Page 54 of Fighting Happily Ever After

Logan kept his arm around her as they turned to face the small crowd they’d managed to forget about.

As soon as Faith’s gaze landed on Stephanie, the smile slipped from her face again. “Steph, I’m—”

ChapterTwenty

“Don’t say it.”Stephanie held up her hand. If she heard one more person apologize, she thought she might straight up lose her mind. “Just…leave it.”

“Leave it?” It was Dax interjecting now. “What the hell do you mean,leave it?We’re supposed to be getting married, Steph.”

She couldn’t decide whether Dax sounded pissed off about the interrupted nuptials, happy about them, or sad. His voice, face, and body language were all telling her different things. And for the first time since she’d met him, she looked at him through different eyes.

Faith and Logan had been right about him. Dax Combs wasn’t her forever.

Hell. He wasn’t even her right now.

He was an actor, and she couldn’t help but feel as though he’d been acting the entire time they’d been together.

“You don’t want this,” she said softly. “Not for the right reasons.”

“That’s not—”

“It is.” She shook her head. “Besides, even if you did…I don’t.”

Saying it out loud for the first time felt like a weight around her neck had been lifted. She could make it to the surface and finally breathe again.

“I do want it, Stephanie.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s just do it. Think of the press. It’ll be—”

“The press.” She pulled her hand away. “That’s what it’s always been about, right? The press.” She nodded softly as it all clicked into place. “I can’t believe I fell for it.”

“You fell forme, Stephanie.” Dax grabbed her hand and dropped to one knee. “And I fell for you. That flutter in your belly every time we’re together—I have it, too. It’s more than just nerves; it’s—”

“A line from your next movie.” Again, she pulled her hand away from him. This time she laughed. “Are you seriously recitinglinesto me?”

“It’s not a—”

“It is.” She laughed harder. “I remember reading that script. Remember? I turned it down.” It was true. Her agent had presented the script to her, but Stephanie found it thin and vapid, and passed. As did their first and second choice for the male lead, if she remembered correctly, so they’d offered it to Dax. Despite the fact that he behaved as if he’d been their first choice, walking around like hot shit.

All of it made her want to howl with laughter while at the same time, bursting into tears. “I can’t believe you would try to use lines on me. And worse, that I believed them.” She looked down at the dress that only a few hours earlier she’d thought was the most beautiful gown in the world. Now, even it seemed tarnished. Nothing had been right from the start. She’d wanted it to be, so badly that she’d ignored all the signs. Including the marriage certificate.

“We couldn’t get married anyway,” she said to Dax. “We don’t even have a legal marriage certificate.”

It was his turn to look surprised but before he could ask about it, Hope spoke up.

“Actually, Steph? About that. I have your mom on the phone.”

“My mom?”

Hope nodded shyly. “Sorry it’s taken so long, but she was harder to track down than I would have thought. I had a suspicion about things, but it wasn’t until I spoke with her and then Logan confirmed it at the registry earlier….” She held up her cell phone lamely. “Anyway… I think you should talk to her.”

Stephanie took the cell phone gingerly and, with her bouquet still in one hand, held it to her ear as she walked a few paces away from the group. “Mom?”

“Honey. You’re getting married? I had…well, I guess I did know. I saw it in the…oh, Stephanie. I’m so sorry.”

The tears that had been on the verge all day finally spilled over. “No, Mom. It’s me who’s sorry. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you.”

That wasn’t true. She knew very well why she hadn’t said anything. Despite their differences, her mother would have seen right through Dax and would have told Steph exactly what she thought. And she hadn’t wanted to hear it. “I’m so sorry, Mom. But it doesn’t matter because I’m not getting married. Not now and not with…” She looked back at Dax, who’d pulled his cell phone out of his pocket—of course he had his phone with him—and was madly typing on it. “Not to Dax,” she whispered. “It’s not right. And I couldn’t get a marriage license anyway. I don’t know—”

“That’s my fault.”

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