Say 'I Do': Say You Will, #2.5

By Carrie Lomax

Three weddings and a secret on a tropical island. An audience of millions.

When Alyssa and Marc set out to sail around the world, they thought they'd be spending months alone on a boat. But their social media audience - whose clicks and views fund their journey along with a rotating cast of advertising sponsors - has turned into an intrusive third wheel.

Alyssa wanted a quiet destination wedding for her joint wedding ceremony with her sister, Janelle. Fiji seemed the ideal location for an Instagrammable experience. But add in an overbearing project manager, Marc's brother's unexpected guest, and a friend from Aly's past for a high-pressure public balancing act.

Will Marc and Alyssa survive the transition back to dry land for the most spectacular wedding of the season? Find out in Say 'I Do.'

Bonus novella companion to the SAY YOU WILL series. Can be read as a standalone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carrie Lomax
• Release date: Sep 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386279259

Carrie Lomax

Carrie grew up in the Midwest, moved to France, then spent 15 years in New York City. She lives in Maryland with two budding readers and my real-life romantic hero.

Book preview

Say ‘I Do’

Say ‘I Do’

A Say You Will Bonus Novella

Carrie Lomax

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Books by Carrie Lomax

Books in this series:

Say You Need Me (Janelle & Trent)

Say ‘I Do’ (Bonus Novella: Fiji Wedding)

Say You’re Mine (Olivia & Ronan)

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Also by Carrie Lomax

Trick or Treat Me: Six Hot and Humorous Halloween Novellas

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Exclusively on Amazon:

Twelve Nights of Scandal: A Regency Holiday Novella - December 2019

The Wild Lord (London Scandals Book 1)

Becoming Lady Dalton (London Scandals Book 2)

The Lost Lord (London Scandals Book 3)

The Duke’s Stolen Heart (London Scandals Book 4) - January 2020

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Find Buy Links at www.CarrieLomax.com

WEDNESDAY

One

ALYSSA

Are you ready for the big day?

Several minutes had passed since either Alyssa or Marc had spoken, and the sound of Marc’s voice jolted her. The beach sand, warm with fading tropical sunlight, crunched between their toes as they walked. A current of air plastered a strand of Alyssa’s blonde hair over her face. Gently, Marc tucked it behind her ear, then entwined his fingers with hers. His thumb snagged on the tip of her diamond ring and idly traced the edge.

They’d started like this, walking side by side near the water. Back then, she’d had no concept of how Marc would change her life. Alyssa would never have predicted quitting her job to sail around the world with him, while being funded by a sponsored social media platform that had grown beyond anyone’s expectations. At last count—and she’d long ago stopped counting, leave that to the brand managers back in New York—Alyssa had acquired over ten million followers.

I’m ready for us, Marc. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for the crazy. I wish we’d kept our wedding small and private. You and me, our families with no cameras, no sponsorships.

Come on, Aly. You have most of what you want. There are only a handful of guests, and Trent and Janelle are also jumping the broom this weekend. They should’ve arrived this afternoon, right?

You remember better than I do.

All thanks to Zoey. Marc kissed her knuckles above the glint of diamond.

Alyssa smiled as cloud-soft emotion condensed in her abdomen. She’s good at her job.

Privately, Alyssa thought Zoey’s approach to organizing a wedding was out of control, but this was no ordinary wedding. It was a brand- sponsored media blitz with millions of dollars at stake. Zoey was entitled to be a bit of a dictator. As the one in charge of making sure the optics of the wedding appealed to the broadest swath of customers, she was part wedding planner and part circus ringmistress. If the photographs didn’t capture the right blend of natural lighting and aesthetically pleasing people wearing emotionally engaging expressions of delight, she and Marc were subject to scary-sounding claw- back agreements on the hefty fees they’d been paid. Ever since they’d left the Escape tied up in Port Denarau near Nadi, Alyssa hadn’t been able to unwind at all, no matter how breathtaking Fiji’s sights.

Which means you can relax, Marc said as he pulled Alyssa down to sit beside him on the warm sand. Let Zoey handle the details. Smile, and enjoy spending time with family. That’s all I’m here to do.

Alyssa folded her legs into a crisscross beside him. Still, relaxation proved elusive.

I’d feel better about Zoey’s management if she didn’t keep trying to cattle prod the locals to keep to her schedule. Fijian time and New York minutes don’t mix. Alyssa leaned against the solid bulk of Marc’s shoulder and changed the subject. Julian arrives this evening, right?

He toyed idly with her hair. See? You do remember.

Yes. I was sad to hear he’s not bringing Stephan.

Yeah. About that. Marc coughed. My mom and dad don’t know about Stephan, so don’t say anything. I promised I wouldn’t until he decides he’s ready to do it himself.

I know. I won’t. Janelle’s the one most likely to slip.

Alyssa had the uncomfortable sense that Marc was keeping something from her. After a year and a half of living on a tiny boat, there were no secrets left between them.

True. We can trust Trent. That guy hardly ever speaks. Marc rubbed a palm over the raspy beard covering his jawline. His sea scruff had about one more day before they were groomed and processed into magazine-cover versions of themselves.

I thought you liked Trent. During their visit to Florida for Christmas, Marc had bonded with Alyssa’s sister’s boyfriend. That was where the idea for the double wedding had been planted.

I do, Marc chuckled. He’s a great listener, which is perfect for Janie since she talks enough for both of them.

Alyssa swatted him, but she was laughing, too. Be nice. She’s going to be your sister for real, instead of just the annoying brat next door.

