BABY FOR THE PLAYBOY PRINCE (BILLION-DOLLAR BABIES) BY HOLLY RAYNER – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: Holly Rayner
- Language: English
- Genre: contemporary romance
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 3.6 MB
- Price: Free
L I LY
The weight of silk and tulle cascades down my body, a confection of
lace and dreams spun into the perfect wedding dress. I stand in front
of the full-length mirror, the soft glow of morning light filtering
through the sheer curtains. My mother’s eyes, twin pools of pride, meet
mine in the reflection.
“Darling, you look breathtaking,” she coos.
The bridesmaids chime in with their chorus of awe. Everyone is excited.
Everyone is thrilled.
“Absolutely stunning, Lily!” My college friend Bethany claps daintily, her
excitement bubbling over like champagne.
“Rick is going to lose his mind when he sees you.” Anna, my second
cousin, fluffs the train of my gown.
Meanwhile, Meg, my third bridesmaid and my best friend, stands silently in
the corner. She’s had little to say all morning, and even though she’s
smiling, I feel like something is off.
I force the corners of my mouth upward, crafting the smile of a blushing
bride-to-be. But inside? Inside, there’s no flutter of anticipation, no fiery
passion igniting at the thought of the man waiting for me at the altar. I
always imagined love would be an inferno, not this… tepid warmth.
“Thank you,” I murmur. My voice is a ghostly echo of the joy everyone
expects me to feel.
And I am happy… just not as happy as I thought I would be today.
I like Rick. Maybe I’m not in love with him, the way I always imagined I
would love the man I marry, but it’s good enough.
It’s what my parents did; they married first, then let the garden of affection
grow from a practical seed. And they’re happy now, aren’t they?
“Your father is making sure everything is running smoothly downstairs,”
Mom says. “You know how he loves these events.”
“Of course,” I reply, trying to seem grateful for the reminder that nothing
less than precision is acceptable in our world.
Where we come from, in the highest echelons of American society, even
love must be curated — arranged just so — like the flowers in the
centerpieces or the seating chart that took weeks to finalize.
I can’t shake the feeling of being a doll myself, dressed up and placed in a
setting where I don’t quite belong. I’m about to marry Rick, a man who is
perfectly nice, perfectly well-off, perfectly suitable. The heir to a yacht
company who has never known a day without luxury, just like me.
And why shouldn’t I marry Rick? I’ve been in the dating game long
enough. I know how limited the options are. At thirty, I’m ready to settle
down. I want security. I want kids.
“Ready to go?” my mother asks, her voice cutting through my reverie.
“Ready,” I confirm, stepping forward with a practiced grace. I am ready to
play my part, ready to walk down that aisle not towards a man I love but
towards a future I’m ready to embrace nonetheless. Love, I tell myself, has
to start somewhere. Maybe it starts here.
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