Prologue

Alexandra Cayne smoothed the long white tulle and organza skirt of her sleeveless wedding gown. This is it. In a half hour, she was getting married. No pretend vows like when she was younger and said “I do” to a picture of one of her favorite celebrity crushes—Usher or Mario Lopez. A stuffed animal wasn’t at the altar filling in for the ordained minister, and bridesmaid Barbie was nowhere in sight. Just her two best friends.

Natalie, her matron of honor, tucked a wayward strand of Alexa’s black hair into her elaborate updo. “You can’t get any better than this.” A halter-style, peach chiffon dress brought a warm glow to Nat’s brown complexion and complemented her curves. “You’re beautiful.”

“She’s right. You’re stunning.” Corinne, her other maid of honor, dressed similarly to Nat, fussed over Alexa’s chapel-length train. She’d toned down her short, coiled hair from blue to platinum for the occasion. “It seems like you just got engaged.”

“And now the day is here.” Butterflies kicked up in Alexa’s stomach. Time had zipped by as if it had been only a few months instead of a year.

Her mom and Brad’s had gone straight into overdrive once they’d taken over planning the wedding. The two women had obsessed over every tiny detail, from the right shade of blue for her lace garter to the length of the flower stems in the arrangements. They’d even updated the decor in the room at the church where she now dressed to include a sumptuous rose-colored sofa, Queen Anne mirror, and glass-topped furnishings. The ceremony and reception were bound to be just as perfect.

Alexa smoothed the lace bodice of the dress. The tiny hand-sewn pearls and crystals attached to it winked in the sunlight streaming through the window. She really did look like a fairy-tale princess. Still, despite all the careful planning, worry about the wedding plagued her. It was as if she were staring at a crooked picture on a wall, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t level it out.

The anxiety Alexa had fought for weeks welled inside of her. She adjusted the pearl choker that had suddenly grown too tight. Something old. The restrung necklace, a gift from her parents, had belonged to her deceased paternal grandmother. Her dress was new. She wore something blue. But what had been loaned to her for the occasion? Old, new, borrowed, blue. Wasn’t it bad luck to screw up tradition? She struggled to breathe.

Cori grabbed her hand. “Are you okay? Do you need water? Are you too warm? I can open a window. Did you eat today? Do you want a sandwich? I can make a run to that place around the block.”

“Seriously? A sandwich?” Nat’s expression grew exasperated. Dark auburn curls brushed her shoulder as she shook her head. “Could you please dial it down from hyper to near normal, at least until the reception?”

“But she could pass out.”

“I’m good.” Alexa forced a laugh and waved away their concerns. If only she could wave away her own as easily.

Her mom took tradition just as seriously as keeping up appearances. The borrowed part had to be covered. With all the details her mom, her soon-to-be mother-in-law, and the wedding planner had thrown at her about the ceremony and reception, she just couldn’t remember which item fit the criteria.

Alexa pressed her palms to her waist and took a deep breath. “Pour the champagne.”

“Okay, but we can’t drink too much.” Cori grabbed a bottle from a silver bucket on the side table and filled the three flutes sitting beside it. “Champagne plus you two equals trouble. She grinned. “I’m still surprised we didn’t get tossed out of Club Escapade last month during the Hot Body Hunks’ performance.”

Nat picked up two glasses and huffed a laugh. “Drooling over gorgeous male strippers is what you’re supposed to do at a male revue show, right Alexa?”

“Sure.” Alexa nodded, accepting the champagne.

They’d made so much noise the night of her bachelorette celebration, the performers had singled them out for a game on stage. Musical Hotties. It was similar to musical chairs, but when the song stopped, the goal was to end up on the lap of a Hot Body Hunk. She’d landed on the dark-haired performer with the heart-stopping green eyes several times. What was his name? Raphael the Dream Maker. Her prize for winning was a special lap dance, courtesy of him. At the end, he’d placed his cowboy hat on her head and kissed her.

Alexa’s lips tingled in remembrance. Wait! What was wrong with her? Thinking about a random guy on her wedding day? Heat warmed her face. She was marrying Bradley Holloway. They’d build their lives—as well as the company their fathers owned, NorthStar Transportation Solutions—together.

Nat held up her flute. “What should we drink to?”

Alexa held up hers. “Friendship.”

As an only child, Nat and Cori were the closest thing Alexa had to sisters. They’d cheered her on as she’d earned the carrier relations director position at NorthStar, allayed her doubts about dating Brad even though he was the son of her father’s silent business partner as well as her coworker, and they’d all climbed aboard the same dating roller coaster to find love at the end of the ride. Cori lived with her soul mate. Nat was married to the man of her dreams. And today, Alexa would tie the knot too.

“Everything is changing so much between us.” Tears pricked in Alexa’s eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you two.”

“We’re here for you.” Cori wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. “We’ll still meet for lunch, spa days, and girls’ nights.”

Nat bumped Alexa’s hip. “Translation. You can’t kick us to the curb that easily. Come on. Let’s make this toast before Momzillas One and Two hunt us down.” She lifted her flute. “Here’s to love.”

They clinked glasses, and Alexa took a sip of champagne. It was time to do this.

Suddenly, her mother barged through the closed door. The skirt of her pink dress fluttered around her legs, and her dark hair, which had been perfectly styled earlier, hung askew.

“Mom.” Alexa hurried over to her, Cori in tow. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Dad?”

Her mother held up a crumpled blue paper in a death grip. “It’s Brad.”