Page 20 of Desperate Vows

Shaking my head, I laughed. This woman.

Good night, Claire. Sweet dreams.

Sweet dreams, Lucas.

Oh, I’d have dreams, all right. Not sure how sweet they’d be, but I was positive Claire would be the star in every one of them.

I was also positive I was falling in love with the librarian.

Double damn.

Chapter Nine

CLAIRE

Waking up with fresh memories of being held by Lucas was confusing. I loved it, and I hated it. There were so many questions. Did he do it to score points and gain my trust so he could use it against me? As much as I wanted to go with that explanation, I struggled to believe it. He’d held me, and we’d stayed there for hours. Would he have done that to score points?

There was a good chance. Half a billion dollars was a lot of money. People had done a whole lot more for much less. Although, I’d overheard my share of whiny women, and I wasn’t sure half a billion was worth it.

I reached Sealed with a Kiss and smiled at the name. They made invitations, and it was the cute name that had me meeting the owner this morning. As I stepped inside, a fresh floral scent wafted around me, and the door swung shut behind me. There were samples of invitations for every sort of occasion, and some I had no idea were a thing. I guess if someone was done having kids, a vasectomy was a thing to celebrate. Just not sure if I were a guy, I’d want it broadcasted that my crown was missing its jewels.

On the far wall, I spotted the occasion I was here for. I crossed the small floor and scanned them. I couldn’t believe that in less than two weeks, I was getting married. It felt so foreign to even think about it. It was so rushed and forced and all the things a wedding wasn’t supposed to be. Thankfully, my father went out of town this morning. It was at the last minute, and I was never happier to see him leave.

My mom should be here. She should be helping me decide what color the invitations should be, tasting cakes with me, and doing the gasp when I walked out in the one dress that was perfect. I knew it was a fake marriage, but it was a marriage.

I was a girl without her mother making decisions about the most important day of my life. How was I supposed to do this without her?

There was no crying, though. If people saw tears, they’d wonder why Claire Benoit wasn’t the happiest bride-to-be in Chicago. I didn’t need my father breathing down my neck and screaming at me in the middle of all this.

When the bell chimed above the door, I was surprised to see Thea gliding in. The last person I’d ever expected was her. Why was she here? How did she know I was here?

“Hello, Claire.” She looked down her nose, her eyes rolled over me from head to toe, and she smiled. I felt like I’d been undressed, inspected, and now my butt had a stamp of approval on it. Her head tilted, and this time she flashed what seemed to be a genuine smile; like she was happy to see me. “If it’s okay, I’d like to tag along today.”

I was shocked all the way to my core. “You would?”

“The sheer joy I’ll get from seeing Lucas’s confused face when I tell him I’ve been with you all day will last me a week. Plus, I’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m curious.”

I didn’t even care about her reasons. Lucas or otherwise. She had no idea how much I wanted her here. If nothing else, she was another woman to share an opinion on things. Plus, it was her brother getting married. He probably wanted some say without actually sitting in on this stuff. “I’d love that.”

“My brother likes you, so I like you.” She took the end of my braid and rolled it in her fingers. “Do you ever let your hair down?”

My brain split in two. Lucas liked me? She liked me? I was tempted to grab a cab and go to the emergency room to get tested for drugs—either that or a hearing test. The drugs seemed more likely based on the hallucination I was currently experiencing.

The other side of my brain was registering that she’d asked about my hair. That was another memory I would rather not dredge on a day when I was making decisions about another day that was supposed to be life-altering. Binding my soul to another human being. One that was only marrying me because of my trust fund.

I shook my head. “No.”

Thea’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a story for my brother, yes?”

My pulse jumped. Jeez, it was like she could read my soul. “Maybe one day.” I chewed my bottom lip and quickly changed subjects. “You’re close to him, aren’t you? Is that a story for him to tell me one day?”

“No.” She languidly moved to the wall where there was a display of various styles of invitations. “He found me on the street when I was ten. I was only a month older than Alexander. I’d been homeless about a year at that point?—”

“A year?”

She nodded.

I wanted to ask why, but it didn’t feel like the right time. “How did Lucas find you?”

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