Yours Truly (Billionaires and Brides 2)

“I need the bride and her bridesmaids,” the photographer called out. Renee patted Kat on the arm and went to the front of the church where three ladies in pink chiffon dresses stood giggling.

Renee flipped her hair and made sure that her veil was perfect. She reminded Kat of a preening peacock, making sure that everyone was looking at her all the time. It was typical Renee. She always loved being the center of attention, but today, it was especially obvious. And why not? It was her wedding. Besides, the woman was stunningly gorgeous. On a normal day, Renee was one of the most beautiful women Kat had ever met. On her wedding day, Renee was out-of-this-world dazzling.

Kat’s eyes drifted down to her own dress. It was a beautiful dress, but Renee was right. She was conservative and didn’t look like she was there to party. She looked like the wedding planner, not a guest.

“Kat, will you make sure that the limo is still outside? I want to make sure I have my entrance,” Renee called out from the front of the church. “And will you grab the guest book and bring it to the reception for me?”

Kat nodded and walked out to the main hallway. Her bag was sitting on an empty chair in the last pew. It was a large satchel and now that Kat saw it, she realized that it wasn’t a fancy wedding purse. It was practical. Boring. Responsible.

She decided that she was going to leave the hotel bag in the hotel room for the reception. If someone needed aspirin, a band-aid, or a stick of gum, they could go get it themselves.

She sat down and quickly opened up the bag to reveal her shoes for the party. She hesitated for only a second before putting them on and stuffing the practical flats into her purse.

Kat loved these shoes, even if they weren’t something she could wear all the time. She had searched high and low for a pair of shoes for Renee’s wedding. Even though they both worked for the world’s largest online retailer of designer shoes, handbags, and clothing, Kat had struggled to find something she loved.

She had almost given up when she found a pair of beautiful silver Louboutins at a small consignment shop a week before the wedding. They were peep-toe and looked like someone had managed to take the elegance and shimmer of the 1920’s and put it in perfect shoe form.

Not only had they been her size, which was hard to find since she had size eleven and a half feet, but they had been seventy-five percent off. It was as if a fairy godmother had left them for her at that store. She felt a little guilty about not purchasing from her workplace, but the shoes had been too perfect to pass up.

She slid them on, feeling a little bit like Cinderella putting on a glass slipper. She needed to complete the transformation, though. Kat took her hair out of the ponytail, shaking the long dark tresses free before taking off the cardigan and stuffing it in her bag. If she got cold, she’d just have to dance to warm up. She felt like a new, better version of herself. This was how she

saw herself and she was going to show everyone else this fun and carefree side of her.

Feeling proud of herself and excited for whatever the night was going to bring her, Kat stepped out of the church sanctuary and into the hallway. The guest book was sitting on a small stand next to the door. Kat picked up the pen next to it, realizing that she hadn’t signed it yet.

To my friend,

Thank you for being my friend and co-worker. Bob is a lucky man to have you. May you both be blessed.

Yours Truly,

Kat Ryder

Kat smiled as she finished. Renee was always giving her grief about how she signed all her notes with “yours truly,” but it was just something that Kat had always done. She made sure the ink was dry before closing the book.

Outside, the limo was exactly where it was supposed to be. Kat shook her head as she looked at it. It was more than just a limo. It was the fanciest-looking limo Kat had ever seen. Which made sense, considering who Renee was marrying.

Bob was an orthodontist who owned several clinics in the area. He was probably the wealthiest person Kat had ever met. She liked Bob. He was older, with thin brown hair and watery green eyes. There was nothing remarkable about him, other than that he was a good guy. He thought he had won the jackpot when Renee showed interest in him. Kat had to imagine that the older man didn’t get many beautiful blonde bombshells knocking on his door.

At first glance, it looked like Renee was choosing to be a trophy wife. Kat had listened to Renee plan this wedding for the past six months. She constantly heard how expensive the flowers were, that Renee’s gown was handmade designer, the prestige of the church, how hard it was to get this hotel’s reception hall- but never how much Renee loved Bob.

They seemed happy, though. Their relationship just wasn’t the kind that she wanted. When she married, it was going to be because she couldn’t stand being apart from him, not because of what he could provide for her.

Kat paused for a moment before going back inside. The early June afternoon was absolutely perfect. The smell of blooming flowers filled the air, and the slight breeze kept the sun’s warmth at a comfortable level. Late afternoon in June really was the best time to have a wedding. Kat was actually a little disappointed that the reception was going to be held indoors.

Several other people were waiting by the curb for the valet to bring their cars around. Kat had never heard of a valet at a church before, but given the celebrity and wealth of some of the guests, she wasn’t too surprised.

She looked around, taking in the colors of the flowers and the gentle hum of the bees before she noticed him.

His shoulders were broad and tapered into a trim waist that screamed “athlete.” He was standing in the shade of the church awning, also enjoying the beauty of the day. Maybe he was waiting for his ride, or maybe he was simply enjoying the flowers and sunshine here rather than sit at a reception table, making awkward small talk.

Either way, he was staring at her.

Striking blue eyes peered at her, so light they were almost gray. She flushed slightly as their gazes connected and a cocky smile spread across his face. Her knees seemed to go weak at that confident smirk beneath those beautiful eyes.

Her eyes fluttered to her feet for a moment as her cheeks heated. For all her internal talk of wanting a wedding fling, she wasn’t prepared to have a man that handsome give her the time of day. Not to mention, he had to be rich. Given the fit of his suit and the quality leather of his shoes, he was probably in business with Bob or had some sort of connection with money.

You can do this, Kat told herself.