FIFTEEN MINUTES UNTIL she saw him.
As Laina hurriedly left her cottage to go and join Kiki and Nicola in the main house, she tried to tame the uncontrolled drumming of her heartbeat. The thought of standing up there for the entire ceremony, knowing his eyes were on her...would she even be able to handle it?
Yes. She would. She’d made up her mind—she was going to talk to him at the reception. Even if it achieved nothing, she had to know she’d tried her very best. Nicola was right, she realized; she needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Someone like James was too amazing to just let go of without a fight, and she would even walk straight into conflict to do it.
But that didn’t change the fact that right now she was a mess. Sure, her hair had been smoothed into a jewel-adorned updo, her makeup had been done by one of New York’s makeup artists to the stars, flown in especially for the occasion, and her show-stopping dress had been accessorized with a real diamond choker gifted to her by Kiki this morning. But she could feel sweat beading on her upper lip, and her whole body felt woozy. Her normally organized brain suffered from distraction and lack of sleep, sending her back to her cottage three times to pick up things she’d forgotten—her evening bag, her heels, the high school ring she’d meant to slip over a flower stem on Kiki’s bouquet for her “something borrowed.” She’d finally remembered to grab her cell phone this time, and saw that she had two missed calls from her mother—not that she could do anything about that right now.
As she made her way along the pool, she could see that most of the ceremony viewing seats were already filled. Her heart gave a lift as she saw everyone decked out in their best outfits, all here to celebrate her best friend. The mood was celebratory but also tense, just as it should be for a wedding this special. But was he here? Scanning the crowd quickly as she passed, she was relieved not to find him.
“Lains!”
No. Ward was the only person on earth who called her that, even though she’d asked him a hundred times not to when they’d been together. His voice had come from behind her, so she hurried on without turning around. Surely he would get the hint and leave her alone.
“Lains. Hello!” he said into her face. He’d rushed past her to get in front of her, his breath slightly boozy from the empty glass of champagne he held in his hand.
She couldn’t even look at him. “What is it, Ward?” she said to the palm tree over his shoulder. “As you might imagine, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“And looking white-hot while you’re at it, I might add,” he said. It was impossible to believe that she’d once found that shit-eating grin charming.
She glanced pointedly at her watch.
“Hey, I can take a hint. I just wanted to be the bearer of good news, that’s all.”
Laina looked skyward. “Okay, fine. I’ll bite. What good news?”
“Just that I know how paranoid you are about evil men going after you for your money.” A waiter passed by, and he grabbed another glass of champagne off the tray. Judging from his slurred voice, Laina guessed it was probably his third or fourth. Same old Ward, she thought—the wannabe rich guy who never missed a freebie. “So I took care of your date for you. What was his name again? It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry, I don’t expect a thank-you. Consider it atonement for my little...indiscretion.”
Laina kept her face neutral. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Ward took a swig from his glass and shrugged. “You don’t need to worry about him anymore. Of course I hated to rain on his parade right before such a joyous occasion, but when he came up to me and asked if I might try to convince you to sell Hibiscus Heights...well, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I made sure he understood you have no pull in your family’s estate. The look on his face...well, let’s just say shock would be an understatement.”
Laina felt a muscle in her cheek twitch. Ward may be a pretentious self-centered prick, but how else would he know James wanted to buy her family’s property if he hadn’t told him so himself?
She felt like she was going to be sick. To think she’d been planning to give him another chance, when meanwhile he’d been appealing to her ex to collude with him? How low could he possibly go?
Turning away with tears in her eyes, she walked to the main house as fast as her heels would allow.
If James had disliked weddings before he met Laina, the feeling was intensified a hundredfold as he sat in his aisle seat fiddling with his program. A classical trio was playing fun takes on old rock songs and the atmosphere around him was festive, but it couldn’t tame the sick thud in his gut. Any moment now Laina was going to be right in front of him, a full display of everything he’d had and lost. It was going to be his worst nightmare.
But he would turn it around—he had to.
The music changed to a classical rendition of “Here Comes the Sun,” and a hush fell over the crowd. He had to admire his cousin’s creativity and irreverence. Turning with the rest of the guests, James saw Nicola walking slowly down the aisle toward him, followed by Laina.
How does she do that? James wondered as he watched her walk right past him, almost close enough to touch. Her face looked as peaceful and happy as it was supposed to on a day like this. Didn’t she feel anything? Wasn’t she upset at all by what had happened between them last night? Was she really able to move on so quickly?
