Page 20 of The Marriage Playbook

She hurried out the door and toward the nave, pausing only to grab a bouquet of white roses from one of the vases she passed along the way. Who knew when the photos would start? Thank goodness she’d had the foresight to do her own hair and makeup, though she could never have guessed the day might progress as it was currently going.

This can’t be happening, a small part of her mind protested. I’m going to wake up and find out that I’m dreaming the whole thing, that none of it is real.

But then she was opening the door to the nave and walking through, and there was Liam, standing at the altar.

For a moment, he seemed not to have noticed that one bride had been replaced with another. He glanced at her, glanced away, and then turned a fixed gaze back to her, his eyes going wide.

Cara was torn. She wanted to rush down the aisle to his side so that she could get to work explaining herself. At the same time, embarrassment had suddenly overwhelmed her. What was she thinking, standing in as his bride without even asking him first? This had the potential to be intensely humiliating. What was she going to do if she got to the altar and he shook his head, said that this was never what they had agreed to, and walked off? He’d be perfectly within his rights if he did. She was changing the deal on him, showing up like this when he had been expecting Stephanie. Maybe he wouldn’t be interested in this plan if it meant he had to marry Cara.

And why do I care? It’s not as if I’m so eager to be married to him. I’m doing him a favor. Honestly, he should thank me on bended knee. Of course he wouldn’t be reasonable to reject me. He would be a fool to do that.

As all these thoughts went through her head, she was continuing down the aisle, drawing closer and closer to Liam. Already, there could be no turning back. Already she was committed to this course of action. To leave now would be to create a story of a runaway bride, which would be even worse than the gossip they’d have risked if she had done nothing at all. If she was going to get them through this mess, she had to stick with her plan, as awkward as it was.

She reached Liam’s side.

“What are you doing?” he hissed at her.

“Trust me,” she murmured. “Just trust me.”

He stared at her as if she was asking him to jump out of a plane without a parachute, but he must have realized that he had no choice in the matter. A moment later, with a low but audible groan, he was slipping his arm through hers and turning back toward the priest.

The priest made no remark.

It occurred to Cara that he had never met Stephanie. He probably didn’t even realize anything was out of order.

The last thing she noticed before the ceremony began was Alastair, emerging from behind the altar with a look of shock on his face.

And then the priest was leading them into their vows, and Cara’s spontaneous marriage to a client was officially underway.

CHAPTER 11

CARA

The wedding ceremony was one of the most awkward things Cara had ever been through.

Liam was staring at her with narrowed eyes the entire time. She couldn’t tell whether he was merely confused or outright angry. He shouldn’t be angry. I’m the one who’s putting my whole life on hold to help him out of a bind, for God’s sake. If he was going to be mad about it, they were going to have words later.

Still, tension swirled around the proceedings. When it came time for the priest to declare them husband and wife, it crystalized. Cara felt as though she could hardly breathe, as if by doing so she might aggravate the situation so badly that Liam would just walk away. I need him to go through with it. He’s not the only one who needs this to go well, she realized. If I show Alastair that I can manage the unexpected, a promotion is as good as mine. But if this event flops, so does my career.

“You may kiss the bride,” the priest said.

Cara had been so caught up in logistical questions that this part had slipped her mind. Now Liam was looking at her with his eyebrows raised, as if to ask her what she wanted him to do about it.

There was only one thing to be done. Liam was a famous name, and there might not be many people in the room, but there were enough. The priest, the members of the string quartet—and there was Alastair, and he needed to see that she was taking this seriously. That she could be counted upon.

She stood on her toes and kissed him.

It was quick, of course. It was deeply uncomfortable. They hardly knew each other, and she had never crossed a professional boundary like this before. Her stomach twisted with guilt and shame.

And yet, at the same time, there was something enthralling about the moment. Her heart beat faster at the danger and the forbidden feeling of it all. He smelled good, too, like some sort of spicy cologne she had no firsthand experience of. She guessed it was probably more expensive than anything the men in her life had ever worn, and she could see why. It was intoxicating.

He did make an effort for today, she realized, and her feelings toward him softened slightly. He does care about what we’re trying to do here.

The musicians were playing. The moment was over. She pulled back from him, heat in her face, hoping that she hadn’t lingered. Had he kissed her back, or had he just permitted her to kiss him? Now that the moment was over, she realized she didn’t know for certain, and that only heightened her embarrassment.

He threaded his arm through hers. “Recessional,” he murmured.

Cara appreciated the reminder. Her head was spinning, and Liam had kept her in the moment, where she needed to be. She pasted a smile to her face as they made their way back up the aisle. It would all have been for nothing if things didn’t look real now, because the photographer was waiting outside to take the first picture of the newlyweds. When this event had been arranged, the plan had been that this moment would be the world’s first introduction to Stephanie. Now it would be Cara in the picture.