by Jess Bryant
“The why doesn’t matter. What matters is that I can’t marry him today, or any day.”
“Ashtyn.” Kelsey was still shaking her head with something akin to disbelief mixed with panic written all over her pretty face.
“It’s not because of what you said.” Ashtyn took both of Kelsey’s hands and squeezed, “It’s just that… I can’t keep lying to myself. I’m not happy with Aaron and I won’t be happy married to him. I thought I could do it. I thought I could be the girl he wants me to be, the girl my parents expect me to be, but I can’t.”
“But…”
The words spilled out of her before she even realized they’d been lurking in the back of her mind, “Daddy always said I was too much like Mama and he was right.”
“Oh… Ash.” Kelsey squeezed her hand. “Do you want me to go get her? Do you want to talk to Delisa?”
“No.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing that Kelsey would go and get her mother from her spot on the front row if she asked, just as she knew that it wouldn’t make a difference. Her mother had come into town for the wedding even though she hadn’t been thrilled to hear her only daughter was marrying a politician, cut from the same mold as her father. Her mother wouldn’t talk her out of this. If anything, her mother would pack her bags for her and just knowing that was enough. Ashtyn shook her head, “No. Not Mama. I need you to go get Aaron for me. I need to tell him first.”
Kelsey hesitated, “Are you sure? Are you really sure you want to do this? Everything you’ve ever wanted and worked for is standing at the end of that aisle…”
“No, he wasn’t what I wanted. What they wanted for me. I don’t know what I want because nobody has ever asked me, but I do know I have to figure that out and I can’t do it if I’m pretending to be the girl Aaron wants to marry. I just can’t keep up the facade anymore. Please, please go get him for me.”
Kelsey was nodding now but stark terror and dread filled her eyes, “Okay. I’ll go… I’ll go get him for you.”
Ashtyn squeezed her best friend’s hands again and then let her go so that she could leave the room again. She breathed out a sigh of relief and tried to get her own hands to stop shaking. She could do this. She could. She could face Aaron and tell him the truth. She repeated that mantra to herself until the door cracked open again and a tall figure in a custom-tailored tuxedo strolled in looking as if he was in command of the entire world. Then his eyes settled on her and she watched as that look of assurance slowly drained from his handsome face.
Aaron closed the door behind him softly. When he turned back to her, his expression was blank. There was nothing in his eyes now. He looked as if he was made of stone when he took her appearance in slowly, from the top of her mussed hair to the bottom of her wrinkled dress. He pursed his lips and then he seemed to take a deep breath, bracing himself to deal with her, before he pushed his shoulders back and tilted his chin up with determination.
God, that look alone confirmed everything she’d been thinking. This man was her father’s protégé. He was a politician through and through, and he was good at what he did. He could hide anything beneath that veil of masked scrutiny and she couldn’t live her life that way, not anymore.
“We’re not getting married today, are we?”
Ashtyn wasn’t surprised at all that he’d taken one look at her and known what she needed to say, “I’m so sorry Aaron. I can’t.”
His jaw twitched, the only outward sign that ever hinted at the anger he kept locked inside of him. He never let it out. Never. He’d been trained better than that. He’d been groomed since childhood for a role in the public eye and he never lost his cool.
Never.
“You couldn’t have decided this before all two hundred and fifty of our guests were seated and the minister took his spot at the altar?”
Ashtyn winced at the accusation of the words even if his tone was bland, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Aaron. I know that isn’t enough, not even close and you deserve an explanation but...”
He held up a hand and she clamped her mouth shut. That too was a trained reaction. One she hated herself for. Her father had used that same gesture to hush her all her life and she’d never even realized, until now, that her fiancé did the exact same thing.
“Your explanations and excuses are not necessary.” Aaron clipped the words out dryly, “We aren’t getting married. Fine, that’s your choice. Just know that you’re making the biggest mistake of your life walking out on me like this. You’re not going to find anyone better suited for you than me and I won’t take you back when you realize that.”
Ashtyn opened her mouth and then shut it again without a word. There was more indifference in his tone than she’d expected and the words felt like a slap in the face. Maybe that was exactly what she deserved. Maybe she was making a mistake, but she’d never know if she didn’t make it. She had to make this choice for herself. She had to do what she thought was right.
Aaron wasn’t sad. He wasn’t even mad. Somewhere beneath his mask of skilled indifference, he was upset. She knew he must be. But he’d dismissed her already, without trying to win her back at all. That right there was all she’d needed to confirm her suspicions.
Aaron didn’t love her any more than she loved him. This had all been a mistake, from the moment her father had introduced them until this very moment, everything between them had been a carefully coordinated lie. If she’d gone through with it, if she’d married him, it would have been the biggest mistake of her life.
“I’m sorry.” she said again softly.
“I’ll go and get your mother for you. I’m sure you’ll want a shoulder to cry on. Your father and I will have to clean up this mess.” Aaron turned to leave, pulling the door open and then snarling at Kelsey when he saw her on the other side, “If I find out you had anything to do with this, I will destroy you.”
