After the women left, Faith took a couple minutes to stare at her reflection in the suite’s mirrored closet doors. She couldn’t believe the transformation. The dress fit as if it had been sewed on her. The skirt was full, with seed pearls and rhinestones sprinkled throughout the tulle netting like fairy dust. The bodice was tight and with the bra she’d chosen at least pushed her tiny br**sts up enough to generate a modicum of cle**age. It was low cut, but not enough that she’d need a stapler to hold it to her chest.
The women had insisted on a little makeup despite Faith’s objections.
Admittedly, they’d been right. At least she now had some color in her cheeks. Before, she’d looked less like a bride and more like a prisoner about to be led to the gallows.
“Okay, Faith,” she said to her reflection. “This is the best you can do with what God gave you. I hope you don’t disappoint your husband-to-be.”
“Believe me. I’m not disappointed.”
She whirled at the sound of Ryan’s voice. “I didn’t see you there,” she said, feeling like she’d been caught playing dress up in someone else’s clothes.
Her heart raced at the sight of him, so elegantly perfect in his well-tailored tux that she forgot to breathe. The crisp white shirt made a sharp contrast against his tanned face and neck.
His eyes never left hers as he lifted her hand. A rush of anxiety fluttered deep within her that had little to do with stressful business arrangements or marriages of convenience.
“You look beautiful.” His voice vibrated through her nerve endings and she went from heated to shivering in an instant.
But he was just being polite. Clothes couldn’t change her looks, but she appreciated the attempt. “Thank you,” she replied. “So do you.”
He laughed then, deep and masculine, and her body tingled in response.
“But something’s missing from your wardrobe.”
“It is?” Faith looked down. She had the dress, shoes, underwear.
Everything seemed perfectly in place.
“Yes. This.” Ryan drew a black velvet box out of his breast pocket.
Faith looked up at him, uncertain what to do. He opened the box to reveal a diamond choker that had to be worth a fortune. Surely he didn’t mean those for her.
“Are these on loan from Lucy’s?”
“No, they’re my wedding gift to you. Turn around.”
A wedding gift. She hadn’t expected it, and couldn’t stop her heart from soaring. Could this fairy tale be real?
Faith turned to face the mirror, watching as Ryan took the necklace out of the box and held the clasps in each hand. He reached around her and laid the necklace against her collarbone, lightly brushing the tiny swell of her br**sts with the sides of his hands. As he pulled the necklace up and fastened it, she took a quick breath and shivered.
Instead of removing his hands after the necklace was fastened, Ryan rested them lightly on the tops of her shoulders, pressing his fingers into her flesh. Faith was certain he could hear her heart pounding, its rapid thrums echoing in her ears like thunder.
“There.” He stepped away to examine her. “That’s better.”
Her hand crept to the diamonds sparkling at her throat. This couldn’t be happening to her. It was someone else standing in front of the mirror, looking like a princess in a gorgeous wedding gown and glittering diamonds. If she didn’t know better, she would think it was her real wedding day and she was a woman with the blush of love tingeing her cheeks. But she did know better.
“Thank you,” she said to Ryan as she turned away from the mirror to face him. “The necklace is lovely, the dress is beautiful and I feel like Cinderella.”
The trace of a smile on his generous lips disappeared. He stepped away from her. “It’s not a fairy tale, Faith. This is business. Don’t put your heart in it or you’ll end up getting hurt.”
Too late. She hurt already from the bite of his words. But they were also true. This wasn’t her fairy tale wedding, and Ryan McKay certainly wasn’t her Prince Charming.
“I’ll be right outside the suite. Come out when you’re ready,” he said and then exited the room.
Just business. That’s all it would ever be. They weren’t two people in love making the commitment of their lives today. They were coworkers about to close a business deal.
She couldn’t help but want it to be more. This was, after all, her first wedding. And even if it was a farce, she was going to enjoy it as if it were real.
They took the elevator downstairs. Whispers and well wishes were directed their way as they wound around the intricate maze through the casino and towards the lobby. Faith smiled shyly at all the people who stopped to offer congratulations. She’d never been noticed before, and to have this kind of attention was overwhelming. It had to be the dress and sparkling diamonds at her throat. Even the dullest mannequin would be noticed when a designer dress and jewels worth a fortune were draped over it.
The lobby bustled with activity. It was Friday night and the weekend gamblers filled the hotel and casino. Faith loved this hotel, with its alabaster figurines and golden draperies perfectly complementing the stunning gold and white marble floor. For the first time she felt like she belonged here. She sailed across the lobby, the heels of her white satin shoes tapping in time to the frantic beat of her heart.
Ryan stopped at the concierge’s desk and whispered to the young gentleman on duty. The man nodded at Ryan’s orders and wished them both luck.
They entered a second set of elevators that would take them to the chapel. What was Ryan thinking about all this? This moment was so special to her, and she wanted to remember this evening as if it were in actuality the wedding of her dreams. It was quite possibly the only wedding she’d ever have. But what about him? Did he dread the moment when he would be bound to her for the next year?
The elevator opened into a lobby of dark, polished wood and solid brass. Huge double doors greeted them with the words Chalet Wedding Chapel emblazoned in gold letters across the top of the archway. Ryan led her through the doors, the last time she’d enter a room as a single woman. For the next year, anyway.
A petite woman with short dark hair rushed over to them. Miriam Snelling was the Chalet Chapel’s efficient and no-nonsense wedding coordinator.
“Mr. McKay,” she gushed with enthusiasm as she shook Ryan’s hand, “I’m so pleased you decided to have your wedding with us.” The woman’s eyebrows arched in surprise when she saw Faith, but other than a polite greeting, the woman didn’t voice whatever opinion she harbored about Ryan’s choice of a bride.