Goody Two Shoes (Invertary Book 2) (40 page)

Beth was in the aisle now. She stormed towards the platform they were standing on. Stopping right in front of Caroline. She was dressed in a red glittering mini-dress that was far too sexy for a wedding and had an over-large red handbag slung over her shoulder. She tottered in heels Caroline couldn’t have even stood in.

“You.” Beth pointed at Caroline with clear abhorrence. “You don’t deserve Josh.”

Warning bells went off in Caroline’s head. Those were the words painted on her wall. She took a step back from Beth.

Beth took a step forward. “You are a horrible person. And Josh needs someone nicer.”

“That’s enough,” the minister barked. “That is not a valid objection. Get back to your seat. Better yet. Get out. You obviously aren’t in the spirit of the occasion.”

Beth smirked at him. “Like I care what you think.” She turned back to Caroline. “You don’t deserve Josh. You shouldn’t get to marry someone like him. You’re boring and grey. Everything about you is grey. There’s nothing there to attract a man like Josh. You’re just like your dull, old-fashioned clothes.”

“That’s more than enough.” Josh stepped towards her. Lake was still dealing with Danny. Josh turned to Mitch. “Deal with this.”

Mitch shot Beth a look filled with disgust. “My pleasure.” He took a step towards the woman.

“You’re wearing the wrong colour,” Beth spat at Caroline. “It should be grey. Like you.”

She reached into her oversized bag and came out with a bottle.

Caroline’s mouth fell open as everything happened at once. Josh and Mitch lunged at Beth. Helen screamed. Beth smiled the nastiest smile Caroline had ever seen. The crowd gasped in unison.

And then the bottle exploded. Grey paint shot out. All over Caroline’s beautiful dress.

“Fantastic!” a man shouted. There were flashes. Caroline looked in the direction of Beth’s date. Pyro? The paparazzi photographer from London was at her wedding? With Beth? And he was taking photos? Photos of the most humiliating day Caroline had ever had. Caroline felt the room sway. A hand held her arm. Kirsty. Kirsty was there.

Lake came rushing into the church, followed closely by Officer Donaldson.

“Marry me,” Beth was screaming as Mitch held her hands tight behind her back. She fought against him. Fought to get to Josh. “Marry me. I’ll be good to you. I won’t bitch at you. I won’t boss you around. I won’t be all stiff and formal. You don’t want to marry her. It’ll be like sleeping beside an old wooden plank. I’ll treat you right. Marry me.”

Josh shouted at the police, “The guy with her, her date, he’s paparazzi.”

Pyro laughed loudly. “Suck it up, Joshy boy. These pictures are going to finance my holiday home in the Riviera.”

Caroline watched as Josh’s fists clenched. He took a step towards the laughing photographer. The minister put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “You’re needed elsewhere, son.” The two men gave her a look she couldn’t decipher.

Pyro jumped over the pews, pushing people out of his way. He ran for the back of the church. The police followed. Lake handed a still-screaming Beth over to some of his men before chasing after the photographer. They disappeared out of the door that led to the church hall.

“Marry me!” Beth looked feral as she fought against the men holding her. “Don’t marry that bitch. She’s unlovable. Everybody knows that. Her heart is a stone. You can’t love her. It’s not possible. Marry me!”

Everyone watched in stunned shock as a sobbing and screaming Beth was removed from the church.

Suddenly there was silence.

And then every eye in the room turned to Caroline.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Josh sucked in a breath. He ran a hand over his face. Caroline was rooted to the spot on the platform beside him. Her back was straight. Her shoulders back. Her eyes were wide. And her skin was so pale it was practically blue. Kirsty stood beside her, patting her arm, murmuring words that he doubted Caroline could hear.

Her white dress was spattered with grey paint. It dripped from the skirt, making a puddle on the floor. Caroline just stood there. Staring at nothing.

