Page 28 of The Placeholder
Her answering smile is worth everything. “You do that every day,” she says softly.
And I silently vow to keep doing so for as long as she’ll let me.
CHAPTER 14
DELLA
THREE MONTHS LATER
“Careful with the pearls, Liana!” I laugh, watching my friend’s steady hands fasten the delicate strand around Betsy’s neck.
“I’ve got it,” Liana replies, her tongue caught between her teeth in concentration. “There. Perfect.”
Betsy stands before the full-length mirror, misty-eyed as she takes in her reflection. The ivory lace of her gown catches the light streaming through the window, casting a soft glow around her.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispers, a tear escaping down her cheek. “In thirty minutes, I’ll be Mrs. Conor Campbell.”
I quickly dab the tear away with a tissue. “No crying yet! We just finished your makeup.”
The bridal suite smells of roses and hairspray, champagne flutes glittering on the side table. Outside, we can hear the low hum of guests arriving, the string quartet warming up in the garden.
Liana hands Betsy a glass of champagne. “To new beginnings,” she toasts, raising her own glass. “And to honeymoons. Both yours and Della’s.”
Betsy turns to me, her eyes widening. “Wait, what? You’re going on a honeymoon?”
I feel heat rise to my cheeks. “It’s not a honeymoon, just a romantic getaway,” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. “Axel surprised me last night at the rehearsal dinner. He’s taking me to the Maldives for a week. Private villa over the water, personal butler, the works."
“Oh my God!” Betsy squeals, careful not to spill her champagne. “I bet he’s going to propose!”
"No,” I shake my head, though my stomach flutters at the thought. “It’s only been four and a half months. That’s way too soon.”
Liana gives me a knowing look. “Yeah, but that man knows what he wants. It’s clear as day whenever he looks at you.”
The memory of Axel’s face when he presented me with the tickets last night makes my heart race. The intensity in those blue eyes, the way his fingers lingered on mine.
“The way he watches you,” Betsy adds, “like you’re the only person in the room.”
A knock at the door interrupts us. “Ladies, five minutes,” calls the wedding planner.
My stomach tightens with anticipation—not for Betsy’s wedding, though I’m thrilled for her—but at the thought of seeing Axel again, sitting in the third row, watching me walk down the aisle before the bride.
The ceremony passes in a blur of music and flowers.Liana and I process down the aisle first, the weight of Axel’s gaze on me with every step. He looks devastating in his charcoal suit, his auburn hair catching the afternoon sunlight. When our eyes meet, his smile is slow and intimate, as if we’re the only two people here.
Betsy is radiant as she follows us, her father beaming proudly beside her. I steal glances at Axel throughout the ceremony, finding him already watching me each time.
At the reception, the fairy lights strung across the venue’s ceiling create a canopy of stars above the dance floor. After dinner and speeches, Axel finds me fussing over Betsy’s bustle and approaches with a wide smile.
“Dance with me?” he asks, extending his hand.
The band plays a slow jazz number as he pulls me into his arms, his hand warm against the small of my back.
“You’re breathtaking,” he murmurs against my hair. “Every man here is jealous of me right now.”
I laugh, pressing closer. “I doubt that.”
"I don’t.” His fingers trace slow, deliberate circles on the bare skin of my back, each touch sending ripples of warmth through my silk bridesmaid dress. “But have you seen your brother and Liana?”
I follow his gaze across the candlelit reception to where Felix, his dark hair falling across his forehead, is twirling Liana across the polished dance floor. Her emerald dress catches the light as she spins, her chestnut curls bouncing free from their pins, her head thrown back in uninhibited laughter.
