A Happy Endings Wedding (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 11) Read online

  The reporter, Judith, a woman in her fifties with a dark cap of hair, leaned close to Hailey. “I’m so pleased you invited us, Hailey.”

  “Of course! I’m thrilled you made time for us.”

  Judith smiled. “I knew this day was coming the moment I interviewed you and Josh together almost two years ago. The love was palpable in the air.”

  Josh grinned and winked at Hailey.

  She smiled agreeably with the completely off-base statement. The truth was, back then she and Josh had been fighting like cats and dogs, not involved romantically at all. He’d stepped in as her fake boyfriend in his brother’s place, said a bunch of nice things about her in front of Judith with a smirk on his face the entire time, and she’d been sure he was secretly teasing her. Now she knew he’d meant every word. Even back then, he’d respected her and her work.

  “We’ve already got the headline,” Judith said. “Queen of the Happy-Ever-After Gets Her Happy Ending. What do you think?”

  “I love it!” Hailey exclaimed. Her previous spotlight in the magazine as the wedding planner for Carrie and Zach’s wedding had dubbed her Queen of the Happy-Ever-After (pulled directly from a compliment Josh had given her during the interview. Swoon!).

  Josh smirked and tugged a lock of her hair. “She does love a happy ending.”

  She pursed her lips, shooting him a significant look because she knew exactly what he meant by that. No sex talk in front of the reporter!

  He grinned, cupped the back of her neck, and pulled her close for a kiss.

  “Are you getting this?” Judith barked at the photographer, Rob, sitting next to her.

  Rob set his coffee down in a hurry and picked up his camera with the zoom lens. “Could you do it again?”

  Josh had already sat back in his seat. He crooked his finger at her, wanting her to take the initiative this time. That finger of his could be so bossy! Still, she wouldn’t deny him a kiss, especially in front of the Bride Special photographer.

  She leaned close, cupped his jaw, clean-shaven for the occasion, and kissed him gently.

  He squeezed the nape of her neck, keeping her close. “Barely felt that.”

  Their eyes met close-up. She was not going to make out with him in the royal dining room for the glossy pages of a magazine.

  “I felt it,” she whispered against his lips.

  “That didn’t count.”

  “That totally counted.”

  He smirked. “Do I need to do everything?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Shut me up.”

  Her cheeks flushed hot. She kissed him like she meant it, a swift hard kiss. Then she pulled back and made a herculean effort not to glare at him. She was a loving bride with her besotted groom. Warrior beast! she silently hollered at him.

  His lips curved up in a slow smile. “Love that fire.”

  She softened. He meant her fiery fighting spirit.

  “See what I mean?” Judith asked Rob. “Lemme see. You got it, right?”

  Rob showed her his digital camera screen, and they both looked pleased.

  Judith lowered her voice. “So I heard there’s been a change of plans. Your wedding was pushed back by a kangaroo wedding?”

  Hailey spoke in her most professional tone. “I rearranged the time due to a scheduling mix-up with the new wedding planner here. She’s still quite green, but I’m hoping after working with her tomorrow, she’ll get up to speed. In any case, the other wedding will be completed long before mine, and everything will proceed as scheduled. I can’t wait for you to see my gown for the photo shoot tomorrow.”

  “Those furries are hysterical,” Rob said. “I got the best picture of the bride and groom feeding each other ice chips.”

  Hailey’s brows shot up. “You’re not featuring them too, are you?”

  “It’s priceless,” Rob said.

  Judith shook her head. “Your wedding is the feature. They’ll be in a sidebar, probably only in the online version of the magazine. No worries! Just enjoy your special day.”

  Hailey nodded, her gut churning. Sharing the spotlight with a furry wedding was not her idea of a good image for her business or Villroy’s new venture. What could she do? She couldn’t very well demand they feature only her. This was all free publicity.

