Chapter 4
Allie
Amore, Ti prometto di proteggerti con la mia vita. – Love, I promise to protect you with my life
My parents didn’t know the wedding was off. I shot a quick text off to Ellie. “You OWE me.”
No reply. Damn it. She was probably passed out already.
“We have to wait five minutes.” The Phantom paced the room, even peeked out the door Judge Stone went out of. “There are people out there.”
“Guests?”
“You invited guests?” he asked. His tone rose in pitch slightly, and it didn’t ruin his appeal. If I were the type of girl to swoon over sexy Italian men, he’d definitely do the trick. Especially ones with broad shoulders and a tight—
Before I got too sidetracked, I replied, “Ellie did.”
I was surprised to discover my sister planned this wedding without me.
She made sure the livestream of the ceremony went out to the whole family.
Unfortunately, our parents couldn’t leave the farm because the alpacas were expecting, and my father’s parents didn’t want to fly to Las Vegas because it had been thrown together at the last possible minute.
But Grandpa Alfie’s third mistress was out there with her whole country club ladies’ mob and their escorts.
Not husbands, the real deal, escorts. Worse?
The reality TV show film crew who followed those women around had to be lurking in the corners. They never went anywhere without them.
And because of Ellie’s surprisingly meticulous planning, calling off the wedding would create a shitstorm of questions and unregulated emotional outbursts. One I did not want to face alone. “I’m screwed.”
“Why?”
He pressed on his ribcage with his right hand.
He’d been favoring his left side since he wrestled with Johnny.
“Because my mom and my dad’s sister are absolutely enthralled with opera.
” I sighed. “And it’s Vegas. It’s all about the show.
” If I didn’t at least try to go through with this ceremony, it was likely that one of the men in attendance would start his impersonation of Magic Mike.
That alone would insure this fiasco made it to social media viral notoriety in minutes.
“Somehow that doesn’t answer my question.”
He had a rich voice, sexy accent, and damn him, a strong chin.
His facial hair was gorgeously thick, but not overpowering.
He wasn’t neatly groomed, but not quite unruly.
It was as if he’d spent a few days on the run and the beard had filled in where it would.
It wandered up his strong jawline to brush against, but not fully connect to his expertly cut sideburns and sexy tapered haircut.
The longer top perfectly suited a cluster of dark curls that fell forward but didn’t obscure his thick eyebrows or those piercing brown eyes.
By Ellie’s scale, he was an eleven. Maybe a twelve. In mine? Heck. I didn’t have a scale. But if I did, he’d pass muster.
Or to be more truthful, create the high-water mark I’d forever judge everyone else by.
“Opera?” he prompted.
“Right. Ellie chose the Phantom of the Opera-themed event. A single red rose, the mask, this dress.” I shook the clear bag containing Ellie’s flowery dress of shame. Virginal and slutty all at once.
He studied the dress, then me. “It will look beautiful on you.” He sounded sincere.
I huffed out an exasperated sigh. “I’m so screwed.”
“How? We go out there, pretend to get married, and then leave. Explain later.”
“We couldn’t. That’s against the rules, isn’t it?” Or at least, it would be a hefty bending of them.
The phantom studied me. His lips were slightly canted as if he were considering some rule breaking. But only slightly. That sent a shiver snaking from my nipples to my—
A knock sounded on the door. A man asked, “Is everything okay in there?”
“Just fine!” Did I sound nervous? I wasn’t nervous.
“You sure?”
I marched to the door and spoke very clearly to whoever it was. “Listen, we’re just putting on some finishing touches. We’ll start in four minutes.” Then I slumped against the door. “Kill me now.”
Four minutes to get into that monstrosity and convince this stranger to play along.
At least he was halfway there already. I turned and girded my argument with cold facts.
“Okay. Bend the rules here a little, Allie.” I stared him in the eyes.
“We don’t know each other, but here’s how it’s going to go.
We walk down that aisle. Pretend we’re super happy and everything is just fucking ducky.
Kiss…once, and skedaddle right out of that back door we were promised.
I’ll tell the limo driver to drop you off anywhere you want.
All you need to do is play along. Got it? ”
“Excuse me?”
I narrowed my gaze on him. He was going to run. Then I’d have to face down Mom, Dad, Aunt Susan, the alpacas, and Vegas’s answer to the Housewives of New Jersey, the film crew, and all those male strippers. “Consider your involvement an apology for stealing my ride earlier.”
