Page 16 of Don’t Marry Him

A knock at the door distracted me, and I turned away from the glass.

“Dove, it’s me,” Kristina said.

“Come in.”

She blew into the room like she floated on air. “Dove, you look stunning.”

I wanted to laugh. The dress I was wearing was absolutely ridiculous. An enormous A-line ball gown that couldn’t have been less my style. It hid every curve I had, and the bottom was so puffy that I could fit at least three small children under there. It was a dress that didn’t suit my style at all, but if this wedding was a sham, then my dress would be too. The least I could do was look the opposite of myself in every way even if I was the only one who knew it. I planned on saving my dream dress for the real thing, fuck you very much.

“Don’t say that,” I mumbled under my breath before catching myself.

Even though I’d given her a one-worded answer that told her everything she’d suspected not that long ago, I hadn’t confessed the whole truth to her, and I never planned to. No matter how many times she asked. The last thing I needed was to involve anyone else in this scheme and potentially get them hurt as well. Enough people were hurt already and I was afraid Trevor had no limits when it came to this.

“What?”

“I said, thank you,” I lied.

“No, you didn’t,” she said, calling me out, but not pushing. “You really do look gorgeous.”

I didn’t care how I looked.

“Is he here?” I asked, and she knew who I was referring to without my having to call him by name.

“I haven’t seen him. Figured if he was, there would be all kinds of commotion.”

I couldn’t disagree with that assessment.

Trevor had initially wanted Dominic to come today. Reveled in the very idea actually. Said that he wanted to witness Dominic lose everything he’d ever loved in real time. He thrived off the notion that Dominic would be devastated to the point of no return. The thought alone decimated me.

But somewhere along the way, Trevor changed his mind. He deemed Dominic too disruptive, potentially dangerous, and a time bomb waiting to explode, even with the threat I carried on my shoulders. Trevor knew that Dominic wasn’t aware of the blackmail, so he couldn’t be trusted to stay calm and collected… not when I was involved. Dominic’s father had tried to insist that he be allowed to attend, claiming it would be good for the town to see a strong man fall to his knees, but Trevor stood firm in his new decision. He’d refused to allow it.

Not like lack of an invitation could stop Dominic anyway.

“Are you sure you’re ready to do this?” Kristina asked. She was being sweet, thinking she was giving me a way out.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

That was at least the truth.

“I’ll go get your dad. It’s almost time.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll see you out there.”

She closed the door behind her. I wasn’t having anyone stand up at the altar with me. Trevor and I would be alone while we lied to an entire room filled with friends, family, and mostly strangers. At least, they were to me. I hadn’t been around Trevor long enough to meet all of the people within his political circles who would be in attendance, and I only knew a couple of his big donors.

“Sweet pea, I’m coming in.” My dad appeared, adjusted his tie, and reached for my hand before placing it around his arm. “We can still bail,” he suggested one last time, but I gripped him a little tighter, letting him know that I wasn’t leaving.

“Is he here?”

“Haven’t seen him,” he said, his voice sounding almost as disappointed as I felt.

Where the hell is Dominic?It was getting late.

The double doors swung open at the same time as the processional music filled the air. I must have blacked out on the walk down the aisle or gone into some kind of trance because the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the altar in a massive church, staring at Trevor O’Connor’s demonic blue eyes, and I had absolutely no idea how the hell I’d gotten there.

The smile he wore took up his whole face, and I wondered if I was the only one who saw how fake it was, how downright cruel and malicious. He wasn’t smiling because he was happy or overjoyed to see me standing there with him.

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