LOGINASHER I'd performed in front of millions of people, won three acting awards, and done my own stunts in a movie where I nearly died twice. But standing in this room waiting to get married, I was more terrified than I'd ever been in my entire life. Ten dates. That's what I'd told Paige we needed before getting married. We'd gone on exactly ten dates over five months, and now here I was, about to marry a woman I'd met at a birthday party while she was propositioning me for sex. My life had become a romantic comedy. "Stop fidgeting," Danny said from behind me. "You're making me nervous." I turned to glare at my brother, who was somehow managing to look both supportive and deeply amused in his role as best man. "I'm not fidgeting," I said. "You've adjusted your tie six times in the past two minutes." "I'm making sure it's perfect." "It's a tie, Asher. It goes around your neck. There's a limited number of ways it can be wrong." I checked my reflection one more time. Black tuxedo
PRINCESS After standing there for a while watching Damon walk away, I couldn't let him just leave. Not after everything. Not after searching for him all day in a wedding dress like some kind of romantic comedy protagonist who'd lost her mind. I followed him into the house and went straight to his door. I knocked, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might break through my ribcage. He opened the door and looked at me with an expression that was somewhere between annoyed and exhausted. "What do you want?" he asked flatly. "I'm sorry," I said. He folded his arms across his chest. "What for?" "For everything," I responded, because where would I even start with a specific list? For choosing Frank, for breaking up with you, for being an idiot, for not realizing sooner, for existing, take your pick really. He looked at me for a long moment, and then stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Come in," he said. I sighed in relief and walked into his room, the familiar space ma
PRINCESS I felt hurt, devastated actually, but I blamed myself for crying over someone who clearly didn't care. What was I expecting? That Damon would wait around pining for me while I ran back to my ex-fiancé? That he'd be heartbroken and tell me I was making a mistake? He'd only cared about the sex, and now that it was gone, there was nothing connecting us anymore. I was the fool who kept trying to find feelings that didn't exist. Congratulations, Princess. You've reached new levels of delusion. I decided not to waste any more breath or emotions on Damon anymore. Frank was my future. Henceforth, I would only think about him and our life together. Definitely. Absolutely. Any minute now I'd stop thinking about Damon. Things ended up falling into place in a way that felt almost too convenient. My mom had to attend a business conference and would be away for five days. Aunt Sky was going to the same conference, and both their husbands decided to accompany t
ASHER I couldn't remember the last time I'd been surrounded by this many beautiful women. Actually, that was a lie—it was probably last month at that film premiere in Milan. But this felt different somehow. Maybe because I was actually sober enough to appreciate it. I usually avoided family events like the plague unless there was a contractual obligation or someone would literally never forgive me if I didn't show up. This qualified as the latter since Princess had given me the look when she asked if I was coming. You know the look—the one that says "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it" except it's your little sister so it's more like "I'll tell Mom you said her cooking was just okay." Terrifying either way. Normally at events like this, I'd be in my element. The king of one-night stands and casual flings, working the room, unable to choose among so many interested parties because why limit yourself to just one when the buffet is so extensive
PRINCESS Damon was wearing a black custom-made three-piece suit that fit him absolutely perfectly. The jacket emphasized his broad shoulders, the vest showed off his lean torso, and the whole ensemble made him look like he'd stepped out of a fashion magazine. His hair was styled impeccably, his face was freshly shaved, and he looked so devastatingly handsome that I forgot how to breathe. I felt my heart pounding so hard I thought everyone around me must be able to hear it. This was the person I'd been desperate to see, to talk to, or just be near. And here he was, standing on stage in front of everyone, looking like every woman's dream. I could barely pay attention to what he was saying. Something about how special Ella was, how much he loved her... But I couldn't focus on the words. I just kept staring at his face, memorizing the line of his jaw, the curve of his smile, the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he laughed at his own joke. And I realized with sudd
PRINCESS "What are you talking about?" I asked Frank, completely confused by his sudden outburst.He was staring at me with this intense, almost suspicious expression that I'd never seen on his face before."Are you with me because you love me, or because you feel pity for me?" he asked, his voice tight with something I couldn't quite identify.The question caught me completely off guard."Why are you asking me that?" I said, genuinely bewildered. "Of course I love you, Frank. If I didn't, why would I be here with you right now? Why would I have agreed to any of this?"He studied my face for a long moment, then his expression softened and he smiled."You're right," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm probably just overthinking things. Being paranoid because everything feels too good to be true."But something about the exchange made me feel suddenly, acutely uncomfortable.The atmosphere in the hotel room shifted, became awkward in a way it hadn't been before.Frank s







