The Wedding Contract

Chapter 27





“I don’t know,” I lie, folding my arms over my chest and staring at them. I can’t look him in the eye, not after I do this to him. I wonder how he can look at me as if he’s done nothing wrong. I’m not that person. Sophie knows I’m not, but I have to win. I have to. What am I willing to do to ensure it, especially when Nick is cheating? My gaze flicks up to his. “Sophie doesn’t like us squabbling, I guess.”

He hesitates and offers, “She seems like a good friend.”

“She is, she’s the best. Sophie’s the kind of person I strive to be, but I fall short. She’s like Snow White, Mother Teresa, and Tinker Bell all in one body.” The thought makes me smile. “I honestly didn’t know she had that in her. I’ve never heard her say anything like that before, like ever.”

Nick’s brow furrows and his arms fold. He stares blankly at the place where Sophie stood, then looks back at me. “Do you think it’s bridal jitters? It doesn’t seem like it to me. She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, to tell you the truth. Steven is a lucky guy.”

I look up at him. “Yeah, he is.” Our eyes lock and we look at each other way too long. Suddenly, I’m very aware of my heart and it kills me that Nick isn’t who I want him to be.

My phone chirps and breaks the moment. I glance down. It’s a text from Deegan.

SORRY I DIDN’T CHECK ON YOU LAST NIGHT. MY ANKLE NEEDED A LITTLE ATTENTION AFTER ALL THAT. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT MEETING ME BEHIND THE CHAPEL TONIGHT?

I smile at the phone. Nick notices and walks over. Before I can hide the message, he sees it. “You know he’s using you, right? You seem a little bit too nice for him.” I turn and stare at Nick. I don’t know what to say, so I just continue looking at him. The action makes him squirm. He looks away from me, and glances back every few seconds, searching for the words to explain. “There are guys that prey on girls like you, that’s all I’m saying. Be careful, okay?”

I don’t blink. I gape at him as my arms fall to my sides. My eyebrows lift up into my bangs and disappear. “Are you bipolar or something? Why bother acting like you give a rat’s ass about me, when you don’t? Deegan’s not like that. He’s a better man than you’ll ever be.” A little harsh, yeah, but I’m not taking pointers from Nick Ferro. Screw that. My body tenses and somehow I’m in his face.

Those blue eyes remain locked on mine. He doesn’t flinch or deny anything. “I know you hate me. I didn’t expect you to listen. I just hoped you would.” He turns away and sucks in air like it’s his dying breath. “Come on. We better get down there.”

I follow Nick to the door, absolutely livid. It takes every ounce of restraint not to fight with him, but the wedding is in an hour and he’s right. We need to get over there. There are shots that Sophie will want and I don’t want to miss them.

Nick grabs the handle and twists. I see him pull the door and his shoulder jerk. “What the…?” Nick repeats the action, but the door won’t open.

At first I think he’s messing around, trying to make me smile or something, but he’s not. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s stuck.”

“I see that.” Shoving him out of the way, I try. The door doesn’t give. I glance at Nick and we both dart for the only other way out—the window.

The building has older windows, the kind with the metal lock that swivels between the top and bottom panes, holding them together when it’s locked. He tries to unlock it, but the metal doesn’t move either. Nick glances at me with fury in his eyes. “Did you do this?” He practically yells in my face.

Tilting my head to the side I give him a look that says his question is stupid. “Yes, I locked the window and the door so we’d be stuck in the room together. Are you mental?” I snap. “Of course I didn’t do it! Move, let me try.”

“You’re too weak. It’s been glued shut.”

After pushing and pulling on the lock I turn slowly and look at him. “Glued?”

“Yeah, look at the metal. There’s super glue all over it. You can see the white haze it leaves when it dries.” Nick points and then walks across the room to grab something while I stare blankly from the window and to the door.

She didn’t. Oh God. If Sophie thinks I might do something I’ll regret for the rest of my life, would she do this? I would have said there was no way, but I must have given her the idea. She locked us in here. I have to get out. I have to win. If I don’t show up at her wedding, I’ll be the worst best friend ever. Screw the bet. I can’t do this to her. I mutter, “I didn’t think she...” Panic laces my voice. Nick studies me speculatively. His eyes take in every detail from my rounded shoulders to the way my fingertips barely touch my lips.

“What? Tell me.”

I don’t know why, but I answer him. “I think Sophie did this.”

“No, she wouldn’t have. That’s insane.” Nick shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re getting to that chapel. If we pull the lock off the frame, the window will open. We can call down for help or I can lower you down. Whatever you want.” I watch his face for a second, wondering why he’d help me. It’s like he can read my thoughts, because he says, “No matter what you think of me, I’m not a total a*shole. I’m not ruining your friend’s wedding by neither of us showing up.”

