Jessica Hart - Here Comes The Bride

But you won’t mourn over my absence. Reese would only have been a blip on the screen of his life.

“They’ll get over it as soon as the writers find you a new love interest.”

“Word has it they’re going to let me grieve for a few weeks, then I’ll take up my original vocation as an Italian monk. Without Carly Shaw, I no longer want to live in the world.”

“You made that up.”

On occasion Alex could be a tease. Maybe this was one of those times. If Patsy had been able to tell Reese was uptight, surely it hadn’t escaped Alex she was more nervous than usual this morning. No doubt he was trying to get her to lighten up.

But to her surprise he lifted his hands in defense. “I swear I’m telling the truth. Ask Stan. Melissa’s going to pretend to be a priest and smuggle herself inside the monastery to make my life hell.”

If that was true, then lucky, lucky Melissa. An ache passed through Reese’s body more intense than before.

His eyes narrowed on her face. “You were supposed to laugh. Are you having seconds thoughts about leaving the show?”

Her head reared. “None!”

“You don’t have to pretend around me. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have some misgivings about walking away from all your friends here.”

“Of course I’ll miss everyone, but acting’s not for me. When Aunt Lilian died so suddenly, I’m afraid any thespian tendencies inside me died with her. If my aunt had done something else for a living, the idea of being an actress would never have occurred to me.

“Let’s face it. My chance to play Carly Shaw on a soap opera was an absolute fluke. To be honest, I’m eager to get back to the university. In retrospect, two years away from the books makes me want to jump right into my studies again.”

“Still planning a graduate degree in Archaeology afterwards?” he inquired.

“I don’t know. My parents were hoping I’d follow them into their field, but I’m also thinking Anthropology. Maybe I liked this stab at acting as much as I did because I’ve always found people and their behavior fascinating.” Especially yours, Alex Kieris.

“Carly, Fabio, Melissa-church scene coming up next!” the stage manager announced.

Alex’s gaze swept over her. “Let’s go do it, shall we?”

They walked the short distance to the vestibule of the church where Carly and Fabio would link arms for the walk down the aisle ahead of the bride. Melissa took her position behind the back door where she could eavesdrop on their conversation.

When they were in place, Alex whispered, “Smile, Reese. It’s our wedding day. All the grief and misunderstandings between us are about to come to an end. In a few minutes we’re going to give the viewing audience a twist they’re not expecting.”

“It’s a twist with a sting,” she murmured, hoping he couldn’t hear her heart clogging up her throat.

He cocked his dark head. “That’s true. You’ve been on the show a year longer than I have. After losing Lilian, the fans are going to have a doubly hard time letting you go.”

He unexpectedly reached out to adjust her hat. At her questioning glance he said, “Just making sure the rim doesn’t get in the way of my kissing you at the altar. I don’t understand why they gave you a hat to wear.”

With a grin he said, “In Greece a bride wears a garland of flowers so the poor grooms don’t get injured before the honeymoon even starts.”

Reese had been right. The woman waiting for him in Greece was on his mind.

“This is L.A., and I’m the bridesmaid, remember? Normally I’m not the one who gets kissed at the altar.”

“You are this time! I may just remove your hat at the appropriate moment, so don’t be surprised.”

“You mean inappropriate, don’t you?” she teased, trying to put on a happy, carefree face so she wouldn’t give herself away completely. “After all the stunts you’ve pulled on me that weren’t written in the script, I don’t think there’s anything you could do that would shock me.”

His eyes glinted black fire. “I have to admit you’ve been a real sport to put up with me for the last twelve months. It’s proof of your great acting talent that every time I blundered, you covered for me without missing a heartbeat.”

That was where Alex was wrong. Around him her heart had stopped beating more times than he would ever know. It was the reason she was leaving the show now instead of putting off her studies for another year.

School seemed to be her only salvation. Being forced to immerse herself in her studies wouldn’t cure her broken heart, but if she wanted to obtain decent grades she wouldn’t have the time or luxury to wallow in pain. At least that was what she was telling herself right now.

He reached for her left hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Wardrobe handed me this gold band to put on your finger. Let’s make sure it slides on easily, otherwise I’ll have to put it on your baby finger.”

