Page 21 of Temporary Wife Temptation

The weeks leading up to their wedding had spun past her in a tornado of improbable events. Now Natalie found herself standing in the Song family’s garden. It had been transformed into the most enchanting wedding venue she’d ever seen. The shimmering Pacific Ocean, the mild spring breeze and the deep orange sunset held an otherworldly beauty that stilled her breath.

And Natalie wanted to sob her heart out. She shouldn’t be here. She didn’t belong in this world of riches and luxuries. She didn’t belong with Garrett.

Traci, I miss you so much. If her big sister had been here, she would shake Natalie by the shoulders and tell her to run the hell away. From the lies. But then, if she was alive, I wouldn’t have thrown myself into this ridiculous scheme just so I could adopt Sophie.

The sudden surge of resentment knocked the wind out of her. None of this was Traci’s fault. No one had twisted Natalie’s arm to marry Garrett. Even the man himself hadn’t unduly pressured her. She couldn’t deny that his arrogant certainty swayed her, but in the end, the choice had been entirely hers. God, I wish I could go back a month and slap some sense into myself. Well, she didn’t have a time machine, and she had a part to play.

Adelaide and the wedding coordinator had pulled off a miracle in a few short weeks. But finding a suitable venue on such short notice had proven impossible until Adelaide convinced her grandmother to allow the wedding to proceed in their home. For the sake of privacy.

Natalie sighed wistfully at the dusty pink and cream calla lilies—the color of her bouquet—and the rest of the flowers in fresh spring colors that were in full bloom throughout the garden. If she ever got married after this madness ended, her real wedding would pale in comparison to her fake one.

“Natalie!” Adelaide linked an arm through hers and tugged her back inside. “Garrett just got here. What if he saw you?”

“I’d say hi,” Natalie mumbled under her breath.

Adelaide had had her locked up in a guest bedroom all afternoon while a makeup artist, a hairstylist and a seamstress poked and prodded Natalie. As exhausting as it had been, her reflection convinced her the hours were well spent. More than anything, she truly loved her wedding dress. It could’ve been a French heirloom from the 1920s. The silk inner dress hugged her figure, but the shimmery lace overlay shifted and swirled around her like Salome’s seven veils.

“You know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” Her soon-to-be sister-in-law huffed and threw her an exasperated frown.

“Sorry.”

Adelaide and their father, James, were probably shocked by Garrett’s sudden news, but they welcomed her with open arms. His grandmother, however, had refused to meet Natalie, much less attend the wedding.

She wasn’t vain enough to expect everyone to like her, but Garrett’s grandmother had decided she didn’t like her without bothering to meet her. I guess a middle-class woman without a family could never be worthy of her grandson. Her absence stung even more since she’d chosen to stay in her room, mere steps away from the ceremony. Natalie couldn’t imagine how hard his grandmother’s rebuff might be for Garrett. Sure, their marriage was a ruse, but Madame Song didn’t know that.

“People have heard of bridezilla, but I bet they’ve never heard of sister-in-law-zilla.” Adelaide said, ushering Natalie back inside. The joke brought her out of her sullen thoughts.

Alone in her bridal suite, Natalie paced in circles, too nervous to sit. She stopped in front of a settee where her bridal hanbok sat, wrapped in a box. The traditional Korean dress was worn on special occasions like weddings and New Year’s Day.

Natalie never had one of her own, but had always wanted one. Her mom had eschewed all things Korean when she moved to the States with Dad, a soldier who’d been stationed in Seoul. But Korea was once her mom’s home, and learning about its culture made Natalie feel connected to her.

She opened the box and ran her fingers over the dress. It had a deep yellow cropped top and a crimson empire-waist skirt with hand-embroidered flowers and butterflies fluttering across the bottom of the voluminous skirt and on parts of the sleeves.

Her sister-in-law had hired a well-known seamstress to make the hanbok, hoping her grandmother would come around and attend the wedding. If she did, Garrett and Natalie were to change into their hanbok after the wedding ceremony to observe a short tradition where the eldest members of the groom’s family bless the newlyweds by throwing dried jujubes for the bride to catch in her skirt.

Natalie had thought Adelaide was messing with her with the whole jujube thing, but online research verified the tradition. Plus, she learned that the jujubes symbolized children. The more jujubes the bride caught, the more children the couple would have. Natalie had laughed herself to tears imagining Garrett and her batting the jujubes away.

Lost in her musings, Natalie nearly jumped out of her skin when Adelaide knocked softly and poked her head in. “Hey, sis. They’re ready for you.”

Adelaide was quiet for once as they walked to the garden. She held Natalie’s icy hand in her warm one. Before they reached the guests, she leaned in and carefully hugged Natalie so she wouldn’t disturb her makeup and intricate updo.

“Thank you for marrying my brother. He seems cold and aloof, but he’s a really good guy and I can see glimpses of his old self when you’re with him. And I’m so happy I finally get an older sister.”

“You’re going to make me cry before my grand entrance.” She breathed in a shuddering breath. “I’m happy to have a sister again.”

Too soon, Natalie stood at the start of the silken road, but her feet refused to budge. She hadn’t been close enough to her father to miss him at this moment, but she wished she had a strong arm to hang on to. There were too many eyes on her, making her want to run in the opposite direction.

She searched the crowd. For what, she didn’t know. Not until she found him.

Garrett’s heated gaze bore into her and the knot in her chest broke, allowing her to breathe again. The ringing in her ears faded as he came into focus. He was breathtaking. His unruly hair was swept back, accentuating the hard angles of his face. The fitted tuxedo made his shoulders look impossibly broad. He exuded power and certainty, and for this moment, lie or not, he stood waiting for her. His eyes didn’t leave hers for a second, and she held on to his gaze to guide her to his side. She didn’t remember taking a single step until she reached him at the altar and he enfolded her icy hands in his.

“You look beautiful.” His whisper caressed her ear and she shivered with awareness.

Natalie focused on the heat of his body and her skin prickling in response. Anything but the dread that threatened to consume her if she acknowledged it.

The ceremony washed over her like a flitting dream and she made the oldest, most sacred of vows with no hope of keeping them. For someone who was allergic to lying, she sure was getting good at it.

Garrett wrapped Natalie in his arms and they swayed to the music. Like the night at Le Rêve, his blood sang as their bodies touched, but this time, it was more than desire. Temporary or not, she was his wife—his alone.

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