Cassie
Well, today was the big day. The big freaking fake day. Brice and Declan were staying over at the Prestons’ until it was time for the pretend ceremony. Brice took care of counterfeiting all the legal documents and hired an actor for our officiant. He was a damn good best man and an even better brother.
Luckily Mrs. Preston brought Wyllie back to me first thing this morning. I’d missed him like crazy yesterday and was having withdrawals. He and I had stayed upstairs in his playroom for a while. The house had been buzzing with activity since sun-up. Florist, caterers, pyrotechnic people, bartenders, party planners…it was chaotic. And my mother was thriving on it. It was what she lived for. Tons of people running around doing her perfectly timed and stylish bidding.
“Cassandra darling, what are you doing down here? Guests will begin to arrive any minute.”
My mother wanted me to make this grand entrance down the staircase in my wedding dress. She was nothing if not dramatic.
I’d started to get bored, and lonely. My dad came up a couple hours ago to take Wyllie to the kitchen for lunch. I headed down the stairs, smiling at the beautiful red and white roses that were climbing the railing. I could see my son through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He was with my parents running around on their perfectly manicured lawn wearing so many layers of clothes he looked like a marshmallow.
I stepped out onto the patio, wrapping a blanket I’d grabbed off the couch around me. I curled up in a plush chair and watched my dad chase Wild Man around the yard while they both laughed. Wyllie was such a lucky little guy.
“Cassandra, is everything all right? You look, well, stricken. You should be glowing. It’s your wedding day.” My mother came and started rubbing my back.
I gave her a small smile. “Just last-minute jitters, I guess.”
“You do love him, don’t you?” I could hear the fear in her voice, the concern. She’d failed to ask me that question when it came to Steven, but she was asking it now and it meant the world to me.
“I love him with my whole heart. I love him in that amazing no-matter-what kind of way. I’ve loved him since I was a little girl, and I will love him for the rest of my life.”
Every word I’d said was true. And that was the saddest part of all.
“Well, good, dear. Guests will be arriving any moment. Please go upstairs and take some time to relax. You need to start getting dressed at five o’clock sharp.” She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me toward the door. “I’ll send someone up with champagne and a fruit plate in a bit.”
There was no arguing with her today. Besides, I really didn’t want to stand down here and greet guests for an hour. That would be more torturous than sitting upstairs staring at my wedding dress and sobbing because the man I loved didn’t love me back.