Page 88 of The Last Resort
Rachel turned to Bryce. “But Chloe will be keeping her name, won’t she? Chloe Fisher.”
He shook his head. “No. From today she will be known only as Chloe Royal. If someone marries into the family, they have to legally change their name. Chloe has decided to go all in and no longer use Fisher, even as a stage name.”
That seems a bit medieval.
Holding Vivian’s hand, a smiling Bryce explained. “Every member of the family standing on this beach is a Royal. When you marry into the family you become a Royal. And that goes for both men and women. If a man marries a Royal woman, he has to change his name so that their children are born as Royal.”
That’s a seriously tightknit family.
“Really? But what if someone doesn’t want to change their name, how does that work?”
“Then the wedding is off. It’s the one absolute non-negotiable part of marrying a member of our family.”
So if I married Matthew, I would be Rachel Royal. Huh, well there you go.
Their relationship was still in its infancy, but it was worthwhile knowing just in case things ever did get to the point of them discussing a permanent future together.
“Well I suppose since Chloe is already a pop princess, she may as well be a Royal,” added Vivian.
A professional photographer moved in front of the bride and groom, and everyone else stepped aside, leaving the happy couple to smile at the camera.Of course, that’s anotherreason why they made us hand over our phones.The only photos of Chloe and Jordan’s happy day would be the official ones. To Rachel’s surprise the photographer only took one photo, then stepped back.
She glanced at Bryce and Vivian, who had become her unofficial wedding whisperers. “One picture?”
“Yep, it’s going to be released tomorrow. They’ve sold it to one of the main media companies in exchange for a hefty fee which they are donating to a charity for homeless youth in Chloe’s home state,” explained Bryce.
Just one photo. No huge magazine spread, or entertainment TV special for Jordan and Chloe. The bride and groom had decided that the rest of their wedding belonged to them and their family. As a Chloe fan, Rachel would have bought a magazine or two if they had taken the route of many other celebrity couples and sold a whole wedding portfolio. It made being here today all that more special.
All the secrecy surrounding the wedding spoke of a couple who wanted today to be about them and their loved ones.
Classy. Private. Perfect.
The sort of wedding that a couple who treasured their love would want. And deserved.
This is a wonderful day.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
As the sun set following what Rachel had decided was the most intimate, heartfelt wedding service ever, the happy couple led their guests, through the beautiful gardens. Waiters with trays laden with glasses of champagne and sparkling water, lined the path to the main villa.
A smiling Matthew sought Rachel out among the stragglers. “They did it. They got married.”
“It was a lovely ceremony. And you made such a handsome best man.”
He held out his hand and she took it. It made her heart sing to feel this comfortable with him. For them to have slipped into this ease in their relationship.
“I’m glad you came with me this weekend. You had me worried when you didn’t immediately say yes to my invitation.”
Rachel’s gaze dropped to the hem of her floral gown. The organza was so light, the spaghetti straps holding it up barely touched her skin. Her silver painted toenails were dusted with sand. A barefoot wedding was a delightful experience for her feet.
“I didn’t want to say no. I just felt uncomfortable about not dressing properly for your family.”
Matthew bent and pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone. “I love this island look on you. It will be such a pity to have to go back to Aspen in a couple of days and rug up all over again. I might just have to take some private photos in our room later tonight.”
“Speaking of cellular devices, do you know when we will get ours back? I dread to think how many missed calls and emails I will have waiting for me.”
“Everyone will get their phones back after the bride and groom have left the reception. Jordan and Chloe are heading out on that big black yacht you see moored next to the Italian one. Apparently, it’s owned by a record producer friend of Chloe’s.”
Rachel held back on telling Matthew that she knew exactly who that record producer was, and where his private island was located. Chloe’s Garden were well on top of those sorts of things.