You said it, not me.

Marc’s affectionate, teasing relationship with her sister was only one of the many reasons being near her boyfriend made Alyssa’s heart expand until she could hardly draw breath. She dug her fingers into his dark hair, grown shaggy from too much time at sea, and drew him close for a lingering kiss.

Starting this evening, they belonged to the world. Alyssa and Marc had made their names and a sizable fortune as social media stars. Tomorrow, Zoey’s team would cut and dye and primp and otherwise torture them into a magazine-ready bridal couple. The next day, their wedding would dot the feeds of millions of strangers. Every picture would be scrutinized for flaws, with an army of brands paying to have their products seamlessly placed before potential consumers.

But three days from now, Marc and Alyssa would once again belong only to one another, forever this time. She could go back to their privacy on the Escape, where Alyssa invited the world to peek in through the window only when she chose.

Their kiss faded, and she pulled back. I’m excited for the Asia portion of the trip. Four months sailing north through Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, up the coast of China with a stay in Japan…

Marc chuckled. Not only are you listing them out of order, you’ve forgotten a few countries. But I hear you. After that, maybe next summer we can head back to Florida and start the next phase of our social media celebrity.

Marc was every bit as popular among men as Alyssa’s former boss, Dana, had predicted he would be. Hipsters around the world mimicked Marc’s outdoorsy, modern style. He’d turned into the king- maker of up-and-coming fashion brands. Once he wore a specific designer, the label would turn up on red carpets and in magazines around the world.

Alyssa still wasn’t sure how she felt about her fiancé becoming an international fashion icon. Perhaps inevitably, Alyssa caught more heat than Marc did for everything from her hair to her skin to the angle she’d posed in. But what she hated most were the comments from women drooling over her boyfriend’s body. While she didn’t begrudge his female fans their enjoyment, the endless stream of lewd come-ons left Alyssa feeling that she wasn’t quite attractive enough to deserve a man like Marc.

Before they’d become a couple, Marc had been notorious for sleeping with anyone who’d let him. On the boat, it was easier to believe he’d never cheat because there wasn’t any temptation. Except online. Her doubt plagued her when they were ashore and socializing like picking at an old scab that never quite healed.

Marc, I wasn’t thinking there would be a next phase. I could’ve sold the media properties for six figures once we reached a million followers, but now that we have fourteen million combined, seven figures isn’t out of the question. I say we sell now with the promise that we’ll finish the trip.

Marc slapped his forehead. Aly, the influencer gig has so much potential. We should hang onto it. We could start a family, monetize a few kid pictures.

Earnestly, he took her hand and cradled it between his big palms.

Alyssa inhaled her horror before asking evenly, Did you just say the words I thought I heard?

Marc let go of her hand and leaned back in the sand, assessing her. It’s no different from the wedding. Just a couple of pics—we’d be tasteful about it. We could have a baby and get a ton of free stuff thrown at us. Move into a new market. It’s not like pictures aren’t going to leak anyway.

Ever the business-minded type—a fact Alyssa hadn’t appreciated until they hooked up—Marc was already thinking about how to monetize their firstborn. It was bad enough to sell out their wedding but a baby? That was going a bridge too far.

Besides, she wasn’t even sure she wanted kids. Eventually, maybe, but she’d be perfectly happy without them too.

Sailing life is wonderful, Marc. The freedom and togetherness, the endless joy of waking up some- where new and exploring every day—how could we ever give that up?

Marc’s eyes searched hers. It’s been an amazing journey, Aly. I’d wanted to do this since college, yet I can’t imagine getting half this far without you. But I never intended it to last forever. The house I started rehabbing before we left is finished. It’s been habitable for months. I’m ready to go home and settle down. Besides, my brother and Stephan are never going to give my mom grandkids.

You don’t know that, Alyssa interjected with a panic that had no place here on this beautiful beach suddenly blooming in her stomach like algae on a pond. There’s all kinds of ways for a gay couple to become parents.

You know I want kids, Aly. Marc spoke softly, but there was steel in his tone. Longing, too. It cracked her resistance, and it cranked up her fear. Alyssa loved him. Adored him without question. She cherished their freedom together. A baby would knock it down like a block tower. She was also in no hurry to give Marc’s legion of internet admirers reason to pick her apart for the inevitable physical marks of pregnancy. Trivial, perhaps, but the comments could be so cruel.

Yet Marc’s unyielding support was the cornerstone of their relationship. He wanted a child, and Alyssa was helpless to say no because the idea stirred up more of that cotton-candy-fluffy sweetness in her belly.

I want kids too, just not yet, she replied. Once we go back, this dream we’ve been living pops. I’m not ready for the adventure to end.

Alyssa huffed at her hair and focused on the movement of the crystalline waves against the horizon.

I thought you wanted to sell the social media.

Part of the sponsorship had included a buyout option in which Alyssa could sell her social media presence to a company or agency.

"Yes. That I’m ready to give up any day." It was true; she did want to get off the treadmill of daily posts, content scheduling, brand launch strategy calls and edited content. Marc’s online presence was easier to manage. He hadn’t had much of one before they started, and other than a couple of daily comments, he still wasn’t actively involved. But Marc had clearly spent a lot of time imagining this scenario. Alyssa rose and brushed the sand off her legs.

He followed. Babe. What’s wrong?

Alyssa swallowed. "I won’t sell baby images to the media in exchange for overpriced status gear. It’s bad enough we’re doing that with our