Page 38 of Jilted

“It’s gotta be tough for Sloane to work for a bridal magazine after that.”

Harry nodded. “That day meant a lot to her. My wife got sick when Sloane was only five. Ovarian cancer. She fought it for two years like a trooper, but in the end it was everywhere. Lily stopped treatment so she could enjoy the last few months she had left. I took leave from work and thought we’d travel and do things before it was her time. But Lily just wanted to be home with her family. Her kids and me were everything to her. I asked her to at least come up with one special thing she wanted to do. She took a week and thought about it and then told me she wanted to marry me all over again.”

I felt an ache in my chest. “Wow.”

Harry looked away as he continued. “So I threw her the biggest,best second wedding I could plan in two weeks. Even got Sloane a matching white dress to wear on the big day. She stood up at the altar as the maid of honor, and my boys were my best men. It was the happiest day of our lives, even more special than the first time we did it because we were older and wiser, and it meant something that we’d still choose each other after all our ups and downs. It was magical. Sloane smiled from ear to ear all night, and she couldn’t stop talking about it when it was over. But pretty soon after, things went downhill. Fast. My Lily died three weeks later. We all took it hard, but Sloane was real bad. The boys had each other and me—but it wasn’t the same with her being the only girl.” Harry took a deep breath. “Anyway, after that, whenever Sloane was feeling down, she’d throw herself a pretend wedding—even married the dog a few times, which her brothers still tease her about.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say, except that I’d better not ever cross paths with that Josh for taking something that meant so much away from her.”

Harry smiled. “The bottom line is, you seem like a decent-enough guy. But when my Sloane loves, she loves hard. She’s had a lot of loss and letdown in her life, and some of that is still healing. I’m not telling you to keep away, because my daughter is a grown-ass woman and has a good head on her shoulders. But I’m asking you to think twice about what you want before you chase her too hard, because I don’t want her hurt again.”

12SLOANE

“Holy crap. If you have sexy lingerie under there, I might consider switching teams,” Elijah teased.

I smiled and did a twirl. “You like it?”

“You look smokin’, Sloane.”

I loved the color of this dress, and even I had to admit it hugged me in all the right places. It was a simple slip silhouette with spaghetti straps, but the cowl-neck front showed the right amount of cleavage and made my body into an hourglass. “I figured this beautiful, old mansion on the beach deserved more than the boring little black dress I usually go to these things in.”

“Riiight. That dress is for thevenue.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you seriously going to tell me you didn’t think of a certain blue-eyed Adonis when you were picking out that dress?”

“Absolutely not,” I answeredwaaaytoo quickly.

He chuckled. “Whatever. What’s going on with him? Anything new happen since he showed up at your house and took your dad on a date?”

I found lipstick in my purse and stood in front of the mirror lining my lips as I spoke. “I haven’t heard from him. It’s for the best.” I wouldn’t admit it, but I was a little disappointed. Wilder hadn’t popped in after dropping Dad off after the game, and I knew he’d been in New York the last couple of days. I kept expecting him to show up at the office or the bar. But I’m sure he was busy.

Elijah made a face. “Why? You have to be attracted to him. The man is a work of art. If they hung his mug at the Louvre, I might consider going to a boring-ass museum.”

“He’s handsome, yes. And I’m actually surprised how much we have in common. But he’s a playboy.”

Elijah shrugged. “Who cares? You don’t want a relationship right now, anyway. What’s wrong with having a little fun with the guy?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but then shut it. Twice.

Elijah lifted a perfectly groomed brow. “Got nothing, huh?”

I squinted at him. “Shut up.”

“Sloane, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. And he’s the perfect candidate for a fling. He’s a busy guy who lives on another continent. Can’t get too attached when you’re not seeing each other all the time.”

“I work for his dad.”

“Big deal. You don’t work for Wilder, and he doesn’t work for his father, it seems.”

“We have completely different lifestyles. The incredible mansion next door where the wedding is being held is owned by the father of the groom. It’s their summer place. And this hotel we’re in right now? They own that, too.Thisis Wilder’s social circle.”

“Who gives a shit? None of that matters, especially not if you’re keeping it casual and having a good time.”

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “But we should get going. They’re using the library as a bridal suite. We should shoot some pictures of it.”

Elijah stood. “Okay, but if the bride asks you to fill in for a missing bridesmaid again, you’re saying no. I’ll put the dress on rather than have you take that one off.”

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