[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
and makeup. The train of her ivory dress was spread around her on the floor, making it appear as if
she were floating on a cloud of silk. Lilly wandered around the room, mindlessly snapping pre-
wedding shots until she had to replace her memory card. It was good to have something to do. To
keep her from breaking down.
Her heart still ached over what had happened with Nate the night before. She would have given
anything for a chance to prove him wrong. For a chance to stay by his side. But he was hell-bent on
being alone. Her heart shattered all over again, thinking about the pain in his eyes and the regret in his
voice as he d delivered the deathblow to their relationship. She still couldn t get his words out of her
head.
He s said he wanted to save her from him. Like her getting hurt was inevitable. Didn t he
understand he was hurting her so much more by pushing her way?
She shook off her depressing thoughts and immersed herself in this perfectly romantic day. And on
her photography. She was good at her job, and the reason was that she focused on the details. Picked
out the good and discarded the bad, to find the perfect shot that captured what the person was feeling
in that moment in time. It wasn t lost on her that she had a talent for picking up on something she
herself had never really had love and happiness.
Maybe it was because, deep down, she wanted that more than she was willing to admit.
This wedding was going to be cake. There was nothing but love between Jace and Hayden. The
kind of love people wrote songs about. And she couldn t have asked for a better canvas. The setting
was picture-perfect. She could see why Hayden had insisted on getting married here.
Lilly placed her hands on the windowsill and gazed out over the lush landscape. It looked like
something in a Thomas Kinkade painting.
Okay girls! Hayden s mother clapped her hands, tears already smudging her mascara. Let s have
a wedding!
Lilly snapped a picture just as Hayden turned to her and smiled. Is this really happening?
Clasping her friend s hand, she swallowed the pesky lump clogging her throat. Yeah, babe. It s
real. And you deserve every minute of this beautiful day. Now, don t you dare cry. You ll ruin your
makeup. I can only do so much with Photoshop.
Hayden s gaze dropped briefly to the scar on her arm from a bullet that had grazed her last year
while she d been on location in the Sudan.
Lilly put her hand over the scar and smiled. That much, I can do. You ll never know it was there.
Thank you, Lil. Hayden gave her a hug and adjusted her veil. Can you be sure to get some good
shots of Nate today?
Lilly adjusted the focus in the camera, trying to hide the fact that she was dying inside. The man had
broken her heart, and now she was going to have to take pictures of him all day. Of course. He s the
best man.
I want to make sure to have some recent pictures of him, in case Hayden s voice wavered and
she laid her hand over her belly. I mean, to show the baby. He won t be here when it s born. She
straightened and looked Lilly in the eyes. I want him to know who his uncle is when he comes home
again.
Lilly s fingers froze around the lens and her heart stuttered in her chest. She squeezed the camera so
tightly her knuckles blanched white. You don t think he ll come back, do you? she whispered.
Hayden stopped smoothing her veil. Of course he ll come back. It s just& She swallowed. Of
course he ll come back.
Lilly bit her lip and looked down at her camera, concentrating on one breath at a time. Being a
Marine was a dangerous job. He d barely gotten out alive last time. What were the odds he d have
that kind of luck again if things went wrong?
He s going to be fine, Lil, Hayden assured her. He s already made it through two tours. He
knows the ropes.
Lilly nodded, and slipped her camera strap around her neck, taking another deep breath. She
couldn t break down. Not here or now. This was Hayden s day.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, Lilly would be back home where she could allow herself to crack wide
open. But right now she had a job to do, and she d be damned if she let a man ruin the incredible
opportunity Hayden had set up for her with New York Bridal Magazine.
Lilly
Will you be pissed at me if I leave right after the reception? she asked. I ll get all the shots you
need, but I want to get back to my computer as soon as possible to put together the package for the
magazine. So I reserved an early flight out. I won t be able to stay to see you off on your honeymoon.
Hayden searched her face for a moment, and sighed. If that s what you need to do, I support you.
But I really wish you would give him a chance.
Was she really that transparent? Apparently.
But Nate had too many issues to take another chance on him. Lilly s heart couldn t bear another
rejection. He d already hurt her too many times. Too deeply.
But the fact was, it didn t matter if she accepted his flaws and forgave him. Nate was never going
to forgive himself. She quelled the anger and hurt rising up inside, and swiped a tear away from her
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]