Josh moved to her. “It’s okay.” He softened his voice even though he wanted to throw back his head and roar. “It’s okay.” He put his hands on her shoulders and stepped in closer to hold her.

“Don’t.” Her lips were trembling. “You’ll get paint on you.”

“It’s okay,” Josh whispered.

She was stiff in his arms. Even though her feet stayed rooted to the spot, she tried to lean away from him.

“It’s okay.” He wrapped his arms around her, threading one hand into her hair, while the other tightened around her waist. “It’s okay.”

He felt her body shiver. Her posture didn’t change, but she turned her face into his chest.

Mitch was standing behind Caroline. His arms folded. His face like thunder.

Josh caught his friend’s eye. “Clear this place out. This day is over.”

Mitch nodded firmly. He tugged at a weeping Kirsty, letting her know that she should help get the guests out. She gave Caroline one last desperate, heart-breaking look before she went to help.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. It’s all being sorted,” Josh murmured against Caroline’s ear as he rubbed her back.

She didn’t move. She just stood in his arms. Trembling. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down, for Caroline’s sake. She needed him. What he really wanted to do was slay everyone who had upset her. He wanted to wipe the slate clean for her. Make everything right. He wanted to take away every last bit of her pain. He wanted her happy again. Safe again.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. The vicar. “You can use my office.”

Josh nodded his thanks, but he knew Caroline wouldn’t move. The best he could do to give them privacy was to clear the room. In the meantime, he used his body to shelter her from the crowd. Hiding her from curious gazes and prying eyes. It was his fault. All of this. He’d turned Caroline into a public spectacle—simply by asking her to marry him. He should have realised how devastating public scrutiny could be to those who weren’t used to it. She’d been right all along. He did need a woman who was used to the celebrity life. Someone hardened to the scrutiny. Someone who could deal with the press.

But he only wanted Caroline.

“It’s done.” Mitch appeared in front of him. “The room is clear. I’ll wait outside by the limo. Let me know when you want to go back.”

Josh nodded. “The reception?”

“It’s being taken care of. Millicent’s cancelling it.”

“Thanks.”

Mitch shook his head sadly as he turned away. Josh listened as Mitch’s footsteps echoed through the now-empty church. The heavy wooden doors closed with a dull thud after him. Josh kissed Caroline’s temple.

“Everyone is gone, baby. It’s just us.”

They stood like that for the longest time. Caroline was stiff and silent in his arms. Josh was beginning to think he should call for a doctor when Caroline’s shoulders suddenly slumped. She started shaking. He heard one tiny sob, but the rest of her tears fell in silence. Josh held her close. He wanted to kill the bastards who had hurt his woman.

“It’s okay, baby. Don’t cry. We’ll fix everything.”

She pulled away from him. Her eyes were red, swollen and owl-like.

“How are we going to fix this, Josh? I don’t think it’s possible.”

He ran his thumb over her trembling bottom lip. “Of course it is. We’ll wait a few days then try again. I’ll get you a new dress and we’ll be more careful about who we invite.”

She shook her head. “No.” She pushed away from him. Now they were both covered in paint. “We obviously weren’t meant to do this. We weren’t meant to be together.” Her big green eyes implored him to understand. He didn’t. Not one bit.

“Weddings get ruined all the time.” Josh tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Some get hit with hurricanes, or earthquakes, or dodgy relatives. Ours isn’t any different. We can’t call it quits just because some things went wrong.”

Caroline barked a fake laugh. “
Some
things went wrong?” She stared down at her dress, and another tear rolled down her cheek. Josh felt his chest ache. She looked back up at him. “Beth was right.” She bit her lip as she fought for her precious control. “You’re too good for me. I am unlovable. That’s why you picked me, so that there wouldn’t be any danger of you falling in love with me. I am bossy. And cold. And—”

He stepped into her space and cradled her face in his hands. “Stop. Don’t listen to a word that crazy witch said. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re good and kind. You’re funny and loving. You’re beautiful, and moral, and oh-so-sexily innocent.” He kissed her nose. “You are too good for
me
, baby. Not the other way around. I keep wondering when you’re going to figure out that you could do so much better than me.”