Nick tries a pencil under the lock, but it crumbles under pressure—as do the next few objects he tries. He needs a piece of metal. That will pull it apart. “What if Sophie doesn’t want us there?”

“Then she would have fired us. She’s just trying to get us to slow down and stop fighting. If we get there at the last second, we can’t fight. She’s smart. I’ll give her that. What bride walks around with super glue?” Nick shakes his head and breaks another pencil. Shards of wood go flying.

I hand him a letter opener I found in the desk. “Try this.”

He takes it. “Thanks. This should work.” And it does. Although it bends into an L-shape, Nick is able to pry the metal lock completely free from the old wooden window. It was held in with little nails that go flying as it comes free. Nick grins at me and says, “Come on.” I step closer to him as he pulls on the sash.


It doesn’t move.

He pulls again and swears, banging his fist into the wall. “She glued it.” He curses again as his fingers trace the entire lower windowpane. The glue goes all the way around.

“No. She wouldn’t.” My voice is too high, too airy. I sound desperate and hurt. I guess I am. Nick steps back to let me see for myself. I trace the glue with my fingertips, panic building in my stomach.

Nick pulls his phone out and calls someone, but says nothing. A moment later he hangs up. “The front desk isn’t answering.”

“Sophie hi-jacked the desk clerk. She took her to the chapel. Is there a number for the chapel?”

Nick shakes his head and sighs. “No, there isn’t. Unless we want to break the glass, we’re trapped.”

I glance at the window. “It’s not going to break.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Sophie threw a wooden music box at me when we were little. I ducked and it hit the window. The window didn’t break.”

“So we use something heavy.”

“It was heavy. That thing was a brick, that’s why I didn’t just catch it. We both thought the window would break, but it didn’t.”

Nick looks desperate. His brow is covered in beads of sweat and he’s pacing the floor like a mad man. He runs his hand over his forehead and through his hair. With every turn he repeats the action. Something has him on edge, like this wedding is a life or death event for him. He mutters to himself, trying to think of other ways to get out of the room.

I grab my phone and text Sophie: I WON’T DO IT. I’M SORRY. PLEASE, LET US OUT.

I know in my heart she did this, but my friend doesn’t respond. I press my eyes together in frustration and throw my phone at the wall. The casing protects it so it just falls to the floor with a thump. Nick turns and sees me, tears forming in my eyes. “I’m going to miss my best friend’s wedding.”

I sit down hard on the edge of the bed. In this moment, I hate myself. I was willing to become someone I swore I’d never be, but Sophie saw it. I didn’t. She sacrificed her wedding pictures because her best friend was too dumb to listen. I ruined her memories. She won’t have any. I plant my face in my hands and try not to cry.

I wouldn’t have been that selfless. Can she even still be my friend after this?

Nick’s frantic pacing stops when he sees me. At first he says nothing, then, shucking his tux jacket, he comes and sits next to me on the bed. “This is my fault. I know you probably won’t believe me, but for what it’s worth—I’m sorry.”

I laugh, but it’s bitter. “That’s amazing. How do you make it sound so sincere?” I sit up straight and wipe the tears from my eyes. “I have to know. How do you lie to someone’s face and pretend that they matter to you when they don’t? It’s a business skill that I’m obviously lacking and desperately need.”

Nick turns away quickly so I can’t see his face, but I don’t stop. “Tell me, Nick. After you hose this business, I have nothing, like, literally nothing. My best friend isn’t going to talk to me ever again, and I’ll lose my business because I couldn’t outmaneuver you. You stole my clients and drove my business into the ground. Now, I have to sit here with you until someone comes and lets us out. Somehow, I’m guessing that will be Sophie with a chainsaw tomorrow morning!” By the time I’m done, I’m crying, yelling, and laughing. The image of Sophie in her wedding dress with a chainsaw is funny. I can’t help it.

My emotions explode and splatter everywhere. I can’t hide them anymore. That’s when I shove Nick’s shoulder. “And you. Why’d you have to cheat? I could have handled everything up until that point, but you frickin’ cheated!”

He turns to look at me. “Just what did I cheat at? If I did cheat I’m unaware of it. I play angles, crush hopes, and mislead—but I don’t flat out cheat.”

“Well, isn’t that refreshing?” I stare at the floor.

Nick grimaces and then inhales deeply, before running his fingers through his hair. “I can’t change who I am. I’m a Ferro through and through. You knew it when you first met me—that’s why you tossed me out without a packet. You saw through me every moment after that. You knew I’d take you down, but you put up a helluva fight.”

