Liam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, focused on keeping his breathing even, his tone level. “Right on schedule. You hired a stellar event coordinator.”
“My assistant said she was pretty awesome. I hate doing this so cloak-and-dagger, but it’s the only way to keep the paparazzi off my ass.”
“What are you telling your guests?”
She laughed. “Nothing. We’ve handwritten notes to invite them to join us on a brief getaway. Doesn’t look like a wedding invitation at all. That was the event coordinator’s idea. What’s her name again?”
“Ella.”
“Right. Anyway, we’re inviting everyone like it’s an individual thing and asking them to keep it tucked under their hats so we have a chance of a paparazzi-free vacay. Most are Hollywood names and faces, so they’ll appreciate the opportunity for a private vacation. It wouldn’t surprise me if most of them suspect a wedding, but the guest list is small enough I’m not too worried about gossip.”
“I’ll bet you a hundred pounds one of them sells you out.”
“You’re such a cynic.”
“Yet you didn’t take the bet.”
“Oh, I’ll take it. But when I win, make sure you pay up in British pounds. Don’t try to cheat me by giving me American dollars. Not with the exchange rate what it is.”
Liam chuckled. “As if you’d best me. I’ll takemywinnings by way of a single Benjamin, you trusting soul.”
“We’ll see who’s handing out money when this is all over.” She sighed, a small hitch sounding across the connection. “Is the wedding really coming together well, Liam? I’ve been worried. It’s not that I don’t trust you. You know that. It’s just...” Jenna hesitated, seeming to hunt for the right words.
It’s not that I don’t trust you.Liam felt as if his heart had been steamrolled, backed over and steamrolled again. She had entrusted this—what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life—to him. And for the first time ever, he was going to absolutely disappoint her.
His chest tightened at the realization. Every breath grew shorter and shorter until he struggled to breathe at all.
“Leem?”
She hadn’t been able to pronounce his name as a toddler. Instead, she’d called him “Leem,” and it had evolved into her nickname for him. Now she only called him that when she was out of sorts and unsure of herself. It didn’t happen often anymore.
“Ella is top-notch, Jenna, truly in a class of her own. She has ensured that every idea presented, whether from you or I, becomes a reality.” Total truth so far as that went. Perhaps the most truth he’d spoken regarding the wedding since he’d set foot on the island.
“There haven’t been any issues with the stuff I asked for? I know some of it will be hard to manage in such a remote location, but she was positive she could make it happen.”
“Jenna, there’s nothing to fret over.”Except the groom.“What was it your mother always told you about getting married to our father?”
“That she could’ve been married in a cornfield under the blazing noon sun wearing nothing but a gunny sack while holding a bouquet of thistle. She married the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, andthatwas what mattered.”
“So hold on to that.”
“I am.”
“Are you quite certain about this, squid? You don’t have to marry him simply because he asked, you know.”
“I know you and Mike haven’t exactly hit it off, and it’s clear you don’t like him much, but he’s the one.Myone, Liam. I love him.”
“Then that’s the answer, I suppose.” But it didn’t have to be. She didn’t have to marry this guy just because he’d convinced Liam’s softhearted sister he was a prince among paupers.
“It is,” Jenna answered in kind, her voice soft. “And you’ll be there to stand in for Dad, to walk me down the aisle and give me away. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Emotion welled, stealing Liam’s ability to speak. He made a noncommittal noise and then choked on the sound, coughing harshly.
“Leem?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’ve got another call. Hold on.” She was gone and back in a flash. “That was Mike. The car service is here to pick us up. We’re headed to the airport!” she nearly squealed. “This is really happening, Liam!”