Page 81 of A Dangerous Proposal

Her gaze flicked back to the reflection.

Is it too much? Do I look desperate?

A soft knock at the door made her inhale sharply, shaking off the thoughts.

“Decent?” Cami asked, followed by the door opening.

Madison turned, hands brushing the sides of her gown as her best friend stepped inside, and she braced for Cami’s response.

Cami’s eyes widened, and then she blew out a long stream of air. “Whoa! You lookcrazybeautiful.”

Madison rolled her eyes, but her lips lifted.

“You look amazing, too.” Madison smiled at her friend’s floor-length, flowy yellow chiffon dress. Cami might not be thrilled about the wedding, but she was more than acting the part. “How’s Jax doing?”

Cami’s lips twitched. “He isnota fan of his outfit, but he looks freakishly adorable.” She gave Madison a sly look. “And the second Alex saw him, he took him from me.”

Madison’s brows rose. “Really?”

“Really.” Cami’s expression softened. “It was actually super weird. The two of them looked so happy to see each other, which is odd because they haven’t really spent any time together have they?”

Madison hadn’t told Cami about not seeing Alex, but her friend’s words helped alleviate her nerves.

“This is going to work,” she muttered, though she wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince her friend or herself.

“You ready?” Cami smiled brightly, and Madison didn’t miss that her friend hadn’t acknowledged Madison’s comment.

Five minutes later, she stood at the end of a long fabric runner, facing a large floral arch draped with white roses and ivy, waiting for the opening notes of the wedding march.

Is this actually happening?

Madison’s head buzzed, and she swallowed hard forcing herself to stay in the moment.

“Everything is going to be fine,”she chanted to herself.

The area behind the house was beautiful. She and Cami had arranged for a few flowers and some food, but it was clear Alex had done some wedding planning of his own. In addition to the arch and the runner, there were a handful of gold-backed chairs and white pillar candles in glass globes, adorned with roses, everywhere she looked.

She squinted.Are those lanterns suspended in the trees?

What Madison had imagined as a performative short ceremony had been transformed into awedding.

Alex hadn’t needed to make this much effort, but he had.

Madison could see Cami standing at the front, and to her credit, she only looked mildly nauseous. Liev looked handsome in his black suit, grinning at her from Alex’s side. Alex’s thick, dark hair curled over his collar and his broad shoulders were encased in a dark suit.

Was he nervous? Bored? She didn’t know because she couldn’t see his face. Unlike the others, he hadn’t turned to look at her.

The quartet, twenty feet behind her, struck the first notes, and the butterflies were joined by full grown birds flapping inside her.

This was the moment brides were supposed to feel… Excited. Emotional.

The problem was… She wasn’t supposed to feel either of those things.

But she did.

Madison was halfway down the aisle when Alex’s shoulders lifted with an inhale, and he turned. She could feel the weight of his eyes, that unwavering focus of his, trained solely on her. Every nerve ending in her body lit up as his silver-blue eyes locked onto her. Her body tingled as his gaze slowly roamed over her, as if taking in every tiny detail before returning to her face.

When she reached him, his lips brushed against her cheek. “You take my breath away, Angel,” he whispered. Alex reached for her hand, his grip steady as he pulled her to his side, his familiar scent wrapping around her.

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