silence. I’m too stunned to even speak. For the first time, Cassidy didn’t tell me I was going to make someone a great husband. She said I would make a great husband. I finally feel as if she’s starting to hear me and really understand I’m not going anywhere.
When the plane lands in Oahu, the flight attendant gently wakes me up and tries to help me with the dress.
“No. Just leave it on the plane, please. Mrs. Stafford can do with it whatever she wishes.” She nods and moves to put it back in the bedroom, but the longing in her eyes tells me she doesn’t understand why I wouldn’t want such a beautiful dress.
Once the plane is opened up, the pilot graciously carries my luggage down to the tarmac where there is a town car with blacked out windows parked and waiting. It’s a little bit humid out but there’s a nice gentle breeze blowing. I can smell the ocean air with a hint of a floral tinge to it. The sun is setting and the sky is a gorgeous shade of orange and pink.
Sadness washes over me and I have to blink back my tears. This should have been my first glimpse of my honeymoon with Zack. It’s my own damn fault I’m in this mess; I don’t have anyone to blame except for myself.
That’s not exactly true. I blame Priscilla, too. If I wouldn’t have let all her negative words and feelings get to me, I’d be Mrs. Zachary Stafford by now.
I’m drawn from my thoughts when the gorgeous man in front of me clears his throat. I don’t usually pay attention to other men but I’d have to be dead not to take a second look at him. Thankfully, he can’t see my appreciative looks. I had put my sunglasses on before exiting the plane so no one could see my big, puffy, red eyes.
“Cassidy Pope I presume? I’m Peter Rafferty. I’m here to take you to the house. I’ll also be your guard for the next few days.”
What’s going on?
“I’m sorry, what do you mean house and why would I need a guard?” I’m not getting in this car until I get some answers from him.
“I’ll explain everything on the way if you’ll just get in the car,” he replies patiently. This man is stoic, I’ll give him that. His blue eyes are locked onto mine but I’m trying to figure out why I feel like I know him. His name sounds so familiar.
“There’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere with you until you explain what’s going on. I don’t make it a habit to get into cars with random strangers.” Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Stoic.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Fair enough. Mrs. Stafford has changed your itinerary. You are now staying at a house on Sunset Beach. There will be a total of four guards discretely surrounding the property. She thought it would be best to have you secluded from the paparazzi. She said you don’t like to be in the public eye. Now, if you’ll get in the car, I can answer any more questions you may have on the way.”
Paparazzi. Why didn’t I think about that before? Of course, they’re going to be all over us like vultures. I never think of Zack as someone famous. He’s only famous because he’s wealthy, and the paparazzi didn’t actively start tracking him until he got voted Hottest Billionaire Under Thirty. It was the thing that made me hate his trust fund kicking in—his newfound groupies.
“Peter?”
“You can call me Pete, everyone does,” he says as he closes the door behind me, and I wait for him to walk around and get in the car.
“Okay, Pete, how bad is it?”
“The paps?” he asks, and I nod at him in the rearview mirror.
“I’ve seen worse but I’ll be honest with you, it’s a good thing you’re not at the hotel because even worse than the paps is the influx of women they’ve got staking out the place, hoping Zack will show up looking for you.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Desperate women will do desperate things. Unfortunately for them, Zack won’t come looking for me, not this time.”
“Do you regret it?” he asks unashamedly,
When the plane lands in Oahu, the flight attendant gently wakes me up and tries to help me with the dress.
“No. Just leave it on the plane, please. Mrs. Stafford can do with it whatever she wishes.” She nods and moves to put it back in the bedroom, but the longing in her eyes tells me she doesn’t understand why I wouldn’t want such a beautiful dress.
Once the plane is opened up, the pilot graciously carries my luggage down to the tarmac where there is a town car with blacked out windows parked and waiting. It’s a little bit humid out but there’s a nice gentle breeze blowing. I can smell the ocean air with a hint of a floral tinge to it. The sun is setting and the sky is a gorgeous shade of orange and pink.
Sadness washes over me and I have to blink back my tears. This should have been my first glimpse of my honeymoon with Zack. It’s my own damn fault I’m in this mess; I don’t have anyone to blame except for myself.
That’s not exactly true. I blame Priscilla, too. If I wouldn’t have let all her negative words and feelings get to me, I’d be Mrs. Zachary Stafford by now.
I’m drawn from my thoughts when the gorgeous man in front of me clears his throat. I don’t usually pay attention to other men but I’d have to be dead not to take a second look at him. Thankfully, he can’t see my appreciative looks. I had put my sunglasses on before exiting the plane so no one could see my big, puffy, red eyes.
“Cassidy Pope I presume? I’m Peter Rafferty. I’m here to take you to the house. I’ll also be your guard for the next few days.”
What’s going on?
“I’m sorry, what do you mean house and why would I need a guard?” I’m not getting in this car until I get some answers from him.
“I’ll explain everything on the way if you’ll just get in the car,” he replies patiently. This man is stoic, I’ll give him that. His blue eyes are locked onto mine but I’m trying to figure out why I feel like I know him. His name sounds so familiar.
“There’s no way in hell I’m going anywhere with you until you explain what’s going on. I don’t make it a habit to get into cars with random strangers.” Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Stoic.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Fair enough. Mrs. Stafford has changed your itinerary. You are now staying at a house on Sunset Beach. There will be a total of four guards discretely surrounding the property. She thought it would be best to have you secluded from the paparazzi. She said you don’t like to be in the public eye. Now, if you’ll get in the car, I can answer any more questions you may have on the way.”
Paparazzi. Why didn’t I think about that before? Of course, they’re going to be all over us like vultures. I never think of Zack as someone famous. He’s only famous because he’s wealthy, and the paparazzi didn’t actively start tracking him until he got voted Hottest Billionaire Under Thirty. It was the thing that made me hate his trust fund kicking in—his newfound groupies.
“Peter?”
“You can call me Pete, everyone does,” he says as he closes the door behind me, and I wait for him to walk around and get in the car.
“Okay, Pete, how bad is it?”
“The paps?” he asks, and I nod at him in the rearview mirror.
“I’ve seen worse but I’ll be honest with you, it’s a good thing you’re not at the hotel because even worse than the paps is the influx of women they’ve got staking out the place, hoping Zack will show up looking for you.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Desperate women will do desperate things. Unfortunately for them, Zack won’t come looking for me, not this time.”
“Do you regret it?” he asks unashamedly,
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