Kelsey’s mouth fell open at his threat but she managed to move out of his way before he mowed her down. She gathered herself quickly and shot a glance at the bodyguard that had followed Aaron when she went to retrieve him. He looked more than a little confused by what was happening but he only gave a curt nod and then headed in the direction Aaron had gone at a quick jog.
Once the men were gone, Kelsey shut the door behind her again and moved towards Ashtyn. She pulled her into a tight hug and Ashtyn clung to her best friend for a moment, allowing herself to accept the comfort. She felt tears prickle her eyes again and blinked fast, trying to force them back.
“I’m so sorry.” Kelsey held her at arms-length, a knowing glint in her eye. “I thought he’d at least fight for you, try to convince you to change your mind, even if it was just to save face.”
“Don’t. Please.” Ashtyn shook her away, “I can’t break down right now. My dad is going to be on a warpath.”
“I’ll go and try to stall him. Get yourself together. You stood up for yourself with Aaron. You can do the same with your father. I believe in you, Ash.”
Kelsey turned and left the room again and Ashtyn clutched at her stomach. She could feel another panic attack coming on just thinking of what must come next. She was sweating again and she felt dizzy. She thought she might pass out if she didn’t get some fresh air.
No, Kelsey was wrong. She couldn’t stand up to her father. She hadn’t even stood up to Aaron, not really. She’d chickened out and let him do all the talking. There was no way she could deal with her father right now so she did the only thing she could.
She stepped out of her heels and slid her feet back into the flip flops she’d been wearing before she put on her wedding gown. She grabbed her bag off the vanity and stuffed what little cash she had in her bra to pay for a cab and then leaving the cumbersome bag behind, she hitched up the massive skirt and turned and ran down the stairs that led to the back alley. She ran out of the church into the blinding glare of the afternoon sun and then she turned and headed for the street, praying that a miracle would happen and she’d be able to hail a cab b
efore her father burst through that door behind her and dragged her back to deal with the mess she’d made.
Maybe it was immature, maybe it was childish, but she was running away and she didn’t plan on coming back until she knew exactly who she was without the men in her life deciding it for her.
2
Tyler St. James had made a mistake and it was going to cost him.
He was supposed to have been part of the security detail for the biggest wedding of the year but he’d gotten held up in traffic. Because seriously, what kind of people decided to get married in downtown Nashville on a Friday afternoon anyway? Only people that thought the world revolved around them, that was who. Spoiled brats and entitled assholes. Not that anyone cared about his opinion, least of all his oldest brother who had told him that he didn’t care what plans Tyler had for the weekend that he needed to cancel them because he was working.
Asshole.
Just because Vaughn had no life outside All Saints Security didn’t mean Tyler had to spend all his time working.
Vaughn wasn’t constantly riding Hunter’s ass about picking up extra shifts or training the new guys. No, their brother, Hunter, got a pass because he’d just gotten married. Hunter had gotten to show up late, leave early and skip weekend duties for months now, all so that he could spend time with his woman. Just because Tyler was young and single didn’t give his brother the right to work him to death.
He’d had big plans for this weekend but had Vaughn cared about that when he told Tyler to be at the chapel by three? No. He’d just demanded that Tyler make it work and get there on time. That last little detail was the reason his brother was going to be pissed.
Since Tyler had been forced to cancel his amazing trip to South America for this stupid wedding, he’d decided to blow off some steam by taking a hike this morning. Tyler had thought he’d have plenty of time to get downtown for the wedding. Only, halfway back down the mountain he’d run into a couple struggling because one of the men had twisted his ankle and Tyler had stopped to help them. It had taken twice as long to hike back out while carrying the smaller man on his back and when they’d reached civilization the couple had thanked him for another ten minutes before he’d been able to get away. Even rushing to shower, dress and taking his motorcycle to get through traffic hadn’t helped.
By the time he’d pulled up in front of the historic chapel, the big wooden doors had been solidly shut. He didn’t know a lot about weddings but he knew enough to know that you didn’t just go barging in once the doors were shut or else you risked making the kind of disruptive entrance that was popular in movies.
Tyler might be a fuckup but even he wasn’t about to go walking into that church just as the minister asked if anyone objected to the bride marrying the groom.
He leaned against his motorcycle, which he’d parked illegally at the mouth of an alley next to the church and pulled out his cell phone. He wasn’t about to call his brother and tattle on himself but he sent a quick text message to his friend on the inside. He let Blake know that he was outside and needed a way in that wouldn’t cause a commotion. He waited for a few minutes but when no response came, he cursed and shoved the phone back in his pocket.
It had been a longshot anyway. He figured Vaughn had warned his team to put their phones on silent when they entered the chapel. He could only hope Blake would feel the vibration or take a quick glance at his phone before the ceremony started and see the message Tyler had sent.
“Shit.” He cursed some more and dug into his pocket for a pack of gum. It was a weird habit, he knew that, but whenever he was stressed or anxious, he had to have gum. He supposed some people smoked but he was far too health conscious for that these days. He’d never been good at sitting still and somehow the constant working of his jaw chewing on something managed to put him at ease when he was stuck somewhere unable to move.
