Page 2 of One Weekend in Perth

Fern’s giggle reached his ears, a high-pitched sound he wasn’t used to hearing from her. “Stop it. I have to go and finish getting ready.” Fern wasn’t doing anything to keep her voice down, as though she didn’t expect there to be anyone in the hallway.

This wasn’t about to be one of those clichéd moments when an unsuspecting bride or groom stumbled upon their partner in a compromising position, was it? He wished it wasn’t.

Ben heard the murmur of a voice, one that wasn’t female but distinctly male. He was keeping his tone low, unlike Fern.

“I know you don’t understand why I’m going through with this. I have my reasons. Daddy approves of Ben. He believes I’m madly in love with him. But it’s you I want, and it will only be for a year. I’ve got a plan for us to be together and I don’t intend to stop seeing you after today. I love you.”

Numbness stole over him as he backed away from thehappycouple. He’d heard more than enough. He didn’t need to hear Fern kissing another man, the large arms encircling her back was a good indication of what was taking place.

I don’t intend to stop seeing you after today. I love you.

The words echoed in his mind on repeat. Fern was going to marry him and cheat on him, and she didn’t care.

Who was she now?

How long had she been seeing this guy?

Had their whole relationship been a lie?

More to the point, how had he missed all of this?

Everything she’d done. Every possessive action of the last few months had all been a lie. The only time he and Fern hadn’t beentogether was when they’d been at work. Was this guy someone she worked with?

Nothing about the last five minutes made sense, but his misgivings and doubts were justified. Only he’d thought it was because he was discovering his feelings for Fern weren’t as strong as he thought. Not because she had been cheating on him.

Why hadn’t he cancelled the wedding?

Ben didn’t want to think anymore. He wanted to forget everything he’d just seen and heard and thought.

He reached the stairwell and leaned against the door. Fern must have disappeared back into the room, because if she continued on her way she would’ve seen him making his exit. Or maybe she had and hadn’t bothered to call out to him so she didn’t out herself and what she was up to.

The room he’d been allocated to get ready in was on the fifteenth floor of the hotel, but the prospect of walking down all those stairs didn’t faze him. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and Fern as possible.

The second the stairway door slammed behind him, Ben yanked his tie loose and ripped it off. He let it flitter to the floor. Next he shrugged out of his jacket. The material joined his tie on the dusty grey cement. He didn’t care that he was leaving the coat from his suit for everyone to find. By the time they found it, he’d be long gone.

Ben skipped down the stairs as he pulled the cuff links out of his shirt sleeves, depositing them in his pants pocket—they were his dad’s and he didn’t want to lose them.

With each step, he put even more distance between him and the floors above. Reed would come looking for him when he hadn’t returned in time for the ceremony. His wallet and phone were still in the suite. Probably not the best thing, given the circumstances that he had no way of calling for a car or payingfor it. Right now, that was the last of his concerns. He had legs, he could walk anywhere.

Once he reached the door for the hotel lobby, he took a moment to catch his breath. He had no plan. No idea of what he was going to do. All he knew was he wouldn’t be going through with the wedding and he didn’t care what that did to his reputation. Didn’t care that Fern’s parents had sunk a ton of money into the wedding. Although Fern said that getting married on a Friday ensured that she got the photographer, florist, and location she wanted. Not to mention all those things were cheaper than holding the wedding on a Saturday or Sunday, but Ben saw the prices for all those things. It didn’t look like it was cheaper.

Well, if she still wanted to get married, she could marry the guy she truly loved. It probably wouldn’t be legal, because they’d had to lodge an intent to marry and get the marriage license. But that would be Fern’s problem. It wasn’t his. And if Fern’s parents demanded he pay a share of the costs, he’d tell them where to go and just what their daughter did to him.

Anger replaced the numbness that had coated him since he discovered Fern’s betrayal.

God, he hadn’t even wanted to marry on a Friday. He hadn’t wanted to inconvenience people by getting married on the last working day of the week. There was a reason people got married on a Saturday or a Sunday. That had been yet another argument he lost about the wedding. Another sign he’d ignored. His opinions clearly hadn’t mattered to Fern.

“Get moving,” he muttered to himself. “None of that matters now.”

Opening the door, he scanned the area, pleased that Reed wasn’t loitering in the lobby waiting for him. Something Ben fully expected to see.

Instead he saw the one person he knew he could count on. The one person who had always been there for him. The one person Fern hated the most and tried to, unsuccessfully, force out of his life.

“Clara!”

Chapter 2

This is a mistake.

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