The Organized Bride (Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book 2) (3 page)

She picked her ring: a French-set halo diamond on a platinum band that wasn’t exactly professional, but it was gorgeous.

“How much time do you have before you have to be back at work?” asked Trish.

“I took a half-day off, so I’ve still got a couple hours.”

“Perfect—we’re going shopping for your wedding dress.”

MaKayla's heart leapt. The dress! She may not be dancing the night away with the man of her dreams but she’d be able to wear a satin gown that swished when she walked … not down the aisle, no aisle here. It would swish when she walked into the office. Okay, that sounded horribly anticlimactic.

A quick ride in the back of a limo had them at an upscale boutique, divided down the middle with one side for women and one side for men. MaKayla’s heart dropped. There wasn’t a scrap of white lace in sight. This whole—
gulp
—engagement was turning into one big disappointment. MaKayla shook herself and decided to make the best out of the situation. One day, she would have a man who would waltz her across the dance floor. That day was not today. Today was a step toward that moment. An important step. Job. New company. Guy. Those were her priorities and she had to stick to them.

“How about this one?” Trish held up a beautiful royal blue dress with a wide belt. It was nice, but not quite right.

“I’m thinking something a little more fall-ish.” If she were really getting married, she’d have her bridesmaids in chocolate brown. MaKayla looked up to peruse the garments hanging higher on the wall, and her breath caught. Too high up for her to reach was a stunning dress made of barely-there fabric. It had a scoop neck and three-quarter sleeves, and MaKayla fell instantly in love. At Trish’s request, the salesgirl had the dress down and a changing room open in less than two minutes.

Stepping out to check the fit in the full-length mirror, MaKayla asked, “Is it appropriate?”

Trish flapped her hands as though she was fighting off tears. “It’s perfect. Oh man, I love shopping.”

MaKayla laughed and twirled in front of the mirror as Trish selected two pair of earrings and a bracelet. She held the long, beaded earrings up to MaKayla’s cheek. “What do you think?”

“I love them.” She stared a little harder at the mirror, scrutinizing the bangles, when a cream-colored jacket behind her caught her eye. Pressing her lips together, MaKayla went over to the men’s section and rubbed the material between her fingers. It was expensive, and soft.

“I don’t think they have that in your size,” joked Trish.

Standing there in her wedding dress, which wasn’t bad for not being made of white satin, MaKayla felt brave. She was supposed to bring her expertise to the marriage, right? Well, she was going to bring a little more than that. “I’ll need Gabe’s measurements. Can you get them for me?”

Trish rubbed her hands together. “Give me five minutes.”

MaKayla didn’t stand around and wait for Trish. She selected a pair of pants, shoes, a dress shirt, and a tie to coordinate with the jacket. It was a risk buying clothes for a man she’d never met, but if he was going to marry her, he might as well look good. Of course, with eyes that blue, how could he
not
look good? She hoped he didn’t do anything drastic with his hair before the wedding. The clothes she chose were a bit edgy, like the style she’d picked up on in the photograph, and she didn’t want that bad-boy image spoiled. It gave her a lightheaded feeling, and she could easily picture him on a Harley. She’d have to be careful with the daydreams. Building him up in her mind could be dangerous.

MaKayla used her new credit card to pay for the dress and suit. Trish agreed to take the suit back to the office and promised to have it delivered to Gabe before the big day. She gave MaKayla a hug and scheduled a pickup early on her wedding day.

MaKayla hurried back to work. She typed up her resignation, gave the briefest of explanations to her boss, and dived into organizing the place for someone new.

At one o’clock, MaKayla was knee-deep in prom details with the student body president. As they wrapped things up, the girl let out a squeak. “I forgot to order his boutonnière!”

The young overachiever ran out of MaKayla’s office, her back pack bouncing heavily with every step. MaKayla smirked; thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about all that high school drama anymore. However, flowers were timeless. In the short time she and Trish had to plan out the wedding, they hadn’t once discussed flowers. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t have a bouquet for her wedding. Something tasteful, in fall colors of course, would be fine.

