Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Katherine tapped the diamond still on my left hand. “And explain why you’re still wearing this.”
English’s eyes widened. She must have missed it. “Oh my god, are you actually engaged?”
“No,” I said quickly. Then stalled. “Well, sort of.”
All three of my friends looked at me in various stages of astonishment. English had known me since college. I was the least likely of our friends to ever marry. Lark looked equally shocked. I was known for my daring breakups and petty revenges. Not for this. Katherine just arched an eyebrow and waited. She didn’t like to be out of the know.
“Start from the beginning, Whitley Bowen,” English demanded. “Don’t leave anything out.”
So, I did as she’d asked. I confessed about our clever fake engagement. How I’d sung at the wedding and made everyone fall in love with me. And how we’d planned a big breakup after we got back.
Then, my parents had blown up my entire world. By the time I explained that Gavin had not only agreed to go through with the wedding, but also been the one to suggest it, all three girls’ mouths were open.
“Gavin actually wants to do it?” Lark asked with wide eyes. “That’s …”
“Incomprehensible,” English finished for her.
“And you want to go through with it?” Katherine asked. “It’s not as if you’ve been dying to get married.”
“No, I’m not dying to get married. But my father is dying. So, I’m going to do it. I’m going to give him this thing that he wants.”
“Then what?” English asked. “It’s a great thing you’re doing, but are you going to stay married to Gavin?” She glanced at Katherine hesitantly. “Just because we’ve seen arranged marriages work doesn’t mean that they work.”
“I don’t know. No. I think we’ll get it annulled or get divorced or whatever.”
“Unless it works out,” Katherine said.
I laughed, forcing the sound to be as ridiculous as her suggestion. “Come on. Not everyone is you and Camden.”
“No one else is me and Camden,” she said resolutely. “But it’s not as if you two don’t fit. Maybe it could work.”
“Katherine,” English growled low, “don’t push her.”
“She’s right,” Lark said. “Whitley shouldn’t be forced into anything she doesn’t want, and they should end the relationship if it isn’t real.”
“We’ll figure it out as we go.”
I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell them the rest. How Gavin wanted to try this for real … not just as a favor to my dad. Maybe not a real wedding, but something beyond what we were doing. It complicated thing, but I liked him. I’d been fighting it for so long, and I couldn’t fight forever.
English shot me a quizzical look. As if she could read my mind. I shook my head slightly. I wasn’t ready to admit that to everyone.
“Anyway,” I said hastily, “that’s not why I brought us together. Well, not exactly. I have to be married in two months. There’s no way I can do that without you.”
Katherine threw her long, dark hair off of her shoulder. “Assuredly.”
Lark shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but I’m in. I’ll help however I can.”
I looked to English. She still seemed skeptical. Like she wanted to change my mind about this whole thing. She was the only one who knew the full extent of my distaste for my parents. How they’d hurt me in the past. But just because we didn’t get along didn’t mean that I was going to refuse my own dad his dying wish. I would walk down that aisle with him as his little girl before he passed away. If I didn’t, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
“English?” I asked softly.
She sighed heavily and then pulled out her cell phone, immediately switching into publicist mode. “Okay. First, we need an estimated head count, so I can get you a venue. Do you have a preference?”
“About any of it?” I asked, shaking my head. “Not a thing.”
English was already typing. “I’ll handle it. I’m going to guess two hundred.”
I nearly choked. “That many?”
“You’re marrying Gavin King,” Lark reminded me. “No chance it’ll be smaller than that.”
I nodded. Margaret and Locke had had five hundred. It had seemed obscene to have that many people at the wedding.
“I can work on a photographer and caterer,” Lark said. “I know a few who work with the campaign on occasion. They can let me know who to work with.”
Katherine waved her hand. “And I’ve got the dress.”
“Oh, right,” I whispered. “The dress.”
“I’ll get with Harmony.”
I winced slightly at that. Harmony and Robert were dating now. “Uh … would it be weird for Harmony to make a dress for her boyfriend’s ex?”
Katherine rolled her eyes. “Harmony and I are friends now. She probably doesn’t give a shit.”
“Okay. Should I come help with the dress?”
“We’ll get some measurements. Harmony will probably kill me on this deadline, but she owes me.” Katherine shot me a mischievous smile.