SUNNY FINALLY GAVE up trying to talk sense into Maya. Even though her best friend was in on the truth of her upcoming marriage to Dean, for some reason Maya had insisted on Sunny having a “proper wedding.” And thus why Sunny was not only now the owner of a white eyelet dress and would be wearing a crown of daisies on the big day, but half the town had been invited to the outdoor ceremony.
Resigned to letting Maya have her way, Sunny sat on the porch alternating between watching the twins stack blocks then knock them over to uproarious laughter and Maya directing where all the white folding chairs should be placed. Sunny shook her head. She still couldn’t believe that her dad had agreed to pay for not only all the hasty wedding preparations but also a big reception with a live band afterward. He hadn’t put up any fuss at all, which made her wonder if he’d broken his former personality along with his leg.
Sunny looked down when Lily crawled into her lap and held up a red plastic block, a drooling grin on her sweet little face. She wiped Lily’s face then tickled her tummy.
“I think you, your brother and I are the only sane people left around here.”
“I heard that,” Maya said as she approached.
“It’s the truth.” Sunny motioned toward where the crew was now assembling a white metal arch where she and Dean would exchange vows the next day. “This is excessive.”
“What? It’s totally appropriate for a wedding.”
Sunny clenched her jaws for a moment before responding.
“Maybe if it was a real wedding,” she said.
Thankfully Dean had taken her dad into town for a checkup on how his leg was healing, and the twins were too young to understand what she was saying.
“It is a real wedding. Sure, unconventional and with you both already agreed it’ll end at some point, but you bring a minister and a marriage license into the picture and it’s real.”
“Imagine, a journalist fixating on semantics.”
Maya had the temerity to offer a wide, proud-of-herself smile.
“This will just make everything more difficult to end when the time comes.”
“Or maybe it doesn’t have to end at all.”
Sunny stared at Maya, wondering what had possessed the woman who usually displayed good sense.
“What are you even talking about?”
“Listen, it’s not that crazy if you think about it. You and Dean are already good friends, your dad and the twins like him, he’s good-looking.”
All of which was true, but it didn’t mean she and Dean were destined to be a real couple.
“You’re forgetting why I’m doing this in the first place.”
“To have your family together and so Dean can own the ranch. Pretty sure that would be easier if you stay married and live here.”
“Except that my job is in California.”
“You said yourself that you’ve been working remotely lately.”
“In a limited way. I can’t attend in-person strategy sessions—”
“Teleconferencing is a thing now.”
“And I travel all the time.”
“Wyoming has airports.”
Sunny sighed. “Why are you pushing this?”
“I like having you here, and I really do think you and Dean make a cute couple.”
“Fake couple. He has said nothing to indicate he thinks of me in any way other than friendship.”
“Maybe not with words.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just don’t be so quick to overlook a good thing when it’s right under your nose.”
“I feel like I don’t know you anymore.”
“But I know you better than you know yourself.”
Sunny had no idea how to respond, and it ended up not mattering since Dean drove up then with her dad. Since it was nap time for the twins anyway, the next few minutes were spent getting them freshly diapered and settled in bed while Dean made sure her dad made it into the house in one piece. Maya had gone back to her wedding coordinator duties, no doubt with crazy matchmaker thoughts in her head.
By the time Sunny exited the nursery, her dad was alone in the living room rifling through the most recent mail delivery.
“Amazingly it’s all mine today,” he said.
She glanced toward the window but saw that Dean’s truck was already gone.
“I told him to scoot,” her dad said. “He shouldn’t see you again until the wedding.”
Sunny barely resisted rolling her eyes. But she couldn’t hold back her curiosity anymore.
“You seem remarkably okay with this wedding.”
“Why shouldn’t I be? Dean isn’t forcing you to get married, is he?”
“Well, no.”
“Then what’s not to like? I can’t think of a man I’d rather see my only daughter marry.”
She should put a stop to this before there was no turning back.
“This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”
And with that one sentence, her father sealed her lips. She also realized that she may have walked herself into a situation that she couldn’t walk out of as easily as she’d imagined.
DEAN HAD BARELY stepped inside his house when his phone rang. When he saw it was Sunny, he knew showering off his afternoon of dirty work on the irrigation system would have to wait.
