Chapter 28
Harper
“We need a story,” he says, as we drive towards the hotel where the wedding is taking place.
“A story,” I say as I check my lip gloss in the mirror. “Right,” then I pause. “What’s our story?”
Ash’s eyes narrow, and he rubs his chin. “We’re in love,” he says.
“Obviously,” I giggle. “I mean we wouldn’t be married if we weren’t in love,” I say.
“Oh, speaking of that,” he says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, black velvet box. He hands it to me.
“What’s this?” I ask, but I open it before he can answer. “A ring?”
“Yeah,” he says, glancing over at it before looking back at the road. “We can’t be married if your hand is bare.”
“Where did you get it?” I ask. It’s not just a ring, it’s a rock! A beautiful white gold band with a gorgeous pear-cut diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds around the edges.
“It was my grandmother’s,” he says.
“Jesus,” I let out. “Are you sure it’s okay if I–”
“Of course. She would have loved you,” he says, and my heart comes to a screeching halt in my chest. Why does it matter what his grandmother would have thought of me? This isn’t real. “Besides, I trust you to give it back to me after the wedding,” he says.
“The wedding,” I say with almost no voice.
“Yes,” he says, then looks over at me. “Daniel’s wedding, which we are going to in about three minutes.”
“Oh. Oh!” I laugh, and my cheeks flush cherry red. “Of course. Sorry. The tequila was just…I’m fine.”
Jesus.
“So we are recently engaged,” he says.
“Recently married,” I correct him as I continue to stare down at the ring on my finger. The thing is seriously massive. It probably has its own gravitational pull. If I look closer, I bet it even has a couple of moons orbiting it.
“Recently married. Right,” he agrees. “You’ve always had a thing for me, but never had the guts to tell me.” He adds, and I squawk.
“What? I had a thing for you?!”
“Yeah,” he says, glancing away from the road to look at me again. “What’s wrong with that?”
“I thought it was the other way around,” I say. “You’re the one that said the reason you kidnapped me was because you are in love with me.”
Asher’s face turns red. Not as red as mine gets, but it’s still a blush. I relish the fact that I made it happen.
“I admitted that was an exaggeration, and the real reason was because Daniel was a cheating slimeball. Plus, I couldn’t stand around and watch you ruin your life,” he says.
“An exaggeration…right,” I repeat the words while nodding my head. Lordy, tequila really does remove my filter.
“Yeah,” he says, biting back a smile. I can feel the tension between us start to grow. It feels like the Costa Rican humidity in the car. With subzero temperatures outside, it’s enough to fog up the windows.
We leave it at that and go back to our story.
“So, I confessed my undying love to you?” I ask, and he spits out a laugh.
“No, first I came and stole you away from the altar,” he corrects me.
“Because of your undying love for me,” I say, and he laughs.
“Yes. We both had all these pent-up feelings, but neither of us could act on them,” he says.
“Because it was far too scandalous,” I say.
“But then when I found out you were betrothed to another,” he says. I laugh, and so does he. Then he says, “I simply couldn’t stand for it, and I flew to Costa Rica to steal you away and marry you myself.”
“Which we did. That night,” I add.
“Then we stayed in Costa Rica for nearly a week, enjoying our honeymoon.”
“Yes. Where we had lots of sex,” I say. He looks at me. “What? That’s part of the kicker,” I say. I know my cheeks are red; I can feel them burning.
“Of course,” he says. Luckily for both of us, we are pulling up to the venue now. Asher puts the car in park, and I take a deep breath.
“We really are doing this,” I say. Suddenly, I’m nervous.
“We are,” he says. “Look at me. It’s no big deal. Daniel is a piece of shit. He doesn’t deserve you and never will. You dodged a bullet.”
“Thanks to you,” I say, and he smiles. “Now, two things.”
I watch as he reaches into the glove compartment in front of my knees and pulls out a small bottle of whiskey.
“Really?” I ask.
“What?” he asks as he breaks the seal.
“Do you always drive around with a bottle of Jack in your car?” I tease.
“Of course not. I brought it specifically for this occasion.”
“Because you knew I’d be a basket case?” I ask as he hands me the bottle.
“Because I knew we both needed a little liquid courage. Revenge mission or not, we still have to see Daniel Colby, and that is never a win,” he says. I roll my eyes. He winks at me, and I take a swig.
“Fuck,” I cough a little. I pass it to him, and he takes a big sip, swallowing it with ease.
“Jesus, how do you do that?” I ask.
