Free One Night by Emma King

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER ONE
    “I can’t get married.”
    It was Lana’s third bold proclamation of the day- her wedding day. The first one had startled her bridesmaids. It wasn’t exactly what you wanted to hear a bride say two hours before her wedding. The second declaration had drawn mild alarm. No one even looked in Lana’s direction after her third panicked cry.
    “Of course you’re getting married.” I didn’t put much effort into convincing her. Of all the bridesmaids, and there were seven of us, I was the one least likely to bestow the virtues of commitment. “I didn’t put on this dress for nothing. Besides, you love Trevor.”
    Lana mustered up a brave smile. Her perfectly straight, alarmingly white teeth, popped against her over-tanned skin. “You’re right.  I do love Trevor. And he loves me. Right?”
    “Right,” all seven bridesmaids answered together.
    I checked my reflection in the mirror and tucked away a stray strand of dark hair. There wasn’t much I could do about the distant look in my eyes, but I tried to force away the grimace on my face. Lana’s maid of honor, Valerie, caught my pained expression.
    “Weddings, huh?” she said with a sympathetic smile.
    “Yeah.” I didn’t know Lana’s other friends very well. They had all been in the same sorority in college, and I had only met them a few weeks earlier at the bachelorette party. Lana and I had known each other since we were three. We had been close for a few years, then grew apart in high school. After barely talking at all during college, Lana had tracked me down via email, and we had been playing on the outskirts of friendship ever since. When Lana had gotten engaged sixteen months ago, no one had been more surprised than me when I was called up to the big leagues, also known as the McCourt-Carlson wedding party.
    Valerie was still staring at me in the mirror and I knew what was coming next. “Don’t worry,” she said with a wink. “You’ll find someone soon.”
    It was my first consolation offering of the day. It would not be the last. Did I mention that all of the other bridesmaids were married or engaged? I, on the other hand, was happily single. But people in relationships didn’t seem to think that is possible. They were baffled by the idea of someone being happy on their own. Didn’t happiness only come in pairs?
    I returned her patronizing smile, all the while willing myself not to roll my eyes. Lana had been busy fussing with her long train but now her attention was on me. “Trevor has some hot friends, Livy. And a few of them are even single.”
    “Goodie,” I muttered. All of the bridesmaids were staring at me now. Suddenly, I was the freak show at the circus, also known as the single girl at a wedding.
    “Laney’s right,” Valerie said. She had slipped on her heels and now she hovered at least three inches above me. “What about that one guy? The rich one.”
    “Connor. William Connor, but the guys always call him by his last name.” Lana’s panicked look was long gone. It had been replaced by her scheming look. “That’s a brilliant idea, Val.”
    “No thanks. Not looking to be set up with one of Trevor’s rich friends. Thanks, though.” I didn’t want seem ungrateful but I had met some of Trevor’s friends at the rehearsal dinner and they weren’t exactly my type.
    “You’ll change your mind when you see him,” Valerie said with a knowing look. “If I thought I had a chance with Connor… let’s just say my husband would have some serious competition.”
    “Connor owns his own business,” Lana explained. “He’s 35, extremely smart. Disgustingly good-looking. You two would have beautiful babies.”
    “Even if I was looking to hook up with someone tonight, I’m definitely not looking to be having anyone’s babies.” I had enough problems in my life without throwing a fetus and a rich baby daddy into the mix.
    “Ladies!” The door to the bridal suite flew open with a loud