By the time the first piece of cinnamon gum lost its flavor, he felt a little bit better about being stuck outside the church.
Sure, Vaughn was going to kill him. His oldest brother would lord this over him for years to come. Hunter would shake his head with disapproval when he found out and inevitably one of them would remind Tyler that he was too damn irresponsible for his own good, but it could’ve been worse too. He could have flaked and not shown up at all, so at least there was that.
Not that his brothers would care that he was only late because he’d stopped to help someone. He’d heard all of their rants before and knew what he’d be facing. They’d tell him he wasn’t reliable. He was reckless, undependable and he’d be left once again knowing that if it wasn’t for Hunter, Vaughn would have written him off as a lost cause ages ago.
Luckily for him, he and Hunter were sort of a package deal. That was the thing about having a brother. Even when Hunter wanted to punch him in the face, he always had Tyler’s back. Their mother had always laughed and said Hunter got all of the responsible genes and Tyler had only been given what was left. He’d never taken offense to it. Hunter had always been the one that did his homework as soon as he got in from school, who was never tardy and always turned in special projects for extra credit. Tyler, on the other hand had skated by doing the bare minimum, skipping classes to go mountain biking or cliff jumping, and had been caught smoking under the bleachers so many times he had a desk in detention with his name engraved on it.
It wasn’t that he was dumb. He wasn’t. And he knew that was what annoyed Vaughn the most because he’d been hearing the same speech all his life.
He didn’t apply himself, at least not to the things that Vaughn thought he should. Tyler had no interest in growing up or settling down like his brothers constantly told him he should. He had no interest in living up to the St. James family reputation, as Vaughn liked to call it, and for that he would always be the black sheep.
That was fine with him, really it was. He liked his life. He liked having fun. He liked adventure. Vaughn had his company, Hunter had Millie, and neither of them seemed to understand that Tyler didn’t want to be tied down to one place or one woman when he could be out there in the world, having new and exciting adventures every day.
Spending his night wearing a monkey suit, watching a Senator’s daughter get married, was the complete opposite of exciting.
He’d never met Ashtyn Echols but he knew the name. Everyone in Nashville knew the name. She was the Senator’s daughter and she was engaged to marry the Mayor of their fine city. She was famous by association alone and in a town full of celebrities that was really saying something.
He didn’t know the girl, but he didn’t need to. As far as he was concerned, she was everything that was wrong with the elite in this city. Hell, the entire country. Choosing to get married on a Friday in downtown Nashville, having city streets rerouted just so your guests could have VIP parking and you could make a grand exit reeked of entitlement. He had zero doubts that if he’d made it in time to be part of her security detail that she’d have been snapping orders like a bridezilla and treating him like a servant.
Tyler popped a second piece of gum into his mouth and checked his cell phone again. Still nothing. Great. He was going to miss the ceremony and Vaughn was going to murder him when he realized his own little brother had been a no-show for the wedding of Princess Peach and Captain America. He smiled a little at the codenames the team had given to Ashtyn Echols and Mayor Aaron Laughlin. It was funny, and further proof that the couple was obnoxious and overbearing.
They only gave silly codenames to their worst clients.
A strange sound behind him pulled him out of his thoughts and had him turning to see what the commotion was. The alley had seemed like a good place to park. It didn’t really lead anywhere except the back of the church. Someone should have been watching it and he figured when Vaughn chewed him out for his tardiness, he’d at least get to say he was covering an exit nobody else had thought about. But when his gaze landed on a woman full on sprinting down the alleyway, he had to blink twice to be sure he
wasn’t seeing things.
She was still there, barreling towards him like a one-woman heat seeking missile, and he realized he wasn’t the only one that knew about the back exit.
It was a bride. The long, white gown was a dead giveaway. She’d bunched the overflowing material in both hands, pulling it up to her shins so she didn’t trip as she ran. It was the sound of her flip flops hitting the pavement that had caught his attention. It was such a weird combination he couldn’t do anything but stare as he tried to wrap his head around what he was seeing because no, of course it wasn’t just a bride. It was the Bride.
Ashtyn Echols.
Her white blonde hair was pinned back off her face with a damn tiara but it was falling down in loose curls as she jostled her way down the alley. He’d seen the wedding announcement in the paper and he’d seen the images of her passed around the office in the file for this job, but none of those photos did her justice. She had the same long, thin face, the same full, cupid’s bow lips that softened her razor-sharp cheekbones and jawline, but she was taller than he’d imagined. Still, she looked young, like a girl playing dress up in the oversized gown and crown, but even those gaudy monstrosities failed to take away from her natural beauty. The girl from the photos had been gorgeous but the woman that came to a sudden stop in front of him, panting for breath, her hair a mess of bouncing curls with sweat on her brow, was an absolute knockout.
It was Ashtyn Echols. In her wedding gown and flip flops. Running down the alley outside the chapel.
What the hell was going on?
He’d just opened his mouth to ask her that very question when she regained enough air to speak.
