You May Kiss the Groomsman: A Meet Me at the Altar Novel Read online

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Go back to where it all began…

  Chapter 1

  Also by Samantha Chase

  About Samantha Chase

  Copyright 2021 Samantha Chase

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  All Rights Reserved.

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  No part of this book, with the exception of brief quotations for book reviews or critical articles, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Cover Design: Kari March Designs

  Editing: Jillian Rivera Editing

  Praise for Samantha Chase

  “If you can’t get enough of stories that get inside your heart and soul and stay there long after you’ve read the last page, then Samantha Chase is for you!”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie Shawn

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  “A fun, flirty, sweet romance filled with romance and character growth and a perfect happily ever after.”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips

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  “Samantha Chase writes my kind of happily ever after!”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Erin Nicholas

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  “The openness between the lovers is refreshing, and their interactions are a balanced blend of sweet and spice. The planets may not have aligned, but the elements of this winning romance are definitely in sync.”

  - Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

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  “A true romantic delight, A Sky Full of Stars is one of the top gems of romance this year.”

  - Night Owl Reviews, TOP PICK

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  “Great writing, a winsome ensemble, and the perfect blend of heart and sass.”

  - Publishers Weekly

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  “Recommend Chase to fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Well-written and uniquely appealing.”

  - Booklist

  1

  “The first step to finding true love is being honest with yourself about what you want.”

  Unknown

  If anyone were to ask, Josie Sullivan would tell them her life was perfect.

  She was one of the owners of an amazingly successful wedding planning business with her two best friends, she owned a townhome in one of the most sought-after communities in Raleigh, her shiny new Lexus drove like a dream, she was in the best shape of her life, her butt looked great in everything she wore, and she just became an aunt for the very first time.

  Life was pretty damn sweet.

  Except that I’m a big, fat fraud.

  Oh, yeah. That.

  For years she had been the poster girl for loving the single life. She valued her independence and freedom and loved having no one to answer to. She could come and go as she pleased and never had to worry about getting her heart broken.

  But somehow…it happened anyway.

  Just not in the typical sense.

  Honestly, she blamed her brother for most of her problems. Elliott had been so in love with the idea of being in love for so long and always ended up getting dumped and being devastated. Josie watched it happen time and time again and vowed that she would never let such a thing happen to her–and certainly not four times like Elliott did. But then…just when everyone thought he was done, he went and fell in love with one of Josie’s best friends. Now they were married, ridiculously happy, and just had the world’s most gorgeous baby.

  Deep down, she was happy for them–well and truly happy. But all their love and happiness made her realize that she wanted some of that for herself.

  Sadly, no one seemed to want that with her.

  At least…not for real.

  Staring out the hospital room window, she sighed. No one was paying attention to her, of course. Everyone was oohing and aahing over sweet little baby Bella, who was all swaddled in a pink blanket and some sort of new-fangled baby hat that had a big bow on it. It was pretty freaking adorable, Josie thought. The problem was, if she looked at her any longer, she knew she’d burst into tears and blurt out to the entire room that her biological clock was ticking and she was considering taking drastic measures.

  And that would certainly put a damper on the joyous day.

  Staring out the window, she considered how she was going to make a gracious exit without being too obvious that all this celebrating was depressing the hell out of her.

  Slowly, she turned and smiled at her parents–who were positively beaming–and then at her brother who was hovering over his wife and new daughter. Tears stung her eyes and she ducked her head and carefully picked her way across the room to get closer to the door.

  “You’re not leaving already, are you?” Looking up, she stared into the wide eyes of her other best friend and partner, Leanna.

  “Um…”

  “Because you look like you’re trying to slip out of here. Are you okay?”

  “Um…” She had no idea why she couldn’t seem to form a response, but luckily Leanna knew her well enough to know something was up.

  Turning to the group in the room, Leanna said, “Hey, Josie and I are going to grab something to drink. I am parched! Anyone need anything?”

  Fortunately no one did and they were able to walk out of the room with no fuss. They made small talk all the way to the elevator and once they stepped in and were alone, Leanna faced her. “Okay, spill it. What’s going on?”

  Ugh…where do I even begin?

  “Are you upset that Elliott and Skye are getting so much attention?” Lea prompted.

  “No.”

  “Hmm…are you upset that you have to handle the Phillips wedding on your own?”

  “What? No! Why would you even ask that?”

  With a shrug, Lea replied, “I don’t know. You’ve just been a little extra pissy these last few days and I thought it was maybe business-related.”