“Hey, you’re not getting cold feet, are you?” he teased when he connected the call.
“I called to give you one more chance to back out of this.”
He heard tension and worry in her voice. Something had happened.
“What’s wrong?”
“Doesn’t it feel like this all has gotten way bigger and more out of control than we planned?”
“I don’t think there’s a normal blueprint for this.”
“Still, I thought we’d just go see the judge or have a simple family-only ceremony. Now it feels like no one is going to be in town tomorrow because they’ll all be here.”
He didn’t respond because her silence felt more like a pause than simply an end to what she had to say. His gut was telling him something else had prompted her concern.
“And Dad had to go and say this is the happiest he’s been in a long time, and now I feel like the worst daughter on the planet.”
He sank onto one of the wooden chairs that had been in his kitchen his entire life.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. One minute I think I should confess everything and the next I can’t bear to break Dad’s heart like this. But I doubt it will be any easier later.” She sighed and he imagined her rubbing her hand back through her hair like she did when she was frustrated. “Breaking up later might be easier, at least from the standpoint of not embarrassing in addition to upsetting him. And he might not forgive me if I admit everything now when the whole darn town has been invited for a wedding tomorrow.”
“Hey,” he said, interrupting before her worry train kept on rolling, gaining speed. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll make this work.”
“Huh?” She sounded startled by his response for some reason.
“Maybe we’ll have to stay married longer than you’d planned, but you can work remotely some, fly back to California or wherever when you need to. I’ll make sure that your dad and the twins are checked on frequently when you’re not here.”
“You’d be willing to do that?”
“Why not? It’s not like we ever settled on a time frame anyway.”
“That’s true. Still, dragging it out—”
“Sunny, stop worrying. Instead, try to enjoy tomorrow. You’ll get to see lots of people you know, eat some good food, have a party. And you’ll witness the appearance of a rare species—me in a suit.”
She laughed. “Well, since you put it that way, how can I resist?”
Glad that he’d apparently helped her past her attack of conscience mixed with a generous dose of freak-out, he made his way to the shower after she said good-night. As he stood under the hot water, however, it was his turn to have his thoughts attack him.
When this whole charade was over, how were his neighbors going to look at him? If Jonathon didn’t agree to leave and still held title to the ranch, Dean wasn’t sure any of those people would even be his neighbors anymore. Because Jonathon would probably fire him for breaking his baby girl’s heart even if Sunny told her father the breakup was her fault.
The truth was Dean would take the heat so that Sunny could have her family together and be happy. If that made him pitiful, so be it. He preferred to think that he was the kind of person who cared about others’ happiness. He knew mental health experts would tell him that his happiness mattered as well, and he didn’t disagree. But if his happiness came at the cost of someone else’s, someone he cared about, then he wasn’t willing to pay that price.
After he ate some leftovers, he attempted to watch TV but couldn’t find anything remotely interesting. Considering he had a busy day beginning in a few hours, he gave up and went to bed. As he stretched out, it really hit him that tonight was the last night he’d be spending in this house alone—at least until Sunny got what she wanted and left for California. But she would not be sharing his bed.
Instead, she’d be in the master bedroom his parents had once used and which he’d taken over when they moved to town. The larger room made sense for her to use since she’d be putting a crib for the twins in there too. Though there was no firm plan regarding Lily and Liam, they were likely to be doing some back and forth between the two houses on the ranch. He didn’t mind sharing his space with the kids because they were cute and sweet, even if they weren’t self-sufficient. They’d also be a buffer between him and Sunny when they were together in this small space. She wouldn’t need it but he was afraid he might be a different story, that temptation might overrule his common sense and his platonic agreement with Sunny. Not that they’d even discussed that there would be no physical relationship between them. Rather, it was simply understood.
Even so, he didn’t think it was possible to prevent his mind from wandering in that direction. But he couldn’t act on his imaginings. He’d have to hope that no one noticed that his and Sunny’s public displays of affection never went further than holding hands.
“WILL YOU STOP FIDGETING?” Maya swatted at Sunny’s hand that had been reaching up to readjust the crown of daisies atop her head. “I feel like you’re going to grab one of those daisies and start picking off petals while saying, He loves me, he loves me not.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, and stop making this marriage something it’s not.” Sunny kept her voice quiet so no one outside her bedroom would be able to hear and spread gossip to the rather large assemblage of people outside.
