Chapter 4 He Loves Me Not

“Shall we take a seat?” Andrew asked, motioning to the table we had set up for client meetings. “Or will we be discussing the wedding standing up?” I was taken aback. “Of course,” I said with a smile. “After you.” As Andrew took a seat, I couldn’t help but notice how unmoved he seemed to be by my presence. If he were truly my mate, surely he would be as stunned by me as I was by him. Maybe Susan was wrong this time. I grabbed the binder for Lisa and Bob’s wedding and sat across the table from Andrew. “So,” he began, “what have you and the happy couple gone over so far?” “Probably the most important thing we’ve discussed so far is the budget, which they provided at $2 million.” I looked up at him under my lashes. “Is that correct?” He laughed heartily. “Yes, that’s correct.” “Okay, I just wanted to be sure. The average cost of a wedding these days is about $30,000—” “Don’t worry, I’m well aware.” “Very well. We also discussed themes—” “Like what, pirates?” I couldn’t help giggling at that. “Well, no, not for your daughter’s wedding, but you’d be surprised at the kinds of things that people want for their weddings.” “Oh, trust me, I’ve heard about the Disney princess weddings—” “Disney princess weddings, Tim Burton weddings, and, yes, pirate weddings.” Andrew laughed again. My heart fluttered at the sound. “For Lisa’s wedding,” I continued, “the ‘theme’ more consists of things like the color scheme.” “And that is?” “Blue and gold.” “Very royal colors.” “That’s the idea. The bridal party will be dressed in various shades of blue, as will Bob and his groomsmen. Their outfits, as well as your daughter’s, will also contain accents of gold.” “And where will the wedding be?” “It’s going to be at this grand ballroom downtown…Here, let me show you…” I flipped the binder open to a page with a picture of a Victorian-style ballroom in a skyscraper. It was quite the eclectic building, actually—slick and modern on the outside but a different era of interior design on each floor on the inside. It was designed specifically for hosting parties and weddings like Lisa’s. It was also the most expensive venue I could find. The Victorian ballroom, with its penthouse view of the city, was the most expensive floor in the building. “Beautiful,” Andrew said. He flashed me a smile, and I fidgeted nervously. As we went over the flower arrangements and menu, my eyes drifted to his left hand where a wedding band should be. There was none. Then I remembered what I had heard about Andrew Dubois. Andrew Dubois, the Alpha King with powers so strong that he could not control himself, with powers so strong that he would go on a killing spree at each full moon. Andrew Dubois, the Alpha King who had killed his three previous Luna partners. Yet these rumors did not match the Andrew Dubois who sat across from me. He was so elegant, so kind, and so polite that there was no way that he could be the vicious killer that everyone claimed he was. Still, the thought of a vicious beast lying just beneath that beautiful surface thrilled me. I could not puzzle out what was truth and what was fake. “You’ve done a fantastic job here,” Andrew said, though there was a hint of hesitation to his tone that put me on edge, “but I thought that Lily would be handling this wedding. It is for a princess, after all.” I tried to maintain my charming smile. “Since Lily is pregnant, we have all had to take on more responsibility here at Ever After Weddings,” I explained. “Lily appointed me for this wedding herself because she believes that I am the best for the position.” “Yes, but you are relatively new to the company, correct?” “I have been with the company three months, but for those three months, I have been under Lily’s tutelage and have worked both at her elbow and on my own planning weddings. I assure you, I have not had an unhappy customer.” “Even when working on your own?” “Even when working on my own. Trust me when I say that working a few months with Lily is worth more than years of experience anywhere else.” Andrew stared me straight in the eyes. “And if anything were to go wrong?” I held his gaze, despite the fact that butterflies attacked my stomach. “If that were to happen, I am prepared to handle anything and everything, and Lily is just a phone call away if you want her assurances as well.” “I’m glad to hear that. Looks like my little girl’s wedding is in the right hands.” “Thank you.” “Oh, don’t thank me just yet. Every bride is liable to become a bridezilla, even the sweetest ones,” he said with a teasing grin. I couldn’t help but smile. “Susan, I don’t think he’s as terrifying as everyone says,” I told my wolf. Susan rolled her eyes. “His liking rate for you right now is 60, whereas yours for him is already an 80. You’re completely smitten by him.” “How about I show you the gown?” I said to Andrew as I stood up. I walked over to where I had hung the dress as I continued talking to Susan. "Oh my goddess, he's so sexy,” I said. “Is this drop-dead gorgeous man really our mate?" "Well...he didn't show any reaction. Maybe I got it wrong. Maybe older men are good at pretending...who knows?" "Even though he's 15 years older than me, he doesn't look old at all. He’s more handsome than any other man I’ve ever seen." I turned around, the dress in my arms, and opened the bag for Andrew to see it. “Here we are.” Andrew’s eyes widened, making him look like an adorable puppy seeing his very first treat. “It’s…remarkable.” I knew it was. Custom-made for the bride in question, this dress had a sweetheart neckline, a diamond-encrusted bodice, and a billowing silk-and-lace skirt that swept the floor like swan’s feathers. The veil, also made of sheer lace and accented with diamonds, completed the assemble. It was the wedding dress of every fairytale-loving girl’s dreams. Andrew went to pick it up in his steady, muscular hands. I was almost overwhelmed by his beauty in that moment—but I had to rein it in. A plan for him had formed in my mind, one that would come to fruition with a big surprise for him at Bob’s wedding. I collected myself before I gently moved his hands away. “Sorry, sir, but we need to be very careful with this before the big day,” I explained. Andrew nodded his understanding. “Of course. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.” I carefully placed the dress back in its bag, zipped the bag back up, and placed the outfit on its rack. I turned around to find Andrew staring at me. I blushed. “Did you have any other questions for me today, sir?” He shook his head. “No, you seem to have everything handled very well. And please, call me Andrew.” “Okay, Andrew.” He seemed to contemplate something, then said, “Can I have your number? In case I have any questions about the wedding, that is.” I nodded a little too enthusiastically and had to force myself to rein it in again. “Yes, of course.” I rattled off my number, which he immediately dialed. I got a call from what I assumed was his phone. “This is my personal number,” he said with a smile. My heart beat a little faster.