Page 33 of Forbidden Desires

“Umm, the bride’s gone missing.” She nibbles her lip nervously, eyes darting around the room as if expecting the solution to materialize.

“Missing?”

“The couple was about to head out for photos on the beach, and she asked for a minute to freshen up. The groom stayed to have a drink with his attendees, and when I went to find her just now, she was gone, and there’s a note on the bed that just saysI’m sorry. That’s not a good sign, right?” Her worried eyes meet mine, and I can see she’s already fragile after what happened this morning.

“Does the groom know anything about it?” I ask, trying to work through a solution.

“The photographer is getting impatient, so I checked with him if he had seen her, but he hasn’t. I didn’t want to alarm him just yet, hoping we could maybe find her and make it right.”

“Sounds like she worked out marriage isn’t for her after all.” I regret the words as soon as they leave my lips, but years of feeling this way toward marriage have me slightly jaded.

“Brody, that’s not funny,” she chastises. “She married him, and I know she loves him. She’s probably tired and stressed. Planning a wedding is really intense.” Gisele’s voice is tinged with a mix of concern and understanding, her eyes reflecting the weight of the situation. She cares about what happens to this couple. It’s sweet.

“Always looking for the good in people, aren’t you? Come on, then, let’s go find our runaway so you can save your wedding.” I motion for her to follow me as we head toward the security room.

She trails me into the small room off to the side of our offices. Jim, our daytime guard, is sitting behind the switchboard, drinking an iced coffee. “Jim, this is Gisele, our new wedding coordinator,” I introduce her as we squeeze into the little office together.

“Hi, Jim, sorry to bother you.” She smiles warmly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“Hello, Gisele, what can I do for you?” He smiles kindly at her.

“Any sign of a woman in a fluffy white dress? The bride’s missing,” I ask. This is the best idea I can come up with when I know we probably don’t have a lot of time before the guests get restless and the groom starts to panic.

“Let me check the monitors.” He glances over the screens, taking his time to scrutinize each one. “This looks like her.” He points to the monitor set up to look over the front of the hotel and garden area. Sure enough, there is a woman sitting on a bench in the shade wearing a white dress.

Gisele looks over my shoulder. “That’s her. Thank you, Jim, you’re a godsend.” She rushes off in the direction of the front foyer, a renewed sense of urgency in her step.

When I catch up with her, she’s already in the garden, sitting by the bride. I watch her as she holds the bride’s hand and talks to her calmly, handing her tissues. She walks back to me a few minutes later, wearing a disappointed expression on her pretty face. “It’s no use. She says she can’t go back.” Gisele looks like she’s about to burst into tears herself, the weight of the situation weighing on her shoulders.

I let out a labored sigh, knowing I can’t let that happen again. “Let me try.”

She raises a brow in question; she doesn’t think I can help. Her expression gives me even more motivation to prove her wrong. I’m not an asshole all the time. Cautiously I approach our bride, treating her like a skittish animal that could spook at any second. I sit down next to her.

“Who are you?” She sniffs, her eyes red from all the waterworks.

“Brody Alexander, I own the hotel.”

She glances over at me. “They’re really pulling out the big guns. I already told Gisele, I can’t go back in there. Marriage is forever.”

“You only just worked that out today?” I jest, trying to keep it light.

“Funny.” She smirks, unable to help it. “I just… It all happened so quickly, and when I had a moment to myself, I just panicked, and I had to get out of there,” she admits with another sniffle.

“Do you love him? The man you married today.”

She looks at me, thinking my question over. “Yes, with all my heart.”

“So, it’s just the thought of forever that has you scared?”

“I guess.” She shrugs.

I can’t believe I’m about to say this. Gisele must really be messing with my brain. “Earlier today a friend asked me if I would be happy to grow old alone because I didn’t want to try and find something real and worth fighting for.” I glance in Gisele’s direction. “She says she will forever keep searching for her person to share the rest of her life with. My question to you is, have youalready found that person? Because if you have, there’s no need to be scared, just take each day at a time, and together, you will work it all out.”

She looks me over, studying my face. Her tears are drying up and her face is brightening. “You’re right. I have already found my person.” She stands up abruptly. “I need to fix my face and get back in there before he starts to worry.”

I smile. “Yes, you do.”

She takes my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thank you, Brody. I’m not sure if this is a strange thing to say, but Gisele is an amazing girl. She might be your person.”

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