Wickedly His (Wicked and Wed #1)

Prologue

LANIE

At the start of a short day that felt impossibly long, my best friend’s face popped up on my phone for the third time. Still unsure what to say, but homesick as hell, I answered.

“Oh my god, I thought you were dead! Why are you ignoring me, babes?” Chloe asked.

The sound of her voice brought relief. I took a deep breath and answered, “Sorry. It has been wild here with all the rehearsals and Sam’s schedule and everything.”

“Plus, the dinner party. How did that go?”

I took a deep breath, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Lanie Delphine, if you don’t—”

“We survived it. Okay?”

Chloe paused, concerned but debating if she could push me. She knew my tone. She read my voice better than anyone. We grew up together—our lives always intertwined. We knew everything about one another. Her older brother married my eldest sister about a year ago, making her more sister than friend.

She took the cue and changed the subject cheerfully, “So, spill! how is training going on the dances?”

“I spent two hours at the studio, and I think I’m getting the hang of it, you know?”

“You will be amazing. It kills me you must go through all of this for a scene or two.”

“The life of a woman in a period piece. The network wanting more ballroom shots is not my decision. But hey, why not?”

We just finished shooting our first season of Dollar Princesses, a show based on a book series about American heiresses leaving Gilded Age America to be passed through the marriage mart of London. I played the daughter of a Chicago railroad tycoon sold off by her parents for a title.

“I still don’t understand the idea of reshoots,” Chloe said. “Why not do it all at once? A shoot costs a mint.”

“I know. The network wanted more of me learning to waltz and having a dance card full of hot men my mother turned down. Leah said it was something about giving them more Prestige Porn or whatever. She’s the boss and it’s their money, so no one says no.”

Leah Roughy was an EGOT-chasing legend. She was also the Queen’s niece and came armed with a blank cheque with the network no other nepobaby could touch.

“I suppose it doesn’t hurt to dance with a bunch of hotties?”

“I could lament my blisters from my shoes or the constant use of a corset, but it’s hard to complain. I hope we get renewed. I am hungry to do more.”

“Work it. You give a hundred and ten percent on a bad day. I gotta believe that if even the suits don’t see it, Leah does.”

“She’s great to work for and I’m desperate to keep the job. So, I smile and dance even if I’m having flashbacks to Madame Routledge.”

Many years before, our mothers enrolled us in dance at the Chicago Ballet School.

My mother had been a ballerina in a past life, while Chloe’s grew up with nothing and made a beauty empire fit for a queen.

By the time Chloe appeared, she was all-in to make her daughter a dancing star.

Unfortunately, our teacher was toxic. Chloe never took to it and—to my mother’s chagrin—I moved on to acting and musical theater.

Neither Chloe nor I enjoyed the rigidity of ballet life. We were both chaos goblins.

“I can still hear her telling me to look less like a hippo on stilts,” Chloe said. “I am so glad I didn’t listen to her.”

“She was the worst. I really hope she’s no longer teaching. I’m loving dance, but I am so out of shape. I was honestly worried I was pregnant—”

“Oh, Lanie, are you?”

I murmured, “I thought I was, but no. I took a test before our party and I thought Sam would be excited for us, but he made it clear he was nothing but relieved. I didn’t react well.”

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. No wonder the party was hard on you. I cannot imagine that emotional rollercoaster.”

“He just shut down. We didn’t talk. And this morning when I woke up, he was just gone.”

“I am sure you all can talk through it.”

“It’s for the best.”

“Lanie, I—”

“Chloe, don’t say you aren’t already aware this is like beating a dead horse.”

“Can we not mention dead horses?” As our resident competitive equestrian, Chloe was sensitive.

“Sorry. Uh… I just… I am always the last to know. Somehow, this time, I cannot even feel pain. He swore he wanted kids, but I saw the lies there. I could twist myself into something I’m not, but I know in my heart of hearts, he’s not in it with me.”

“Sometimes it can be a shock. Men may need more time.””

“Nah. He’s had time. I think he lied to protect me.”

“Explain.”

“I was pretty excited after Cordelia was born,” I said of our mutual niece.

“I found out how badly I wanted a baby, and I sort of went on and on about it. Looking back now… I see he was going through the motions. It came to a head last night when he had no empathy for me and could no longer hide his relief. This won’t change. But we’ve been together for years—”

“And sometimes relationships aren’t forever.

Lanie, I can see you compromising on many things, but a baby isn’t one of them.

Watching you with Cordelia made it clear.

You want to be a mom someday. You deserve motherhood.

If Sam doesn’t want children, it’s not fair to either of you to force the issue. ”

“Okay, but… it’s not like I will be able to avoid him in this industry.”

“Yes, that’s so unique. Sweetie, it’s Hollywood. He’s a cinematographer with a following, but you’re an actress—”

“One who no one really knows about yet.”

“Plenty of people do. And it will change. You’re about to blow up.”

I doubted her.

“Focus on what is next, okay? Focus on shooting in London and having the network green light everything. I’ll come. We will party and live it up. We’ll sleep with sexy, rich men who worship us. Maybe it wasn’t the plan—”

“But what is a plan if we’re miserable?”

“Exactly.”

“Chloe, I want to be brave, but I also worry.”

“About what?”

“I’m not getting any younger. What if—”

“Come to London and let’s just talk about it, okay? We’re still babies. We can still freeze our eggs if we want to. We always joked that we’d grow old together. Maybe we can have babies and say fuck those men?”

“I think we both have too high of libidos to make that work,” I giggled.

“We can switch off on date nights. You know I am not serious.”

“Our moms would expire at all of this.”

“That makes me want to do it more. Regardless, the fact that you’re not crying right now over me mentioning it makes me think that you’re ready for the next step. You’re brave and strong, Lanie. Go where the road takes you. You’re already open to it.”

I breathed deeply, knowing what to do. “He deserves to know. We should both get a chance to be happy. I will have a family one way or the other.”