Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Bliss is no longer whispering; quite the opposite, actually, her excitement echoing around the big space. “I knew it! I knew it! All three of them were so into you right from the start. Rafe hung back a bit, but his eyes did a lot of talking. Do you remember?”
I nod slowly as I replay a few memories that make my skin tingle, even in the hot, bubbly water. Rafe’s looks were intense, and so was the way he took my hand …
“You were dancing with all of them at one point,” Bliss recalls, “and I was thinking how the rumors about the three of them must be true, but then Conal went off with you, and the next thing I knew, you told me you were getting married.”
“Last night, it just seemed like fun and flirtation. I don’t remember how it turned into something so serious.”
“Did you find out if you’ve slept with them yet?”
I shake my head. “Conal says nothing happened.”
She nods. “From the size of their big pythons, if something happened, I’m sure you’d know.”
I think about the long, thick shape I saw beneath the sheets this morning, but I’m not going to say a word about that.
“I bet it won’t be long. There’s definitely something electric between you and all three of those men, you lucky girl. Oh, here. Here’s the video.” She takes out her phone, turns it on its side, and presses play on a video that starts abruptly mid-ceremony.
“Sorry about that,” Bliss says. “It didn’t occur to me until partway through to pass my phone off to one of the security guys. There was a professional videographer there, though, and I’m sure they got the whole thing.”
I barely hear her, because I’m fascinated watching myself in a setting I don’t recognize. White drapery frames the scene, and behind us, there’s pretty pink and red stained glass artwork covering the wall. Conal and I are front and center, holding hands, and both of his brothers are right next to him, while Bliss is standing off to the side.
All three guys look different from how I remember them last night. They’re still wearing jeans, like they were when I met them, but they’ve added suit jackets, and that detail takes me by surprise. The bad boys of rock look surprisingly upstanding in this video.
The officiant, a sincere-looking older woman, is talking about love, and the word starts to flash in my head like a neon sign. Love is the reason people get married. Does Conal think he loves me? Did I fall in love with him last night?
As I watch, I notice that I didn’t seem able to stand still. I’m practically bouncing on my toes, even wearing the white satin pumps that I’ve never seen before.
When it comes time to exchange vows, I’m looking at Conal like he’s the sun and the moon, and he’s looking back at me like I’m all the stars in the sky. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we appear to be two people in love. He slides the ring on my finger, and my smile is so big, I’m surprised my cheeks don’t hurt today.
When the woman pronounces us married, I let out a whoop and wrap my arms around my new husband, as if I’m clinging to him for dear life. He laughs as he hugs me back. Bliss hands me the bouquet, and I swing it high in the air, triumphant.
“That image is all over the internet.” Bliss taps her screen a couple of times and the headline, “Conal Curran Says 'I Do' - Heartbreaker Ties the Knot in Vegas!” appears in big bold type above a similar still shot.
I’d forgotten that the world knows about our marriage, and this also reminds me of my poor mom, who apparently had to find out from a random news source.
“How did this get out so fast?” I have the urge to scroll down and read the article, but my hands are wet.
“I don’t know,” Bliss says. “Maybe someone at the chapel leaked pictures. Maybe the photographer sold them. Could be anybody. It’s probably best if you just ignore anything that’s out there.”
She slides her phone back into her bag with a haste that makes me suspicious. “Are they saying bad things?” I ask.
“Not about you. People think you’re beautiful, even though I’m sure there are unkind comments from plenty of jealous people.”
“What, then?”
“You’d better get out of the tub soon. You’re going to look like a prune.”
“Don’t change the subject, Bliss.” She has a point, though. When she wanders over to a window, pointedly turning her back to give me privacy, I start to wash off.
“It’s just the heartbreaker thing,” she says. “Of course, people are shocked by the sudden marriage.”
She’s trying to be diplomatic, but this is something that’s been poking at the edges of my mind since I first saw the ring on my finger. I know how Conal made me feel last night, and in that regard, the marriage makes some sense to me, even though it’s still a shock. But if you’d have asked me two days ago whether The Conal Curran would ever settle down, I’d have laughed at the idea. Nothing about his reputation suggests that the word commitment is even part of his vocabulary.