Page 86 of A Kiss at Midnight

He might not be saying another word to me, but I can feel his animosity; the very air around us is thick with it. I suspect Byron and I will never be friends, not because I believe he’s evil — though he shows signs of being pretty dang close — but because Byron doesn’t seem to allow anyone to get close to him. I feel sad for him. What a lonely, thankless life he must lead.

“Well, we got that out of the way, so why don’t we celebrate with a nice dinner?” Tyler says a little too eagerly.

“That sounds good, Tyler,” Blake tells him.

I’m more than happy when we leave the park in front of the office building, where Blake decided to inform his brothers about tomorrow’s wedding. It isn’t going to be a fancy wedding. It isn’t about love, after all. But still, he managed to arrange a simple ceremony at our house. Well, athishouse. I don’t know whether I’ll ever consider it mine.

For the past couple of weeks, the two of us have gotten along. Blake went from demanding and arrogant to more considerate and asking my opinion. Well, everywhere except for the bedroom. There, he’s insatiable and very,verydemanding. And I love it.

His business deal has to be going well, because he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. I just wish he was happy for a different reason. We don’t speak of love, and I’m not under the illusion that we’re marrying because of the sloppy emotion. That kind of sucks, because somehow in the midst of all of this, I’ve fallen in love with him.

I can’t pinpoint the moment it began. Maybe it’s like those survivor stories where two people under extreme circumstances fall in love with each other.The Stockholm syndrome, perhaps?I think with a grim chuckle. Maybe it’s because I’m dependent on him. Whatever the reason, I’m simultaneously excited about my marriage to him...anddreading it.

This is a fairy tale, but a fractured one. I’m not a princess, and Blake most certainly isnotPrince Charming. This long, strange dream seems almost certain to end in a rude awakening. But we’re here for now, and I don’t want to run away.

Byron backs down a little during the dinner, and later in the night the brothers take Blake with them for an impromptu bachelor party. I’m restless, tossing and turning for hours in my lonely bed with him gone.

Isn’t the night before a woman’s wedding day supposed to be filled with dreams of happily-ever-afters? Not for me. Haven’t I decided long ago that I’m not one of those people who are destined to win a perfect life? Still, I’m luckier than most, I remind myself.

I have my brother, and I have Blake — and that’s all I need.

Chapter Review

Chapter Forty-Nine

Jewel

You do realize ifyou don’t breathe, you’re going to pass out, don’t you?”

I meet McKenzie’s gaze in the mirror and attempt a smile, but no power is strong enough to accomplish that. My stomach’s nervous, my eyes almost wild. My body feels like it doesn’t belong to me.

“What if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life?” I ask.

McKenzie kneels down by me and grabs my chair. “Jewel, I’ve made many mistakes in my lifetime, so trust me when I tell you this isn’t a mistake.” She surprises me by leaning in and giving me a hug.

McKenzie looks so much softer in her light blue chiffon dress that brushes the top of her knees in the front and flows down in the back. Her makeup is minimal — she possesses an amazing natural beauty — and her hair’s up in a stylish bun with a few strands falling around her face in a lovely frame.

“You’ve been good to me these last few months, McKenzie. I don’t know how I can ever repay you,” I say, feeling tears trying to break through.

“I like you, Jewel. I didn’t expect to find friendship with you, but Igenuinelylike you,” McKenzie tells me.

“I like you too, McKenzie. And maybe someday you’ll tell me your story. You know mine, after all.”

McKenzie doesn’t retreat into silence the way I expect her to. “I might just do that, Jewel,” she says. “But right now it’syourwedding day, and you have an anxious groom waiting out there.”

“I don’t think he’s anxious, McKenzie. Remember, this is a business deal,” I say with more sadness than I care to admit. “So I can have Justin.”

“You can say anything you want to make yourself feel better, but I know that look in a woman’s eyes. You love him, Jewel.”

“I... I’m doing this for Justin,” I insist, though the words nearly get trapped in my throat.

“You’ve done a lot for your brother,” McKenzie says, and then something in her eyes alerts me to the depths of pain this woman has borne for some unknown reason. “Just remember not to lose yourself,” she adds. “Enough of this, though. Let’s focus on what matters today — your wedding.”

“If you need to talk, I’m always here.”

“I realize that,” McKenzie tells me with a shaky smile. “Now keep still. We need to get this veil on you and march you down the aisle. The groom will start manhandling people if you don’t get out there on time.”

If only that were true. But this is a business deal no matter what McKenzie says. My feelings for Blake don’t matter. This isn’t about me, or about Blake for that matter. It’s about my little brother, and doing everything I can for him.

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