The Moonlight Wedding Page 5

  “Have you ever looked in a mirror?” Liz asked. “You’re not only beautiful, you’re sweet, and you’re smart too. Any man would be lucky to have you, rock star or not.”

  Meg couldn’t quite take in what Liz was saying, though, not when all she wanted was out of this minefield of a conversation. “The only thing I know for sure is that I’ve got to nail Lucas’s video.”

  “I have every confidence in you,” Liz told her. “In fact, the reason I came outside to find you is to let you know that I’ve spoken with Anne in the San Francisco office. She’s agreed to put aside her other commissions and create a wedding gown for the video. As soon as we can, we need to let her know who will be wearing it so that we can send over the measurements. Is the casting call still on for tomorrow?”

  “Yes, the casting is still on track.” Meg smiled at her boss, even though her stomach was sinking at the thought of hiring someone to stand at the altar with Lucas, to hold his hands, to stare deep into his eyes—and worst of all, to kiss him.

  While Meg stood on the sidelines, wishing it could be her instead.

  * * *

  Jason Lomax was waiting for Lucas in a corner booth at the brewpub where they had agreed to meet for a drink. On his way to the table, Lucas signed four autographs and posed for six selfies. He was always up for chatting with his fans, but though they might love what he did, and felt a connection to his music, it wasn’t the same thing as genuinely knowing one another. It was why getting together with a true friend like Jason was so important.

  With Jason, Lucas was just one of the guys—not a rock star or a sex symbol. It was exactly how Meg treated him too—like a normal person.

  “Hanging out with you reminds me of why I like being a reclusive author so much,” Jason noted when Lucas finally slid into the booth.

  “Between your niece and the countless number one bestselling books you’ve written, you’re plenty famous. I’m sure most of the people in here have read your books. They just don’t happen to know what you look like.”

  “If that’s your way of saying I’m the one who should buy the first round, I’m two steps ahead of you.” As if on cue, a waitress dropped off two glasses of Guinness. “So, how’s everything going with the video?”

  “Meg is exactly the person I’ve been looking for.” He smiled as he thought about her. “We’ve been scouting locations all over SoCal for the video.”

  “So spending time with her is just about the video, huh?” Jason shot him a knowing look, obviously having caught Lucas’s goofy smile. “Meg’s a great person. You could do a lot worse.”

  Clearly, Jason was biased because he was in love with Liz. Still, as far as Lucas was concerned, there was no one smarter, no one kinder, no one lovelier than Meg. “She’s incredible.”

  “Man,” Jason said with a laugh, “you’ve got it bad.”

  “Who wouldn’t? Meg’s intelligent, beautiful, creative—and she’s also way too good for a guy like me.”

  “You’re kidding, right? You’re one of the biggest rock stars in the world. I very much doubt that Meg would kick you out of her bed for eating crackers.”

  But what Lucas felt for Meg had nothing to do with his fame or fortune. She wasn’t the kind of woman who was going to fall into his arms simply because he was a rock star. Heck, she’d barely even heard of him until he came to Married in Malibu to shoot his video.

  “I really don’t think I’m the kind of guy she ever thought she could spend her life with. The two of us are from such different backgrounds. She grew up with servants. Can you imagine a guy like me trying to fit into that world?”

  “If you want it badly enough, then yes, I can imagine it. The question is whether you can.”

  “It’s not just about me,” Lucas continued. “How would her bastion-of-society mother react to some leather-clad guitar player dating her daughter?”

  “She’d probably go ballistic.” Jason had the nerve to grin as he added, “But then, that’s kind of the point of mothers-in-law. Seriously, though, Meg’s more than capable of making up her own mind—and sticking to it. After all these months, I know her pretty well. She might be from a high-society world, but she’s not a hothouse flower about to wilt at any moment. Do you think Liz would have hired her if she wasn’t strong and brilliant?” Jason put down his beer, clearly ready to drive his point home. “All I can tell you is that when I looked at Liz the first time, I knew. She was the only one who mattered. The only woman I would ever love.”

