Chapter 17
Catherine
Hayes and I had snuck back into the house the night before the wedding.
Tiptoeing through the dark house made it feel like we were doing something wrong.
Honestly, that made it all the more fun.
But as soon as we crept down the hallway toward our bedrooms, the awkwardness set in.
I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for. A kiss goodnight?
Being invited down to his room? It felt weird to simply walk away from each other at the end of the night, but that’s exactly what had to happen.
I couldn’t let myself pretend this was anything other than a business deal.
Lewis had been absent from the house over the last few days. Thank goodness. Hayes and I could have let our guards down, but I liked playing my part.
Pretending was beginning to feel more and more real.
After tossing and turning for hours, waiting for the sun to rise while wondering if Hayes was doing the same, today was the day.
It was time to become his bride.
The knock on my bedroom door startled me as I sat in front of the vanity and calmly applied my makeup.
At least, I hoped I looked calm.
In all honesty, I was a mess inside. I hadn’t expected an arranged marriage to pull at my heart as much as it had.
This wasn’t supposed to be easy.
This wasn’t supposed to feel real.
This wasn’t supposed to mean anything, but a part of me wanted it to.
I looked over my shoulder as Hallie let herself in. She carried a silver tray loaded down with breakfast fixings and a mug.
“How ya feeling?” she asked as she set the tray beside my caddy of cosmetics.
I eyed the bacon and eggs. “Like I’ll throw up if I eat that.” I offered an apologetic smile. “I really appreciate it, though.”
Hallie waved it off. “Nibble on what you can. I made cherry coffee cake too. A little sugar and some carbs might sit easier than the bacon.”
“How’s everything going out there?” I asked as I took a fortifying sip of coffee.
“Coming together nicely. You’d never know we threw it together in a week or two.”
I let out a wry laugh. “Good. I’ll be out to pitch in when I’m done.”
Hallie propped her hands on her hips. “Excuse me? No, ma’am. It’s your wedding day. There will be no ‘pitching in.’ Mason and I have things covered.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fake wedding.”
“Unless you’re filing a fake marriage license, it’s a real marriage. Ergo, it’s a real wedding.” She squeezed my shoulder. “Enjoy it.”
I let out a shaking breath and nodded. “Enjoy it. Right.”
The photographer we hired for the day was surprised when I didn’t want photos of the getting-ready process.
I played it off as if it were unnecessary since I didn’t have any bridesmaids.
But in all honesty, I just wanted the time to be alone.
As soon as I put the dress on, the pressure would be on too.
“Need a hand?” Hallie asked when she saw me eyeing the gown that was hanging after being steamed to perfection. There was no way I could do all those buttons myself.
“Please.” I shimmied into the dress, then stood stock-still as she painstakingly buttoned me up. “You have the patience of a saint,” I said as I peered over my shoulder.
She chuckled. “It comes with being a parent and running this place.”
“I don’t suppose ‘impromptu wedding planner’ was on the job listing when you applied.”
She laughed harder. “Heavens no. But you know me—I just go with the flow.”
There was another knock at the door as Hallie finished the last button. “Come in,” I hollered as I wiggled the top of the dress to make it fit just right.
I looked up and found Hayes, dressed in his dark suit, standing in the doorway. His eyes went wide as he took me in.
Neither of us spoke; we both simply stared at each other.
Frankly, I wasn’t sure if either of us was breathing.
Hayes looked absolutely dashing—like a fairy-tale prince.
He stood tall and held himself with a calm confidence.
His hair was neatly styled, pushed back and to the side.
His suit was fitted in the most flawless way.
It definitely wasn’t off-the-rack. Everything about him was sharp—his jaw, the set of his mouth, the cut of his shoulders and hips.
But the tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Well,” Hallie said, breaking the silence. “I’ll come get y’all when it’s time.”
“Thanks, Hal,” I said, not taking my eyes off Hayes.
Hallie pulled the door shut behind her, giving us privacy.
“Hi,” I croaked as my heart did a somersault.
Hayes let out a single slow breath. “Hey.” He blinked but never took his eyes off me. “Wow…you look…” Another exhale. “Wow. Uh—”
“Thank you,” I said as I let out my own nervous breath. “So…we’re really doing this, huh?”
Something akin to pain flashed across his face. But as soon as it came, it was gone.
