Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“Then he’s a fool.”
I continue talking like her underhanded compliment didn’t boost my ego out of this world. “It’s for the best. Imagine if she saw me. The Uber was right outside my apartment building. They could be my neighbors.”
I’m torn between gagging and raising a curious brow when Heidi interjects. “Perhaps they’re swingers, and he was out seeking a new recruit?”
I go for revolted when jealousy hits me fair in the stomach. I’m not the sharing type of girl, especially when it is with a man as devastatingly handsome as Caleb.
“Whatever they are, it is none of my business.” I scoot off the bed before gesturing for the makeup artist to rejoin us like we’re about to strut down a catwalk. “And today isn’t meant to be about me so how about we get you glammed up and ready for the ball and chain, princess.”
Heidi rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny my statement that marriage is a prison sentence.
To her, it isn’t, but it could have very well been for me if I had continued my engagement with Warren.
Two hours and a handful of cocktails later, I watch Rylee, Kyla, and Bailey walk down the aisle before it is my turn. I breathe out my nerves before taking my spot in front of Heidi. I’m not nervous about seeing Warren. I look mighty fine in a dusty pink strapless dress with a tulle skirt from the waist down. The makeup artist was a genius, so not only is Warren about to discover what he lost when he played the macho card, half the attendees will learn I’m not mourning his loss.
I’m celebrating it.
When my father spots my entrance, a proud gleam sparks in his eyes. It augments even more when it is Heidi’s turn to walk down the aisle. She is close with her father, but the bond she has with mine is uniquely inspiring. He sees her as a daughter, so I wasn’t at all surprised when she asked him to officiate her nuptials. My father is a pillar of the community, and he is loved by many.
I dab at my eyes with the tissues I wrapped around my bouquet when Heidi and Samuel seal the deal with a cheeky peck kiss. She plays the role of an innocent wife to perfection, leaving her guests clueless to the fact I wasn’t the only sorority member who participated in a naked fun run to fund our books during our college years. We didn’t need the money. Our school fees were funded by our families. We merely wanted to remove the cloak every child raised in a religious background has.
An event with the requirement of nudity certainly did that.
When my father’s eyes lock with mine, and I spot the pride glistening in them, I shift my eyes to the assembly of well-dressed people viewing the nuptials.
It’s a bad move on my part.
Not only do my eyes lock with Warren’s narrowed gaze partway through my scan of the crowd, but they also spy a person milling at the back of the group. Someone Heidi swore she didn’t invite—solely because she didn’t have any contact details since there are half a million people named Caleb this side of the country alone, not to mention the globe.
After issuing Caleb the disdained glare Warren is hitting me with, I hand Heidi back her bouquet, then follow her and Samuel’s slow trek down the rose petal aisle. SoDo Park doesn’t appear overly glamourous on the outside, but its glitz knocks you on your ass when you pass the teal walls. The inside is borderline regal with wooden rafters, ivy and rose features, and white chairs fitted with bows in the same dusty pink coloring as the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Although my father would have preferred for Heidi to get married in a church, the transformation of the floorspace changed his mind almost immediately. What appears to be a chapel will be transformed into a perfect reception venue, all while the bridal party is posing for wedding photographs.
When we make it outside, I once again accept Heidi’s bouquet so she can greet her guests with friendly hugs and a handful of awkward handshakes.
After gripping Heidi’s hand hard enough for Samuel to stare at him in bewilderment, Warren moves to stand in front of me. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d fallen off the planet. I haven’t heard hide nor hair about you in months.”
I would have preferred for him to say years, but beggars can’t be choosers.
When I handle his arrogance with silence, he scoffs under his breath. “Nothing? Come on, Jessmina, we were once close.”
“Once being the important part of your statement.” I peer past his bulky shoulders to Aunt Nicki waiting in the wings to greet me. “Aunt Nicki, how are you?” I sidestep Warren to greet my non-blood-related aunt with a hug. “How have you been?”