“Not that it matters—I’ve already lost. Without pictures from this wedding, I can’t keep my shop open.” I feel numb. A goofy, sad smile consumes my face and I look up, and blurt out. “That isn’t even the worst part. The worst part is Sophie doesn’t trust me anymore. That’s why we’re locked in here. She didn’t want me at her wedding.” I sniffle and then laugh awkwardly, glancing at Nick who’s intently watching me. “I’ve never had a friendship end this way before.”

“It’s my fault, not yours.”

“No, it’s not. I was going to do something to you and I told her.” I straighten and run my fingers through my hair until I reach the place where it’s pinned up at the back of my head. Smiling sadly, I tell him, “I was going to get back at you for the double-sided coin.”

He looks confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The coin toss, smart ass. You used a double-sided coin.”

“I did not—I don’t operate that way. If I were to try something, it would be untraceable. A fake coin is amateur hour. I’d get caught.” Nick is watching me intently. The tight fake smile fades from my face as I think back to the other night.

I stand abruptly, walk to the bathroom, and come back with the few coins I found by the sink. “These are yours, right?”

“No, I thought they were yours.”

I lift the double-sided quarter and show it to him. “This isn’t yours?”

He laughs, like I’m kidding. “Of course not, and if it was, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave it out. Sky, I used a regular coin. You called it, not me.”

I think back, staring at his beautiful face as I remember that night. I can’t help it. I smile a little. “You didn’t cheat?”

He shakes his head. “Someone doesn’t like me very much, huh? Story of my life. People hear Ferro and run the other way. I suppose this time it was my own goddamn fault, but it hasn’t always been this way.”

I’m leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. Nick is sitting close to me, but not touching, leaning back on his arms. “What do you mean?”

He slips and lies on his back, tucking his hands behind his head. “I’m the middle child, like, the classic middle child with middle child syndrome and all that shit. My parents pretty much considered my brothers and me clones of each other. After graduating high school, we were each given options of acceptable professions, but my chosen careers didn’t fit. I chose my own path, instead. The thing is, I know the family is ruthless. My aunt enjoys being like that, flaunting her power like a freaking monarch on crack.”

His voice sounds different, like he’s lost. This isn’t the certain Nick Ferro who’s been promenading around me for months. It’s the man I glimpsed inside that other guy. I hear his voice and I can’t help but turn and look at him. Nick speaks to the ceiling, almost as if he’s afraid to look at me.

Nick clears his throat and continues, “I thought she was crazy, but my Dad’s the same way. They’re clones, my aunt and my dad. They think the same way and have the same expectations. So when little Nick Ferro discovered he had artistic abilities, they were squashed. No Ferro is permitted to have such a mundane job. But I couldn’t stop learning—that would have been like trying not to breathe. I just can’t. So I learned photography and I learned some other things.”


“Some?” I prompt. I know damn well that he knows a lot of artistic things. I can see it in the few pictures he took.

He laughs once, softly, “I’m trying not to exaggerate. Somewhere between high school and graduating with my masters, that artsy guy disappeared. Now I’m all gusto, charisma and charm. I have to be. It’s on 24/7 and I have no idea why I’m telling you all this.” He sighs and looks over at me. “Ah, right, it’s because you already know. You have this gaze that’s unnerving, you know. It’s like you can see through me and tell I have no soul.” He shivers and, although I know he’s making light of it, I can see he believes what he says.

I turn toward him and pull one foot up onto the bed. Looking down at him, I say, “You have a soul—it’s not a thoughtless compliment, it’s the truth. If you didn’t, you couldn’t take photographs the way you do.”

Nick watches me a moment too long, then lowers his gaze. Those dark lashes obscure his blue gaze. He opens his mouth with a fake smile and then shuts it again. “I can’t bullshit you. In all this time, you’re the only person I can’t fool. It’s like you’re bullshit-proof.”

The comment makes me laugh. “A wonderful quality to possess, indeed.”

“It is, but there’s more. Tenacity and genuine concern and care for the people around you—even when life doesn’t treat you fairly, even when I didn’t treat you fairly.”

I mash my lips together and ask him again, “Why me? And don’t say because I’m the best. That’s bullshit.”

Nick’s smile fades. “I had to prove myself. You were the job.”

“What?” I straighten and look at him because that sounded totally wrong.

Nick shakes his head, “I love your dirty mind, gutter girl, but that’s not what I meant. I was given a target based on my current set of skills. The goal was to destroy your business in ninety days and complete every contract I received. I had to make sure you closed your doors and never opened again.”