  “Well, it’s not.”

  “Okay, then it is about Elliott and Skye.”

  With a groan, she closed her eyes and let her head hit the elevator wall. “Not exactly.”

  The doors opened on the first floor and they walked across the lobby and down the hall to the cafeteria–their conversation on hold until they were seated at a table in the far corner with no one close enough to hear them.

  Lea let out a long breath. “Out with it.”

  “I think I want to get married.” The words were out, and she was sure she was going to be sick because…it just felt weird to say those words out loud.

  “Um…excuse me?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it and so…yeah. Married.”

  “Okay, but…why? And to who?”

  “Promise you won’t judge?”

  “Umm…”

  “You have to promise, Lea!�
��

  “Fine! I promise!”

  Relaxing, Josie knew her expression turned a little sad. “Every day I see people getting married or planning on getting married. I see people getting pregnant and planning their futures. And just now, I watched as my brother and one of my best friends welcomed their first baby. And lately, I’m starting to see the appeal of it.”

  “O-kay…”

  “So you know how I’ve been helping Tyler out with his whole fundraiser thing to impress his bosses?”

  All Lea did was nod.

  “Well, they really like me. And they seem to think Tyler and I are…a couple.”

  Lea’s snort of laughter was out before she could stop it. “That’s crazy! And Tyler is dating someone! Why would they think the two of you are together?”

  “Tyler and Katie aren’t together anymore. They broke up right before we presented the whole project to the board.” She shrugged. “And you know how Ty and I are chummy and…well…they all mistook chummy for…romantic. Then I went with him to the actual fundraiser and everyone assumed we were a couple and…we didn’t correct them. Then they hinted how a promotion could be his if he were married.”

  “Jos, that’s insane!” Then she paused. “Wait. Are you saying you want to marry Tyler?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe?”

  “Maybe? That’s not an answer, Josephine!”

  “Hey!” Josie snapped, shaking her finger at her. “No one uses my full name. Ever!”

  “So not the point here! Why would you want to marry him?”

  “It wouldn’t be for real. Just to sort of…you know…” She groaned. “We’d just go to the courthouse, get married, do the whole marriage of convenience thing for a year and then split up. Super easy.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think it is. I think it’s deceitful and wrong. Plus, if you’re looking for all the things you just told me you wanted–like a baby–then a one-year marriage of convenience certainly isn’t the way to go.”

  “I knew I should have talked to Skye about this first…”

  “Josie, you can’t seriously be thinking about this! The whole concept is wrong. It’s practically archaic!” Leanna shook her head and gave her a searing look of disapproval before adding, “You deserve to marry someone you love.”

  “I could love Tyler,” she murmured, even though she wasn’t so sure. He was a great guy and an awesome friend, but…love?

  “Are you even attracted to him?”

  “You know Tyler’s good-looking. Women are always throwing themselves at him.”

  It was a vague answer at best, and while Josie did think Tyler was handsome, there were zero sparks there. Every time she thought of kissing him it felt weird and wrong. And once it actually made her throw up a little in her mouth. But maybe in time she could change her mind, right?

  Leaning back in her chair, Lea crossed her arms and, if possible, gave an even more disapproving look than she did a minute ago.

  “Now what?” Josie demanded.

  “Nothing you’re saying makes sense but…I get it. You’re lonely and you’re feeling a little left out, but that doesn’t mean that you have to take such drastic measures–especially when it still isn’t going to solve your problems.”

  Now it was Josie’s turn to lean back and frown. “You don’t get it. You’re engaged and planning a fabulous wedding and you have no idea what it’s like to have zero prospects.”

  “Josie…”

  “Zero!” she cried and noticed a few people turning to stare at them. With a groan, she leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”

  “Sweetie,” Lea said softly, reaching over and squeezing Josie’s hand. “Relationships are complicated. And you have to admit, you’ve spent a lot of years chasing guys off because you were hell-bent on proving to the world that you didn’t need to be in a relationship.”

  “Yeah, I know. But…”

  “And–in my opinion–besides the whole ick factor of a marriage of convenience, Tyler is totally not the guy for you. Even if it is only for a year.”

  “How can you even say that? Tyler’s a great guy!”

  Nodding, Lea explained, “Oh, I know he is. But he’s just not the kind of man you should be with–the kind you need.”

  “You can’t possibly know that,” she argued.

  “Yes, I can because I know you, Josie. Tyler’s just kind of…there. He’s not the one.”

