I give her the smile that usually dazzles everyone. “And you will make a perfect assistant to me.”
Josh chokes a little and then steps in before our sister can beat the shit out of me. “Let’s make a list of what else needs to be done in this room so we can move to the next.”
“A few of the guests are friends from college,” I say, hoping to steer the conversation in a better direction.
Stella laughs. “Like your ex.”
She couldn’t resist.
I grumble. “Yes, Devney is the maid of honor.”
“That won’t be awkward,” Stella says with a grin.
Josh snorts and shoves me. “Maybe that’ll make up for the fact that you’re an idiot to agree to this. Having to watch your ex with her husband.”
“Yes, we’ll call it penance,” I say with exasperation.
I need to move this conversation away from the woman I thought I’d marry. It’s not that I am still in love with her two years later, because I’m not, it’s just that no one wants to see the woman they loved married to another man. I’m glad she’s happy. I really am. Her heart was never mine, and I accepted that—begrudgingly. However, my heart was hers, and it broke the day we ended things.
“I heard Devney had a baby,” Stella says as we move through the room, each noting things that are wrong.
“Drop it, Stella,” I warn.
“I’m not being cruel, Ollie. I’m just saying that I saw it online. There was a picture of her and Sean . . .”
I huff, turning to look at her. My sister is concerned that it’s going to be bad for me. Well, it’ll suck, but I’m a big boy and can handle it. “I saw it. She’s married to him, so I assumed they’d have kids too. I’m not worried about seeing her if that’s your concern. We ended things so she could be with him.”
“Doesn’t mean that your heart isn’t going to hurt.”
“My head hurts, that’s for sure,” I counter.
She smiles, her hand resting on my arm. “I just love you. That’s all.”
“I love you too, but I promise, Devney is the least of my concerns. I’m glad she’s moved on and found what she wanted.”
Stella sighs deeply. “Good.”
We head through the next two rooms without talking about exes or weddings. When we get up to the front, a car is there, and my fucking heart stops.
Not beating, just hovering in my chest.
The air leaves my lungs, and I can’t force myself to inhale.
She’s gorgeous.
This woman who just exited the driver’s side is absolutely stunning.
She’s an angel, blonde hair flowing around her. I don’t move as I watch her turn and move toward me. Her long legs and slim body make her appear as if she’s floating rather than walking.
The passenger door opens, and I look away for the briefest second and realize the woman who slides from the car next is Devney, which means the angel walking toward me is Maren.
Holy shit.
It’s been years since I last saw her, and I don’t remember her being this arresting. She was always pretty, smart, funny, but I never really saw her. Until now.
She smiles as she reaches me, but there is something in her gaze that stops me from speaking. “Hey, Ollie, it’s good to see you.”
I swallow, hoping I remember how to speak. “Yeah. Hey, Maren.”
She looks toward the car where Devney is lingering. My ex lifts her hand to wave, and I return the gesture.
Maren turns back to me. “It’s been a long time.”
Yeah, no shit, and time has been really good to her. “It has. How are you?”
Her gaze goes to the ground before her big, green eyes meet mine. “Well, not so good. I . . . I have a problem, and I think you’re the only one who can help me.”
I blink. “Me?”
I’ll do anything for her. No, wait, she’s getting married—here. In two weeks. What the hell is wrong with me?
She nods.
“How can I help?” I ask, trying to slip back into business mode.
Maren bites her lower lip before speaking. “I need you to marry me.”
Two
MAREN
Forty-eight hours earlier
“Are you excited about the wedding?” Mark, my boss, asks as he walks into my office.
“Yeah, I’m just stressed. So much is going on, and Oliver is still on that mission, which I haven’t forgiven you for sending him on.”
My fiancé and I both work for Cole Security Forces.
We’ve only been together a short amount of time, but we clicked the moment we met. It was fast, fun, and now, I’m going to marry Oliver Edward Kensington III. Well, I will if he gets his ass home in time for the wedding at the resort that my friend from college, who is also named Oliver, owns.
He raises his hand. “Hey, I didn’t tell you to get married with, like, three weeks’ notice.”
“Well, I appreciate your agreeing to step in to be our officiant.”
Mark grins. “That is my specialty. Plus, you gave me a reason to dust off my license and expand it to cover the entire fifty states. I’m an excellent minister.”
“Natalie and Liam would beg to differ.”
“And yet, here you are, begging for my services.”
I laugh. “I don’t recall that part. I believe it was you who said it’s tradition and you’d do it for free.”
He waves the comment off and then sits in the seat in front of me. “Were you able to workup some options for the team going out next week when you’re on your destination wedding and honeymoon?”
I grab the file and hand it to him. “Of course.”
I work as an analyst for one of the most elite security firms and assess risks and possible outcomes before my team goes out and executes the missions. I see angles and issues and possibilities, and I’m always two steps ahead of them.
He opens it and studies the contents. “These are good.”
“I wouldn’t leave for two and a half weeks without making sure the guys were taken care of.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
“Now, if you could get my groom home . . .”
Mark shrugs. “I have no control once they’re gone, but at the last check-in, they were wrapping up. All will be fine.”
I really hope so. This wedding, while being as close to shotgun as a wedding can be, matters to me. With my father’s cancer treatments and the constant complications, this is the only chance I have to make sure my dad gets what he’s always dreamed of—to walk me down the aisle.
Even though he’s never met Oliver, he’s beyond happy it’s finally happening.
My phone rings and my father’s name flashes across the screen. “I have to take this.”
“No problem. I’ll go annoy Natalie.”
I laugh and then swipe the video call.
“Hi, Daddy.” I smile as his face fills the screen. Some days, it’s easier for him to video call since it hurts to talk and I can usually read his face allowing him a respite from trying to speak.
“Hi, Princess.”
I smile at the nickname. “You look handsome.”