“You haven’t seen Dean yet. I predict you’ll fall in love before you get halfway down the aisle.”
“As soon as this wedding is over, I’m disowning you and advertising for a new best friend.”
Maya laughed, knowing very well that Sunny would do no such thing.
Sunny took one more look at herself in the full-length mirror, wondering if the last time she’d used it this much was before her senior prom. She had to admit that the dress Maya had helped her pick out was pretty. It was a shame it wasn’t being used for a real wedding. She felt as if she was doing the dress a disservice.
“Okay, time to get this party underway,” Maya said, then gave Sunny a toodle-oo wave before exiting the room to attend to her wedding coordinator tasks.
Since her dad was on crutches, they’d decided to forego him walking her down the aisle. He hadn’t been one bit happy about it, but she’d convinced him it was the thought that counted and she’d rather not have to worry about him taking a tumble on uneven ground on her wedding day. He’d relented but only with the promise that he still got a father-of-the-bride dance with her at the reception even if all he could do was sway in place.
She’d agreed and kissed him on the cheek, hoping that he’d forgive her one day if he ever found out about all the lies he was taking part in during this wedding. Forgive her for making Dean a son-in-law he liked and then taking him away.
No, she couldn’t think about the end of things today, not when she was supposed to appear happy about beginnings. Fortifying herself with a deep breath, she grabbed the bouquet of daisies and followed in Maya’s wake.
When she reached the front door, Maya motioned for her to pause then signaled the cello player who’d driven all the way from Casper to play Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus.” As the first notes of the song filled the air, Sunny’s stomach tightened. She was really doing this.
“Breathe,” Maya said, drawing Sunny’s gaze to hers. “You look beautiful, Dean looks incredibly handsome, the weather is perfect. Seems like the stars are aligned perfectly.”
That would all be great if this was a real wedding, but she pushed that thought as far away as she could. As everyone kept telling her, she should stop fretting and enjoy the day. After all, it wasn’t as if she was being forced to marry an ogre.
Far from it. As she reached the back row of seated guests, she looked toward the now flower-covered arch and almost gasped. Maya hadn’t been lying. Dean looked...gorgeous. How could someone she’d known her entire life, someone with whom she’d spent time every day since she’d been back on the ranch, suddenly look so different?
She barely kept herself from shaking her head to dislodge the thought she shouldn’t be having as she was minutes away from making legal a fake marriage. Suddenly finding her new husband attractive would make this situation even more awkward than it was already.
She told herself she was simply getting caught up in the wedding hoopla, letting Maya’s teasing take root where it shouldn’t. Still, she found herself smiling as she approached Dean, and when he smiled back her heart gave an extra hard thud against her ribs.
A fleeting desire to turn and run before she cemented the biggest mistake of her life evaporated when Dean reached out and took her hand in his. She was thankful to be able to turn to face Reverend Reynolds before Dean saw how shaky her smile was becoming.
As the minister said the appropriate words and she and Dean exchanged vows, she slowly managed to get her racing heartbeat under control. Once this ceremony and the reception were over, she’d be able to relax. She and Dean could kick back and laugh about how they’d gotten more than they bargained for with their wedding.
“By the power vested in me by God and the state of Wyoming, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Reverend Reynolds gave Dean a knowing grin before saying, “You may now kiss the bride.”
She’d prepared herself for this, knowing that all their efforts would likely be for naught if they skipped at least a chaste kiss to seal the deal. She could manage a peck. Those in attendance would easily believe Dean was too shy or easily embarrassed to really lay one on her, though her skin suddenly heated at that thought.
Sunny smiled as she turned to face him, and for a moment she thought she saw something powerful and real in Dean’s gaze. But then he smiled and she realized she must have imagined it. As he lifted his hand and slid it softly along her cheek to cup the back of her head, however, her heart started speeding up again. Then he was lowering his mouth toward hers and she fought an unexpected panic.
At first when his warm lips touched hers, it was the light touch for which she’d prepared herself. Thank goodness. As soon as that thought formed in her mind, however, the kiss turned surprisingly real. The thought that she should ease away appeared for no more than a second before she relaxed and kissed him back.