  Judith asked them several more questions, probing about the proposal, the engagement party, and Hailey’s wedding planning business. She answered as best she could, her mind stuck on the possibility of a kangaroo bride making Hailey’s traditional wedding look absurd. She must’ve trailed off a few times because Josh jumped in, answering questions too.

  Finally, everyone left the dining room. She and Josh were due to have a brief visit with the king and queen, who wanted to welcome them.

  Phillip joined them in the hallway. “This way to the private salon.”

  Josh crooked his arm and she took it, appreciating his manners on such an important occasion. She’d met the king and queen during her last visit at Princess Silvia’s wedding very briefly, but still it was quite an honor to have a private audience with them.

  “So slight change in plans,” Phillip said with a grimace. “My father isn’t up to a visit. He’s been having some health issues and my mother is by his side. Gabriel will greet you in his place.” Crown Prince Gabriel, heir to the throne, was much worse than Josh in the gruff and growly department.

  “I’m sorry to hear it,” Hailey said. “Is your dad very ill?”

  Phillip’s expression was uncharacteristically grim. “I’m not supposed to speak of it, but yes.”

  “So sorry,” Hailey said.

  “Me too,” Josh said.

  Phillip bowed his head. “Yes. Well. Thank you.”

  They walked in heavy silence until they reached the door of the private salon. Phillip put a hand on the doorknob and turned to them. “I should probably warn you Gabriel is furious about the furry wedding. He says it’s an abomination to the royal tradition. He was barely on board with our destination-wedding idea in the first place.”

  She gulped. And then they were ushered inside.

  Gabriel had his back to them. He wore a dark blue suit, his gaze fixed out the window at the sea.

  Phillip went ahead. “Gabriel, Josh and Hailey are here.”

  Gabriel slowly turned from the window, a brandy snifter in hand. His features were so like Phillip’s with dark brown hair and stunning blue-green eyes but not at all friendly—his eyes cool, sharp high cheekbones, full lips pressed together. His stance was regal, powerful, and proud. He’d been groomed to be king since birth and held himself accordingly. He said nothing, merely stood there, waiting for them to come to him.

  Josh ambled over when she would’ve rushed, but her hand was still tucked in the crook of his arm, so she had to keep to his pace.

  They stopped in front of Gabriel.

  He stared down his nose at them.

  Phillip gestured to her with a small head bob and bent at the waist.

  She pulled her hand free from Josh’s arm, bowed her head and curtsied. “Your Royal Highness, thank you for seeing us.”

  “Thank you for having us,” Josh said. No bowed head, no polite deference to his title.

  She elbowed Josh. He ignored her.

  Gabriel stared at Josh, his expression even harder, jaw clenched tight.

  Josh stared back, giving nothing more.

  “Who would like a brandy?” Phillip asked in a cheerful voice.

  “Nothing for me, thanks,” Hailey whispered, becoming concerned at the staredown. “Um, Josh?”

  He reluctantly turned from Gabriel. “I’m good, thanks.”

  Gabriel let out a sound of disgust and joined Phillip, helping himself to more brandy.

  She whispered furiously to Josh, “You have to call him your highness. You have to show respect.”

  “He’s just a man,” Josh said.

  “He is not just a man. He’s soon to be king.”

  “A king is still a man who puts his pant
s on one leg at a time just like everyone else.”

  “Show some respect!” she hissed under her breath.

  “I did.”

  She left Josh’s side to try to smooth things over with Gabriel. The last thing she needed was to be kicked out of the royal palace two days before their wedding. She came up behind Gabriel and Phillip. The pair were having a fierce low conversation.

  “Hello,” she said, alerting them to her presence.

  They stopped talking and turned to her.

  She smiled at Gabriel. “Your Majesty, I just wanted to thank you for having us in your lovely home. It’s quite an honor and one we don’t take lightly. It’s a dream come true for a bride, and I do hope that our wedding can assist Villroy with the destination-wedding business.”

