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Alexandra Lorraine couldn’t believe it. She had a fiancé, after ten years apart. Ten long, roller coaster years, she and Slater Heart were finally together.
Through the years they kept in touch. In the past year, they weathered the storm of a lifetime when they were the center of Hollywood’s biggest scandal. After their first official red carpet appearance together, the world’s biggest rock star proposed to America’s sweetheart. She said yes.
Her best friend and fellow actress, Mona Davis, had given her one day to enjoy this new event in her life. One day to spend in bed with Slater Heart. Then she was coming in, and the wedding plans were on. Especially since the wedding was to take place in two weeks.
Within an hour not only would Mona arrive, but so would her significant other, Heart & Soul guitarist Chris James. Included in the last-minute brunch would be Ben Anderson, manager of Heart & Soul, along with Annette McDonald, manager of both Mona Davis and Alexandra Lorraine.
Alex reached for a stack of plates in the cabinet. After setting them down on the counter, she raised her hand and took a minute to admire the shine on her left ring finger. “Oh, he did good,” she sighed. Her engagement ring had an emerald-cut stone, diamonds haloed the center stone and draped down the sides of the band. It was the perfect size, the perfect cut, and the perfect amount of sparkle.
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Slater stood in the kitchen entryway and watched Alex admire her ring. The smile on her face rivaled the radiance of the diamonds. He vowed right then and there that he would spend the rest of his life making sure she was this happy. He walked into the room and pulled her into his arms. “What are you smiling about, baby?” he asked as he kissed her softly.
“Mm,” Alex murmured against his mouth. Her arms slipped around his neck as she smiled into his eyes. “Just having a girlish moment of giddiness that I’m marrying Slater Heart.”
“Yeah? Slater Heart is pretty stoked that he’s marrying Alexandra Lorraine.”
Alex glanced over her shoulder when she heard the garage door open. “Shh,” she whispered. “That’s Kathleen. Let’s see if she notices the ring.” She nodded at Slater as he winked at her, agreeable to play along.
“Good morning!” Kathleen greeted them brightly as she breezed into the kitchen. Her arms were full of grocery bags. She thanked Slater when he helped her place the bags on the counter. “I stopped by the grocery store like you asked, Alexandra.”
“Thank you so much, Kathleen.” Alex peeked in the bags and saw that Kathleen had picked up everything on her list. Fresh fruit, fixings for French toast, pastries. She rubbed her stomach when she felt a small growl, she couldn’t wait to dig in.
Kathleen began to remove the items from the bag as she spoke. “Well, I can’t wait to hear what happened at the VMAs. The two of you are all over the place. The fact that you had your first official red carpet appearance is all the networks are talking about. Did you see that yesterday?”
“No,” Alex answered. “Slater and I didn’t turn the television on yesterday.”
“We were too busy naked in bed,” Slater chimed in.
Alex poured a cup of coffee and rolled her eyes as Kathleen continued.
“Along with the hype about the two of you, something must have happened at an after-party to Ashley Kohl... Sorry, Alex, I know you hate to talk about her. She’s being talked about because somehow she went into the restroom and came out soaking wet.”
Hot coffee scorched Alex’s throat as she choked on the first sip. Her shoulders shook with laughter as she coughed. “Oh, my God!”
Ashley Kohl, former Playboy model and former girlfriend of Slater Heart, was the person responsible for throwing Alex and Slater into the spotlight. Out of pure spite, she found and sold Slater’s journal to the National Enquirer. She also found erotic pictures of Alex and Slater together from ten years ago and sold those to Penthouse. Ashley did everything she could to stay in the public eye. She even went so far as to announce it to the press that she was marrying Slater, and she was pregnant with his baby. Alex refused to let her have any more attention at their expense. She had her lawyer send Ashley a cease and desist letter, or she would sue her for defamation of character, harassment, and any other legal term she could charge her with. Beyond that, Alex hadn’t planned on doing anything to Ashley. She figured Karma would take care of that, but when Mona saw an opening at the VMAs after-party, she nudged Alex in the direction of the ladies’ room. Alex found a moment to have the last word. Ashley was nasty and immature, so Alex simply pushed her into a utility closet in the bathroom and told her she needed a time out. Ashley became disoriented in the dark and somehow broke a water pipe, which caused her to drench herself. Alex didn’t believe in revenge. She didn’t like getting mean and nasty, but in her eyes, there wasn’t one redeeming quality in Ashley Kohl and the tacky bitch got what she deserved.
