Page 59 of The Wrong Billionaire
“Night.”
I end the call. I was tempted to say, ‘I love you,’ but I know she wouldn’t say it back, and it might freak her out even more.
Sighing, I toss my phone onto the bed and roll onto my side. Two more days. How on earth am I going to be able to wait?
Chapter Thirteen
Marcus
Time has actually stopped.
Or maybe it’s going backward, I’m not sure. It’s certainly not going forward. I’d bet my life on it.
I force myself not to run up and down the aisle like a headless rabbit and instead grit my teeth and glance at the woman standing to my side, who gives a nervous smile.
“Stop glaring at the celebrant,” Caesar says. “It’s not her fault.”
I glare at him instead. “How long do we let this go on for?”
“She’s coming,” he says softly. “It’s only just gone three. Patience is a virtue, Mars.”
I murmur something rude under my breath, and he chuckles.
“Have some faith,” he says, clapping me on the back.
I don’t say anything. I feel nauseous, and I have to keep taking deep breaths.
I watch the ribbons fluttering on the pagoda where Wren and I are supposed to say our vows. The guests are quiet, murmuring amongst themselves from the white chairs on the lawn.
My mother, sitting in the front row next to Tina Carter, winks at me and gives a thumbs up. She doesn’t look worried. She has a flower pinned behind her ear that contrasts with her red hair, and she looks beautiful in a summer pink dress and matching high-heeled sandals. She’s been amazing this week, in her element as she made sure everything was organized for the wedding. I was pleased to be able to do this for her, to be the first one to settle down and be happy. And now… my nausea rises again.
At some point, I just know my father is going to exit the house and approach us to announce that Wren has done a runner, and the wedding won’t be going ahead. I can see it in my mind’s eye. Dad’s quiet reveal, “She’s gone.” Whispers spreading among the guests as the news spreads. Some of them quietly taking photos to capture my shock and humiliation. My own crushing devastation as I realize we won’t be married, and I’ve lost her.
Any minute now…
Caesar adjusts my boutonniere, his brows drawing together as he looks at my expression. Then he glances over my shoulder, and he smiles. “Told you,” he says.
My head snaps around just as the four-piece band begins playing the Beatles’Here, There, and Everywhere. My father is approaching the aisle. But he’s not alone.
I inhale sharply, my heart banging on my ribs.
They walk slowly up the aisle while the guests turn to look at the bride. I’ve heard women described as radiant before, but I’ve never understood what it meant until now. I knew she wouldn’t be wearing a meringue. She didn’t want to be a Disney princess. I knew her dress would be something understated. But I’m completely unprepared for how stunning she looks in the simple, lace-covered gown.
My panic takes a moment to dissipate, but it starts to fade as Dad walks with her, already more protective and supportive than her own father ever was. Something shifts inside me as he kisses her cheek, and then he goes to sit with Mum, leaving Wren with me.
She stands in front of me and looks up with her big blue eyes. The last of the panic drops, replaced by something else entirely. A dawning sense of disbelief.
She came.
She’s really going to marry me.
I can hardly believe it.
The celebrant begins speaking. “Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere te karohirohi i mua i to huarahi. May peace be widespread, may the sea glisten like greenstone, and may the shimmer of light guide your path.” She smiles. “Welcome everyone to the wedding of Marcus and Wren.”
That’s it; I hardly hear the rest of the ceremony. It passes instead in a series of images. The sound of the violins drifting across the grass. The call of tui birds and fantails as they come to watch the ceremony from the trees. Wren’s small smile as she repeats my name for the vows.
And then the feel of her hand in mine as I slide the ring onto her finger.
