I could hear him snoring gently in the bedroom through the open window. His breathing was slow and even, the soft rumbles of his sleep soothing. I sat with my feet curled up under me on the wicker porch chair looking out at the rolling waves and listening to my husband sleep.I found myself smiling. I had this wonderful serene sense of calm and perfection. I could get used to this marriage thing. The world finally felt perfect. I knew it was all a lie, that in two days I would leave the ocean and this marriage would just be another page in my scrapbook, but today, I didn’t care. Today was perfect.Last night had been amazing. Yesterday had been amazing. I still couldn’t believe I was a married woman, if only for a little bit. Jack had taken me back to my cabana and showed me what a husband should do for his wife. Thinking about the pleasure his hands and tongue could create made my temperature rise.This sense of happiness held a danger though. I was falling for him — falling for him
“Have you seen my black swimsuit?”“You already packed it. It’s in the front pouch of your suitcase.”“Thanks,” I said with a flustered grin as I put the now dry pink suit in with the black one. Jack sat on the bed, watching me bounce around the bedroom picking things up and putting them in my suitcase. “When does your flight leave again?”Jack sighed and shifted his weight on the foot of the bed. “It technically leaves whenever I am ready, but, I have to be back in New York by the close of business, so I need to leave in about fifteen minutes.”“I wish you didn’t have to go until evening,” I said quietly as I put the last couple of items in my main suitcase. What I really meant was, I wish you didn’t have to leave me at all.“Me too, but planes can only fly so fast,” Jack answered. He shifted his weight again.“Anxious to be off?” I asked, nodding at his tapping toes. He couldn’t seem to sit still. He looked down at his feet and saw his toes tapping against his sandals.“It’s a good
I leaned back in my seat, wondering how my life could have changed so much and yet not changed at all. Everything felt different since I met Jack, but everything was still the same. I was going back to my normal, boring, life and in a few hours this vacation would be nothing but a memory.A stylish blonde woman sat next to me with headphones jammed in her ears. I sighed and didn’t bother trying to introduce myself again. She had plugged her ears the moment she sat down. Besides, what would I say? Hi! How was your vacation? I had a great time on the island. I married a billionaire! The idea made me giggle a little as she pulled out a magazine.On the cover was a black and white photo of Jack with the tag line: Billionaire Bachelors. Seeing him took my breath away and made my insides ache. I missed him and my plane wasn’t even back in the states yet. The woman flipped to the article, Jack’s eyes catching me from the page. I wished I could take the magazine and hold him close to me again
The attractive stranger stood gracefully, a fitted pinstripe suit accenting her tall frame. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her stylish square glasses accentuating her jaw line. The door swung on its hinges behind me as I forgot to close it. The suitcase clattered to the floor and I stood there facing at the official looking woman in my living room.“Who are you? How did you get in here? And what the hell is going on?” I wanted to scream. I wanted to run into my bedroom and lock the door. I was jet lagged and travel weary, and my head was still spinning from the airport; a stranger in my locked apartment was not something I wanted to deal with right now.“My name is Rachel Weber. I’m Jack Saunders’ personal assistant. Your landlord, Mrs. Jenkins, let me in. She was very nice, though very eager to tell me she would call the police if there was any trouble. What ‘the hell’ is going on is that I am here to bring you to New York.” She said it as though it were all very sim
Night had covered the world in darkness as we landed at another private airport. I could see the lights from the city starting to sparkle and shine, twinkling glimmers in the cold winter night. I could see a bridge I knew had to be famous lit up like a summer sky, but before I could even ask what bridge it was, Rachel was hurrying me onto a helicopter.My interest in the bridge was quickly overpowered by the noisy machine as I climbed in and sat down. Rachel calmly put the headphones over her ears and pointed to a set for me. I couldn’t help it, but my hands shook as I put them over my head. I sat glued to the window as we flew into the heart of the big city. I didn’t dare blink or I would miss something. Buildings taller than my imagination emerged from the darkness as we floated through the air, the lights shone like glittering beads. The entire city looked like an elaborate piece of giant’s jewelry shimmering in the dark.After only a few moments, the helicopter landed on the roof
Jack’s home was the most beautiful living space I had ever seen. It was as if a giant had placed a fully furnished house on top of a skyscraper. The entryway was dark, but I could see city lights through the towering glass windows in the main room. Rachel closed the door softy behind me and offered to take my jacket. I shrugged out of it, glad the room was warm after the cold March air outside. I stood, glancing around, trying to figure out how big Jack’s home really was.“There are three bedrooms, an office, a dining room, living room, and the kitchen. There is a pool on the terrace, but it is currently empty due to the weather. The hot tub is open though,” Rachel said, reading my mind. I gulped slightly. This was bigger than my parents’ house and it was sixteen stories in the air. “I’ll show you your room.”Rachel guided me into the main living room across hardwood floors. The furniture was sleek and modern, but it felt comfortable. As we walked into the room, a gentle light turned