  There was no question that love had made Jason a better man. Heck, these days some of the stories he wrote even had happy endings. Still, Lucas was compelled to point out, “Didn’t it take you ten years to end up together?”

  “It did. And I’d hate to see you and Meg make the same mistake.”

  Chapter Eight

  The next day, the auditions for the female lead in Lucas’s music video quickly went from bad to worse. Seb, the director, had taken to yelling more and more loudly as the auditions wore on. “No, no, no! That’s not right. More passion! From the top!”

  Meg had taken on the role of greeting each new applicant and showing her where to wait for her audition. There were redheads, blondes, brunettes—and each was more stunning than the next, sauntering into the building in their street clothes with such flair it looked like they were wearing designer outfits instead.

  “Walk toward Lucas looking like you’re about to say I do,” Seb ordered the current candidate, “not like you’re some nervous fangirl! And Lucas, try to remember that she’s your one and only.”

  Although the director was a bit intense, Meg had to admit he had a point. A surprising number of the actresses were reacting to Lucas like gushing fans. One even asked if she could take a selfie with him. And among the ones who could act, none of them was conveying nearly enough of a connection with him. Lucas was also more wooden than she’d ever seen him.

  Unfortunately, even though they auditioned another dozen actresses, trying the scene in different ways, with different approaches—none of it made a difference.

  “It’s not working,” Lucas said, obviously frustrated.

  “I have an idea,” Meg said before she could stop herself.

  Seb peered at her. “Who the heck are you?”

  “Meg is in charge of design,” Lucas told him in the hardest voice she’d ever heard him use, as though he thought his director had just insulted her. “I introduced you this morning.” His voice was far more mild as he turned back to her and asked, “What do you have in mind?”

  “No, I don’t want to hear your idea, I want to see it,” Seb insisted. “Lucas, go stand by the altar. And you…”

  “Meg.” She almost laughed at how difficult he found remembering her name. Lucas, on the other hand, didn’t seem to find it funny at all.

  “Okay, Meg, start by the door like we’ve done with the others—and blow me away with your idea.”

  Meg’s breathing sped up along with her heart rate as she got into place and waited for her cue. She hoped she wouldn’t mess this up too badly.

  “Action!” Seb called.

  When Meg stepped forward, she felt as nervous as if this really were her wedding—especially when she saw Lucas standing at the altar, looking at her as though she was the only woman who had ever, and would ever, matter to him.

  The next thing she knew, Lucas had broken away from the altar. Just as they had the first time they met, her feet took her toward him. Soon, she found herself in his arms, staring into his eyes, dreaming of his kiss now more than ever. Next thing she knew, he’d tucked her arm through his and they were making their way up the aisle.

  “Yes, that’s it!” Seb sounded happy for the first time all day. “Meg, the part is yours.”

  “Excuse me?” Meg looked at Seb, certain she must have heard him wrong.

  If she had, though, why would Lucas be saying, “Please do it, Meg. Please be my bride.”

  “But I’m not an actress.”

  “Want to be
t?” Seb motioned them over. “Look at the magic I just caught on camera and I guarantee you won’t be able to tell me that again.”

  Meg barely kept herself from covering her eyes with her hands as Seb played the scene back for them. She hadn’t thought he’d actually film her idea…

  “Look at the chemistry between you.”

  “But I didn’t mean for—” Meg began. She didn’t get a chance to finish.

  “And those cheekbones!” Seb was clearly in raptures. “You were made for the screen. Why have we wasted all day with these pathetic auditions when we could have hired you at the start and got on with filming?”

  Meg shook her head, which felt like it was whirling. “I never expected any of this. I’m not even sure if I can do it.”

  “Well, you’d better get sure quickly, because we start filming tomorrow morning.” With that, Seb made one heck of a stage exit, not giving Meg another chance to argue.