He mashes his lips together and hands me his phone. “You were chosen for a reason, by my father, so I could work at the family company. My objective was to prove to him that I am ruthless enough to handle business matters, no matter what. He pinpointed someone I admired and told me to destroy her.”

Taking his phone, I look at the picture he has pulled up. It’s an article about me printed in Babylon’s newspaper, a paper so small I thought no one ever saw it. My picture is there along with a shot from one of my bridal sessions. They did a story on me because “the portrait was sublime for a photographer so young.” They felt my level was unusual for my age. I continue to stare at the article, unable to wrap my head around what he’s telling me. “But this was almost four years ago.”

“I know.” He reaches for his phone, but I accidentally flip it to the next picture and stare. Shock fills me from head to toe and I drop the phone on the floor.

Nick sits up quickly, worry flashing through his eyes. “I’m not a stalker, Sky. I just saw your work when I was getting my degree and fell in love with it. I guess when I met the legend and got shunned it hurt a little, so it lessened the sting when you were assigned as my target.” He lowers his eyes like he can’t stand what he’s done.

A Ferro was infatuated with my work? I lift his phone from the floor. “May I?’

Nick swallows hard and nods before getting off the bed and heading toward the window. He slips his hands into his pockets and looks outside at the blue sky and setting sun. Sophie is probably walking down the aisle right now. I push the thought away and take a deep breath. I flip to the next picture, it’s another piece of my work. I flip from image to image, finding a spattering of work from other artists—most of whom are long dead.

My throat is tight, but I manage to say it, “I didn’t give you a folder because I liked you too much. I didn’t know who you were, but I knew I couldn’t be in the same room with you and not…” I stop suddenly, unable to finish. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to him that day. People fall in love with the art, and hope the artist isn’t a jackass. I seemed cruel to him, dismissive. The corner of my mouth pulls up into a half smile as Nick turns around.

His eyes widen and lock on mine. I can’t breathe. Someone stole all the air from the room and I’m going to die. “Finish your story.”

“You finish yours.” My voice shakes as I speak, but the tremor is spreading.

Nick holds my gaze and steps toward me. With each step, he tells me a little bit more. “I idolized you. I watched your Facebook page and Twitter accounts. You appeared funny and smart, kind and talented. When you tossed me out without a second look,” he works his jaw and finally says, “I took it as a challenge. I copied everything you did because it obviously annoyed you and, well, because it was brilliant. Every client I stole gave me satisfaction, because I thought you were the fake. I was all too happy to rip your business to shreds, idol or not. My father applauded me. He didn’t think I had it in me, but I did—and he knows this wedding is your final straw.”

Nick is standing in front of me, a step away like there’s an invisible barrier between us. He takes a deep breath and asks, “Why’d you throw me out? You couldn’t be in the same room with me and not…what?” Fear drips down my spine like ice. I stare at him, wide-eyed, wanting to run, but Sophie glued us in this room. I look everywhere but at Nick, until he kneels in front of me and touches my cheek lightly, repositioning my gaze until I look him in the eyes. “Tell me. Please.”

My jaw hangs open, flapping and gasping. I want to crawl both away from him and toward him at the same time. I’m an emotional mess, overstressed, and this is too much. He’s been trying to destroy my business all this time because he thought I hated him. My God. My voice is a whisper, “I knew I couldn’t be in the same room with you without touching you. I was attracted to you. A lot. So, I threw you out. I couldn’t shoot the wedding of the only guy I’ve ever met whose mere presence made my pulse race like that. It was a bad idea. In the first three seconds you were in my shop I was enamored with you, and the more you spoke, the more I liked you. I had to throw you out. I had to."

“You liked me?” Nick’s voice is soft, surprised. He blinks those dark lashes and watches me like this can’t be happening.

But it is. I nod once and the gentle caress of his hand on the side of my face nearly undoes me. I’ve liked him so much, for so long, that this kills me. “If you don’t destroy me, what happens?”

“I have no job and get cut off from the family.”

“So, being stuck here with me now means that you’re…” Oh my God. I can’t say it.

So Nick does. “I’m ruined. Disowned. Pick one. My family doesn’t accept me the way I am, but you did—even though I wore ratty clothes and was covered in dirt. Skylar.” When he says my name, my skin prickles and my head feels light. He’s so close he could kiss me, but he doesn’t. Instead, Nick kneels at my feet like I’m some sort of goddess and touches my cheek.

“We have to get you down there.” I start to move, but his other hand comes up.

Nick cups my face. “I’m not leaving this room.”