You changed me. I love you, Victoria Barron. And I’ll never ever stop.”
Misery replaces the air in my lungs, leaving them aching and unable to do their job.
Then, through the door, Victoria’s voice comes through, and I could kick my own ass for how fragile and broken she sounds. “Simon, I don’t know what to do. I love you-of course I do. But I’m not sure it’s enough.”
Her sorrow filters through the door, echoing deep within me. I caused this. I made her doubt us.
I lean a hip against the door, cautiously choosing my words. “Listen, Luis is my assistant. Everything he’s done was under my orders, including planning our wedding.”
At the hoarseness in my voice, I squeeze my eyes closed and will my words to get through to her somehow. “Everything is set up for tomorrow. I promise I only wanted to give you the best because you deserve it.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat, gripping the edge of the doorframe. “I know it’s too late to say anything that will fix this, but please give me a chance to make it right. I promised to give you all the best things in life, and I mean to keep that promise.”
“Tomorrow I’ll be standing at the end of that aisle, waiting for you. If you don’t show up, I’ll take that as you being unable to forgive me, and I’ll…” The sharp twinge in my chest chokes out my voice for a moment. “I’ll leave Texas and leave you alone.”
Of all the risks I’ve ever taken, this is the biggest leap of all. And I’m known for them.
A pit opens where my heart should be, so bitterly cold and empty. I don’t know how I’ll walk away from her if she doesn’t show up at our wedding tomorrow. But if she asks me to-if she searches her heart and still can’t forgive me-I’ll do it.
Because I love her.
“Goodnight, Victoria.” Exhaling a pained breath that only serves to tighten my chest, I let my palm fall away from the door. “I hope to see you tomorrow at the wedding.”
Simon
Everything feels wrong when I wake up in my hotel room the next morning.
While the rooms are chic and elegant and the thread count on the sheets is extra high, it’s not homey.
I’m not waking up in a bed with a ruffled, floral comforter that was stitched with love. There’s no happy chatter or the scent of food and coffee.
Worst of all, Victoria isn’t curled up next to me.
With a groan, I sit up and place my head in my hands as the events of last night come rushing back to me. The auction. Bidding on the necklace.
Victoria learning the truth.
For some reason, I never expected her to be hurt by it. I hadn’t thought through what she pointed out last night.
You lied to me, Simon. How am I ever supposed to trust you again?
That ache in my chest throbs to life with renewed force.
I rub my hand over it like that’ll help.
Then I remind myself: it’s not over yet.
That’s why I go through the motions. Showering, getting a nice, clean shave, and grabbing my steamed and pressed tux from the closet. Until proven otherwise, I’m getting married to the girl of my dreams today.
Once I’m dressed, my hair combed and gelled in place, I square off in front of the full-length mirror. I exhale a long breath, wishing it’d rid me of some of this nervous energy.
With a tug on the cuffs, secured by my lucky, blue sapphire cufflinks. The gemstone calls to mind the necklace I’d gifted Victoria with-the one she’d dumped in Luis’s hand as she charged away from me for good.
No, not for good.
But I hadn’t been able to fix it through her closed bedroom door. The more I thought about it, the harder I chewed at the inside of my cheek. Seriously, what was happening to me?
You might’ve lost the love of your life, idiot.
How could nothing be okay without her, despite it only being a day?
I eye the tray of room service I had delivered. My stomach roils, rejecting the very idea of eating. With my nerves fraying apart, I also can’t help but wonder if I was about to humiliate myself. If I’d stand waiting at that altar, in front of a hundred guests, for a bride who might never come.
Still, if there’s even a chance she’ll walk through the hotel doors of the events center, I’ll wait. I’d wait for her forever.
Shaking off my doubts the best I can, I push my shoulders back and hold my head high. I step out of the hotel room, onto a marble floor as polished as my shoes.
The moment I emerge, a line of bodyguards bows in greeting. “Welcome back, sir.”
“Goddamn it, Luis,” I blurt, a hand going to my racing heart. Between my whirlwind thoughts and life at Anna’s house, with her mother and the daughter I was head-over-heels for, I’m not accustomed to being accosted first thing.
While Luis is one-hundred percent responsible for the security squad, he’s not in attendance. I’m sure he’s on the ground level, taking care of wedding prep already.
I sigh, rubbing fingertips across my forehead. It’s too late to pretend they didn’t startle me. “Relax, boys. It’s my wedding today.”
I hope so, anyway.
It’s a bit crowded as the four of us head downstairs. The festive décor greets me, appearing exactly as it did the other day. We make our way down a long corridor to reach the events center and walk into the room with the wall of windows overlooking the sprawling lawn.
Navy blue ribbons adorn the white chairs lined up in perfect rows inside the expansive space. The altar is framed with cascading white roses and a combination of tiny blue flowers. Delphiniums, forget-me-nots, and bluebonnets, if I recall from the texts Luis sent.
Plus, the twinkling fairy lights I knew would make Victoria happy.
Rustic touches like rope, whiskey barrel cocktail tables, and black and white his-and-her cowboy hats complete the theme. It’s the perfect mix of urban sophistication and Texas countryside. Just like me and my bride.
I’ve spared no expense, and Luis has gone all out. Drawing inspiration from the dream wedding posterboard, he kept telling me not to worry, that everything would be taken care of.
And take care of it, he did.
It’s breathtaking, and that’s coming from a guy who rarely notices or cares about decorative touches.
It’s everything Victoria deserves, and I’m praying she’ll show up to see it.
Keeping with the theme, the music will be provided by a country band, string-quartet crossover. While I was skeptical, they’re warming up in the corner and the violin-and-guitar combo gives me chills.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.