Glancing out into the hall to make sure no one was headed her way, MaKayla brought up the website for the company that provided flowers for the hotel. She searched through the hundreds of images quickly, discarding anything that looked like spring, summer, or Christmas. She found the perfect combination of dark greens, yellows, and oranges all tied together in a stunning bridal bouquet. She pulled out her new credit card and was about to hit “buy” when she thought of Gabe’s suite.
Better buy him a matching boutonniere
.
I don’t want him to feel left out
. If she was right about her quick evaluation of Gabe, he would want a piece of the spotlight.

Once she’d selected the size, small and tasteful for the masculine type, a thrill of excitement raced through her. She was getting married! Who would have thought? Pressing her fist to her stomach, she fought the butterflies. This was crazy. Crazy and stupid and, in a strange way, right. She hoped she wouldn’t regret this decision, because she was all in.

Chapter 4

Gabe stared at the garment bag that apparently contained his wedding suit. Dread made his skin clammy.
What have I gotten myself into
? He ran his hands through his hair.

Pamela held out a glossy catalogue with engagement rings in different sizes set on a blue background. “This is the ring MaKayla selected. Here is the coordinating men’s ring, but you can choose whatever you like.”

Gabe looked hard at MaKayla’s ring. It was a round diamond encircled with a ring of smaller diamonds set on a platinum band. It was elegant and not as gaudy as some of the other rings on the page. However, it wasn’t the least among them, and, out of habit, he questioned her choice. Could she have picked a smaller one? Yes, there were several available. Then why go for this ring? Was it the size of diamond, or something less obvious, such as the color? Natasha hated gold, said it washed out her skin. Perhaps MaKayla was the same way. He had to trust Pamela’s screening process. She had assured him that her employees were responsible and trustworthy.

“The matching ring is fine.”

“I’ll have them both here next Wednesday. Do you have any questions?”

Gabe glared at the bag again. “Do I really have to wear that?”

Pamela laughed. “You haven’t even seen it.”

Gabe didn’t have to see it to know he’d hate wearing it. The suit might be great, but it reminded him of the way Natasha was always trying to change him. She’d buy designer suits and then pout if he didn’t wear them to dinner or, heaven forbid, if he suggested that they stay home once in a while.

Pamela tapped her chin. “I think it’s nice that she’s taken an interest in making this day stand out. It shows that she’s invested. Besides, it matches her dress.”

Gabe slouched. MaKayla already had them in matching outfits. How humiliating.

“Here, I think Trish sent me a photo.” Pamela scrolled through her phone and held it out to him when she found the image.

Gabe took it, expecting to see a dress on a hanger or a mannequin. Instead there was a stunning woman smiling for the camera, one hand on her hip and her feet bare. With her long brown hair and slim figure she looked like a model. “Is that her?” he asked without looking up.

“Yes, that’s MaKayla.”

As dumb as it sounded in his head, he hadn’t given any thought to what his wife would look like. When he placed an ad for an office manager, he didn’t require people to send in a headshot, and when he found a marriage broker, he didn’t ask her to pick someone alluring. The spark of happiness in MaKayla’s eyes was like the smell of mint in his flower garden at home: it woke him up and made him open his eyes wide to take in the beauty.

He sighed with relief.
She doesn’t look anything like Natasha.
Though MaKayla was wearing a designer dress, she didn’t act like a hanger meant to show it off. She wore the dress like it was an extension of her skin. Standing poised with her shoulders back, she appeared confident enough to offer a full smile and not the practiced pout Natasha favored. There was nothing calculating about this woman.

Looking from the phone to the garment bag and back again, Gabe decided that it couldn’t hurt to humor MaKayla. “Well, if she’s already bought the dress ...”

Pamela took her phone back, and Gabe wished he had a copy of that picture to remind him that not all women are like Natasha. He hadn’t dated since their breakup. If he was honest with himself, he was avoiding the dating scene because he was afraid that all he’d find were more Natashas.

He said goodbye to Pamela and as he rode the elevator down to the lobby, his fingers hooked through the hanger and the garment bag thrown over his shoulder. He chastised himself for letting what happened between him and Natasha affect this marriage. He wasn’t giving his heart to MaKayla; he was hiring her to do a job ... a job she was obsessive about, as evidenced by the way she coordinated their clothing for an office ceremony. If she paid as much detail to his charities as she did to this short business transaction, then she’d do well.