Kathleen looked between Alex and Slater as they began to laugh. “Something I should know about?”
Alex took a cleansing breath as her laughter calmed down. “I’ll fill you in while we make brunch.”
Kathleen rolled up her sleeves as she began to prep French toast. “Well, I think it’s great that everyone is coming over. I love to see Mona and Chris, and I can’t wait to hear her take on the evening. And it’s always good to see Ben and Annette.”
Alex shared a smile with Slater as she peeked at her ring again and wondered when Kathleen would notice. She picked up the remote control, turned on the small television in the kitchen, and tuned into E!. “Let’s see what they’re saying about us.” Sure enough, they were the top story. Again.
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“Everyone is still talking about the VMAs the other night! Heart & Soul took away the trophy for best video, not only featuring a duet with Mona Davis, but the steamy video featured Alexandra Lorraine.”
“And it is steamy!” The co-host chimed in. “Rumor has it, there might be a bit more than acting going on in the video, but that’s not the major news.”
“That’s right. Slater Heart and Alexandra Lorraine made their first official red carpet appearance together, and we have to say, those two look happy and in love.” The screen behind the hosts displayed images of Slater and Alex from the red carpet before the awards show.
“Yes, they do! As shocking as this past year has been with those two, it was great to see them together.”
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“Aw,” Alex sighed with pleasure. Her face was bright with happiness as they showed clips of them on the red carpet and again on stage as Heart & Soul accepted the trophy for their win. She snuggled into Slater when he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She let out a gasp as they segued into the next top story.
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“And in other news that’s leading the headlines, rumor has it Mona Davis is planning a wedding!”
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“What?” Kathleen stopped whisking the eggs and milk together when she heard the announcement. She glanced at Alex and Slater as they both watched the story with avid interest and felt a small stab of impatience toward Slater. She’d known about his plan to propose to Alexandra, but he hadn’t done it yet. Or had he? Alex and Slater smiled a lot because they made each other so happy. She tilted her head as she listened to the news story about Mona, though she couldn’t help but notice the glow on the happy couple.
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“We have footage of Mona Davis shopping. The blonde bombshell looked fabulous in low-rise jeans and a midriff-baring tank top. She’s seen here at a local Barnes & Noble store with a stack of bridal magazines. Sources tell us that along with the magazines, she purchased a travel book on Tahiti.”
“Mona Davis and Chris James, guitarist for the rock band Heart & Soul, have been an item since they met at the Grammys in February.”
“Mm-hmm.” The host nodded. “We’re on the edge of our seats waiting to find out what this is all about, but it seems to us that she’s not only planning a wedding but a honeymoon, as well.”
“Stay tuned. We’ll keep you up to date on this new topic.”
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Alex raised her arms in victory. “Yes!”
Preparation for French toast was forgotten as Kathleen became absorbed in the story. She turned to Alex and Slater, surprise on her face. “It’s true? Mona’s getting married?”
Unable to hold back her excitement any longer, Alex hopped in place as she shook her head. “No!” She held up her left hand for Kathleen to see. “We are!”
“Oh, my God! Finally!” Kathleen rushed to Alex and embraced her. Tears stung her eyes as she began to laugh and cry at the same time. “Oh, I’m so happy for you.” She turned to Slater and hugged him. “I was listening to this and I started to get so mad at you that you hadn’t proposed yet! Tell me everything... when? How?”
Alex held out her hand so Kathleen could inspect the ring and filled her in on the proposal. “It was so sweet and romantic. It was after we got home from the awards party.” She rested her head on Slater’s shoulder when he slid his arm around her.
Kathleen couldn’t contain her excitement as she listened to Alex’s retelling of Slater’s proposal. It was a private moment between the two of them, and with how this past year had been, Alex and Slater deserved the privacy. She hugged both of them again and returned to her task of prepping French toast. “Is this why Mona is coming over?”
Alex pulled a pitcher out of a cabinet and got champagne and orange juice from the refrigerator to begin mimosas. “Yes, she’s my official wedding planner and maid of honor.”
“I’m assuming Chris is your best man?”
“No one else I’d have stand by me,” Slater answered.
Kathleen pointed to a box on the countertop and addressed Alex. “Those are the croissants. So... Mona and Chris are coming, as well as Ben and Annette. I’m assuming this is going to be a wedding meeting?”