“I need to be at the airport.”
“Great. That’s where I’m going next. Is this a go?
” Hopefully, I could straighten out the mess of my ticket being under Johnny’s name.
And, crossed fingers, I’d find someone there tonight rather than have to leave extra early in the morning to get things switched over.
Because there was no way I was going to be able to convince Ellie to leave the hotel at oh-dark-thirty.
I searched his eyes.
He glanced to the main door, then the chapel entry. “Yes.”
Hot dawg! I scrambled to unzip the bag and tug out the layers of tulle and ruffles. “I have to change. Turn around.”
A softer knock on the door interrupted me, and the wedding planner slipped in. “We’re ready?” She nodded hopefully.
“Except for the dress, can you help?” I asked.
She looked at the Phantom.
“Don’t mind me, I’ll just watch the wall for a few minutes.”
“Cool. Ellie, are you okay with the groom being in here?”
“Absolutely. Let’s do this thing.” He'd turned his back like a gentleman, and the dress I currently wore was almost see-through, so I wasn't feeling any more embarrassed than if he'd seen me naked anyway.
The planner gushed as she prepped the gown. “Oh, thank you so much! It isn’t every day we get a court officiator here, and I’d like to keep our business license, if you know what I mean?”
“You have nothing to worry about,” The Phantom told the wall.
“Is Johnny going to be okay?” I asked as she fluffed the dress.
“I’m really sorry about letting him in. I didn’t know he was your ex. They took him to Valley Hospital. I think he has a concussion. How hard did you hit him?” She gathered the dress into a bundled circlet of lace and tulle to drop over my head as she multi-tasked with her question.
The pause went a little too long.
Whoops, she was asking me. “Not nearly hard enough.” My voice was muffled under the layers.
The Phantom snickered. Bloodthirsty bastard.
“Turn.” I did as ordered, and the planner expertly zipped and tucked me into the gown.
Funny, I always thought I was thinner than Ellie.
But dear Lord this dress was tight. My boobs were squished upward, and the large gap I’d thought was just a slit to flash skin actually had a fine flesh-toned mesh that held everything together and still managed to show off some impressive cleavage. I had cleavage!
With a quick twist and some clever bobby pin use, the planner had my hair knotted into an incredible waterfall of a messy updo that complemented the gown. “We don’t have time for makeup, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, I don’t like a lot of makeup.” I ran a hand down the bodice. The delicate lace of the dropped shoulder draped loosely over my upper arms, and I looked like I’d stepped out of a fairy tale, or in this case, a Phantom’s lair.
“Hey, Phantom, turn around.”
My strange bridegroom turned to face me, and his jaw dropped a little. “Molta Bella,” he whispered. His eyes dipped down the flesh-toned slash between my boobs and back up again to linger on my face. A series of words I didn’t catch spilled from his lips like a benediction.
“You hear that? That’s good.” The wedding planner nudged me and fanned herself. “Ready?”
A wave of anxiety hit me. What if my parents didn’t enjoy the show? It was supposed to be the Phantom marrying Ellie and Johnny, not me and… “Put on the mask.”
My Phantom did as requested, the white half mask casting his face into shadows and mysterious angles. My heart beat triple time because this act seemed all too real. Hopefully, he wouldn’t flub his lines.
But I really should have worried about my performance.
I shook in place as the soprano belted out one of the signature songs. My knees sent me all sorts of wobbly warning signs they were going to give out. Finally, it was time to say the vows.
“Do you, Mario Valentini, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife…”
Mario Valentini? I glanced up at my phantom to see if that was truly his name. He read my face and nodded once before saying, “I do.”
Then it was my turn.
I shifted weight and almost went down. Mario caught my hand and let me lean on his strength. I squeezed hard.
“Do you, Allie Marie Jacobs, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death. If so, please respond by saying, ‘I do.’”
“I…” Oh shit this was too real. I glanced at the laptop someone propped up on a seat in the front row where my parents watched from their farm. They’d be so disappointed if I chickened out now. “I do.”
The officiate smiled, and his voice boomed louder. “With the power invested in me by the people of Clark County, Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Kiss her, you lucky dog.”
Sell it, Allie.