It didn’t matter, because it didn’t change how James felt about her one bit. Just as he’d known she would, she looked like a goddess. Her body-skimming silver dress, which reached to her ankles, fell open from spaghetti straps into a draped neckline. A diamond necklace, resting at the hollow of her throat, glittered as it caught the sun. Her hair and makeup made her look like she’d stepped from the cover of a magazine. And in her hands she held a loose bouquet of pink and white flowers. He wanted to try to catch her eye as she took her place under the archway, but the crowd was already standing up. James joined them and turned to look at his cousin.
Despite his foul mood, he couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. Kiki was truly a sight to behold. Her strawberry blond hair had been left down and swept to one side, and there was no old-fashioned veil for her—instead she wore a bejeweled headpiece of crystal and pearls that looked like it had been woven into her hair. A double strand of something glittery, probably diamonds, hung from her neck. Her dress was a simple scoop-neck sheath in blush-pink silk, sweeping down to a long train in the back. On her feet she wore crystal-studded high-heeled sandals to boost her petite frame, and in her hands she carried a bouquet made from a riot of black and white flowers.
He watched her take her place beside Dev, who was looking like he might actually bawl, and then he switched his gaze to Laina again. His breath caught in his throat as a strange sense of déjà vu swept over him.
She looked exactly like his vision from the dream he’d had when he first arrived on Moretta. It hadn’t been a doorway she’d been standing in, he realized now—it had been an archway. She and James had been standing side by side, and she had been wearing a long, pale dress.
The party that had been going on around them had been their own wedding.
To laugh with and cry with. To dream together and parent their children together. Kiki and Dev had written their own vows, and the words were still ringing in Laina’s ears three hours after they’d exchanged them. The ceremony had been perfect—short, heartfelt and humorous in all the right places. Just the kind of wedding she would love to have one day, if she could ever find a man she could trust.
James fucking Ellison. Laina had felt his eyes on the side of her face the entire time, but she’d refused to look at him. He may have played her for a fool once, but never again. She knew exactly what would happen if she allowed him to talk to her—he’d suck her in yet again, feeding her his lies and proclaiming his innocence when she’d been nothing but a means to an end for him the whole time. That was what infuriated Laina most of all—that she’d fallen for it. She knew she wasn’t the most experienced woman on earth when it came to navigating sex and relationships, but she’d truly thought she had better judgment than that.
It was enough to bring tears to her eyes as she walked toward the cake stand. But at least the formal part of the reception was almost over, and she’d miraculously been able to avoid him so far. Not that it had been easy. She’d busied herself with mingling among the guests during the cocktail hour, and then she’d spent the dinner chatting with her seat mates and listening to toasts. She’d even made a short one herself, which she thought she’d be nervous for, but it turned out that anger had a calming effect on her. Twice during dinner she’d seen James get up from the other side of the table to approach her, but she’d hurried off to the bathroom both times.
Now all that was left were the cake cutting and the dancing, which Laina already knew required no formality. At that point, with her bridesmaid duties over, she could easily go back to her cottage to sob her eyes out again.
Kiki and Dev were already standing before the waterfall with the cake knife in hand. Up close, the confection was even more stunning than it had been at a distance. Edible white flowers spiraled up the six tiers, and now Laina could see that a subtle music note pattern had been embossed on them.
“He wrote that song to win her back, you know.”
Laina spun around and came face-to-face with James. Her heart drummed in her chest. Damn it. She’d barely let her eyes flit his way all night, but despite everything, she couldn’t help her body’s magnetic pull toward him—still. He looked amazing in a lightweight grey suit that set off the green of his eyes. He was freshly shaven for the first time since the yacht party, making her want to feel that smooth cheek trailing down her belly.
But she had to hate him.
Laina took a step backward. Around her the crowd was cheering as Kiki shoved a piece of cake into Dev’s mouth. James moved closer to her to fill the gap. “Kiki told me the story,” he said. “He wrote it for her while they were broken up, and look at them now.” He gestured to the happy couple, who was now kissing to wild applause.
“That’s not the story I heard,” Laina retorted. “He wrote it before that while they were together. On the night he played it on the piano for her, he asked her to marry him.”
“Hmm. Funny how stories can get twisted when you don’t have all the facts.”
“Or how some people can change them after their lies have been uncovered,” Laina threw back.