  Gabriel’s lip curled. “Our business is fishing.”

  Phillip spoke under his breath to his brother. “We agreed to give this a try. Don’t be rude.”

  “Do not speak to me of rude,” Gabriel snapped. “Swear to God, if it were up to me, that daft wedding planner and her furry lot would be dumped at sea.”

  “He doesn’t mean you,” Phillip quickly assured her.

  Hailey lifted a hand and nodded.

  Phillip scowled and turned to Gabriel. “There are major wedding magazines here. We will proceed as best we can.”

  “If it helps, I plan on supervising Bonnie tomorrow,” Hailey offered. “I know you don’t know me very well, Gabriel, Your Royal Highness, but I’ve run a very successful wedding planning business for six years now.”

  Josh’s arm dropped over her shoulders. “She is the best. You won’t find anyone better.”

  “We should’ve hired her,” Gabriel told Phillip.

  “No, you can’t hire her,” Josh said sharply. “We both own businesses back home. Her place is with me.”

  Gabriel merely raised a brow. Josh bristled at her side.

  Phillip jumped in. “Bonnie reminded me of you, Hailey, with your similar coloring, and she was very enthusiastic at the interview. Now I’m afraid she’s under pressure and may be cracking a bit.”

  Gabriel snorted and sipped his brandy.

  “I will help put her back together,” Hailey said. “I worked solo for years and there’s quite a lot to keep track of. I’m positive both weddings will go off without a hitch.”

  Phillip smiled widely. “Hailey, I knew I was right to ask you to be the inaugural wedding. A toast to you.” He grabbed a glass and filled it with a small amount of brandy, handing it to her.

  Josh snatched it out of her hand, and Phillip went and poured another for her.

  “Enjoy your brandy,” Gabriel murmured. He set his empty glass on the long bar, turned, and left.

  Phillip handed Hailey her glass. “Don’t take him personally,” he said in a low voice. “He does his duty, but he’s not happy about it.”

  She glanced over at Gabriel’s retreating back, tension apparent in every step. It must be hard to bear the kingdom on your shoulders, especially with an ailing father. As soon as the door shut behind him, she turned to Phillip. “No worries, really, I couldn’t be happier to be here. I understand his point of view too. I’m sure you’re all under quite a strain right now.”

  Phillip lifted his glass with a smile. “To Hailey, wedding planner extraordinaire, the best, most understanding bride, and our salvation!”

  They all clinked glasses. Phillip took a healthy swallow of brandy. She and Josh held their drinks.

  Phillip cocked his head. “You don’t want to drink to that?”

  “We did,” Josh said straight-faced.

  Phillip turned to her. “You did?”

  Hailey nodded and smiled. “It was symbolic.”

  Phillip laughed. “I’ll drink to that too.”

  Josh took her glass and emptied it into his before taking a sip.

  “Would you like a different drink, Hailey?” Phillip asked. “I could ring for a servant to bring something else.”

  “I’d love some milk,” she said.

  Josh nodded approvingly.

  “Okay, then.” Phillip walked to the far end of the room, picked up a phone, and put in their order with the kitchen. He straightened, speaking urgently before hanging up and turning back to them.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He walked slowly toward them. “The caterer’s gone on strike.”

  Her stomach rolled and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “Get the palace chef to sub in,” Josh said.

  Phillip shook his head. “Our chef refuses to cook for so many people after being snubbed in favor of outside caterers in the first place. I’m afraid he’s very temperamental. Hailey, I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what to do.”

  Josh swore. “You should fire your useless chef.”

  “His family has served ours for generations. My hands are tied.”

  Josh rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine. I’ll cook the reception food for our wedding. The furries can stuff it.”

  “No,” Hailey said. “Josh, you have to do the groom thing. I don’t want you working in a hot kitchen on our wedding day. You should be getting ready in your tux, spending time with your brothers, and I’m sure there will be lots of photos and reporter questions for you. This is our special day and—” her voice cracked “—we will enjoy it no matter what.”

