[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Tomorrow Derek would get some answers. Tomorrow would be the day he d find out exactly
what had happened that day when Jasmine was supposed to meet him at their little white church.
Chapter Thirty
Wedding jitters? Hardly.
It didn t count as jitters, surely, if you were having difficulty breathing, your stomach was
churning, your heart was palpitating, and you were shivering uncontrollably. Every tick of that
damned clock was driving Jasmine half insane.
No, no. She was fine, really.
She d been plucked, waxed, ironed and forced to submit to every other unimaginable torture, so
much so that she didn t recognize the person who stared back at her in the mirror.
She turned around in a slow circle to see herself. The dress was everything she could have ever
imagined and so much more. The top was fitted, but from the waist layer upon layer of silk and lace
cascaded down her body. Talk about princesses. Derek had even purchased her a tiara that, she very
much suspected, contained real diamonds. She hadn t let it out of her sight for a moment.
The crew he d hired had done a spectacular job even she had to admit that she looked beautiful.
She stood in the waiting area of a giant tent, crossing her arms across her chest and almost rocking
herself, torn between dread and impatience. Derek had been very secretive about where the actual
wedding would take place; she was now in a huge tent with partitions in it. She was going to be
picked up at any moment to be taken to the site. Most brides reveled in the planning of their weddings;
Jasmine hadn t minded a bit that Derek had taken over all the planning the less involvement, she
reasoned, the less chance of her heart being shattered.
Ms. Freeman, your carriage is here, one of the people standing nearby said to her. She stepped
outside and felt tears fill her eyes as she saw the horse-drawn carriage. It was something right out of
Cinderella. Four white horses were pulling it, and a doorman wearing an old-fashioned tuxedo held
the door open for her. Maybe this wedding wouldn t be a disaster. Maybe it was out of a fairy tale,
and she would live happily ever after. Yes, she really was fine.
She glided to the carriage on the soft carpet laid out to the door. One of the attendants was holding
up the train of her dress so it wouldn t drag on the ground. The doorman helped her inside, and then a
couple of people straightened out her dress once she sat down.
Soon the carriage started forward, and she looked out the open windows, wondering what could
possibly come next. She hadn t seen Jacob all day and couldn t wait to see what he looked like in his
little tuxedo.
They turned a corner, and then she saw where they were going. Her breath hitched in her chest.
Why would he do this? She knew he was angry with her for keeping his son from him, but why would
he go to so much trouble to give her the fairy-tale wedding she d always wanted and then choose the
one spot that spelled complete heartbreak for her?
As they pulled up in front of the little church where she d waited for him, alone and abandoned,
ten long years ago, she saw that he d been busy. The little building, which had once been condemned,
was now completely rebuilt and remodeled. It was the same church and looked the way it must have
when it was originally built, pure and gleaming and new, and with flowers decorating the steps that
led up to the entrance.
She refused to leave the carriage. The doorman stood there, looking slightly panicked. She felt a
tear slip down her face and didn t care that she d most likely ruined her professional makeup job. She
didn t care about any of it. Only one thing made a difference to her, and it wasn t a happy one: even
on her wedding day, Derek felt he must punish her. Fine. It was done.
She told the carriage driver to take her away, and he looked at her as if she d lost her mind. She
knew he d been hired by Derek, and her chance of escape that way was probably nonexistent, but she
had to try.
While Jasmine was trying to reason with the driver, the church doors opened, and she saw Daniel
descending the stairs.
He came up to the carriage and saw the tears flowing down her face. After standing in silence for a
few moments, he handed her a linen handkerchief.
What s the matter, Jasmine? he asked.
Why does he want to hurt me so much? I don t understand why he d pick this place for our
wedding. This is the place where he left me standing, waiting for us to begin our life together. Is he
even in there, or has this all been one big joke to him? she blurted out. I m sorry, Daniel. I know
he s your son, but this is going too far, she sobbed.
Daniel s eyes widened as she spoke, but he said only that he d be back and turned quickly away
from her. He spoke softly to the driver, turned back and patted Jasmine s hand, and then walked into
the church. The carriage was suddenly moving once again, and Jasmine was surprised but very happy
as they pulled around a corner. He didn t move far, but at least she wasn t in view of the one place
that held so many horrid memories.
She was trying to decide whether or not she should walk away it would be difficult and she d
make quite a sight in her elaborate dress or should she just sit there until the driver decided they
could leave. Then the door to the carriage opened again, and Derek slid in beside her. He looked at
her face in confusion as her tears silently fell.
My father said I needed to talk to you, so here I am. We have a deal, Jasmine, and I hope you re
smart enough to remember that. I ve done everything possible to make this the wedding you wanted.
Why would you choose this place? she questioned, as fresh tears escaped.
He stared at her another moment before he spoke. I thought this place was very fitting. After all,
it s the spot where you sent your father to gloat over your betrayal of me and my father. I thought it
was ironic. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
Tomorrow Derek would get some answers. Tomorrow would be the day he d find out exactly
what had happened that day when Jasmine was supposed to meet him at their little white church.
