My finger hoveredover the collection of pictures. A part of me couldn’t wait to see them, but another part was hesitant.
Ever since we’d gotten back from the Blakes’ beach house, things had been… weird. Okay, they hadn’t been weird at all. They’d been totally normal and frustratingly lonely. I missed Hayden, or at least the part he’d played while we were staying with his family.
Now that we didn’t have an audience, the doting-husband side of him had dissolved like smoke. Even now I wasn’t sure if he was texting me because he cared or if it was a show for Allison and Maggie. I could never figure out what he was really thinking.
“Danielle?” Maggie asked. “You okay?”
I forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just unreasonably nervous about seeing the wedding pictures.”
Maggie’s face lit up. “You have pictures?”
It took maybe three whole seconds for her and Allison to press in on either side of me, their eyes glued to the screen of my phone.
“Why are you nervous?” Maggie asked. “I highly doubt it’s possible you looked anything less than stunning.”
“It’s not that. I’m just…” I wasn’t sure how to explain my fears. I wasn’t even sure what I was afraid of seeing exactly.
“Do you want us to give you some privacy?” Allison asked gently. I knew they would too, even though I could see their excitement sparkling in their eyes and weaving through their auras in bright bursts of orange.
“No. I just need to rip the Band-Aid off.”
I tapped the attachment, and the first picture filled the screen. It was of the two of us standing in front of the sanctuary window. Hayden stood behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist. We were both smiling at the camera, looking happy but also formal.
I swiped through a bunch more pictures—us holding hands at the altar, sliding rings on each other’s fingers, our tiny and uneven wedding party—before coming to a sudden halt.
The picture on my screen was of us facing each other. Hayden’s hands were on my hips, and there was an air of possession in the way he held me. But that wasn’t what made my breath catch. It was the way we stared at each other, like the rest of the world didn’t matter. Like itcould burst into flames around us and we wouldn’t notice.
“Holy shit,” Maggie breathed in my ear.
“What?” I asked, unable to tear my gaze away from the image.
“He really loves you.”
She was wrong. Hayden had made it clear he didn’t love me nine months ago when he replaced me like it was easy. But he’d certainly perfected the look I’d seen Nate give Sierra and Sam give Piper. The one that said they’d burn the world if that’s what it took to keep their wives safe.
“Of course he loves her,” Allison said. “You were at the same beach house as I was last weekend, right?”
My chest ached at her words. It was all a show, one that had ended as soon as we’d returned to Boston.
With shaky fingers, I moved on to the next photo. It was a solo picture of me. My hands were resting on the windowsill behind me, the snowy grounds creating a lovely backdrop. The pose showcased the dress, which I still considered my best work, beautifully. There was a faint blush to my cheeks, and my eyes glimmered like I had a secret.
I remembered taking this one—the way I could feel Hayden’s eyes burning into me and his comment that he wished he’d be taking the dress off me that night.
“You look so beautiful,” Allison said with a wistful note. “I wish I could have seen it in real life.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t invite you.”
“It’s okay,” Maggie said. “We get it. I’ll never let himlive it down, but I understand why he wanted something small and private.”
I glanced over at her. “You do?”
“We all grew up in the spotlight. Money has a way of making complete strangers care about every little thing that happens to you. I walked away when I married Scott, told Dad I didn’t want a penny, and the world quickly forgot about me. But Hayden’s the heir, and according to everyone who isn’t his sibling, he’s handsome too. Everyone’s always cared what he was doing. The only way he was going to get any privacy for his wedding was to keep it a secret.”
“Oh.” I had blamed our small wedding solely on it being fake, but maybe that wasn’t the only reason Hayden hadn’t invited his family.
We scrolled through the rest of the photos, staring at every immortalized moment of the wedding. It was strange seeing it from the outside. It all looked so real. It was a bit like watching someone else’s life instead of my own.
After Maggie and Allison had oohed and aahed over every picture, I sent Hayden a quick thank-you and tucked my phone back into my purse, promising myself that I was going to enjoy the rest of my afternoon without thinking about my fake husband and how all this was ending in less than nine months.
