Page 30 of Arranged Obsession
Bianca
“How’s it feel being on this side of the wedding?” Lucy buzzes around me, messing with my hair, touching up my makeup, basically fussing all over the place.
I consider that. “Terrible,” I answer honestly.
She laughs lightly. There’s a deep sadness in her eyes. We’re sitting in the bridal suite of a high-end wedding venue deep in the heart of New York, a long way from our usual Philadelphia territory.
“It wasn’t that long ago you were shouting out orders from behind a clipboard.” Lucy sits down beside me with a sigh. I remember that day vividly. My brother married his lovely wife to the sound of a car bomb exploding down below. Their relationship was born in fire and death, but it grew into something beautiful. They’ve got a gorgeous little girl, and they’re still madly in love with each other.
The wedding planner, some random woman the Whelan clan hired, pokes her head in the door. “Ten minutes. How’s the bride feeling?”
“Great,” I snap at her and instantly feel like a jerk.
Lucy’s a little more diplomatic. “She’ll be totally fine. Thanks for the warning.”
The planner smiles and quickly retreats, leaving us alone again.
I stare in the mirror. Everything is just right. My hair, the color of my lips, my eyes, the dress, everything, and none of that changes how I feel.
None of that fixes the dread.
Lucy pours me a glass of champagne. I accept it and drink half down.
“When did you know?” I ask, avoiding her gaze. My stomach’s a nervous wreck.
She pauses and lets the bubbles on her glass die down before filling it to the brim. “What do you mean?”
“You know, with my brother. When did you know you two were—” I smash my hands together and rub them around.
She seems to get my meaning. “Do you want the honest answer?”
“Probably not, but yes, please.”
“The second I saw him. I didn’t love him yet, but there was—” She wiggles her fingers in the air. “Electricity. You know what I mean?”
“I absolutely do.” I slump back and groan. “I have more chemistry with this champagne than I do with Finn.”
Lucy looks a little panicked. “My situation isn’t normal, you know? Finn seems like a good guy. He’s really attractive and nice, and?—”
“And he might as well be a wet rag for all I care.” I take a long drink and let the bubbles tickle my nose. “What am I going to do?”
Lucy takes one of my hands and holds it tight. “You’re going to get through today, first of all. Then you’re going to figure it out. Maybe something will grow between you and Finn.”
“If it doesn’t?”
“You’ll figure it out.” She offers me a weak smile. “If anyone can, it’s you.”
I wish I felt that way. Instead, there’s only this heavy sense of foreboding.
This is all wrong.
The worst part is, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve only been thinking about one person. And it sure as hell hasn’t been my future husband.
It’s the same dream, over and over. The smell is everywhere. My ghost is spice and musk and heaven. Then Cormac’s there, and we’re in bed, and he’s kissing me.Should I steal these sheets? Should I steal your lips?He takes me apart, but it feels so good as he breaks me.I’ll keep these fingers. I’ll save your toes.
I wake up gasping for air and wishing he were there for real.
How is this happening?
