Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Story (Billionaires and Brides #1) (12 page)

“No,” Ella whispered as she came to the bridal door. “I have to tell her. I'd want to know if it was me. A marriage shouldn't start this way.”

Ella paused in front of the big white doors. Inside was a perfectly happy bride. A woman about to marry the man she loved. A man who didn't deserve her. And Ella was going to have to be the one to tell her.

“Is something wrong?”

Ella spun at the deep voice. Staring at her with kind, brown eyes was a tall man in a tuxedo matching Jace's. He wasn't as striking as Jace, but he was still very attractive.

“I, uh....” Ella stumbled over her words. She couldn't just blurt out the bad news to everyone she met. She quickly plastered the hotel industry smile on her face. “It's nothing. Can I help you?”

“I hope so.” The man smiled nervously and held out a small box with a pink bow. “My fiancee is in there. I have something I'd like to give her, but it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. Any luck you could give it to her?”

“Your fiancee?” Ella stumbled over the word. Perhaps he was engaged to one of the bridesmaids...

He nodded. “Yes, Madelyn. I've been waiting for someone to come out, but I think they're all busy in there getting ready.”

“Madelyn is your fiancee.” Ella knew she sounded like an idiot, but she couldn't help it. “You must be Jason, then. They don't call you Jace, do they?”

The man laughed and Ella could see why Madelyn found him so appealing. The guy had a great laugh. “No, Jace is Madelyn's brother. If anything, they call me Jay.”

Ella had to stifle her own maniacal happy laugh. The groom wasn't cheating on anyone. There was no bad news to deliver to Madelyn. Ella didn't have to ruin the wedding. Everything was fine.

Well, other than the fact that Jace was a man-whore. Ella decided to ignore that part for a moment. Her heart felt lighter, but that was only because it was empty.

“I'd be honored to give your present to Madelyn,” Ella announced, not having to fake the smile filling her face. “I'm sure she'll love it.”

“Thank you.” Jason's face split into a grin. “Make sure to tell her it's from Jason, not Jace. I hate it when the two of us get mixed up.”

“That happens?” Ella asked.

“Occasionally. Usually, it just makes for a funny story,” Jason said. He handed her the box and looked like he might do a dance down the hallway.

“I can only imagine,” Ella agreed. On impulse, she stepped forward and hugged him. He had no idea how grateful she was that he was the groom and not Jace, but she didn't care. She could be the weird random lady hugging people today. “Congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thanks,” he said slowly, cocking his head at her as she stepped back. He frowned slightly and turned to walk down the hallway. “Sure are friendly here,” he murmured as he left.

This time, the pause before opening the door was one of excitement rather than dread. Madelyn didn't need to know about her brother's activities. He was a full-grown male and could do whatever, or whoever, he pleased. It wasn't like they were dating anyway. She had no claim on him.

“Forget him,” she commanded as she knocked before entering. “You don't need someone like that.”

She wasn't going to think about him. It was silly to think that they'd even shared anything. He was probably just stringing her along to get her into the sack. If he'd bang Allison on Delores's desk, he wasn't someone she needed in her life. She deserved better than that. She was going to go give this beautiful gift to the happy bride and enjoy the rest of the day. After all, it wasn't every day that she got to help a friend marry the love of her life.

“Y
ou ready?” Jace asked, grinning widely at his soon-to-be brother-in-law. Jason was busy fixing the cuff links on his tuxedo and hadn't seen the crowd yet. Jace peered out the door at the wedding area. Guests were seated and waiting patiently for the wedding to start. The white wooden frame of the gazebo was perfect against the blue of the lake and Jace could only imagine how pleased Madelyn was going to be with the pictures.

“Hell, yes.” Jason's voice was strong and sure, but his hands were shaking as he pulled at the bow-tie encircling his throat.

“Good.” Jace opened the door from the hotel and pushed Jason through it. The other man managed not to stumble, but he did blanch slightly at the sight of the crowd awaiting him. For as long as Jace and Jason had been friends, Jason had disliked standing in front of large crowds.