“It is,” Alex confirmed. “Mona’s most likely going to bring me the magazines we just saw her holding in that footage they showed of her. Ben and Annette have all the contact information, so we can work on a guest list. And Chris...” Alex trailed off and looked at Slater.
“Chris goes wherever Mona tells him to go because she’s got him by the balls,” Slater answered with a chuckle.
Kathleen let out a snicker and shook her head at Slater’s sense of humor. “This is so exciting! What kind of timeline are you thinking? A year? Six months?”
Alex glanced at Slater, then at Kathleen. “Two weeks,” she answered nonchalantly.
Kathleen’s hands fumbled with the mixing bowl. The mixture of milk and eggs sloshed over the side as she set the bowl on the counter. “Two weeks?” she cried. “You can’t plan a wedding in two weeks!”
Alex’s ears perked at the chime of the doorbell. “That must be Mona and Chris.”
“Alexandra, you can’t plan a wedding in two weeks,” Kathleen repeated.
“Watch me,” Alex said with giggle as she left the kitchen to answer the front door.
Kathleen turned to Slater and looked at him in disbelief. “Do you think she can pull it off?”
Slater shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t see why not. We don’t want fancy, we just want to be married. We both agreed we wanted to do this right away.”
“Then why not go to Vegas?” Kathleen teased.
“I suggested it, Allie didn’t want to be a cliché,” Slater answered. “We’re going to have it here, probably out by the pool.”
“That will be nice,” Kathleen agreed. She reached out and placed her hand on Slater’s arm. “I’m happy for you. I’m happy for both of you.”
Slater pulled her into his arms and hugged her. Even though Kathleen had been his housekeeper for the past few years, she’d turned into a mother figure to him. He loved her like family. Like the mother he should have had, but never did. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“Anything I can do to help, I’m more than happy to be a part of the planning,” she offered as she stepped out of his embrace.
“I’m sure Allie will take you up on that.”
Kathleen reached forward and gave a playful tug on the end of Slater’s hair that fell over his shoulder. “Are you going to get a haircut for the big day?”
“Shit,” he scoffed. “Slater Heart doesn’t do short hair. It’s bad enough that it’s red.”
Kathleen chuckled. “You wear it well and you know it.”
He gave her a playful grin. “I’ll forgo the bandana for the big day,” he promised.
Kathleen couldn’t stop smiling, she was so happy for him and Alex. She made herself busy once more as she heard Alex approach with Mona, chattering away about the recent news story.
“Good morning!” Mona walked into the kitchen with Alex and Chris. She held up the stack of bridal magazines recently featured on the news. “Isn’t this exciting?” she asked Kathleen as she kissed her on the cheek in greeting.
“It is exciting,” Kathleen agreed. “Sounds like this is happening quickly.”
Chris shook Slater’s hand, then made Kathleen blush with a bear hug and firm kiss on her lips. “I think it’s great. I can’t wait until they have kids and we get to see him change diapers.”
“Ooh,” Kathleen sighed with pleasure. “That’s going to be so sweet.”
“One thing at a time,” Mona advised.
Chris looked at Slater with a cheeky grin. “Two weeks, huh?”
Slater slid his arm around Alex’s shoulders and placed a quick kiss against her hair. “Whatever my baby wants.”
“I could get used to that way of thinking,” Alex giggled.
Mona turned to Alex with her brows raised. “Where are we doing this?”
“I thought we’d all sit by the pool,” Alex answered.
With all the excitement and chatter, Kathleen realized she wouldn’t get anything done if they didn’t leave the kitchen. She placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder and steered her out of the room. “You all go, I’ll bring out the coffee and the mimosas.”
“No, I can help,” Alex protested.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Kathleen insisted. “You’re the bride-to-be. Go and start brainstorming how you’re going to pull this off in fourteen days.”
“She’s right,” Mona agreed. “Every minute we stand here yapping is a minute of planning I’m not going to get back. Let’s go.” She tugged on Chris’s arm and pulled him out of the room.
Alex grabbed the pitcher of mimosas while Slater carried four glasses. If Kathleen wanted to fix the food by herself, Alex was fine with that. They could get started on the orange juice and champagne. As she and Slater got to the door, she stopped and turned to him. “You ready for this?”
“We’ve waited ten years for this, Allie. I’m more than ready.”
Alex placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Let’s go plan our wedding.”
Slater kissed the tip of her nose as he smiled into her eyes. “Whatever my baby wants.”