Planning Bliss (Bliss Series Book 1)

The Wedding Planner - Part Two

The Wedding Planner

Part Two

Head down, hair falling off his forehead, his rapt attention was on the phone he had in his hand. He was thumbing over the screen, and whatever he was staring at caused him to tilt his lips into a crooked smile. That look of adoration caused a flutter to my stomach, much as it had done before. But I wasn't ready to face him.

I silently pointed my right toe behind my left foot, ready to twist around and run before he could notice me. As though he had sensed my hesitation, he brought his head up, his hand brushing off the hair that had fallen on his face, and the crooked smile turned into something tender and full of affection.

His blue eyes sparkled as he saw me standing there. They revealed more than he might have intended. "Veronica, I've been calling and sending you text messages all night. I was worried." Levi languidly straightened, pocketing his phone, and strode over to me. A quiver on his lips expressed a tinge of worry.

Unsure of what to do, I busied myself by fishing in my clutch for the key card. "I went to dinner with Isobel. She was hungry. We went to a restaurant." I tried to keep my voice steady, and it came out flat and robotic.

I had the card in my hand but made no move to open the door. I could feel the heat of his body as he leaned towards me. I was terrified to look him in the eyes this close. Frightened of the possibility that my own would reveal the chaos running through my head and the mixture of feelings I'd felt with it-- affection, jealousy, betrayal, hurt, indignation. Could a person die of too many emotions?

Slowly, he lifted his hand to cup the side of my face, making me tilt my head up. But I kept my eyes lowered, even as he placed a warm kiss on my lips. I froze at the connection. When he removed his hand, I moved past Levi and unlocked the door to my room. Stepping inside, I released a jagged exhale that I didn't think I held in.

"I was hoping to catch you earlier. I'd love to have taken you out for dinner, but you never answered my calls," Levi stated as he followed me in.

The conversation with Isobel was still fresh in my mind, and the most prominent feeling jumped out. Anger surged through my body, numbing my fingers and toes. I refused to face him. I blurted out my answer, "I forgot my phone."

As if to prove a point, my phone buzzed on the sideboard where I had left it. I walked over and picked it up. Sure enough I had text messages waiting for a reply from Levi, several missed calls from various people and a couple of voicemails. It vibrated as I held it, showing me that Jake was calling.

Without thought or hesitation, I answered, "Jake?"

"Nica, I need to come see you. We need to talk. Where are you?" His voice was ragged, tired.

I didn't know if it was from practice or experience, but even if I wasn't sure I wanted to see him, I replied right away, "My hotel room." I could sense Levi standing nearby, listening to my call.

"I'll see you soon." Jake didn't bother to wait for a confirmation or even a proper goodbye as he ended the call. I placed my phone back on the sideboard.

"Veronica?"

I didn't know what Jake would want to talk about other than perhaps to tell me that he had changed his mind and the wedding would still go on, or that he hadn't changed his mind at all. There were many other possibilities. I needed time to prepare for him, but I couldn't do that if Levi was around.

He was taken aback when I twisted round, most likely expecting a different expression than the one I wore. "Veronica, is everything okay?"

How could he have asked me that? Isobel's revelations had been running through my mind the entire time. Most prominently, how Levi had betrayed me by introducing Sandrine to Jake and taking him away from me. For what purpose?