Jason straightened his shoulders and held his chin high as he walked down the aisle to stand and wait for his bride. He showed no fear, just excitement. Jace was proud of him.

Once under the gazebo, he turned and looked at Jace, knowing that as his best man, Jace would have to come down eventually. There were a lot of people seated out there.

“Don't let me trip, okay?” Clarissa, the maid of honor, came up behind him and latched onto his arm. She held onto him as if she were expecting someone to reach out and push her over. He patted the back of her hand, watching as Jason's younger brother walked down the aisle with Gwen beaming at his side. “I'm scared my shoe is going to get stuck in the grass or something.”

With careful, slow steps, Jace walked Clarissa down the aisle to the gazebo. He made sure to watch his steps and not to step on her long purple gown, all while smiling at the guests on either side. There were a lot of money-hungry looking faces and fluttering eyelashes looking back at him, but no Ella. He hadn't seen her yet.

Jace waited for Clarissa to let go of her death grip on his arm before moving to stand next to Jace.

“You have the rings, right?” Jason whispered, smiling out at the audience.

“Rings? What rings?” Jace patted his coat pockets and shrugged, enjoying the panicked expression that came over poor Jason's face. The bridal music was starting, so he put his hand on Jason's shoulder before the panic could take over. “Don't worry, man. I have everything under control.”

Jason shot him a dirty look and was about to say something when the carriage, drawn by the two white horses he'd helped groom, arrived. Everyone turned and looked as Madelyn, glowing and radiant, stepped off the white carriage with the help of their father.

Jace's heart swelled with pride for his beautiful little sister. She had grown up so much in the past few years and their friendship had only gotten better. It had always been the two of them against the world, but with age and responsibility they had become even closer. He was going to miss having her all to himself, but he couldn't think of a better man than Jason to take her away.

Madelyn's hand fit neatly in their father's arm as they began the procession down the outdoor aisle. But Jace wasn't looking at Madelyn anymore. Despite the fact that Madelyn was stunning and perfect, it was another woman that had his complete attention. Peeking out from behind the carriage was Ella. She had her blonde hair pulled back into a simple, tight bun and was wearing a very conservative navy blue dress, but she was all he could see.

He watched as she sighed softly, moving to pet Commander's nose, and making sure the bride made it down the aisle safely. The happy, wistful smile made her face soft and warm. It took actual effort not to walk to her and kiss her.

Her eyes flickered up to his and he smiled. Hurt flashed across her face and she ducked back behind the big horse. Jace wasn't sure what to make of that. If anything, she should have been shocked or relieved to see he wasn't the groom. Hurt was the last thing he expected. He quickly replayed their last conversation in his mind and couldn't find anything that would make her disappointed in him.

If the impulse to go to her and kiss her was strong before, the urge to go and fix whatever hurt he had done to make her sad was even more intense. His right foot actually lifted from the gazebo floor before he caught himself. He was in a wedding. His little sister's wedding.

Madelyn would kill him. Literally.

Setting his foot back down, he moved slightly to the side to try and see around the horse and carriage, but she was gone. He shifted his feet again, but it was no use. Clarissa shot him a dirty look to stay still. He stopped arching his neck and tried to focus solely on the happy bride, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Ella. He needed to find her and talk to her. At least she would be at the reception. He smiled, feeling the lines of worry shift from his face as he thought of how he was going to ask her to dance at the reception.

With happy thoughts filling his mind and face, he focused on the promises of his little sister and best friend, knowing that there were going to be two happy endings this evening.

“M
ake this place a success, baby girl. If anyone can do it, it's you.”

Ella's father's words echoed across her mind as she looked out at the reception and watched the celebrities mingle and smile for the cameras.

The wedding was a complete success. People would be talking about the beauty and perfection of the ceremony for years to come. Nothing had gone wrong. No one tripped, nothing was lit on fire, and absolutely no ambulances had been called.

“I'm doing it, Dad,” Ella said softly. She smiled, feeling proud of her work for the first time in months. Her plans for the inn were finally in motion. Everything she had worked so hard for the past few years was finally within her grasp. She was going to make her father proud.