Gabe loosened his tie as he thought about MaKayla in her wedding dress. A situation like this was bound to have complications; it was unconventional at best. He’d have to be careful to maintain proper boundaries between them so as not to encourage thoughts like the ones he had when he looked at MaKayla’s picture.

Chapter 5

Sunday afternoon, MaKayla sat at a small table in her sister’s apartment while Brooke went through the prenup. “I knew having a lawyer in the family would pay off some day,” she joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Brooke had taken MaKayla’s handwritten wedding announcement as a joke. Then, when MaKayla explained the situation, she took it as a threat, acting as if MaKayla had been seduced by a cult. MaKayla had come prepared for the situation with a half-gallon of peanut butter cup ice cream and a zen-like demeanor. She’d done an hour’s worth of yoga to clear her mind and center herself before approaching her overprotective big sister.

“I’m not a lawyer yet,” said Brooke. She was still dressed in her pajamas, and would have spent the day buried in law books if MaKayla hadn’t dragged her to the kitchen table for ice cream. The longer she spent buried in the contract, the calmer she became. MaKayla took it as a good sign.

MaKayla’s yoga-zen was wearing off. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Brooke looked up from the papers and twirled the highlighter between her fingers. “Well, when it comes down to it, the definition of a marriage is the union of two people, recognized by the law as being a union that, in this case, makes them husband and wife.” Brooke got up to refill her soda as she continued. “I’ve taken family law classes, and they never talk about love or sex being a prerequisite for marriage.” She made a face. “Although, one of the grounds for divorce or annulment, depending on the state, is the inability to consummate the marriage.”

MaKayla’s jaw dropped. “Does it say ‘consummate’ in there?” She pointed at the inch-and-a-half thick stack of papers.

Brooke waved her hand. “No. Although it does say a physical relationship isn’t forbidden as long as it is mutually agreed upon by both parties.”

MaKayla pressed her palms to the table as her cheeks burned.

Brooke noticed her discomfort. “Anytime you want to back out, I’ll be right behind you. To be fair, though, it appears that at the end of the year you’ll have a no-contest divorce in which neither party is blamed for the breakup, thus avoiding bad publicity for either of you.”

“That’s good, then. Because you know how I hate bad publicity.”

Brooke smirked at her sarcasm.

MaKayla leaned back in her chair and fiddled with one of the many pens scattered over the table while Brooke went back to reading and highlighting. A half hour later, she raised her hands above her head and stretched.

MaKayla could hardly stand it. Her excitement over quitting the hotel had grown overnight. If there was a rug that would quickly be yanked out from under her, she needed to know and know now. “Well?”

Brooke growled. “I can’t see any reason
not
to sign it. The document is set up to protect both of you, and you really have nothing to lose.”

MaKayla dropped her head to the table. “Then why am I so nervous?”

Brooke covered MaKayla’s hand with hers. “Because no matter what this stack of paper says, marriage means more to you than money.”

MaKayla cursed under her breath. “How do I convince myself that this isn’t a big deal?”

Brooke tipped her head from side to side, as if weighing her next words. “From all appearances, this is a great opportunity. But to be honest, it’s freaking me out a little, too.” She stood and paced the room.

MaKayla rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “It’s a calculated risk.”

Brooke stopped. “Dad would say, ‘Those are the best kind.’” They shared a smile before Brooke continued. “When I graduate next spring, I will have more debt than Mom and Dad did when they bought their first house. But ya know what? That doesn’t matter—it’s only money. What matters is that I saw my dream and I went for it. I will never have to look back on my life and wonder, What if? Some things are worth laying it all on the line for.”

MaKayla nodded, soaking in her sister’s words.

“Do you want to own your own company?”

“Yes.”

Brooke sighed in resignation. “Then go get it. If that means marrying this guy and attending board meetings for a year, do it.”

MaKayla gathered her papers and purse and headed for the door. “I guess I’m getting married.”

“Hey, MaKayla?” Brooke called after her.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget to call me after the wedding.” Brooke winked.

MaKayla rolled her eyes. “I won’t.”