in my chest as I tilted my head and looked up at him. “This can’t be what you really want,” I said breathlessly. “Even if it’s only temporary.”

  He pinned me with an intense stare that I’d never experienced before. “You’r
e wrong. I do want this.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, feeling confused.

  “You will,” he answered ominously. “Just marry me.”

  The last thing I wanted was to embarrass him, so I squeezed his hand. “Never say I didn’t give you an out.”

  Like I’d told Ruby, I trusted Zeke. I wasn’t afraid of the consequences. But I was concerned about the fallout for him.

  “I don’t need an out, Lia,” he answered.

  I nodded slowly. “Okay.”

  It was hard to take my eyes off him as I moved into position to walk beside him. I’d never seen Zeke in a tuxedo, and it looked pretty damn good on him.

  “Smile,” he insisted as we walked toward the altar.

  I felt twice as guilty as I saw Marlene in the front row, grinning from ear to ear. She winked, and I kept smiling as I passed her and we stopped in front of the man officiating the ceremony.

  Ruby and Jett had agreed to stand up for us, and Ruby reached out to take my flowers as I turned to Zeke.

  Somewhere between the beginning of the ceremony and the end, everything started to feel real to me.

  The sincere timbre of Zeke’s voice as he took his vows, and the way he promised so steadfastly to love and honor me, made all of this feel real. Just like the words I said that bound me to him had come naturally.

  Zeke had handled the rings, and I let out an audible gasp as he slipped a gorgeous diamond on my finger. It was huge, and a vintage style I would have chosen for myself.

  And then, he kissed me.

  It felt so much like he was staking his claim.

  It was an embrace that felt like a promise.

  And as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, I knew nothing would be the same between us ever again.

  CHAPTER 6

  Lia

  “This is amazing,” I said with a moan right after I’d swallowed the first bite of the wedding cake we’d just finished cutting.

  Zeke had taken care of the cake, too, and I’d nearly started to bawl when I saw that it was a blueberry lemon cake. I loved blueberry. I was a Michigan girl, after all. But I was touched that he’d remembered, and ordered a cake he knew I’d love.