Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
By ten o’clock Sunday morning, my suite was filled with people—my mother and my aunt.
My little sister Gwen, who is my bridesmaid, and Alice who showed up at nine o’clock on the dot with the guest list—three hundred people, most of which I don’t even know—as instructed.
When I told her what I wanted her to do with it, she was confused but more than happy to oblige.
True to form, Paige didn’t breeze in until almost noon—less than an hour before we had to leave for the church. As soon as she made her grand entrance, the hair stylist pulled her into a chair and got to work while the make-up artist cooed over her perfect bone structure.
She texted Allister directly after we spoke and told him the same story I told her—that I’d sequestered myself at the Hawthorne so I could get the Bostrom account in order before we left on our honeymoon.
Paige: See? Nothing to worry about. Just boring, bland Millie doing boring, bland Millie shit.
After that, Allister left me alone. I spent the evening gorging myself on room service desserts and watching Runaway Bride.
Somehow, it seemed fitting.
He texted me first thing this morning with an I can’t wait to marry you! I barely had the stomach to text back a heart emoji before I threw my phone on a loud, frustrated scream that prompted my suite’s dedicated butler to call the room to ask if I was okay.
I’m not okay.
I’m not heartbroken either. I’m not sad.
I’m angry.
The more I sit with it, reading and re-reading their text messages, the angrier I get.
So ridiculously angry that it borders on rage.
My cousin and my fiancé.
Crying and possible catatonia will come later.
Right now, I’m focused on getting through the next few hours.
When she realized I hadn’t eaten anything, my mother called room service and had a full spread breakfast sent up.
As soon as it arrived, she ordered me to sit while she split a croissant in half and filled it with French scrambled eggs and crispy bacon—my favorite since I was a child.
You’re going to sit right here and eat. The last thing we need is you passing out during your vows.
I couldn’t agree more.
Even though just the thought of eating makes me sick, I do as I’m told, taking small, methodical bites of my breakfast sandwich while I listen to the women in my family move around me.
Gwen snapping selfies for Instagram. My mother and my aunt talking about the wedding guests and what they think they’ll be wearing.
Paige and the beauty team gossiping while they make her even more beautiful than she already is.
“Ms. Blackwell?”
I look up to find a concerned-looking Alice standing over me.
Behind her, I can see Paige, still in the make-up chair, still being fussed over and I realize it’s been like that my entire life.
Paige has always breezed in at a moment’s notice and found a way to steal the limelight.
A way to make herself the center of attention.
And I’ve always let her.
That’s not the only thing she’s stolen from you though, is it?
Pushing the thought aside, I smile up at my assistant. “Yes, Alice?”
Shooting a quick look over her shoulder before hunkering down beside the chair I’m sitting in while activity buzzes around me, she gives me a faintly strained smile.
“I finished compiling the email group from the guest list like you asked,” she whispers before taking another cautious look around.
“I attached the file link you sent me but I had to test the link before I did that so I could make sure it would work and…”
“You read them.”
When I finish her confession for her, Alice looks like she wants to jump out the window. “Ms. Blackwell, I would never intentionally invade—”
“Millie.” I give her an overly bright smile.
“I think after the things I’ve asked you to do over the last few hours, you’ve earned the right to call me Millie, don’t you?
” Alice started at the firm the same day I did.
She was hand-selected by me from a pool of qualified candidates to be my administrative assistant.
She hasn’t worked for anyone else so there are no loyalties to divide.
No reason for me to worry about her sounding the alarm before I pull the trigger.
“It’s okay. I’m not angry. As a matter of fact, I’m sorry to involve you, Alice.
As it turns out, you’re the closest thing to a friend I have, right now. ”
As if on cue, Paige lets out another laugh, the sound of it narrowing Alice’s gaze ever so slightly. “Tell me what you need me to do,” she says quietly while reaching for my hand. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
“Just hit send.” I squeeze her hand when she gives me a puzzled look. “Don’t worry. You’ll know when.”
“Millie, sweetheart, we have to leave now if we don’t want to be late.
The photographer is waiting for us at the church.
” When I look over my shoulder, my mother is shooting Paige a cool look from across the room.
“Paige, you’ll have to order your own car when you’re finished and hope the photographer has time for a few family shots before the reception. ”
“Okay, Auntie.” Even though she looks like she wants to argue with my mother, she doesn’t. “I’m sorry I was so late getting here this morning.” Paige flicks the briefest of looks in my direction. “I stayed the night at Dean’s and we forgot to set an alarm.”
When she says Dean’s name, the make-up artist giggles, giving me a good idea of what they’ve been whispering about.
“It’s quite alright, dear,” my mother reassures her, even though her tone states the contrary. “But we need to get Millie to the church and into her dress for pictures before the ceremony—this is her big day, after all. You understand.”
Even though I’m not sure anyone else heard it, the emphasis my mother put on the word her is not lost on me and for the first time, since this whole thing started, I feel the sting of tears crowd the back of my throat.
“Of course,” Paige tosses me a sweet smile over her shoulder. “You can yell at Dean for keeping me up all night at the reception, Mills.”
The make-up artist giggles, right on cue.
“Oh, Paige…” My Aunt Renée lets out a sigh that sounds half exhausted, half exasperated. “Why you insist on continuing to carry on with that man is beyond me.”
“Because, mother, he’s ridiculously hot, has a big dick, and he knows how to use it.” Paige laughs at her mother’s scandalized expression before flicking me another one of her sweet smiles. “Right, Millie?”
Now everyone in the room is staring at me, her implication obvious.
“I wouldn’t know.” Setting my plate on the coffee table in front of me, I stand slowly while I brush imaginary crumbs off my hands.
“I’d never be so desperate that I’d sleep with my own cousin’s boyfriend.
” Holding her gaze for a few more seconds, I turn to look at my mother who’s staring at me like she has no idea who I am.
That makes two of us.
Before she can ask me what I’m talking about, I give my mother a calm, reassuring smile. “Alice and I will be downstairs, waiting in the limo,” I tell her before I start moving toward the elevator. “You’re right—I don’t want to be late for my big day.”