  With a weary sigh, she reached for her coffee. “Look, I get it. You don’t approve. But I still think it’s a viable arrangement. And who’s to say that at the end of the year we won’t want more?”

  “This arrangement is only going to be a ridiculous piece of paper between the two of you and the only one who will truly benefit is Tyler. He’s going to get all kinds of promotions and approval from his bosses, and at the end of the day, you’re still not going to be any closer to being in love and having babies. Trust me.”

  “We would benefit too,” she countered.

  “We?”

  Nodding, she said, “The business. As the wife of one of the firm’s partners, Meet Me at the Altar would become their go-to event planners for things not wedding-related. That’s what we’ve been talking about for a while now. Here’s our opportunity to make it happen.”

  “No. Absolutely not. It’s wrong.”

  This was getting her nowhere and as much as she hated to admit it, maybe Leanna was right. After all, when she and Tyler talked about it over drinks a few nights ago, neither one seemed overly serious. Maybe it was just wishful thinking because it would make her part of a couple–like everyone else she knew.

  Lea gently pulled her hand away. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “What have you been doing to put yourself out there? You know, other than this whole thing with Tyler which, by the way, is not putting yourself out there.”

  With another sigh, Josie contemplated just how much she wanted to share but then remembered that she always told Lea and Skye everything so…maybe it was time to share this too.

  “I bought myself…” Pausing, she groaned. “I bought myself one of those inspirational quotes calendars.” She shook her head. “It’s in my bathroom next to my mirror and I look at a new quote every day while I put on my makeup.”

  Lea simply blinked at her.

  “You know…quotes about falling in love and what it takes to find your perfect someone,” she explained.

  “So…it’s a…calendar,” she said slowly, as if trying to comprehend Josie’s words. “And this helps you…how?”

  “Ugh…just forget it. We need to get back upstairs.” As soon as she went to stand, Lea reached out and stopped her.

  “I’m just trying to understand! You’re not really the…inspirational quote kind of girl. That’s all.” Pausing, she took a sip of her coffee. “What else are you doing? Have you tried any dating apps?”

  “A few, but…they’re not for me.” She shuddered just thinking of the number of inappropriate messages and pictures she’d received.

  “What if I asked Brody if he knows anyone we can fix you up with?”

  “Pass.”

  “Josie, come on. You say you want a relationship, but you’re being a little restrictive. How do you expect to find someone if you’re not open to ways to meet them?”

  Good question.

  And one she didn’t have an answer to.

  While Lea sat there patiently, Josie looked around the cafeteria. It wasn’t her greatest excuse for avoiding the discussion, but she did enjoy people-watching. She glanced at the entrance as three huge guys walked in behind a security guard. It was almost comical because the guard looked puny compared to the other guys and Josie hummed with appreciation.

  Lea followed her line of vision and chuckled.

  “What? What’s so funny?”

  “You sitting there openly ogling those guys.” Then she shook her head. “Although, you’re not usually interested in th
e big, brawny types.”

  It was true, but…wow. “I know, but…the guy with the beard is seriously hot.” She felt the need to fan herself.

  “I guess, but he looks too serious. Like he’d never be open to having any fun.”

  “You used to say the same thing about Brody,” she reminded her friend.

  “Fair point. Still…” Then she paused. “Why don’t you go over and say hello? Introduce yourself! This could be the kind of thing that gets you going on meeting someone rather than accepting a lame situation with Tyler!”

  “Um no. I am not going over there and introducing myself.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…he’s…he’s…” Far too attractive… “He looks busy. I mean…he’s here with those two other guys and talking to security, so…clearly it’s not the right time.”

  “Seems to me it’s never the right time and that’s why you’re still floundering and contemplating a loveless and temporary situation. What happened to the brave badass girl who loved to take risks, huh?”

  Fortunately, she was saved from having to come up with an excuse or explanation because her phone rang.

  Yes! Saved by the bell!

  Under normal circumstances, she would have groaned when she saw Alyssa Phillips’ name on her screen. She was a nightmare of a bride. But right now, she was the perfect distraction to get her out of this conversation with Leanna.

  Holding up her phone, she showed Lea the screen. “You can head back up and I’ll take this. Tell Skye and Elliott I’ll talk to them later, okay?”

  “Wait… why don’t we…?”

  “Hey, Alyssa!” Josie said with a smile and turned on her wedding planner persona. “Did you happen to have a chance to look at the email I sent with the bouquet designs? I don’t know about you, but I thought the option with the purple lilies was breathtaking!”