  “I know I’m putting even more pressure on you now by asking you to be my bride,” Lucas said, “but will you at least think about it? You have to admit we have amazing chemistry together on screen.”

  On screen, off screen, everywhere, as far as Meg was concerned. But being in his video was a big leap. The biggest leap she’d ever taken in her life.

  The simple act of coming to work at Married in Malibu had been going against her mother’s wishes. But her job had all been behind the scenes so far, out of the public eye. Even the work she’d done with Lucas had been background work, planning scenes where he’d be the focus of attention, not her. Not one single person who had wanted a picture of Lucas had pointed a camera at her, even at the concert where she’d practically been his date.

  But if she co-starred in his video, there was no way she would be able to keep her mother or her mother’s social circle out of the loop.

  If it were anyone other than Lucas asking her to do this, she wouldn’t think twice about saying no. But truthfully, the thought of anyone other than herself walking down the aisle with him during filming was almost too much to bear.

  “I’ll think about it,” she finally managed.

  * * *

  Meg was so twisted up over Lucas’s offer to star with him that she nearly skipped girls’ night at Jenn and Daniel’s house. But not only did she know that she could be her less-than-perfect self with these women—she also knew it would help to discuss things with them.

  Daniel and the kids were out at a movie, but had made plenty of cupcakes and cookies before they left. Meg, Liz, and Amy had brought wine, Kate had made an elderflower cordial for everyone, and Tamara had brought a coffee liqueur.

  “Liz, you start our round-table catch-up,” Tamara said as soon as everyone had a drink. “How are things going?”

  “Everything is perfect,” Liz said with a happy smile.

  “You’ve got to give us more than that,” Tamara urged.

  “Well, the business is going great. I get to spend my free time with the man I love. And I have the best group of friends.” They all toasted to that.

  Liz turned to Amy, who was making a sketch of the group with a lime green and a royal blue crayon that Jenn’s kids had left out. “What about you, Amy? Is everything working out as well as it seems to be?”

  “And if you say that things are perfect,” Tamara teased, “there will be trouble.”

  “But things really are perfect.” Amy managed to catch the chocolate chip cookie Tamara threw her way before it hit her on the nose. “Everything with Travis feels so right—exactly how I dreamed it would be when we first met all those years ago. I’m absolutely loving painting wedding portraits. And I still can’t believe my paintings are going to be hanging in a gallery soon.”

  They all toasted again, and then Amy said, “Okay, Jenn, you’re next in line to tell us how perfect your life is.” When Tamara groaned at the word perfect they all laughed.

  “Honestly, life with Daniel and our kids is pretty darn close to that.”

  Meg thought it was great how Jenn said our kids, rather than his kids. The four of them fit so naturally together as a family that there didn’t appear to be any seams anymore.

  “I’m happy for all of you,” Tamara said. “I really am. But for those of us who have been single for what feels like forever, it can be an awful lot of true love to swallow. Which is why my big news is that I’ve decided to look into the full ‘bean-to-cup’ route for my café with a farmer I’ve connected with in Brazil.”

  The five of them waited for her to say something about Nate. But she seemed utterly oblivious to the sparks that shot off whenever Married in Malibu’s computer specialist dropped by her coffee shop. Which, some days, was practically hourly.

  Tamara turned to Kate. “Your turn.”

  “I’m toying with cross-breeding some really gorgeous begonias.” Kate grinned. “Which, before you ask, are far better than men, as far as I’m concerned. They smell good, they look great, and they never give me grief if I want to spend more time in the garden than washing my hair to look pretty for a date.”

  Everyone laughed, then inevitably shifted their gazes to Meg.

  “Any news about the gorgeous rock star you’ve been spending all your time with?” Tamara asked.

  Meg bit her lip. Thus far, Liz was the only one who knew that Meg had a bit of a crush on Lucas. But that wasn’t even the biggest news.