So far, the reception was going exactly to plan. The largest meal they had ever served at the inn had gone off without a hitch. Only three plates were returned to the kitchen, and considering the palates of the guests, Ella was sure it was some sort of record. Actually, she had left the chef sobbing tears of joy as the meal completed and only compliments came in.

The speeches were over and the dancing was due to start at any moment. Ella felt the knot at the base of her neck slowly starting to relax. Her part of the wedding was over. The rest of the evening was up to the wedding director and the guests. She had made sure everything was beautiful and ready, which it was, and now there was nothing else for her to do but sit back and enjoy the party.

She wasn't even in charge of cleaning up. As she watched a guest spill pate on one of the pristine table clothes, she was almost giddy that it wasn't her problem. Not tonight. As Madelyn's official Wedding Liaison, Delores had to give the job of cleaning up to someone else. It just wouldn't be seemly otherwise. For once, Delores's need to appear perfect in public worked in Ella's favor rather than against.

Soft music floated through the air from a string quartet. The big glass reception hall doors were open to the carefully landscaped courtyard, allowing the warm night breeze to mingle with the cool air from the hotel. Small white lights twinkled in the trees as the sun slowly set over the lake.

“You look absolutely amazing,” a female voice said from behind her. Ella froze for a moment before slowly turning to face her stepsister. Allison had never been outright cruel to her, but she was Delores's daughter. Anything was possible.

“Thank you,” Ella replied slowly. She took in her stepsister's beaded green gown, noticing how it brought out the green in her eyes. It was softer and prettier than her mother's green. “You look amazing as well.”

“Thanks.” Allison grinned. “I don't want to intrude upon your night, but I did have some good news for you.”

“Good news?” The flutter of worry still bounced around inside Ella's chest. Allison was usually just the pawn of her stepmother, not the actual force of evil, yet Ella didn't trust her completely. Delores had done too good a job of making sure they were separate but never equal for Ella to ever fully trust anything Allison did.

“You have the day off tomorrow,” Allison announced. She grinned even wider. “I told mother that the bride insisted upon it. A little white lie, but you deserve it.”

“Seriously?” A day off was a dream come true. Days off were things that Ella only ever dreamed of.

“Seriously,” Allison assured her. There was no guile or dishonesty in her voice. “You pulled this off beautifully. Far better than I would have, to be honest. You worked your butt off for this. We've already seen a double in reservations. You deserve a little reward for that.”

“Double is good,” Ella agreed, hope for the future filling her. Double meant the inn would stay open. Double meant that bills were going to be paid. She really was doing it. Dad would be proud.

“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you not to come to work tomorrow.” Allison smiled at someone across the room and waved before focusing on Ella again. “And, that dress is spectacular.”

“Thank you...” Ella said, but Allison walked off before she finished the words.

A day off. She'd have to of course check that with Delores. Not that Allison had ever purposefully done anything to Ella, but taking a day off without permission would have her scrubbing floorboards with a toothbrush for a week.

Still, the idea of a day off was enough to jump for joy. Ella grinned, smoothing the front of her borrowed gown. She had never worn anything quite so beautiful, or expensive, but Madelyn had insisted.

“
If you're going to be at my reception, you need to look the part
,” Madelyn had said.
“Also, I expect you to have fun.”

A satin, strapless blue dress now hugged her curves and then flared out at the feet. A pale blue lace overlay created texture and drama, falling like fairy wings before pooling at her feet. It was a dress for a princess. Somehow, it even managed to shimmer slightly, catching the light and making her look like something out of a fairy tale.

She had curled and pinned her hair up onto her head, going for a simple yet sophisticated look. Since she didn't have any jewelry that wasn't worth less than five dollars, she had opted to go without anything, hoping that the beauty of the dress would distract anyone from noticing her bare throat, ears, and wrists.

Ella kept expecting someone to come up and ask her to leave, possibly even calling the police to find out where she had stolen the dress from. Yet, so far, she had received only polite smiles and friendly glances. No one had called her out as the simple maid that she was.