Is Hayes getting cold feet?
“It’s not too late to back out,” he said.
“In for a penny, in for a pound.” I studied the impeccably tailored black suit he was in. “You clean up nice.”
Hayes moved swiftly to close the distance between us. One step, then two. “You look beautiful, Catherine,” he said as he reached out and tucked one of the face-framing curls behind my ear. The rest had been pulled back in a smooth chignon, per Savannah’s instructions.
Heat flooded my neck and chest as he tenderly cupped my cheek. “Thank you.”
His mouth turned down. “Where’s your ring?”
“I’m wearing gloves,” I said, just a little bashfully. “I’ll wear it over top of them.”
Hayes’s hand fell away from my face. His fingers slid between mine, gently grazing the spot where the engagement ring usually was.
“You know, sometimes I wish I could have reconnected with you outside of this, but I’d probably screw it up.
So maybe us finding each other again this way is for the best.”
“Hayes…” I said softly as concern swelled inside me. The previous engagement he mentioned—the one that had gotten us into this mess—had done a real number on him.
Regret marred him like a brand. “You’re the…
” He took a steadying breath. “You’re the kind of woman I’d want to marry.
You know—in the ‘till death do us part’ sense.
But if this is how I get you, then I think that makes me pretty damn lucky.
I can’t thank you enough for saying yes and doing this for me. ”
I squeezed his hand. “I could say the same about you.”
“Do you have a few minutes to talk?” he asked. “Or do I need to leave you to finish getting ready?”
“I can talk,” I said as I motioned to the small sitting area.
The two of us cozied up on a tufted love seat. I adjusted the train of my dress as Hayes reached inside his suit jacket and produced a set of papers.
“What’s this?” I asked as he handed them over.
“That’s the deed to your land.”
My eyes widened as I unfolded the pages. I barely made it through the beginning before tears welled in my eyes.
“Hey,” he said softly, cupping my cheeks. “Don’t cry. You put all that time into your makeup, and it looks great. Don’t ruin it.”
I laughed as I dabbed at the tears to keep them from staining my cheeks. “Thank you. But this—you’re giving me ten acres? That’s way too much.”
Hayes draped one arm across the back of the love seat and thumbed through the pages with his other hand, pulling out a map from the back of the stack.
He pointed to the partitioned section close to the gates.
“I think you might need more eventually. This spot gives you the most flexibility. There’s an old cabin that used to be used for storage.
Now it’s just filled with junk. It’ll need some work, but it’s already hooked up to water and electric.
I think you could make it a potting shed or some kind of indoor space for teaching.
You’ll need land if you’re going to do a garden.
More if you’re going to have livestock. Ten acres gives you growing room.
And if you need more in the future, there’s room to expand. ”
I looked up from the pages. “You think I’ll need room to expand?”
“I think the valley isn’t big enough for you, Cath. Ten acres is barely enough for your fingerprints.”
We could worry about the legalities tomorrow. I dropped the papers into my lap and wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He cradled me in his arms like I was something to be treasured, not something to be hoarded or put on display. Something truly valued.
“One more thing.”
I sat up and angled myself toward him, careful not to crease my dress.
Hayes took my hands in his. “I came in here to give you the deed, but there’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
He took a deep breath. Hayes was usually locked in and composed. Now he looked more vulnerable than I had ever seen him.
“In a little bit, we’re going to say some vows that neither of us really mean.
” The gentle back and forth as he rubbed his thumbs across the tops of my hands was soothing.
“I want you to know that, even though I can’t promise you love and eternity, I promise that I do care about you.
I promise that your fears are safe with me.
That you’re safe with me.” Sadness laced his smile.
“We may not be soulmates, but I promise to be your partner for as long as we’re tethered to each other.
And I promise that I want the best for you. ”
My heart ached as each kind word and vow rolled off his tongue. Hayes was steady and calm. That kind of outlaw peace was rare.
“Thank you,” I croaked as I blinked back tears. “I can’t say this was part of my plan for the year…”
“But?”
I twined our fingers together. “But I wouldn’t do it with anyone else. And if it had to be anyone, I’m glad it was you.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he pressed a kiss to my temple, then the top of my head.
He reached for the tray that was on the coffee table in front of us and picked up the white opera gloves that matched my dress.
He opened them—one, then the other—and helped me wiggle my hands into each glove.