Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

She chuckled and realized how much she’d laughed since he’d arrived in Banff. “You make me laugh, you know that? It’s nice.”

“Is that what you were thinking?”

“No.”

“Do I want to know?”

“I was thinking how nice you look in that colour blue.” His shirt was the same colour as the open sky. Now that they were traveling east, the peaks were beside and behind them, with the rolling foothills giving way to a pristine blue without a cloud to mar it.

“It’s okay I didn’t wear a tie?”

Drew wasn’t a tie kind of man. He was the kind who dressed up and then undid a few buttons for a more relaxed look. She loved it. “It’s fine.”

“So where’s this wedding?”

“First we go to the bride’s home and take some pictures of her and the bridesmaids and her mom, that kind of thing. Then it’s off to the church. We’ll get some photos of the groom and his groomsmen there, as they wait in a room behind the sanctuary. I’ll set up and take some congregational shots, and then when the bride arrives it’s really game on.”

She looked over. “Once we get to the church, it all happens rather quickly and with precise timing. If you’re there with my bag, it’ll help a lot.” She smiled. “I even tucked a smaller camera in there for you. I thought you might like to have some fun and take some pictures of your own.”

He gaped at her. “Are you serious? I can barely handle my little digital one.”

“Yeah, but sometimes there’s a candid that turns out great, or that I can edit a bit. You don’t have to take any if you don’t want to. I know this is my thing and you’re not required to get excited about it. But it’s there if you want it.”

“I’ll see. It might be fun.”

They arrived at the bride’s house, and Harper quickly rounded up the women of the wedding party and organized some shots while Drew got two of the bags from the car. They spent an hour there, getting pictures of the dress on the hanger, the flowers, the bride’s mother adjusting her veil, the engagement ring and several of the bridesmaids and bride together. When the posed pictures were done, Drew gathered up most of the gear while Harper snapped candids of the family and friends present. There was one of the bride laughing with her father, and another of the flower girl showing an aunt her new white shoes. Those were the kind of memory photos she loved best.

At one fifteen she let the bride know they were heading for the church.

Set right on Main Street, the church was small and quaint with a white picket fence out front. It was the first time Harper had done a wedding here, and despite the simplicity of it, she knew it would be a favorite. There was something solid and reassuring about the old-fashioned wooden pews and the sturdy pulpit at the front. A slightly faded red carpet led the way up the aisle. The pews sported white tulle bows and flowers as pew markers. She stopped at the top of the aisle and took a quick photo of the empty but waiting church, the scent of lilies and roses filling the air. It was a promise of forever, waiting for the people to arrive and make it a reality.

“We’re going to the back?” Drew asked.

She nodded. “Yes. There’s a room there where the groom should be. If not yet, soon.” A few guests had already arrived but were mingling outside until seating began. “Can you take this stuff back? I’m going to get a few sanctuary shots while it’s empty.”

“No problem, boss.” He flashed her a smile and headed toward the back of the church.

Harper took a moment to stop and absorb the character of the church. There was a peace here, and a level of excitement, too, for the joining of two lives together. Weddings were so optimistic and happy. Before long the seats would be full, and the bride would walk up the aisle in her white dress to meet her husband. They’d make promises. She lifted her camera and looked through the viewfinder. The flowers were so fresh and pretty. She took a photo of the table set up for signing the register, a small plumed pen on top of the linen along with a spray of more flowers. Finally, she turned around at the front of the altar and looked back toward the closed door of the sanctuary. Strong and sturdy, the wood was dark with age and she wondered how many brides had crossed its threshold.

And she took a photo of that, too.

Then she made her way to where the groomsmen—and Drew—waited.

CHAPTER TWELVE

COMING WITH HARPER today had been a mistake.

He’d wanted to spend the day with her and he’d wanted to help since Juny wasn’t available. But he’d miscalculated. Being at a wedding with Harper was another thing entirely. All around him were reminders of how the world generally worked. You grew up, fell in love, got married, settled down. Locked in.

The ceremony itself had been intimate and warm, with smiles abounding. He’d watched Harper scoot around the church, taking pictures without ever being in the way, admiring her for that talent alone. He’d stood by her side and endured the after-wedding pictures of the receiving line, and then once again for wedding party and family pictures at the reception venue, a hotel on the outskirts of the town. The relatively small number of guests—under seventy, as close as he could guess—mingled by tents set up outside, sipping glasses of punch and champagne, while Harper took photo after photo of the bride and groom and the special people in their lives.

It made him feel claustrophobic.

“Are you okay?” Harper asked, reaching in her bag for the second camera with a different lens. “It’s hot. Is the sun too much?”

“No, of course not. But would you like something to drink? Water?”

“That would be great. The sun is really baking things today.”