Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“You know the worst part? I knew something was wrong, and I ignored it. I ignored it because I…want to be married. I’m almost thirty. I want the husband, the kids, and the dogs, even the van with the crushed cereal bits.”
She reaches for my hand across the table and gives it a gentle squeeze. “With the right partner, marriage can be an amazing adventure that’s fulfilling for both of you. With the wrong partner, it’s hell on earth.”
I sniff, tears threatening again. “I know. I saw your marriage. It’s a good thing I figured it out now, but my dad is going to be crushed. He actually likes Stuart. If he realizes that the sleazeball has just been counting down the days until he dies...ugh, why is he such an awful person? Why can’t he just love me?”
“Because his initials are literally STD.”
I chuckle then. It’s a weak sound, but I’m not surprised that the first person that could make me laugh in the middle of this is my best friend. “He thinks I can’t do better than him. He told me that once.”
“So, prove the asshole wrong.” She shrugs.
“I should! I should have someone interrupt the wedding. Someone hot. Revenge for jilted women everywhere.”
“See, that’s the spirit! All you need is a hot guy.”
“And I know just where to get one,” I tell her, the plan already forming in my head. This may not be the wedding of my dreams, but it’s still going to be memorable for all of our guests.
Chapter 2
Mira
The next three days pass in a flurry of activity. The entire time, I feel like I’m underwater. I can’t breathe, and my lungs are burning, but I keep smiling. Keep going through the motions.
The blood test from the doctor’s office comes back, and I breathe a soft sigh of relief when I see the clear results. Ronnie gently urged me to get checked out because cheaters don’t care if they fuck up your health for life as long as they get their pleasure.
Despite my anger bubbling constantly under the surface, Stuart never notices. In fact, we barely spend any time together at all. It’s only Ronnie that notices, and each time I think I’m going crazy, she just puts a hand on my shoulder. Her presence is quiet and reassuring, the rock I can lean on right now.
“Are you nervous?” She asks quietly. It’s just the two of us and the hair stylist who has been sworn to secrecy.
“I have the perfect plan,” I reassure her. Thanks to a recent article in the news, I remembered there was a fundraiser only a few hours from Asheville. Women bid on hot cowboys online and the highest bidder “wins” a cowboy for seventy-two hours.
I didn’t hesitate to put down an obscene amount of money on a good-looking cowboy with a deep brown gaze who has the perfect scowl. He looks like the exact opposite of Stuart. He isn’t polished or soft. He’s hard angles with a bushy beard and a look in his eyes that’s daring the world to cross him. This is exactly the kind of man I need to show up and make a scene.
The hair stylist finishes Ronnie’s hair, spraying it down with enough hair spray that it’s likely to hold during an earthquake, hurricane, and flash flood. “Because if you were, there’s still time to bolt.”
“I want to see the look on his face when he realizes I’m the one leaving him.” He always made it sound like I was lucky to be with him. We met in college, and I was young and dumb and believed him. Now I’m older, wiser, and confident as hell that I could have done a lot better. After all, I built an eight-figure business with my father that I’ve kept going for years. Not to mention, I’m an awesome fur mama to Molly and Milo.
She smirks in the way only another betrayed woman can just as the wedding planner knocks on the door and steps inside.
She clears her throat, staring at me with open curiosity. “The visitor you said to expect has arrived, and he is yummy. He looks like one of those guys on a calendar. All those muscles and that hard stare.”
“Make sure no one sees him. Wait fifteen minutes and let him in the side door like we talked about,” I answer and set down the flute of champagne that I haven’t even touched. I’ve barely eaten this week. Barely slept. There’s only the focus on my single mission: get through this day.
“I’m going to check on the pups. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Ronnie says, rising from her chair. She gives me a hug. “Love you.”
She leaves the room, and the wedding planner focuses on me. “Is he your brother or—?”