“Whiskey is my poison,” he says, taking another sip and handing it back to me. I take a deep preparatory breath then exhale before taking another sip. My face scrunches up because I dread the taste before it even hits my lips.
“Jesus, that’s bad,” I choke out.
“Says the girl who has tequila for breakfast,” he jokes, and I laugh. Nasty or not, it’s doing the job.
“Now, what was the other thing?” I ask.
“Oh, right,” he says, reaching in my lap and grabbing the ring box that I had closed. I watch as he pops it open and pulls the ring out. He uses his other hand to take my hand in his and then he slides the ring onto my finger.
“It fits,” I say.
“It does,” he says, and for a moment we both just stare at it. Then he looks away.
“Okay, let’s do this,” he says, opening his door.
The wedding is exactly what I expected. Rushed.
Shallow. Over-done. Thrown together. Robotic vows.
The whole thing is a charade. Angie’s makeup is over the top, and so are her tears.
I have mixed feelings watching them together up there.
I can’t tell if they are genuine; one thing feels very obvious…
whatever is going on between them has been going on for a long time.
Which means since he bought me that first drink, all the time we spent together after that, when he told me he didn’t need or want to rush things physically, and claimed he didn’t believe in casual sex or even having sex without being in love...
It was all a lie.
If Asher hadn’t come storming in and tearing the whole thing apart, it would have been bad.
Suddenly, a hand grabs mine, and I snap back to reality. Asher is smiling comfortably, his hand around mine. “You’re okay,” he whispers just as the pastor announces that Daniel may kiss the bride. Strangely enough, in that moment, I am okay.
More than okay, really.
We stay for the reception, grabbing drinks, indulging in the charcuterie spread set up like a grazing table, and Asher makes small talk with a couple of people.
I’m not surprised; he knows a lot of the people here.
With the exception of a few close friends of Daniel’s, most people in the industry see Asher and Daniel’s tension as just friendly competition.
They’re na?ve though; it’s actually a deep-rooted animosity that will never change.
Asher is getting another whiskey sour, and I am halfway through my second mini dessert when I hear a familiar voice behind me.
“Harper…”
Angie, AKA the bride, is closing in on me fast. I swallow the petite four in my mouth before fully chewing it, and it hits my stomach like a rock. I pat the corners of my mouth and set the plate aside.
“Hello, Angie. Beautiful wedding.” I force a smile.
I look over to the bar in the hopes that Ash sees me.
I have talked to her a hundred times before, but only in a work setting.
Unlike this time, where she has just married my ex-fiancé.
I am suddenly feeling a little less courage than I’d like to admit.
Luckily, Ash has his drinks, and he is coming in hot.
“Thank you!” she gushes with enough synthetic sugar it makes my teeth hurt. “I know it was all kind of last minute, but Daniel really spared no expense,” she says. Ash arrives and stands next to me. Daniel comes out of nowhere, snaking an arm around Angie before they share a kiss.
To my surprise, I feel nothing.
I feel Ash’s hand on the small of my back, and my entire body responds. It’s a mix of heat that jolts into my heart, making it beat even faster, and warmth that relaxes me better than any whiskey could.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Daniel says with a smirk.
“I am a little surprised,” Angie says.
“That we came?” I ask, feeling a sudden second wind of bravery since Ash put his hand on my back.
“That you showed up together,” Daniel says, and there is a definite hint of venom in his tone.
“Yeah well, we have been pretty inseparable since the wedding and all,” I say.
“Since the…” he trails off. He thinks I mean our wedding.
Ash catches on too and takes my hand, holding it up so the light can catch the supernova on my hand.
“Oh, wow,” Angie lets out. “That ring is really something.”
“Yeah,” Daniel mutters. “Something.”
“And so is that dress,” Angie adds. “Interesting choice.”
I smile in response, but bite back the sarcasm. Based on the conversation and the looks on their faces, it’s obvious we did what we came to do.
“Are you ready to go, sweetheart?” Asher asks, and my heart flutters in my chest a little.
“Yes. I just need to use the ladies’ room first,” I tell him. He plants a kiss on my lips before gesturing for me to go ahead.
The moment the bathroom door closes behind me, I let out a breath. I stand in front of the mirror, clasping the edge of the counter with my hands.
Holy shit. We did it. We are doing it. They believe every word of it, and Daniel is obviously upset.
Hell yeah.