“Laina—” James reached for her arm, but she pulled away. “I’m sorry,” he said, lifting his hands. “I just—I can’t believe how wrong this has all gone. Can we talk? Away from this noise, I mean?”
She lifted her chin, standing her ground. “Not a chance.”
“Okay. But you have to believe that I never knew who you were. I promise.” He looked at her pleadingly. “I did want something from you—I admit that. The pelicans. I wanted to build on their cliff, and I thought that with your influence we could convince the council to relocate them, and—”
“So you weren’t taking tourist pictures that first day,” she said flatly.
He shook his head guiltily. “No. I kept meaning to ask you, but then we got involved, and...” He trailed off. “But I didn’t ask you. I couldn’t—”
“Why? Because asking me two big favors might have looked suspicious so you chopped it down to one?”
“No! I already had a meeting set up with the Reinhards—I mean your parents—before I even came here. I’m supposed to meet with them in Atlanta on Tuesday.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, don’t you dare think of asking me to help you out on that one! Or calling me when you’re in town!”
“Of course I wouldn’t ask—”
“Besides, they’d never sell this place,” Laina cut in, though her voice quavered slightly with uncertainty. “And what you say proves absolutely nothing. I don’t fool myself about my name change—anyone with half a brain could figure out who I was in about ten minutes. You made the connection before you came to Moretta, and then you used me.” Her voice was rising as her anger built. She started stalking away from him to avoid a scene, but he hurried after her as she hammered her accusations home. “I bet you couldn’t believe your luck! What a bonus! Some naive chick you could use to your advantage and have fun with on the side!” She stopped at the edge of the pool deck to turn on him.
James was shaking his head rapidly. “No! That’s not at all what it was!” He threw his hands up. “And did it ever occur to you that I’m the one who should be upset here? We were a hot and heavy thing, Laina, and you didn’t think to tell me you were staying at the very estate the wedding was being held at? That your family owned?”
“Don’t you try to put this on me!” Her eyes flashed at him. “What about Jennifer? Who the hell is she? To think that I actually came to my senses about your playboy ways long enough to kick you to the curb, and you reeled me right back in! Or maybe I should be thanking you for that one—yes, lesson learned, so thank you very much!” She started marching away again.
“Laina, Jennifer is my business partner!”
“Is that right? So mixing business with pleasure is just par for the course? Does she know that?” A new thought nearly knocked her sideways. No condom. Damn. “Do I need to get tested for anything?” she asked in a terrified voice.
He squeezed his hands to his head. “No! God, Laina! What we did—don’t you know how much that meant to me? You were my only one.” His voice hitched with emotion.
Her stomach was roiling. He was saying all the right things, bringing her back to all their beautiful moments together.
But she couldn’t afford this. Her heart wouldn’t take any more heartbreak from him, and that was all she could see. “Why should I believe anything you say?”
James stopped in his tracks. They were far from the crowd now, close to her cottage, but there were still enough guests milling around that they were drawing attention. He lowered his voice. “Listen. I’m not going to lie, because guess what? I’m not a liar. I did sleep with Jennifer once—no, twice. But that was before I met you. I never led her on afterward. She was asking me if I was avoiding her because of the development. I wasn’t making any progress here, and she likes things to move fast. So I didn’t return her text. It wasn’t the man-up thing to do, but I was...distracted. By you.”
Shit, Laina thought, is he going to cry? He was good—but not good enough. “You mean by waiting for just the right moment to strike,” she said, clarifying. “Which would have been at the rehearsal dinner if I hadn’t finally clued in to what you were up to.”
He groaned. “God, Laina, no! Isn’t there anything I can do—”
“Do?” She glared at him in the fading light. In the background she could hear the band starting up their first set with “White Wedding.” She stepped closer to James so he could hear her. Her nostrils filled with the scent of his aftershave mixed with musky sweat, reminding her of their bodies moving together. She still wanted him as much as she had every single second since she’d met him; how was that even possible? “Sure, there’s something you can do. You can take me to my cottage right over there—” she gestured toward its darkened shape in the background “—and fuck me. See what it feels like to have sex with someone who cares nothing for you, just like you did to me. How about that?”
As James stared at her, she was still trying to get over what she’d just said. Was she actually serious? And what if he said yes?
But he dropped his chin into his chest and shook his head sadly. “Laina. If that ever happened between us again, I wouldn’t be fucking you. I’d be making mad love to you.”
Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and went back to the party, leaving her staring at his back with her mouth hanging open.