Caroline closed her eyes. “Oh, Josh. You can’t mean that. I don’t even know how to dress. The country is calling out for my makeover. I embarrass you at every turn. My personality is as grey as my wardrobe.”

“No.” He shook his head. Wishing he could strangle the crazy woman who poisoned Caroline’s mind. “No. It’s not true. You’re wonderful the way you are. You never embarrass me. Never. Why would you even think that?”

Caroline pushed away from him. She took a deep breath. Her shoulders went back. Josh’s stomach turned at the sight. It was her fighting stance.

“I think we should call this marriage off.”

Josh put his hands on his hips. He summoned his patience as stared down at the floor. He shook his head. No. There was no way that was happening. He knew she was upset. She deserved to be upset. But call off the wedding? No. Just. No.

“We made an agreement. We’re getting married.”

“I don’t want to marry you.” Her voice cracked. She was lying. He knew it.

“Don’t say that, Caroline. You don’t mean it. We have a deal. We agreed.”

“It won’t work out for us.” She backed away from him. “I’m not the kind of person people love.”

“You aren’t thinking straight. This isn’t about love. It’s about commitment.” Josh almost choked on the words. They felt like a lie. His shirt was too tight. He loosened his purple tie and popped the top two buttons. He should have put his foot down and gotten married in a T-shirt. “We made a deal. I’m holding you to it.”

“I can’t.” She looked like she was about to run. “I can’t marry you. It hurts too much.”

What the hell? Josh ran his fingers through his hair.

“You’re not making any sense.” He reached for her, but she stepped away from him. “We’ll go back to the castle. We’ll get cleaned up.” He tried to grin at her, but it felt forced. “I’ll show you the delights of showering together. Once we’re clean, things will be clearer.”

“Josh.” She held her flowers in front of her, as though they were a shield. “I was thinking about backing out long before everyone intervened.”

Josh felt like he’d taken a kick to the gut. He actually started to bend over before he thought to stop himself.

“You were going to call it off?”

“It’s the right thing to do.” Her shoulders slumped. She looked defeated. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. “You don’t want me. You want a business arrangement. Which was fine. It was great when we both wanted the same thing.” Her voice shook. “But things changed.” The pain in her eyes made every part of him ache. She took a shaky breath. “I fell in love with you, Josh.”

The ground shifted beneath him. Josh looked around for something to hold on to. There wasn’t anything.

Caroline gave him a sad little smile. “You see why it won’t work? You don’t want to be in love. You picked me because you know you’ll never love me like that. It’s safe for you. Beth was right about that. I’m not the kind of woman men fall in love with. Which means I would spend my life loving you and watching as you never loved me back. I can’t do that. It’s soul destroying. Waiting for you to find the woman you will fall in love with. Waiting for you to leave me.”

She wasn’t making any sense. Why would he leave her? Why would he want another woman? He only wanted her. “You love me?”

“And you don’t love me.” It wasn’t a question.

Josh’s throat was closing up. “Caroline,” was all he could get out.

“It’s okay, Josh. I understand. Thank you for giving me a chance at a family. Thanks for trying to give me the wedding I thought I wanted. Thanks for making me feel special for a while.”

Josh was paralysed. His power of speech had fled. He felt like his insides were being ripped out and displayed. He couldn’t get his head around anything she said. None of it made sense.

With a trembling smile, Caroline turned and stepped down from the platform. Josh struggled to breathe. She was walking away from him. He tried to stop her, but he couldn’t move. He kept his eyes on her until the heavy doors of the church swung shut behind her. Suddenly his legs wouldn’t hold him anymore. He flopped to sit on the platform steps. His head fell into his hands. He struggled to breathe.

She was gone.

His Caroline was gone.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

“You’re an idiot.”