Chapter 2
Blake’s left hand clenched slightly at his side.
That tiny movement made me notice the ring on his finger.
Matte silver. Nothing fancy.
Blake didn’t turn around. His voice was ice cold. “Not your problem.”
He walked off without a backward glance.
Watching him leave like that made my chest feel hollow.
After finishing the paperwork, I stepped outside as the sun was setting.
My bestie Riley’s car screeched up to the curb. She rolled down her window, looking absolutely shook.
‘Stella, was that Blake Morrison? Tell me I’m seeing things. What the hell is he doing here?”
You’re not seeing things.” I walked around the car and got in. “That was him.”
Holy shit, what are the odds? Did you guys talk? How did he-”
cut Riley off as I clicked my seatbelt. “Riley, he’s married.”
tiley went dead silent.
forced a smile, but my throat felt tight. “We’re almost thirty. Of course he’s married. Nobody waits around forever, right?”
learing the pain in my voice, Riley quickly changed the subject. “Right! Moving on and moving up!”
Actually, I just landed you a gig. Wedding singer-they’re paying twenty grand!”
They’re doing rehearsal tonight and want to hear you sing first. You in?”
wenty thousand?
perked up immediately. “Hell yes!”
When you’ve got leukemia, staying alive beats everything else. And staying alive means making money-lots of it.
Uley gunned it straight to the Grand Riverside Hotel.
By the time we got there, I was a whole new person.
Even bare-faced, I had that smooth skin thing going for me. Just some light foundation and blush and I was glowing.
I slung my guitar over my shoulder and walked into the reception hall.
I’d been to plenty of fancy weddings, but this one was next level romantic.
The entire hall was covered in roses-even the chandelier bulbs were shaped like rosebuds. Everything looked like a fairytale.
I was mentally calculating how much this cost when I spotted the groom on stage and nearly choked.
Blake stood center stage in a crisp white suit.
He was watching the girl next to him fix her makeup, and he was actually smiling.
He must have sensed me watching and turned around. Our eyes met.
I could see the light in his eyes instantly dim.
“Blake, what’s wrong?”
The bride, Sophia Reed, turned and spotted me with my guitar.
“You must be the wedding singer?”
I snapped back to reality. “Yeah, any requests?”
My voice got drowned out by music suddenly blasting.
The videographer was testing their wedding slideshow.
Photos flashed by-Blake and Sophia on some mountain, kissing at sunset, posing with “Just Married” signs by a lake…
I stared, my throat closing up. “That route…”
“Those are all the places I proposed to Sophia.”
Blake suddenly grabbed her hand, cutting me off.
looked at him. That was our honeymoon route-the one we’d planned together.
pushed down the ache in my chest and forced a smile. “How romantic.”
efore I could say more, this elegant older woman walked over. She was smiling, but her eyes were ice cold.
Sophia, Blake, the wedding planner needs to go over some details with you in the back room.”
lake led Sophia away.
stood there alone, feeling super awkward.
opened my mouth to say something when-SMACK-the woman’s hand cracked across my face.
Your nanny mother switched you with my real daughter as babies! You’ve been living MY daughter’s life for twenty-two years! You should be rotting in shame verseas, not coming back here to ruin her wedding!”
