Forever Secret #2
She reaches the bottom of the altar, and I step down to take her hand from her father. Her fingers are like ice, or maybe that’s mine. I can’t tell. I release her hand and draw her veil back over her head. She hands her maid of honor her bouquet, our hands clasp, and the ceremony begins.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this New Year’s Eve evening amidst a snowstorm to join these two together in the bonds of holy matrimony.
It is a sacred vow, and not to be broken, taken lightly, or entered into carelessly.
Therefore, if any person present knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, they should speak now or forever hold their peace. ”
A moment of silence filters around us until I hear a “Fuck it” so soft I believe I imagine it until Crew clears his throat loudly beside me.
“Yes?” the priest questions. “Does someone have something to declare?”
I twist to see freaking Crew with his hand up in the air like he’s back in kindergarten.
“What is it?” the Father presses.
My brows pinch, and I give him a what the hell are you doing look.
Determinedly, he signs to me in American Sign Language instead of speaking. We all know it because Mason has a hearing impairment, so we learned it as kids.
“You don’t have to do this. Actually, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do this.”
I release Helene’s hands and sign back. “Are you insane? This is my wedding. What do you think you’re doing?”
He stares defiantly at me. “I’m being your best friend. Your best man. You can’t marry her, Hayes. I saw how you still look at Serena, but that’s not even why I’m doing this. It just made it all click into place.”
“Why are you signing this?”
He arches an eyebrow and bobs his head to his left. “So the whole room doesn’t know what I’m saying.”
“Does he have something to declare, Hayes?” the priest pushes.
“He’s not deaf,” Helene hisses. “I’ve heard him speak. What is he signing?”
“One minute,” I utter.
Murmurs fill the church, and both the priest and Helene are demanding answers, but Crew hasn’t stopped signing to me. He’s ranting with his fingers.
“She’s a monster. She’s a horrible person. She invited Serena to mess with you and to hurt her. She yelled at Vander’s Hazel, who was supposed to be your flower girl until she cried and ran off. But more than that, you don’t love her.”
“I do.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “You do not.”
“You do not,” freaking Roman jumps in with. “Crew is right. You can’t marry her. She’ll ruin your life.”
I growl out an aggravated breath. “Then you should have fucking said something months ago!” My eyes close. “Sorry, Father.”
“Hayes? What is this?” both the priest and Helene yell at me.
“We did,” Forest interjects, not bothering to sign. “You didn’t want to hear it. You brushed us off.”
“What is this?” Father repeats. “What’s going on? What are they talking about?”
“Yes! What are they talking about?” Helene grabs the back of my jacket and yanks me around to face her. “This is embarrassing me.” She hisses like a snake as her gaze swivels toward the packed house of family, friends, and business acquaintances.
“The groom is having doubts,” Crew calls out loud enough for his voice to carry. My eyes close and I heave a breath. Goddamn him! I glare, but he’s undeterred. “I think he’d like to delay the wedding.”
“Is that true, Hayes?” the priest questions.
“I…”
“This is the rest of your life. You’ve got to marry the person you love. Not the person who makes sense on paper.”
I shake my head at Crew, my fingers flying as I sign. “That’s not how this works for me.”
“It is, my friend. It is. She’ll make you miserable until there’s nothing left of you. I see it starting to happen already. You can’t marry Helene.”
“Listen to him,” Forest implores, and Roman steps in beside them.
My parents are standing, and so are Helene’s. They’re at the base of the altar, but I can’t look away from my best friends.
“What is happening?” Helene stomps her foot and tugs on my collar. “What’s he saying?!” She screams in frustration.
“You’re in love with someone else, so therefore you can’t marry her.”
Holy shit. Holy fucking shit! I can’t believe Crew just said that in front of everyone. In front of her. Crew realizes it too because he winces with regret.
“I’m sorry. Crap, I’m sorry. But please don’t marry her.”
“Is that true?” The Priest is about to lose his mind. “Do you love someone else?”
“I can’t believe you!” Helene sneers, her eyes narrowing at me in warning. She knows about Serena, so this isn’t news to her. But with that cruel glint, I get a flash of the woman beneath her polished veneer, straight to my life to come. It’s clear as day what it’ll be like being married to her.
We’ll be the perfect power couple on paper, smiling for cameras, and appearing doting and in love on red carpets and fashion runways, while living almost completely the opposite in our day-to-day comings and goings.
No love. No warmth. Probably no sex either unless it’s perfunctory to make children or a product of hate.
We’d be nothing but money and power and emptiness.
At least for me, that’s how it’d be.
“Hayes! Do you love someone else?” the priest snaps, and I answer reflexively, as I’ve been trained to do for this very day.
“I do.”
“You bastard!” Helene’s fist flies and nails me right in the face beneath my right eye.
It knocks me off my feet as white-hot heat flares up my cheek along with something wet and warm that trickles down it.
Blood. She hit me with her diamond, and that ring is no slouch.
Six carats of flawless gem just tore up my face.
Imagine if I had gotten her the ten carats she wanted.
There’s commotion everywhere. People are talking and shouting and taking pictures and videos. My parents are crying out for me. My friends are trying to help, though legit, my boys have already done enough.
“This isn’t over!” Helene screams in French, pointing a long, white talon threateningly at me. “I will destroy you for this. I will crucify you!”
And because of where we are, I can’t help but chuckle with that.
She kicks me with her pointy shoe right in the ribs. I oomph, but that’s about all I’ve got right now.
“You think this is funny?! You don’t turn me down at the altar. I’m Helene Monstra. I will ruin your life, your company, and all of your loser friends’ lives. And hers!” Her hand shoots out and points in the general direction of where Serena was sitting. “You’ll be nothing when I’m done with you.”
Helene storms down the aisle, her bridesmaids awkwardly scurrying behind her, haphazardly going after her train that’s thrashing like a whip.
“Hayes!” My mother’s face comes into view, and my father is there, helping me sit up.
“Crew, you couldn’t have done this last night before the rehearsal dinner?” my father questions, though there isn’t a lot of heat to his voice.
My mother pulls out a tissue from her purse and dabs at my cut. “You need stitches.” She turns her head over her shoulder to someone. “Right?”
“It can be glued,” my uncle Callan, who’s a doctor, tells her. “Are you okay?”
“I have no idea,” I state honestly.
I just ended things with Helene and publicly admitted to loving someone else.
“I’m not sorry!” Crew is pacing with his hands on his head. “Well, I am about the last part.”
“Thanks for that one,” I deadpan.
“I couldn’t let you do it!” He points to our friends. “I wasn’t the only one. I simply said what you all wanted to.” He turns his finger on me. “You were having doubts. You didn’t love her. Don’t lie to us and say otherwise.”
I stare around the church that’s emptying faster than the office at five o’clock on a Friday night. Blood drips onto my white shirt from my cheek. Even the priest has left.
What did I just do?
“Doesn’t matter,” I utter. “It’s done.” I push myself up to my feet.
“Yet you’re not upset.” That’s Forest, and no, I’m not upset. I’m a lot of things right now, but upset isn’t one of them. Why did Serena have to show up tonight?
“I don’t understand what happened,” my sister, Sagan, admits.
“That makes two of us,” my father says, undoing his bowtie so it hangs around his neck.
“Because this wedding was your idea. You told us you loved Helene. We weren’t so sold on that, but you convinced us that you did.
That it was the perfect marriage for you and for Monroe Fashions.
So who’s the other woman you’re in love with and kept secret from us? ”
I sigh. It’s a long story and not a pretty one.
Want to know what happens next for Hayes and Serena? Get your copy of Forever Secret now.