When I was keeping her as mine.
The priest was sworn to secrecy and paid off, which was disappointing for other reasons. When Julian woke up—not if—the marriage would be annulled . . . at least that was my understanding. A board member in my father’s pocket would bear witness along with my dad.
And I, Bridge Anderson Tennyson, would not only steal his future bride, but his life.
I would get my trust fund.
All my shares.
And I would keep praying my brother wouldn’t kill me and that when he woke up he’d understand all the reasons I did it.
The doctors said he’d been moving a lot more, which was progress, but they still wouldn’t let him have any visitors.
“We’re a team,” Izzy repeated from her place at my side.
I smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be headed to my rehearsal dinner that summer with the most beautiful woman alive, I would have laughed.
Everything had changed.
And was still changing.
I was actually getting used to the attention, the way people took pictures of us like we deserved their notice. The constant praise at the office.
And worse, the constant attention from my own father every time I did something right.
He even admitted that he didn’t think I would be able to pull it off like Julian and then laughed and said, “Well, at least I know my company’s in good hands if he dies.”
Laughed over it. Like my brother’s life was a joke.
Making me hate him even more.
Next to me, Izzy tensed before I opened the door to the restaurant.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Bridge.” She whispered my name, always careful, always protective of me, of us. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“Funny, I was going to tell you the same thing.”
She grinned. “Great minds.”
“I just want you to know I’m not marrying you because my father wants me to, Izzy. I’m marrying you because not having you in my life would physically hurt me. Five weeks, Izzy. It took me five weeks to fall head over heels in love with you.”
“I love you, too.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I love you so much.”
I pressed a slow, drugging kiss across her mouth and then moved to her neck. “I think I needed to hear that as much as you needed to hear it.”
She nodded. “Does it feel wrong to you? Our love?”
“Not wrong, just bad timing,” I answered honestly. “But that’s life, Izzy, and we both know how short it is. We never know how much time we’ve been given, so I’m not going to waste it, not when I have you.”
Her smile was so bright as she licked her lips and then sighed happily. “You know, when you’re not being argumentative you can be really romantic.”
“I’m not argumentative. You just refuse to let me win.”
“Because I’m always right.” She winked.
I rolled my eyes and slid my hand down her ass and tapped it lightly. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home and have ice cream.”
We walked into the building amidst cheers and champagne, and I actually found it within myself to smile because she was by my side.
Because we were together.
Because I was actually happy despite the guilt I held in my heart, the guilt that I fed every time I kissed her, every time I was inside her, knowing he was in a coma.
“A toast!” Edward lifted his glass in the air. “To the heir of the Tennyson throne my son Julian Tennyson, and his beautiful bride, Isobel Cunningham.”
Izzy lifted her glass with me. We both drank deep as people joined in.
My father gave me a knowing smile.
I shot a cocky smile right back.
At least I knew he needed me now that I was the new golden boy. Guilt gnawed when I realized that he was looking at me the way Julian would have killed to be looked at.
Damn it.
“What was that?” Izzy said from my right.
“What?”
“That.” She nodded her head at Edward. “He looked almost . . . proud, not angry, not manipulative, but proud.”
“Because he is,” I said quickly. “I’ve played directly into his hands, made him richer, I’m marrying the girl he approves of . . . According to him, all is well. Now if only someone would wake up . . .”
“Part of me thinks he doesn’t want him to,” Izzy admitted, voicing exactly what I’d been thinking for the past week. “Julian would have killed to have Edward smile at him like that.”
I hung my head. What was she? A mind reader? “You can’t say that to me, not now, not when I already feel this heaping amount of guilt like I’ve taken everything and left him with nothing.”
“What happens to the CEO position when he wakes up?” Izzy held my hand tight as we made our way around the room, smiling at guests.