Chapter Thirty
Wedding jitters? Hardly.
It didn t count as jitters, surely, if you were having difficulty breathing, your stomach was
churning, your heart was palpitating, and you were shivering uncontrollably. Every tick of that
damned clock was driving Jasmine half insane.
No, no. She was fine, really.
She d been plucked, waxed, ironed and forced to submit to every other unimaginable torture, so
much so that she didn t recognize the person who stared back at her in the mirror.
She turned around in a slow circle to see herself. The dress was everything she could have ever
imagined and so much more. The top was fitted, but from the waist layer upon layer of silk and lace
cascaded down her body. Talk about princesses. Derek had even purchased her a tiara that, she very
much suspected, contained real diamonds. She hadn t let it out of her sight for a moment.
The crew he d hired had done a spectacular job even she had to admit that she looked beautiful.
She stood in the waiting area of a giant tent, crossing her arms across her chest and almost rocking
herself, torn between dread and impatience. Derek had been very secretive about where the actual
wedding would take place; she was now in a huge tent with partitions in it. She was going to be
picked up at any moment to be taken to the site. Most brides reveled in the planning of their weddings;
Jasmine hadn t minded a bit that Derek had taken over all the planning the less involvement, she
reasoned, the less chance of her heart being shattered.
Ms. Freeman, your carriage is here, one of the people standing nearby said to her. She stepped
outside and felt tears fill her eyes as she saw the horse-drawn carriage. It was something right out of
Cinderella. Four white horses were pulling it, and a doorman wearing an old-fashioned tuxedo held
the door open for her. Maybe this wedding wouldn t be a disaster. Maybe it was out of a fairy tale,
and she would live happily ever after. Yes, she really was fine.
She glided to the carriage on the soft carpet laid out to the door. One of the attendants was holding
up the train of her dress so it wouldn t drag on the ground. The doorman helped her inside, and then a
couple of people straightened out her dress once she sat down.
Soon the carriage started forward, and she looked out the open windows, wondering what could
possibly come next. She hadn t seen Jacob all day and couldn t wait to see what he looked like in his
little tuxedo.
They turned a corner, and then she saw where they were going. Her breath hitched in her chest.
Why would he do this? She knew he was angry with her for keeping his son from him, but why would
he go to so much trouble to give her the fairy-tale wedding she d always wanted and then choose the
one spot that spelled complete heartbreak for her?
As they pulled up in front of the little church where she d waited for him, alone and abandoned,
ten long years ago, she saw that he d been busy. The little building, which had once been condemned,
was now completely rebuilt and remodeled. It was the same church and looked the way it must have
when it was originally built, pure and gleaming and new, and with flowers decorating the steps that
led up to the entrance.
She refused to leave the carriage. The doorman stood there, looking slightly panicked. She felt a
tear slip down her face and didn t care that she d most likely ruined her professional makeup job. She
didn t care about any of it. Only one thing made a difference to her, and it wasn t a happy one: even
on her wedding day, Derek felt he must punish her. Fine. It was done.
She told the carriage driver to take her away, and he looked at her as if she d lost her mind. She
knew he d been hired by Derek, and her chance of escape that way was probably nonexistent, but she
had to try.
While Jasmine was trying to reason with the driver, the church doors opened, and she saw Daniel
descending the stairs.
He came up to the carriage and saw the tears flowing down her face. After standing in silence for a
few moments, he handed her a linen handkerchief.
What s the matter, Jasmine? he asked.
Why does he want to hurt me so much? I don t understand why he d pick this place for our
wedding. This is the place where he left me standing, waiting for us to begin our life together. Is he
even in there, or has this all been one big joke to him? she blurted out. I m sorry, Daniel. I know
he s your son, but this is going too far, she sobbed.
Daniel s eyes widened as she spoke, but he said only that he d be back and turned quickly away
from her. He spoke softly to the driver, turned back and patted Jasmine s hand, and then walked into
the church. The carriage was suddenly moving once again, and Jasmine was surprised but very happy
as they pulled around a corner. He didn t move far, but at least she wasn t in view of the one place
that held so many horrid memories.
She was trying to decide whether or not she should walk away it would be difficult and she d
make quite a sight in her elaborate dress or should she just sit there until the driver decided they
could leave. Then the door to the carriage opened again, and Derek slid in beside her. He looked at
her face in confusion as her tears silently fell.
My father said I needed to talk to you, so here I am. We have a deal, Jasmine, and I hope you re
smart enough to remember that. I ve done everything possible to make this the wedding you wanted.
Why would you choose this place? she questioned, as fresh tears escaped.
He stared at her another moment before he spoke. I thought this place was very fitting. After all,
it s the spot where you sent your father to gloat over your betrayal of me and my father. I thought it
was ironic. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]