It’s an act. We’re selling this to all these onlookers.
Plus Dean looks so handsome.
Why is he such a good kisser?
That thought startled her sufficiently that she uttered a small gasp. Dean’s mouth lifted from hers in the moment she heard giggles from the crowd. Evidently her gasp had been more audible than she’d hoped. Even Reverend Reynolds chuckled.
As if he knew she was embarrassed, Dean eased her forehead to his chest and rested his warm, strong hand against her back for a few seconds.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I present Mr. and Mrs. Dean Wheeler.”
Mrs.—
Why didn’t Reverend Reynolds get the message that she wasn’t changing her name? She could pass it off as being a modern, independent businesswoman, but in reality it made no sense to go through the trouble of changing her name only to have to change it back once a sufficient amount of time had passed and they divorced amicably. Whatever “sufficient amount of time” meant. Neither she nor Dean had been able to guess the answer to that. It all depended on her dad and how quickly she thought he’d move with her when she announced she and Dean were calling it quits.
When she and Dean turned to face their guests, her attention went straight toward her father. Guilt slammed into her when she saw how he was beaming with the biggest smile she’d seen on his face since the day the twins were born. And as if they were feeding off their grandfather’s happiness, the twins were grinning and kicking their little feet where they sat in their double stroller.
How was she going to take them, all three of them, away from Dean?
No, this was supposed to be a happy day, she a bride in love. She glanced up at Dean, smiled again, and squeezed his hand where their fingers were entwined. As they made their way down the aisle, they were showered with rose petals. Maya really had done a great job making this fake wedding seem beautifully romantic.
By the time they had greeted most of the guests, Sunny’s facial muscles ached from smiling so much. Dean placed his hand at the small of her back as if it was as natural as the sunrise and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded and looked up at him so that she couldn’t feel his breath on her ear and neck anymore. Why her hormones were suddenly losing their collective mind, she had no idea. She needed to get through all these romantic traditions of the day so she could collect her sanity from whatever corners to which it had scattered to hide.
“I feel like every time we turn away the number of guests multiplies.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot. But in a few hours, this will all be over and things can go back to normal.”
She laughed at that. “You have a funny definition of normal, Dean Wheeler.”
“Good point.” His crooked grin didn’t help settle the jittery feeling that had taken up residence all throughout her body.
But a foolproof cure for that strolled up next. Even if it was fake, Sunny hated that Olivia Redmond had shown up at her wedding. She figured Maya hadn’t been able to exclude her from the guest list without doing the same for her parents, and one did not want to offend the owners of the only bank in the county. But did the woman have to show up dressed as if she owned half of Wyoming and was here to snatch away the groom for herself?
Sunny wondered if she’d telegraphed her thoughts because Dean’s hand on her back slipped around her waist a moment before he pulled her close to his side.
“Congratulations,” Olivia said, sounding about as genuine as a fox telling a hen he wanted to be friends. She glanced at Sunny. “Cute dress. I almost bought that but in a more flattering color.”
Olivia shifted her gaze to Dean and, in all honesty, she was about to place her palm on his chest before Dean made a smooth move to stand behind Sunny, wrapping his arms around her waist. Olivia didn’t look happy, but she got the message—at least for the moment anyway. When she moved to join her parents at the table they were sharing with another family, Sunny slowly looked back over her shoulder.
“Did you just hide behind me?”
“Um, yes?”
The sheepish look on his face caused her to laugh, and she relaxed more than she’d been all day. Dean moved back to her side, but he held her hand as if he was afraid Olivia would pounce if he didn’t maintain some type of contact with Sunny.
“So, is it wrong to smack a guest at your wedding?” she asked. “I’m asking for a friend, and that friend is me.”
“It seems bad form,” he said. “But if she were to accidentally trip and fall face-first into the wedding cake, who are we to argue with karma?”
“Oh no. Her face better not get anywhere near that cake. Trudy made it and I’ve been dreaming about biting into it all day.”
In between greeting the straggling guests, she and Dean joked with each other the way they normally did. It was almost enough to make her forget the way he’d kissed her. Almost, but not quite. She hoped she could finish forgetting before she had to sleep at his house tonight.