Rachel had me try on what felt like every piece of clothing in the store. I didn’t mind though. With her artistic eye, it was actually fun to try things on. She made sure to pick things that were always in my size, or at least close enough that I didn’t get the frustration I usually did trying on clothes. She picked out things I would never have thought to wear on my own, but I was constantly amazed at how good they looked in the mirror.I tried not to look at the price tags. A single shirt cost a month’s salary and some of the dresses made me feel woozy thinking about how many times I could pay rent with a single garment.Rachel made sure I had everything I could possibly need. We spent the next three days perfecting my look, getting measured for custom clothing, and picking up more clothes than would fit in my closet at home. I even got real French lingerie.The only thing I insisted on was keeping my current pajamas. Rachel tried her best to convince me that a new pair of embroider
I checked my reflection in the golden doors of the elevator, feeling nervous. The food cart behind me filled the elevator with delicious smells and my stomach grumbled. I had been too nervous to eat earlier, and now I was starving.The doors opened with a ding and I pulled the cart with two dinners behind me into the big lobby on Jack's floor. Jeannette looked up and smiled as I approached her giant desk.“You look lovely Emma. Jack has been looking forward to dinner all day, but don’t tell him I told you. He should be finishing up signing some papers, so you can go on in.” She gave me a wink as I headed towards the big office doors and said, “I’ll be leaving in a little bit so don’t you two worry about me out here.”My mouth suddenly filled with dust and I licked my lips nervously as I reached the big doors. I hadn’t seen Jack since arriving in New York. It was still a dreamlike idea that I could be here, that any of this could be happening. My brain was still having a hard time beli
I never thought this day would come.Maybe when I was a little girl, I had hoped that someday it would. But I never actually believed it. It feels like a dream, but I know it’s not because it’s even better than anything I could have dreamt up.I’m marrying Gabe Honors. In just a few moments, I’ll be wed to the love of my life.I’m beyond nervous, but also ready. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, making sure that my hair and makeup look absolutely perfect for him.“Hey, it’s almost time,” Cora says, as she steps beside me. “You look perfect, Harper. Seriously, you look gorgeous. Gabe is going to melt.”I hope she’s right.“Well, let’s do this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m ready.”Just outside, my mom is standing there, holding my little nephew’s hand. He breaks away and runs up to give me a quick hug before she tells him to go take his seat. Mom looks almost more nervous than I am. She can’t keep her hands still and she’s tapping her t
The following week I finally sat down to prepare for my final blog post. My decision was made. It was time to say goodbye and pass the reigns onto a new owner. It made sense and it felt right.Gabe had told me to sleep on the decision, and for most of the week I had made my home at his house, which made sleeping really easy. But the truth was that it really hadn’t taken much deliberation; the blog seemed like a thing of the past, something that opened the door to new writing feats, and I was ready to walk through that door.During our time together I had allowed the blog to slip even further off my mind, which was entirely okay with me. I had checked in periodically and had found a quick selection for Worst Wednesday. But besides that, and for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t paid it much attention. It seemed that the blog and I had finally begun to outgrow each other. At one time it had been my baby, but now it was moving out, and Cora was the perfect guide.If there was anyth
I had been fairly sure that I would never see the inside of Gabe's house ever again, but now I was standing on the deck watching the ocean once more. Not that I was complaining, though. I was happy to be there. In fact, the view of the ocean with the sun overhead never looked so good.“I’m glad you came over today. We need to talk. I’m ready to work through this and make things right again. But first, we both have to come clean with each other,” Gabe said, leaning against the railing of his deck.“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed. My palms were sweating, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.His surprise visit at the restaurant had happened just the night before and this was the first time we had really had a chance to hash things out. This conversation needed to happen. It had been a long time coming.“Where should we start?” he asked. The breeze from the ocean ruffled his dark hair.“I guess what I really don’t understand is why you hid it from me?” I asked, starting th
