Page 26 of A Bride for the Bodyguard

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Marlie’s voice pulls me back, her brow furrowed in concern.

“Yeah,” I lie, offering her a half smile. “Just thinking about work agin.”

“Always the protector, huh?” She chuckles, though there’s a shadow in her laughter.

“Always,” I affirm, and it’s the deepest truth I own.

But tomorrow, after the facade of champagne and forced smiles, I’ll peel back the layers of the protector.

Tomorrow, I’ll stand before her—not as a bodyguard or a husband in name only—but as a man stripped bare by love.

Chapter Ten

MARLIE

“To Jack and Marlie,” John says as he raises his glass one last time, the crystal shimmering in the low light of the chandelier. “May your days be long upon the earth, and may they always be sweet.”

A chorus of “hear, hear” ripples through the room, and I find myself joining in the applause.

“Such lovely words,” Jack’s mother murmurs, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy as she reaches across to squeeze my hand.

I glance around the table, a smile curving my lips. Melanie is glowing, her laughter mingling with Jake’s deeper chuckles. Dean’s teasing banter with Lily sets off another round of mirth.

“Can you believe it?” Melanie leans over, her blonde hair brushing against my shoulder. “Our little impromptu family gathering turned into something straight out of a Hallmark movie.”

“Only better.” I smile, our twin connection thrumming between us.

The laughter continues, a sweet cadence to the background music of clinking glasses and soft conversations.

I sit there, amidst the love and the casual banter, and let my mind drift back to how this all started—a whirlwind that swept me up and hasn’t put me down since.

It was supposed to be just a simple business arrangement, a marriage of convenience. Yet here I am, caught in the eye of a storm called Jack Barton. My pretend husband, but oh so real in every way that counts.

Jack’s voice cuts through my reverie. “Marlie? You okay?”

“Perfect.”

I meet his gaze. His eyes, a striking shade of blue, seem to see right through to my soul, as if he knows the depth of my thoughts. And maybe he does, because in this rush of new beginnings, in the midst of pretending, something true has taken root. Something frighteningly real.

“Good.” His thumb grazes my knuckle under the table, a secret caress that sends a shiver up my spine.

More than good, I correct myself silently. Because despite the crazy speed at which we’ve arrived at this point, everything about us—inexplicably yet undeniably—feels predestined.

Laughter ripples through the air, wrapping around our table like a warm embrace.

Melanie leans forward. “Seriously, Marlie, when did you become such a daredevil in love? I always thought I’d be the one to leap without looking.”

Jack’s mother, with her kind eyes and knowing smile, chimes in. “Well, sometimes you just know. Isn’t that right, dear?”

She pats her husband’s hand, and he nods, his expression softening.

“Love at first sight,” she declares, and the table hums with agreement.

I can feel their gazes on me—curious, teasing, a little bit envious.

“Maybe it was.” I feel Jack’s presence beside me like a steady flame. His warmth is reassuring, yet my stomach twists with a mix of delight and dread for what’s to come.

“Or maybe it’s just Jack’s irresistible charm,” Melanie teases.

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