Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
She went dead silent. Then, “Just a minute.” I heard frantic whispering: all I could make out was the name Aristov. Then she came back on the line. “We’d be honored to accommodate you next week, Miss Hanford.”
I opened my eyes and blinked in disbelief. What? That’s fantastic! Then I had a sudden, horrible thought. “I don’t want you to cancel someone else’s wedding for me!”
“We don’t have a booking that day,” she reassured me. “We’re closed for staff training. I mean, we were closed. We’ll reschedule it.”
I could hear the fear in her voice. And when I called caterers, florists and bands, the same thing happened. Radimir had been right: these people’s customer base were Chicago’s rich and famous, of course they’d heard the name Aristov and they were all ready to bend over backwards to avoid offending him...and by extension, me. Is this what life’s going to be like? I knew some people would relish being feared, but I’d always just wanted to be liked, however pathetic that made me.
I’d absently doodled Bronwyn Hanford and Radimir Aristov on a sheet of paper while I’d been giving our names for the bookings. Now, for the first time, I tried combining them. Bronwyn Aristov.
My stomach dropped. It suddenly felt so permanent. In a week’s time, I’d be married to a man I didn’t love.
That silvery butterfly in my chest, again. I didn’t love him. Couldn’t love him. Right?
35
BRONWYN
The next day, I went dress shopping with my friends. We found the bridesmaid’s dresses after only four stores: deep green halter-neck gowns with matching heels. They looked amazing on everyone, but I saw Luna nervously playing with the price tag and Jen looked worried, too. “Relax,” I told them. “Radimir has said I can have what I want. And what I want is for you to not have to worry, so it’s on me. Your dresses, the bachelorette party...everything.”
“I gotta meet this guy,” said Sadie.
My wedding gown was harder. There were plenty of dresses that looked great on the store window mannequins, but when I tried them on I felt like an elephant in a tutu. I was giving up hope when Jen led us down a back alley to a tiny place she’d found online. They specialized in designs for curvier brides and as soon as I saw the dress, I knew. I listened politely to all the store clerk’s patter but as soon as she’d finished, I pointed to it. “Can I try that one, please?”
It was a long, cream dress with delicate silver details, and when I tried it on it was perfect. It hugged me just right and the long, slender skirt seemed to add about three inches to my height. There was a train that flowed down my back like a silky waterfall and trailed behind me for a full eight feet. I looked at myself in the mirror and suddenly, it all welled up inside me. I’m getting married. I didn’t normally get emotional, especially over a dress, but—
I burst out of the changing room and looked at my friends. Luna, Sadie and Jen clapped their hands to their mouths.
“It’s—” I managed
Luna nodded wildly. Sadie flapped her hand in front of her face to cool her eyes. Jen grinned. “It is! It totally is!”
For the first time, I thought about checking the price. My stomach suddenly dropped. Okay, it was beautiful, but I could literally buy a car for that.
Jen saw my face. “He did say anything you wanted,” she said gently.
I thought of how serious Radimir had been, the morning after I’d patched him up. He really did want to make me happy. “Okay,” I managed. “Okay, yes.” I dug out the credit card he’d given me, took a deep breath...and handed it over.
“Now,” said Sadie, “I really have to meet this guy.”
I smiled sadly and looked away. Radimir never willingly interacted with civilians and if they did meet him, they’d be shocked at how cold he was. But on a whim, I called him.
He picked up immediately. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing’s the matter. Um. Are you free right now? For coffee?”
There was a stunned silence, and I imagined him staring at the phone, bemused. He never took breaks, even though he worked twelve-hour days. “I have a lot of work to do,” he said at last.
I nodded. “I guessed you would. It’s fine, I’ll see you later.”
“Bronwyn, wait. Why was it you wanted to meet?”
I glanced over my shoulder at Luna, Sadie and Jen. “I wanted you to meet my friends.” It sounded dumb, now. “I’m marrying you and they’ve never even met you.”
I heard him stand up. Then there was a rustle of fabric, and I knew he’d just tugged his waistcoat straight. “Where are you?”
I told him the address.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”