Page 65 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

“That’s the plan!”

Alexis laughed. “Penny, you always say the funniest things.”

Penny scrunched her face in confusion. “No, I don’t.”

That just made everyone laugh harder.

“What’s so funny?” Penny glanced around at the adults laughing all around her.

“She’s so cute,” Tessa said.

“No, I’m not.” Penny put her hands on her hips. “I’m a tough girl. Like my mom.”

Lauren shook her head. “She’s watched me doing my workout videos too much.”

“We should probably get downstairs,” Alexis said to the other girls. The bridesmaids moved to the door and clicked their matching strappy heels down the marble hallway. Alexis lifted her skirt as she descended the grand staircase of the historic mansion. Her breath caught when she raised her eyes from her feet to the foyer below.

Owen stood in the center of the room, staring up at her. She could hardly keep her eyes off him in the designer tux all the guys wore. Her lips parted, and her heart pounded in her chest. That was when she realized he was waiting for her. As the best man, he was her escort for the night. She could scarcely breathe.

“Are you going to be okay?” Tessa whispered to her.

“I’ll be fine.” But as she reassured her friend, she had no idea how those words could be true. How could she be fine when she could feel the electricity crackling between her and Owen. When she was drawn to him like a magnet? No, she wouldn’t be fine, not for a second. Her heart was being slowly crushed in her chest, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, Owen offered her his arm. She wrapped her arm around his, and she could feel his warmth through the sleeve of his tux. Immediately, she was transported to his house, to the moment she was snuggled against him on the couch. Would she ever feel that close to someone else again?

Owen led her through the house to the back doors where the bridal party was lining up. Maggie came from behind them and lined up with Penny.

“I have to go sit down now. Tessa is going to watch you, okay?”

“Okay, Aunt Maggie.”

“She’s really cute,” Owen murmured against Alexis’s ear. Goosebumps rose on her arm at his nearness. She was hyperaware of everything in that moment. The crisp smell of Owen’s cologne, the rumbling of his deep voice whenever he spoke. She wanted to keep every second of this moment in her memory. She had a feeling she would be thinking about every detail for months to come. It was the last interactions she would ever have with Owen, and she was treasuring every moment. Because this man was her world. But it wasn’t to be between them. Their stars hadn’t aligned. But, oh, how she wished it had worked out.

She looked up at him, and he locked eyes with her. Her body ached for his touch. She wanted his lips on hers so badly she could hardly breathe. She didn’t want the moment to end.

Lauren arrived down the hallway, and she looked gorgeous in her strapless gown and veil. She held a bouquet of coral flowers, and she was positively glowing. She took her place behind Alexis and Owen, and Alexis turned to give her a reassuring smile.

“Okay,” Aubrey said in a low voice. “It’s time.”

The music started up, and Alexis looked up at Owen.

“Are you nervous?” he whispered.

“I’m terrified,” she said. “There are a lot of famous people out there.”

“There are famous people in here too, you know,” he reminded her.

“You guys don’t scare me. It’s the vultures out there.”

She watched as Aubrey coordinated the wedding, urging Penny along, and then each of the bridesmaids and groomsmen until she got to Alexis and Owen. It felt like a clock was ticking closer to the dreadful moment when she would have to say goodbye to Owen.

He gave her one last look and then placed a hand on her hand to reassure her.

Aubrey waved Owen and Alexis forward, and they stepped into the late afternoon sunlight. It had been transformed so much that Alexis hardly recognized it. The press stood to one side, and chairs had been set up on either side of the aisle. An archway stood at the end of the aisle, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were already lined up. Penny stood still up front next to Tessa. Every seat was filled.

Owen stepped out with Alexis, and they walked down the aisle together. The journey felt like it lasted forever, and Alexis wasn’t sure whether she wanted to savor it or rush through it. She felt all the eyes in the congregation on her, not to mention the cameras and phones capturing their moment down the aisle. With a wedding party this famous, it was sure to capture the attention of people across multiple fandoms.

They reached the end of the aisle, and the moment came when Alexis had to part ways with Owen. Alexis stood next to Carrington and turned to see Lauren coming down the aisle. The wedding march played, and the congregation stood. Lauren looked radiant as she walked down the aisle. Alexis sneaked a peek at Chase, and he looked like a man in love about to have all his dreams come true.

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