Page 32 of Claimed By The Other Brother

"You look just like your grandmother did on her wedding day."

I kiss his cheek.

"Thanks, Dad."

From somewhere below, I can hear music drifting up. The string quartet. They're playing classical pieces, gentle and romantic. Guests must be arriving, taking their seats in the ballroom.

"The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes," my mother says, checking her watch.

"I should head down."

She hugs me carefully, mindful of my dress.

"I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too, Mom."

She disappears down the corridor toward the elevator, leaving me with my father, Jane, and Sarah.

"How are you feeling?" my father asks gently.

"Nervous," I admit. "But good. Ready."

The lies are getting easier.

Jane fusses with my veil one more time.

"You're going to be amazing. Miles is so lucky."

Sarah grins. "In about thirty minutes, you'll be Mrs. Blackwell."

Mrs. Blackwell.The name sounds foreign, like it belongs to someone else.

We wait in the suite listening to the music.

"You know what?" I say suddenly.

"I don't want to wait up here anymore. Let's go down."

Jane exchanges a glance with Sarah.

"Are you sure? The coordinator will come get us when it's time."

"I know. But I want to be closer. I want to see everything."

"Okay." Jane links her arm through mine.

"Let's go."

We take the elevator down to the conference level, then walk through the elegant corridors toward the ballroom. The music gets louder with each step. Chopin. Beautiful and melancholic.

The ballroom doors are open, and I stealthily peak around the wall. I can see inside from where we stop in the corridor just outside. The space is breathtaking. Tall ceilings, crystal chandeliers, cream roses everywhere. Guests are seated in neat rows, dressed in their finest. At the front, beneath an arch dripping with flowers, the officiant stands waiting.

The groomsmen are lined up on the left side. Eric, Miles's best man, looks uncomfortable in his tuxedo. The other two groomsmen shift on their feet.

But there's a space where Miles should be standing. The space is empty.

My heart starts to race. "Where is he?"