Baby finger… She loved his little language mistakes.

“You did say you wanted our last scene to go without a hitch.”

Biting her lip, Reese clutched the basket in her right hand while he checked the fit. She willed her body not to shake.

“Perfect sizing.” He slipped it back off. “But your hand feels like ice,” came the unexpected comment before he chafed it with his to warm her up.

“I have poor circulation.” She snatched her hand away.

“That’s news to me. I never noticed the problem while you were putting sunscreen on my back during our beach scenes.”

Before she could find a logical response, the pre-wedding march music started to play in the background.

“Places, everyone! Action!”

With those words, the two of them became Carly and Fabio.

Reese immediately slipped into the role and peered at Fabio from beneath the rim of her hat. “Is it true you’re going back to Italy after the wedding?”

His black eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

Reese’s whole body throbbed with pain. “Just answer me, dammit!” she cried in a hushed tone, her eyes filling with tears.

He put out a finger to catch a drop, then rubbed the moisture around with this thumb. “Tears. From you?” he mocked. “I didn’t think it was possible.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“Did you ever give me the chance, bellissima?”

“I’m giving it to you now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t listen to her!” Melissa broke in on them with a maniacal look in her eyes. “I heard her tell Miranda she was in love with you, but she was lying! All this time she’s been sleeping with Carlo.”

Carly gasped. “That’s not true and you know it,” she whispered, enraged.

“Give me a break-” Melissa fired back. “Think about it, Fabio. That’s why you’ve never been able to get Carly in your bed.”

“You’re wrong, Melissa. The only reason I haven’t slept with Fabio is because I knew you were in love with him. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Ooh. You really know how to play hardball, don’t you?” Melissa’s furious gaze switched to Fabio. “The only reason she’s hitting on you now is so she can get her hands on your portion of the Andretti fortune.”

“There is no fortune, Melissa,” Fabio declared with quiet menace. “I gave it to the church when I entered the priesthood.”

“I wouldn’t want it anyway!” Carly cried. “Money means nothing without love. How can you stand there and accuse me of such lies? Carlo’s old enough to be my father. He’s always been in love with your mother. They’ve been like parents to me. Don’t listen to her, Fabio.”

“Don’t listen to her, Fabio,” Melissa mimicked brutally. “Get ready to die, Carly!”

Melissa pulled a gun from the thigh holster beneath her dress. But before she could shoot it, Fabio wrenched it from her hand.

“I might have known you’d try to ruin your mother’s wedding day,” he said with cold fury. “My uncle told me how their first wedding ended in disaster because of you, but you’re not going to get away with it a second time. Get out of here, Melissa!”

Two ushers seating people rushed into the vestibule. “What’s going on? The guests are waiting.”

“Escort this woman from the church and call the police to pick her up for threatening Carly with a deadly weapon.”

While one of the ushers dragged Melissa, who went kicking and screaming, the other one relieved Fabio of the gun.

After he disappeared, Fabio turned to crush Carly in his arms. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She struggled for breath. “Fabio-you didn’t believe her, did you?”

“What do you think? According to Carlo, she’s been unstable for years. Maybe she’ll finally get the psychiatric help she needs.”

“She was actually going to kill me.”

“Don’t think about that now.”

“How can I not?” she cried. “Oh, no-the wedding march has started up!”

“LET it!” Fabio fired back. “You were about to say something important before she tried to kill you.”

“There’s no time to go into that now.”

“Carly-Melissa just said that you told Miranda you loved me. Is it true? Tell me.” He shook her gently.

She swallowed hard. “Yes!” she cried at long last. “Even though you’re too old for me and I’m too young for you, it’s true. The difference in our ages no longer matters to me. I don’t care that Melissa loved you first. I can’t live without you, Fabio. W-what would you say if we got married today? We could make it a double wedding with Carlo and Miranda. She knows how I feel about you.”

A stillness ensued. “You’re asking me to marry you?”

“Yes.” Her voice trembled.

“You’re not joking.”

“No.”

“I didn’t know women in America did things like this.”

“They do when it’s a leap year. Today is February twenty-ninth, the day when a woman can ask a man to marry her.”