Attraction - temporarily available

Chapter 10

Chris watched me from behind. I could see him in the mirror, twiddling his thumbs and assessing my attire with a frown on his face. He had no reason, whatsoever, to complain. I looked freaking awesome in a light gray suit, a white shirt, and a purple bow-tie. My hair was sculpted to perfection, styled to cover the tiny scar on my forehead.

I smacked my lips and adjusted the bow-tie. "What time is it?"

"Time to go."

I couldn't believe it. "Already?"

Chris checked his phone. "Yes, it's time. In fact, we're running late."

Turning, I fought the wave of nerves. The best man deserved a slap if he didn't make sure we arrived in time. Not that I would slap him hard, especially when he looked so damn fine. My attention shifted to a stray lock of his hair. Hairspray in hand, I got to work.

"What are you doing?" he asked, waving me away. "We're late. And no one will care about my hair."

"Your hair is always messy, but today will be the exception. It's my wedding day." I sprayed again.

"It's weird that you're getting married. Have you decided to take his name?"

I stepped back and checked the result. His hair was passable, perhaps not perfect, but I couldn't have him outshine me, after all.

"Joachim?"

I couldn't look him in the eye. "No, I'm not taking his name." He asked the tricky questions, and I wanted to pretend that nothing about this situation was tricky at all. Piece of cake. Get married, stay in the US, seduce my husband and raise babies.

"You don't think that will look suspicious to the USCIS?"

"Hopefully, they won't notice a difference between Carson and Carlsson."

Chris chuckled behind me. "Maybe you're right."

I dreaded a follow-up question and decided to head to the door, or maybe I sprinted. Chris caught on quickly, and what might have been said remained in the quaint hotel room as we left for the hastily arranged marriage ceremony.

Chris swerved the car onto a gravel lane. The surroundings were eerily similar to the Swedish countryside. Tall trees, grass bending in the light breeze, fields mimicking rippling waves—it was a beautiful day to celebrate. Although, I wasn't sure we were celebrating.

Tom was still a mystery. We'd met several times during the week, discussing the details of when and where to eat after the ceremony, where to stay, what to say to everyone. Nothing romantic. Then, there had been glimpses of delicious tension, barely there, and subtle notes of sarcasm that had made me smile. I didn't know what to make of it.

Chris drove down another narrow road, and I began to see glittering reflections from the sea between the tree trunks. It was lively, but not wild. Usually, I became calm when staring out across water, but it didn't work this time around.

"Have you arranged a seating plan for tonight?" Chris asked.

I snorted. "Are you kidding?"

"Just making conversation."

"Fine, I'll give you an A for effort."

He laughed when I stuck out my tongue. "As long as we're all invited to the dinner, you're off the hook."

I ran my hand along the dashboard, warm from the sun. "I thought you wanted me to spend some alone time with Tom."

"You guys need a wedding night at least."

If I hadn't been so afraid to mess up my hair, I would have run my fingers through it in frustration. Chris seriously needed to back off, otherwise I might faint when the marriage officiant asked us to repeat our vows.