  “I’ll ask around through the locals,” Phillip said. “See if we can find someone last minute.”

  Hailey looked to the ceiling, blinking rapidly. No more hitches! No more!

  Josh turned to Phillip. “Time for us to turn in. It’s been a long day. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” He guided her out, speaking to her in a low soothing tone, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the voice in her head. This wedding is cursed!

  Chapter Six

  There were a lot of hitches on the way to getting hitched. It was now late Friday afternoon, approximately twenty-four hours before the wedding, and Josh hated to admit it, but his pregnant bride was falling apart right along with the wedding. He was partially responsible since he’d impregnated her and the hormones were surely messing with her head. Jake had said Claire had been snappish and a wee bit aggressive during her pregnancy. Hailey went the opposite route. She was currently in the bathtub, bawling her eyes out.

  He paced their suite. Snappish and aggressive would’ve been so much easier to handle, but no. He got tears, which got him all riled up because they were much harder to fix, and her pain was his pain. So yeah. He was up to bat. He got it, he really did. She’d put so much work into the wedding and it had been one thing after another. When they’d arrived at the dock this morning to make sure the flowers arrived, it had been a raging disappointment to find not tulips, but mismatched wilting whatever they were. It looked like the flower shop had delivered every single bouquet they hadn’t been able to sell and pawned it off on them.

  He did an about-face and paced in the other direction. Max and Rose were curled up on the bed, ears perked toward the closed bathroom door.

  “I know,” he told them. “I’m trying. You two weren’t much help.”

  On the walk back from the dock, the dogs had finally given up the rings. And while Hailey was happy the dogs wouldn’t require surgery, she couldn’t stomach actually using those rings. Kind of a shame, too, because he’d had them engraved. Hers said Warrior Princess, and his said Warrior Beast. That was what she liked to call him. In any case, Mad had taken the ferry back to France with her husband, Parker, this morning to buy two new gold bands. Not engraved. Whatever. Hailey would never know she’d missed out on that. He’d figured problem solved, but Hailey didn’t bounce back like he’d hoped.

  She’d taken her sour mood and tried to work through it by supervising everything being set up correctly for tomorrow. Bonnie wasn’t appreciative of Hailey’s interference with her job and let her know it. That didn’t stop Hailey, and why should it? So far Bonnie had made a mess of things. Hailey insisted on helping while Bonnie just seemed to
bumble everything, screwing up the most basic requests. Hailey had given him an earful back in the room, beside herself over the gross incompetence.

  He’d backed her up, agreeing with everything she said in regard to Bonnie being an idiot. Hailey soldiered on through a welcome reception in the palace gardens, which included the locals. The furries showed up, too, helping themselves to the offered drinks and snacks. Josh couldn’t even kick them out since the welcome reception was open to the public. Next Hailey went through a full photo shoot in her gown. No one cared about his tux and he was glad. There’d be plenty of pictures of them as a married couple, which was the important part.

  She’d returned from the photo shoot and took to the tub in their private suite without a word, which was worrisome. She always had something to say. Then he’d heard the sobs.

  He opened the bathroom door and poked his head in for the third time. “You okay?”

  “Go away. I’m wallowing.”

  He shut the door behind him and went over to the huge soaking tub on a center platform with a surrounding ledge that doubled as a bench seat. He took a seat and tested the water, lukewarm. She’d started it only warm, not hot, mindful of her pregnancy, which she’d announced to the baby the moment she’d turned on the faucet. She was a planner and had already read a lot about pregnancy. Still, he needed to get her out soon before she went in the opposite direction and got a chill. “You’ve been in here a long time.”

  She flicked water at him. “I’m not up to talking. Everything is shit. Even the rings are shit. This is beyond awful. It’s hideous. It’s horrible. It’s cursed!” More tears leaked out.

  “Hailey.”

  “Go away.”