"Wyatt." Sandy held her breath as he came up the steps and joined her. As she looked at his muscles, everywhere, and a longing for a kiss hit her hard. The boy she knew was no more. He was all hard muscles now, but underneath that gorgeous physique, the heart of the boy she remembered still beat. She glanced at her feet as she felt her face heat.
Wyatt reached out and touched the small of her back. "Let's go talk to the captain. At the reception, will you dance with me?"
"Yes," she answered, but she didn't move. Wyatt's gaze met hers, and his lips parted. She closed her eyes and stood on her toes. Then, for the briefest moment, the rest of the world disappeared. Wyatt wrapped his hands around her waist and his lips met hers.
The rhythm of the ship brought them closer together for a second, but then jarred her into the present. As he took his hands off her hips, she adjusted her dress. Once they were both good, Wyatt opened the door and led her inside.
They used the wedding as an excuse to quickly speak to the captain, and they were led to his chambers. Once there, the captain was adjusting the buttons on his white jacket. Wyatt held out his hand to shake. "Captain."
"Who are you two?" the captain asked.
Wyatt stood taller, put his hands behind his back like he was still in the Marines, and said, "You are about to marry my sister and her husband in a few minutes."
The captain did up his top button. "Yes, I'll be down in ten minutes, when it starts."
Sandy pressed her hand on Wyatt's forearm and stepped forward. "You were speaking with the mother of the groom earlier. She will do anything to stop this wedding, but she doesn't realize that Penny and Jay are already married. If she ruins the ceremony, she only embarrasses herself. Did she ask you to be a part of anything?"
The captain turned toward her and pressed his lips together. She assumed he had something to say. No one said anything until the captain crossed his arms and said, "Yeah. She said if someone comes and says, 'If anyone has just cause why the two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold your peace,' then I am to let them speak."
Wyatt said, "We have reason to believe that she hired an actress to claim that she is pregnant."
The captain's eyes widened. "What should I do, then? No one ever speaks at that moment."
Eva was Sandy's friend. There had to be a way to stop her. She placed her hand on Wyatt's abdomen to get him to turn toward her. "We'll handle the actress as much as possible, and the bride and groom are well aware of this plan. Please ensure the wedding ceremony is beautiful."
"Absolutely. I will do my part."
"Thank you so much for all your help." Sandy then moved her hand on Wyatt to his arm and directed them both to leave. "As the wedding planner, I will make sure things go smoothly as much as I can."
Without a word, Wyatt followed her cues and they left. Once the door to the captain's room closed behind them, she swallowed, stared into his warm, sexy eyes, and wished they were far away. Then the tension in her spine increased. "We have to warn Jay and Penny and find Eva."
"Let's tell them before the ceremony," Wyatt said.
He then took her hand in his as they walked down the small flight of stairs from the control room and headed toward the chapel. The warmth of the day still clung in the night air as they made their way across the deck. Wyatt's nearness made her ache in places she long thought dormant. No other boyfriend had ever made her feel like this. Once they made it to the chapel, he held open the door for her.
As she filed past the guests, she saw the side door to the bridal suite was open again. They must have returned there. Sandy and Wyatt turned in there and saw the couple as ship attendants ensured they looked good. Both the bride and the groom stopped and stared at them. Michael watched the door. He let them pass without a word. As they entered the room, Sandy glanced at Wyatt for a second and then said, "Jay. Penny. Kate paid Eva to say publicly she's having your child."
Jay took a deep breath as he took that in. He went to Penny, kissed her shoulder, and said, "Please make Eva a counteroffer to simply say congratulations. Tell her I'll double whatever my mother paid her. I'll foot the bill, whatever it is. I want my wife to have the perfect wedding, surrounded by friends."
Sandy glanced at her brother, who had once had a short fling with Eva. He didn't say a word. Good.
"Okay. We have a plan, then. Michael, watch the back door." She turned to Wyatt and felt her own stirring. She wished he wanted her half as much as Jay clearly wanted Penny. She kept that thought to herself. "You go to the front door. I'll ensure the wedding goes off without a hitch on the inside."
They walked to the door to leave, but Penny called behind them, "Wait. Wyatt's supposed to walk me down the aisle."
"Of course." Sandy turned and nodded. "He'll do his part, but if you don't mind, we'll have him and me walk off the aisle and go to the back. Michael will guard the back door, as we said. We'll be discreet, and all eyes will be on you."
"Sounds great. Thanks, Sandy." Penny had her hand on her heart and a smile on her lips.
If only this was done. Doubling the price that Kate offered would be an obscene amount of money, but first Sandy had to offer it. "Don't thank me yet. We have to find Eva."
Penny looped her arm through her brother's. "You will. Now let's go take our places."
Jay and Michael both slipped out the door. A second later, the music started, indicating the men were taking their places. Penny held her brother close. "Do you think Eva wants to ruin our wedding?"
Wyatt stared at her. Sandy answered, "I think Eva's desperate for money, and the price must have been pretty good for her to agree."
Penny shook her head. "I don't understand, though. Just recently, Jay gave her play two million dollars."
Unlike Michael or Sandy, Jay went against his parents in business and made way more money than any of them, without doing one illegal thing. Sandy's father cut corners with his inheritance when he made deals with the late Mitch Morgan. Unlike her, Penny wasn't born into more money than she could ever use. She took Penny's hand and said, "Which went to her play and the production, and Jay earned the money back in a charity donation. Eva didn't get that money for herself."
Penny lifted her shoulders. "Well, I hope you find her. I don't want my wedding ruined."
"We're on it," Wyatt said as the music started for the procession.
At the door, Sandy took her brother's arm and floated down the aisle. Her cousin seemed so excited, and his eyes grew larger, even though he'd already seen Penny minutes ago. Sandy held her flower bouquet close to her chest as her gaze landed on Wyatt. He smiled at her, and her heart felt like it floated in her chest.
Once Penny took Jay's hand, Wyatt kissed his sister's cheek and gave her away. Then she motioned for Michael. As Wyatt stepped away from the bride, they also walked off the altar. A few seconds later, Sandy stood at the back door. Wyatt joined her and took her hand. "This is going smoothly."
The "I dos" finished, and the captain glanced back at the pair of them. She held her breath as Wyatt said, "Here it comes."
The captain said, "If anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace…"
The door flung open and Eva walked in. "I do—"
Wyatt said in his military tone, "Stop."
Sandy leaned over and asked her friend in her ear, "How much did Kate pay you?"
"One million dollars," Eva whispered so no one else heard.
Sandy then said, louder than she meant to, "That's a lot."
Her face flushed as she realized people stared at them. Eva whispered, "I kept saying no, but that money will buy me a new life."
Sandy took her hand and then said in Eva's ear as quietly as possible, "Jay will double it if you don't ruin his wedding."
A huge sigh of relief escaped Eva. "Sorry! I thought the ceremony was over already. Please, go on."
The captain nodded as Eva slipped out the door again. Wyatt retook Sandy's hand. The captain said, "Now, by the power vested in me, it is my honor and delight to declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Jay cupped Penny's chin and then wrapped his arms around her for the kiss.
Sandy turned and stared at Wyatt. "We did it."
He held her hand close to his heart. "Good, because I want to be alone with you again. There is something I want to say to you, Sandy."
"Lead the way." There was no time to waste. She'd already lost years, and this time, she'd ensure no one interrupted her happy-ever-after.