Page 1 of Wedding Whitney
Chapter 1
Whitney
There’s nothing as frustrating as getting ready to be out of town for nearly six weeks and having everything go wrong. Between oversleeping, the dog peeing on the carpet, and our ride to the airport not showing up, I’m a wreck by the time I finally get on the plane. Jake and I make our flight to Dallas with minutes to spare, and we collapse into our first-class seats, already exhausted.
The flight to Dallas feels long, and I fidget with the in-flight movie selections restlessly. Beside me, Jake looks over with an amused smile.
“You look like you’re about to jump out of the plane to get there faster,” he says, chuckling.
“Would that work?” I ask, leaning back. “If so, sign me up.”
“Everything’s okay,” he says, reaching for my hand. “We’re on the plane, most of the wedding plans are taken care of, and our friends will all start arriving in Dallas soon. It’s going to be a great trip, starting in Dallas and ending on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Want a glass of champagne?”
“Yes,” I say, smiling at him gratefully.
He calls the flight attendant and gets us two glasses of champagne and two glasses of orange juice. We clink them together after making mimosas.
“Now, this is how you start a vacation,” he says, his eyes twinkling.
“Is this a vacation?” I ask wearily.
“Sort of? I mean, we’ll spend almost three weeks in Dallas before we have our humongous, amazing wedding, and then leave for two weeks in Europe. It’s pretty close to a vacation.”
“It feels like work,” I murmur.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, meeting my eyes with concern.
He knows me so well—it’s one of the many things I love about him.
“Just worried about my family,” I say after a moment. “My father and brother in particular. When I saw them at the board meeting last month, they were practically mocking me, making jokes about my modeling, our upcoming wedding, my place on the board, everything. And though Gran put them in their place, it hurt. It’s really hard when you feel like your own father doesn’t like you.”
“Fuck him,” Jake says firmly. “And your brother too. They’re both assholes and you don’t have to spend time with them if you don’t want to.”
“But I do. They’re my family. I’m finally starting to have a relationship with my mother again, and it’s so important to Gran that the wedding goes off without a hitch. I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling about it.”
“We can get off the plane in Dallas and turn around and go to Vegas,” he says. “I’m dead serious too.”
“I wish,” I sigh. “Gran would be heartbroken.”
“I really hope Lillian understands how much you love her and how we wouldn’t be doing this otherwise.”
“She does. That’s the only reason I’m doing it.”
“Well, then, let’s make the best of it, okay? Let’s not dwell on your dad and brother or any of that. Let’s think about our day, the dress you’re going to wear, celebrating with our friends, seeing your grandmother cry when she gives you away.”
“That’s another thing,” I chew my lip. “Dad still doesn’t know.”
“He doesn’t know he’s not giving you away?” Jake groans. “I thought you were going to tell him?”
“Gran said she would, but she hasn’t yet.”
“Shit, Whitney.”
“I know. Why do you think I’m freaking out?”
“If you want, we can tell him together?”
“I have to talk to her when we get there.”
