 by Natasha Madison.jpg)
Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 69371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Things are supposed to go smoothly on your wedding day.
Aren’t they?
Clarabella: Did I want to get married today?
It’s hard to say when he proposed in front of over a hundred people.
Everything happened so fast, and I thought it was just nerves.
It was not.
The knock on the door showed me that what I was feeling was more than just cold feet.
I was a runaway bride.
Luke: The whole town was busy attending her wedding.
She was the one I let get away when I told her our night together was a mistake and then left town.
So I planned to spend the weekend getting drunk.
When she ran out of the church looking for a hideout, I opened the car door for her.
My cabin has one bed, and my longing looks don’t mix well.
Somehow, I have to keep my heart intact and her reputation together.
Maybe she was just mine to cherish.
FULL BOOK START HERE:
Chapter 1
Clarabella
"This is stupid," I say when the car door opens. I feel someone grab my hand as she helps me get out of the car with a blindfold over my eyes.
"It's not stupid," Shelby, my sister, hisses, holding my elbow and guiding me down the pathway to the front door of our venue space.
"It's supposed to be a surprise," Presley, my other sister, says, and all I can do is laugh and secretly start to get hives. If there is one thing I hate, it's being surprised. Like, if I didn't know about this surprise, I would more than likely turn around and hightail it out of here.
"I helped plan it, for heaven's sake," I whisper but not really at them. The clicking of our heels fills the night air.
"Well, no one is supposed to know about that,” Shelby says. "But God forbid you let go of control for once in your life."
I stop walking and look over to where her voice was coming from, even though I still see black. "I didn't want this stupid party to begin with. I wanted dinner and maybe some drinks." I stop talking. "Okay, maybe a lot of drinks. But nowhere did I want a freaking party!"
"Well, tell that to Edward,” Presley says of my boyfriend of the past two months. "He's the one who wanted this."
I grit my teeth together. "Why would you even entertain this ridiculous idea from him?" I shake my head. "Out of everyone else, you two should know better." I turn, but I'm still blindfolded, so who knows if I'm actually looking at them or not. I’m pointing at what I hope is one of them. "I'm very disappointed in you."
I can hear them snickering. "Good to know. Now lift your feet,” Shelby says, and I know we've made it to the four steps. I huff out as my heart speeds up a notch after each step toward the front door.
"Just remember,” Presley adds, opening the door for me, “we tried."
"I don't even know what that means." I'm pushed forward, and the blindfold comes off. I blink away the darkness, and all I see are bright lights until the focus comes to me.
"Surprise!" everyone yells, and I stand here stunned. This is not what I planned at all. My simple dinner party for twenty-five was no more.
It looks like my whole family is here, and as I look around the room, I see Travis, my brother, and his wife, Harlow, standing at the side, rolling their lips while trying not to laugh at me. Harlow's hand comes up to her mouth as she whispers, “Sorry,” to me.
If I didn't have so many eyes on me, I would whisper back, "You are dead to me.”
"Oh my God," I say, putting my hand to my mouth when I see Edward coming to me, clapping his hands with a huge smile on his face. His blond hair is pushed back perfectly as he wears a tailored black suit and a white button-down shirt. My mother is right behind him with her hands in the air and a huge smile on her face as if she won the lottery.
"Happy birthday!" He grabs my face and kisses me on the lips, then brings me in for a hug. My whole body is as stiff as a board, and I push back the anger bubbling over. His blue eyes shine so brightly as he smiles at me. "Are you surprised?" I can't say anything, or better yet, it's safer if I don't say anything. Instead, I just nod my head. "We have one more surprise for you." When he says that, my blood starts to boil, and I have to wonder if this is how the Hulk feels before he turns green and rips off his clothes. "She's stunned," he says, turning around to address the crowd that has now gathered even closer. I try to count the faces, but it stops after twenty.