  “I would have brought this up with you before, Liz, but it all happened so quickly at the end of the auditions that I didn’t have a chance.” She took a breath, then said, “None of the actresses were working out, and after I ended up walking through the scene with Lucas…well…he asked if I would do it.”

  Several gasps sounded in the room, with Tamara enthusing, “You guys are going to look so good together on camera.”

  “I agree,” Jenn said with a nod. “Right from the start, when you met in Liz’s office, it was obvious that you two have great chemistry.”

  Amy and Kate were both nodding, as well. “I can completely see why he picked you.”

  Only Liz hung back. “Are you okay with doing this, Meg? I know this job feels like a train barreling down the tracks, but I meant it when I said I would step in if you need me to.”

  “Well, I haven’t actually agreed to do it yet. Mostly because the thought of being in a music video seems crazy.”

  “I understand why you feel that way,” Liz said, “but the truth is that sometimes crazy works. There are plenty of people who would say that it was crazy for Rose and RJ to open up a wedding venue for celebrities. And there are plenty more who would think it was crazy for me to get back together with Jason after ten years apart.”

  “Sometimes you just have to take a risk and see what happens,” Jenn agreed. “And sometimes it turns out better than you could have imagined. Several of us in this room are proof of that.”

  “What’s the worst that could happen?” Amy asked.

  “My mother freaks out, disinherits me, and never speaks to me again,” Meg said automatically.

  Meg could tell by the weight of Tamara’s stare that her friend was about to hit her with a doozy of a question.

  “Are you living your life or your mother’s?”

  Meg knew the answer in her heart, even if she couldn’t have voiced it out loud before. Not until her friends had proved that they’d support her through thick and thin.

  “My life.”

  “No matter what any of us say,” Liz reminded her, “the only thing that matters is what you feel comfortable with. If you say no, the answer is no. And if you say yes—then we will all do whatever we can to support your starring turn in Lucas Crosby’s video.”

  Meg looked into her friends’ faces. Fun, intelligent, warm women who would never steer her in the wrong direction.

  Especially when it was the path her heart had already taken.

  “Yes. I’ll do it.” Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, but she was pleased and surprised to realize that it was more from anticipation than fro
m fear.

  “You should text him right now,” Kate urged. “I’m sure he’s not only waiting to hear from you, but also, if they really are planning on beginning to shoot the video tomorrow, I suspect the director and crew are on pins and needles wondering if the ‘bride’ has signed on yet.”

  Meg took out her phone and nervously typed: I’ll do it.

  His answer took less than five seconds to come back, as though he really had been waiting for her decision: You’ve made my night. I’ll give Seb the good news. See you tomorrow when we start filming.

  “This is amazing,” Jenn said as she refilled their glasses for another toast.

  “You’re going to star in a video with Lucas Crosby!” Tamara practically shouted the words, she was so overjoyed.

  They were all raising their glasses for a toast, when the full breadth of what she’d agreed to finally hit Meg.

  “Oh my God, now that I’m the bride…that means I have to kiss him!” They wouldn’t be filming that scene until the day after tomorrow, which meant the butterflies in her stomach would multiply a million times over by then.

  “Lucky you,” Tamara murmured.

  Kate put a hand on Meg’s shoulder. “Remember what you said to me in the garden—Lucas is a really nice guy. You’re going to be fine.”

  “Or maybe,” Amy said with a slow smile, “it will turn out much, much better than fine. Maybe it will even end up being perfect.”

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning, when Meg arrived at the house they were using to film the party scene where Lucas and Meg would meet for the first time in the video, dozens of cars were already parked outside, completely taking over the street. Travis stood at the front door, carefully vetting each person who tried to enter. When he saw her, he grinned. “I’m very happy to hear you’re going to star in the video, Meg. Go on in, they’re expecting you.”

  Dozens of extras turned to check her out as she walked inside. Not only were all of them extremely attractive, they were also clearly old hands at working on sets like this.