“Hell yeah,” I say out loud. Then I break out into what can only be described as a victory dance. I blame Jose and Jack for this entirely, as I shimmy and shake around the bathroom. I’m feeling pretty damn proud of myself and completely liberated from Daniel Colby in every way.
I didn’t just dodge a bullet. I avoided getting hit by a meteor, and it feels good.
I whip around mid-moonwalk and stop. Angie is standing right in front of me. For a moment, we just stare at each other. We’re just two girls alone in a bathroom, wearing white dresses, looking like brides.
It’s awkwardly quiet as she checks her hair in the mirror. I’m not good with quiet, so I decide to fill it with awkward conversation instead.
“Congratulations,” I say. “On your wedding.”
“Mm,” she says while reaching into a purse for some lip gloss.
“I mean it,” I say, which is a lie. Knowing what I know now, I almost feel bad for her. Except that she knew all along that Daniel and I were together, and she still kept fucking him. So no, I guess I don’t actually feel bad. “I really hope things work out for the best.”
Angie stops and looks at me. She stares through her fake eyelashes and pounds of makeup with a tight smile on her face, summing me up with every sweep. “I suppose I owe you an apology,” she says, and it feels like a curve ball to the face.
“An apology?” I ask.
“Yes. Because whether you believe it or not, I really do feel bad for you.”
My eyes slowly narrow, and I think about what it is she is actually saying. “Oh?” I ask.
“Yes. I mean, it must be terrible watching the man you love marry someone else. Terrible enough that you went off and eloped right after being stood up just to help with the pain of it all.”
Stood up? Jesus, what kind of story did Daniel feed her?
“It’s alright, I forgive you,” she says.
“You…forgive me…” I echo. Those words are even harder to process than the apology. Both feel rehearsed, and both are a load of crap.
“Yes. I forgive you for seducing Daniel. We’ve been together for two years. He said you flirted with him constantly and it almost made him unfaithful. But at the last minute he came to his senses, realizing I am the only woman he could ever marry. And then, he ran from the altar. Back home to me.”
“That’s what he told you,” it comes out as a statement. Knowing him, he did say that, and there was no question.
“Yep. So I apologize that you didn’t get to marry the man you love. And I forgive you for trying to ruin our relationship.”
Angie goes back to her primping, and all I can do is stand there with my mouth hanging open. When I finally close my mouth, I smile at her. “I’m happy for you. It must be nice living in that little fairytale land of yours. I do think you should really consider something,” I say.
“Oh really? And what is that?” she asks, turning to face me. In that moment, all niceties are gone, so when I tell her the truth, I don’t mince words.
“Daniel cheated on me. With you. And that means that he will cheat on you with the next girl that catches his eye. And if I had to guess, knowing him, he’s already looking for your replacement.”
I head to the door before she can say anything else. But then, I look back over my shoulder. “Oh, and Angie?” I ask and she looks at me. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”
“You really said that?” Asher asks as I tell him the story.
We are sitting on my living room floor with an array of take-out food.
We got it from the nearby Thai restaurant along with a bottle of champagne.
Asher insisted we pick some up on the way home.
It’s our little reward for pulling off the world’s best revenge plot.
“I really said that,” I tell him, popping a piece of gyoza in my mouth and chewing with a triumphant smile.
“That is amazing,” he says with a grin. “I think we need to make a toast.” Ash refills both our glasses with champagne and we hold them up. “To you, Mrs. Levine,” he starts, and I spit out a laugh, “For your award-winning performance tonight. May the bride and groom crash and burn.”
“And to you, Mr. Levine, for your never-ending support while I got the last word not just with my ex-fiancé, but with his new wife. May they have the marriage they deserve.”
We clink glasses and down the bubbly. Everything in the room feels fizzy, electric, and warm. It’s exciting. Asher’s eyes are on me and his smile is lazy. I don’t hate it.
“You look beautiful right now,” he tells me, and I smile.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Fucking gorgeous,” he adds.
“You don’t look so bad yourself. Pretty hot, actually,” I say.
“Yeah?” he asks, moving the food out of the way while keeping his eyes locked on mine.
“Yes,” he says. His hand cups my cheek; soft and warm. As he leans in, my lips part and he covers my mouth with his. He kisses me slowly, sending a jolt of electricity through me. When we pull back, his eyes play connect the dots around my face. His lips still tipped in the corners.
“I was thinking,” I say softly.
“Yes?”
“Maybe…we could pretend we are married just a little longer.” I trace my finger in circles on his chest.
“Oh?” he asks.
“Yeah. Maybe…just for the night…”