“So all of your readers think you’re out with Brian right now?” Cora asked.I nodded. “Yep, I’ve duped them all into thinking Brian is a real person that loves me just the way I should be loved. It’s too bad I had to make all that up, though, isn’t it.”“Whatever. I think it’s fine.” Cora just shrugged. “But I have to ask you an important question, Harper.”“What is it?” I asked, a little nervous.Cora turned to the side and set her jaw, making a serious face. “Do I look like a Brian to you?”I busted out laughing. Her goofy antics got me every time.“You know, you actually do!” I exclaimed. “You make a perfect Brian! Wow, I’m one lucky girl to be on a date with such a handsome man.”“Aw, thanks!” she said, as she turned back to face me and grinned. “If I talk like this does it make me sound like a Brian, too?”She lowered her voice as much as possible and crinkled her eyebrows together. I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. The good kind of tears, though, not
I sat down at my computer and clicked on the Internet. It was always the first step in starting a new blog post and I could almost feel the writer’s block start to set in as a blank window popped up on the screen and began loading.It had been just over two months since the breakup and about a month and a half since I had introduced Brian.Brian was a tall guy with a toned body, dark hair and eyes bluer than an open sky on a summer’s day. He was funny, smart, a hard worker in his career as a physical trainer, a huge sports fan and… completely fake.I had decided to create Brian in order to appease my Mother and to use as a marketing tool for the blog. After my readers had obsessed over my relationship with Gabe, Brian was designed to be Gabe 2.0 and to carry the burden of a new and passionate relationship. And completely fabricating a fake relationship was much easier than actually getting consumed by one.Brian took me on elaborate dates to all the exciting places around town without
I took a break from watching my blog to make some belated dinner. I heated up some left over lasagna and made a milkshake with some of the ice cream still left in the fridge as post-breakup comfort food. I couldn’t help but make fun of myself and my current state of affairs. It felt only fitting to throw on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.After about a half hour I heard the phone ring.Immediately my heart skipped a beat. I had posted my blog late at night and had done so purposefully to avoid an instant reaction from Rosie or my Mom. But with as late as it was, realistically they were the only ones that would be calling.I checked the caller I.D. on the phone before answering. It was Rosie, which was better than Mom. I took a deep breath and clicked to accept the call.“Hey, Rosie,” I attempted cheerfully.“Hey, Big Sis!” she exclaimed.“What are you doing up so late?” I asked.“I fell asleep kind of early, and then the baby woke me up. My sleep schedule is so crazy now, thi
Well, the time has come. Every beginning has an end, and my relationship has found its end. Two weeks ago, Mr. Perfect Match and I broke up and it is time for the corresponding blog post (because blogging about breakups is the best way to move on, right??)It’s not the typical kind of post I’m used to writing. My life is filled with many more bad dates than bad breakups, and maybe that’s a good thing. But it also means that I’m entering new territory without the right map to guide me. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lovedI stopped writing and glared at the screen. I highlighted the last sentence and hit delete as if the force of my click would hurt the words as they left the page. Love. It was like a bad word, something I had been conditioned not to say. And Gabe deserved no exception, even if it would appease an old stupid cliché about breakups.After a few moments of contemplation I picked up again where I left off.Time is a weird thing. It has the a
The plane ride to Orlando only took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. I spent the entire trip trying to hide my sobs, but of course it was impossible. Luckily, I had sat in the window seat and was able to face away from everyone while I cried, but I still knew that people were looking at me. The older lady sitting next to me even asked if there was anything she could do to help. I responded with, “If you can make men honest, that would help.” She just laughed and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that one.”My makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess and the clothes I had on were a day old. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking like I was ready to hit the town when I crawled off of the plane. It didn’t matter, though. Cora didn’t care what I looked like. She wouldn’t judge me. That was why I had come to see her in the first place.I had only taken a few steps out of the front doors of the airport before I heard Cora calling out my name. I hadn’t even gotten
After storming out of Gabe’s office, I went back to the bedroom and got dressed as quickly as possible. I was teeming with emotion, but I didn’t want to let out a single sob. I could save that for later, when I could enjoy a pint if ice cream and a few days of binge watching my favorite TV show. But for now, I needed to keep it together and act tough.So once I was dressed, I gathered my makeup from his countertop in his bathroom and tossed everything into my overnight bag. To think, I was considering what it would be like to spend my life with the guy and now I was doing everything possible to speed up the process of leaving his house for good.I can’t believe this. I should have known that it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen to me, I thought. Why did I fool myself into thinking I could actually meet a decent guy?I zipped up my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. Before leaving the bedroom, I took one last look at the bed, where the blankets wer