Chapter 30

Butterflies filled every inch of her stomach as she waited for her cue to walk down the aisle. She fought the onslaught of tears threatening to burst forth any moment now.

James and Lara were with Sophia as she waited for her signal to lead Liya’s wedding procession.

“Are you ready?” Cindy whispered.

Liya nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak. She didn’t plan on ruining her makeup just yet.

The strains of the wedding march filled the air. Liya looked ahead at her groom waiting for her at the altar and took her first step. She took deep breaths as she walked to force down the range of emotions filling up her chest. She kept her gaze fixed on Blake.

Blake’s smile grew brighter with each step she took. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Andrew, his second best man, nudged Blake every now and then, trying to drag his attention away from his soon-to-be bride. Sophia, also kept her gaze fixed on Liya.

Liya dabbed her eyes when she reached the altar. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding — even if her relationship with Blake had started out as a farce. She had a feeling their union was more than just an arrangement of convenience for Blake. Although, he hadn’t said anything to her as yet, his actions this morning when Jasmine had passed veiled threats suggested otherwise.

She composed herself as the priest began reading the vows. She stole a look at Blake as they stood next to each other. He was still smiling. Sophia had moved closer to her and was clutching at her gown as if she were afraid Liya would suddenly decide to run away.

“If any person present here knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, they should declare it now,” the priest said.

Liya’s anxiety shot up. She wished she could turn around and see where Jasmine was seated. Would she dare raise her objections even after Blake had warned her?

Dead silence filled the hall. Liya slowly released a relieved sigh as the priest continued with the wedding ceremony. She knew Jasmine had only attended her wedding to cause trouble. She pushed all thoughts of Jasmine and concentrated on the ceremony.

“Liya, I will ask you to repeat the wedding vows after me,” the priest said.

She nodded.

"In the name of God, I, Liya, take you, Blake, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

Her heart burst with equal mixtures of love and joy as she recited the words. Sophia handed her the groom’s ring.

She reminded herself to take deep, grounding breaths to remain calm, as she repeated the next set of vows.

Blake, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Her fingers trembled as she slipped the ring on Blake’s ring finger. Had she imagined it, or had Blake’s eyes filled with tears? Her thoughts were lost as Blake recited the wedding vows to her and slipped the most beautiful rings she had ever seen on her finger.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest said.

Liya finally relaxed. It was done. They were man and wife.

***

Their wedding celebration only wound up in the early hours of the morning. Liya was exhausted by the time she flopped into bed at around 3 a.m. Blake joined her in bed an hour later. Both of them were too exhausted to even kiss.

She awoke a few hours later. Blake’s side of the bed was empty. She heard the shower running. One of James’s staff knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Liya said.

“Good morning, Mrs. Stone,” the young, brown-haired woman greeted, while wheeling a breakfast table into the bedroom.

Mrs. Stone. Her stomach did a series of jumps at how wonderful her newly acquired name sounded to her. “Good morning,” she struggled to make out her name on her name tag, “Shawna. Thank you for bringing our breakfast.”

“You’re welcome. Enjoy,” Shawna said, closing the door behind her.

Liya pulled the newspaper which was tucked in the side of the tray.

“Billionaire Marries Former Runaway in Glamorous Wedding.”

“Billionaire Gives Former Runaway Teen a Home.”

“Billionaire Marries Former Troubled Teen.”

Liya gasped. Jasmine hadn’t wasted any time in ruining her happiness, had she? Was this her wedding gift to her and Blake? She couldn’t control the tears burning down her face. Would Blake and Sophia ever forgive her for not revealing her entire past to them? She curled herself into a ball and sobbed into one of the puffy pillows.

“Liya.” Blake emerged from the shower a few minutes later.

She slowly picked herself up to look at him. “I’m sorry, Blake.”

“For what?” He scooped her into his arms and cradled her against his body.

She pointed at the newspaper lying beside her. “I didn’t tell you everything about my past.”

Blake read the headlines and snippets of the article. “You shouldn’t let them get to you. Tabloid writers create a lot of stuff from their imaginations. I wouldn’t worry about them if I were you. Even if it were true, how does it matter now? You’re none of those things.”

“I’m sorry I never told you, Blake. I should have come clean with you and told you everything about my past.” She paused. “I did run away because I couldn’t bear living with Jasmine. She made my life a living hell.” She rested against his chest, feeling safe and warm.

“You would have told me in time.” He stroked her hair.

“Won’t something like this affect Sophia’s custody hearing?”

“No. You’re an adult now. Not a troubled teenager. Andrew can easily swing these headlines and Jasmine’s behavior in our favor.”

She still felt like somehow she was at fault for the nasty headlines. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing. None of this is your fault.” He kissed her forehead. “I am glad you went back home, completed your education, and even served your internship.”

Liya’s mood lightened a little. “I’m glad I did too.”

Blake tossed the newspaper aside and sat beside her, and leaned against the velvet headboard. “I was a troubled child, as well.”

“Troubled?”

“Yes. I told you I was an orphan. I refused to stay in any orphanage, mostly because the ones I was placed in were orphanages from hell.”

Liya squeezed Blake’s arm. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“At least you understand.” He wound his arms around her more securely this time. “At times I felt the easiest solution would be to just end it all. Fortunately, I didn’t have the guts to. I rebelled against the system instead. Which is what you did too.”

“Yeah. Jasmine was never a caring foster mom.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault.”

“Did your father ever try to find you.”

Liya shook her head. “My father died before I was born. He was a French playboy from what Jasmine told me. She always reminded me just how much disgrace Mom had brought on our family.”

“True love is never a disgrace. Your mother fell in love, and you were created out of that love.”

Liya sighed. “Yeah.” She was quiet for a few moments, savoring the feel of being in Blake’s arms minus the constant reminder of their marriage of convenience.

“How did you manage to survive on your own?”

“I ended up on the Banana Coast and started selling bananas to tourists.”

Liya’s chest tightened as she pictured a young Blake trying his best to earn a living.

“That’s when the farming bug caught. I met Andrew’s Dad, a sugarcane farmer who’d just lost a fortune after a tropical cyclone ruined his crops. I told the old man to consider growing low-maintenance crops like banana’s, pawpaws, and guavas. The rest just fell into place.”

Liya’s heart warmed more and more to Blake as he offered her a glimpse into his past. “You’ve always been an entrepreneurial genius.”

“Not really. I did what I needed to in order to survive. Back then, all I had was guts and the willpower to make things happen.” Blake’s mobile cut through the brief moment of silence between them. “Please excuse me, Liya. I really need to take this.”

She tried not to let her disappointment show when Blake left her side.

“I don’t want you to worry about the tabloids. Jasmine’s cheap shot will never hold up in court.”

***

Blake took one last look at Liya before he left her bedroom. He should’ve guessed her childhood wasn’t a happy one, especially when the shutdown of the orphanage affected her more than it should have. He’d seen the tears in her eyes, and the way she tried to hide her disappointment. It would take a lot more than Liya’s past to keep him away from her. He’d finalized the sale of the orphanage and had already appointed a team to renovate and upgrade the facilities. Liya would be thrilled when she found out about the upgrades he’d made. Blake smiled to himself on his way out. Who would’ve guessed his daughter’s babysitter would put the joy back in his life?

Had he fallen in love?

No way, it wasn’t love. It was just—what was it? He shook his head. He didn’t know exactly what it was he felt toward Liya but love had nothing to do with it.