The Billionaire's Pretend Girlf - Leslie North Page 0,40

back her up. No father to give her away. Nobody to root for her, except for the small handful of friends she considered family. And wasn’t that what made weddings special? Friends and family coming together to celebrate not just a new couple, but the lives that led them together?

Nobody knew about her life. Nobody could speak to it. Jackie didn’t even freaking know where she came from—whether she was California-born or secretly from Nevada, or maybe even a Canadian transplant. Her ancestors had equal likelihood of being from Sweden as Kazakhstan. So why bother celebrating the unknowns?

After all, it wasn’t worth celebrating. Not like these people’s lives.

Sadness clawed at her, and she was the first out the door when their big party began the trip back to the villa. Nobody was more excited than her to get back to the resort. While everyone planned on getting ready with hair and makeup for the wedding, Jackie had different plans.

Fortifying her emotional fortress.

It had been a long time since she’d spiraled this far into the abyss. But it only proved to her how fragile she was, and how dire it would be if she truly ever opened herself up to love. Look what happened to you after a few months of flirty notes and two weeks of actual knowing each other.

God forbid she and Daniel actually started dating and developed something serious. Then when it tumbled to the ground, six months or years later, she might actually perish.

She took a deep breath as she strode back into the plum orchard. Now it was time to prepare herself for the hardest part of the day.

Watching two lovebirds exchange vows while the man she loved—and could never truly have—sat at her side.

14

Finally. After a whirlwind breakfast and early afternoon of getting ready, the wedding was here.

Daniel felt like he and Jackie had barely exchanged ten words, though he had to admit that was not due to anyone’s fault. They’d been too busy. The breakfasts had run long, which meant that Jackie had gotten a late start to getting ready, which meant that she had been distracted by her makeup application process while Daniel had a hell of a time finding the shirt he’d brought for the wedding.

By the time they were ready to go at two p.m., Daniel felt like he needed a nap.

“You look amazing,” he said reverently, dragging his gaze up and down her body. She wore a sparkly blue floor-length gown that hugged her body in all the right places. Big, sparkling diamond earrings dangled from her earlobes, and she’d done her eye makeup in such a way that her green eyes popped more than usual. In a word, she was stunning. Breathtaking. And his.

“Thanks,” she said, giving him what felt like the first genuine smile in thirty-six hours. “I feel pretty amazing. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Thanks. Though, I kind of look like I do every day,” he said with a laugh, glancing over to the full-length mirror at their side. “Even though it’s a tux, it’s still just a fancy shirt and pants. What a departure.”

She laughed, reaching up to adjust his collar. “No, but this is different. This is black.”

Finally, there it was. The old spark between them. Relief trickled through him at the thought that the chill might be dissipating at last. Why had he assumed that she was ready to jump ship?

Even though he’d been forecasting their demise, he was still willing to give it a shot. Whether or not it worked out, he wanted to try.

“Huge difference,” he said, slipping his hands over the tops of her hips. “God forbid I try something wild, like navy.”

“Oooh.” She giggled, eyes shining as she looked up at him. “Now that’s too far.”

“Definitely too far,” he agreed, before leaning down to brush his lips against hers. She stiffened—or maybe he imagined it—but when he dove in for a second kiss, she didn’t protest. Had he kissed her at all yesterday? It seemed like between working and the rehearsal dinner and her going to bed early, he’d been deprived the entire day of these luscious lips.

“Mmmm.” He cupped the side of her face as he snagged another kiss. “This reminds me. You’re not allowed to go an entire day without kissing me anymore.”

She grinned through the next kiss. “Oh no?”

“Absolutely not.” He coaxed another hot kiss from her lips.

She tugged on his bottom lip before disconnecting, looking at him with something unknown swirling in her gaze. “Then