Wrong Groom Right Bride Novel – Just when Chloe was immersed in the joy of pregnancy, she received the news that her fiancé was married. Married. To someone else. Keep the ring. Sell it if you want. As those cruel words echoed, tears finally filled Chloe’s eyes, but these weren’t sad tears. They were angry tears. What am I going to do? And it was only then that the most serious consequence of Todd’s betrayal really hit her. Our baby. Oh, God. How could she have forgotten the baby? The baby Todd didn’t know about. She would have her baby alone. In fact, she didn’t want Todd to ever know about their baby. If he had rejected them, they would reject him. No matter what it cost her.
Chloe Patterson couldn’t stop smiling as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. She kept thinking she should pinch herself, make sure everything that had happened to her in the past six months wasn’t a dream. First her engagement to Todd Hopewell, one of the most sought-after bachelors in Riverton, New York, then the incredible news she had confirmed only this week. Almost a month was too long for her and Todd to be apart, she thought yet again, especially when their wedding day was less than six weeks away. She knew he must feel the same way. Just because he’d seemed a little distant lately and hadn’t called or texted much since he’d been in California didn’t mean a thing. He wasn’t neglecting her. It was just that he was so busy. That the harder he worked, the sooner he could come home. And now…in just a few short minutes he would be there. Back to me. Back to us. Biting her lip, she wondered what his mother would say when she realized Chloe was pregnant.
At the thought of the coolly elegant Larissa Lenore Hopewell and that assessing way she had of looking at Chloe as if she didn’t quite measure up to the Hopewell standards, some of Chloe’s happiness faded. Chloe sighed. She would just have to work harder to win Todd’s mother over. The thought had barely formed when the doorbell rang. Chloe’s heart skidded. Todd! Rushing from the bedroom, she hurried down the stairs and across the entryway. She nearly tripped on the stack of boxes leaning against the wall—boxes she’d been meaning to begin using to pack up her belongings for the move to Todd’s place. “Todd!” she cried, flinging open the front door of the rented townhome. But it wasn’t Todd. Instead, a FedEx driver stood on the doorstep.
“Ms. Patterson?” “Yes.” “Delivery for you. Sign here, please.” She eyed the overnight envelope as she signed the delivery ticket. “Thanks.” He smiled briefly, handed her the envelope and then walked rapidly back to his truck. Frowning, Chloe closed the door slowly. The return address on the label said the envelope had come from Todd—sent from San Francisco. What in the world? Had she gotten the dates wrong? Had something happened? Was he not coming home today? With mounting trepidation, she pulled the strip that opened the package. Inside there was one lone sheet of paper. Even before she pulled it out, her heart began knocking against her chest. Dear Chloe, I know this will be a shock. Yesterday Meredith and I were married. When you get this, we will be on our honeymoon in Fiji. We fought our feelings for each other for weeks now, but it was no use. I hope someday you’ll forgive me. The ring is yours. Sell it if you want. I’m sorry.
Todd Shocked and disbelieving, Chloe stared at the paper as if staring long and hard enough would change the words to something that made sense. Married! To Meredith! She shook her head. No. This couldn’t be happening. Meredith Belson was Todd’s assistant. A childhood friend of his. She…she had been so nice to Chloe. She’d even recommended a wedding planner to help Chloe with all the details for her upcoming wedding. She had believed Meredith to be her friend, too. In fact, aside from Molly, Chloe’s cousin and best friend, Meredith was the last person Chloe would ever have imagined would betray her like this. Shaking, Chloe walked to the stairs and sat down. Samson, her cat, sensing her distress, sidled up to her and meowed. Chloe kept staring at the stark words. Yesterday Meredith and I were married. How could she? But it’s not Meredith’s fault, is it? She’s not the one who said he loved you. She’s not the one who asked you to marry him.
Todd is the one who betrayed you. Chloe was too numb, still too shocked to cry. Todd. Todd and all the bright dreams of the future he had brought into her life…were gone. Married. To someone else. Keep the ring. Sell it if you want. As those cruel words echoed, tears finally filled Chloe’s eyes, but these weren’t sad tears. They were angry tears. Wrenching the ring off her finger, she threw it against the wall. Samson jumped in alarm and, in a blur of ocher fur, raced away. The flawless stone set in platinum fell to the floor. It lay there, a glittering, forlorn symbol of what would never be. What am I going to do? And it was only then that the most serious consequence of Todd’s betrayal really hit her. Our baby. Oh, God. How could she have forgotten the baby? The baby Todd didn’t know about. She swallowed hard, clutching her stomach.
A wild hope flooded her. Surely, when Todd did know, he would realize he’d made a terrible mistake. He would come back to her. To them. She had to tell him. Right now. Even though he’d said he and Meredith were on their honeymoon in Fiji, Chloe knew Todd well enough to know he would never be without his BlackBerry. I’ll text him. Yet even as she started up the stairs to find her cell phone, she knew texting Todd was a crazy idea. Did she want Todd back because he felt guilty? Of course she didn’t. She wanted him to love her! She wanted him to want to be with her. No way was she going to try to blackmail him or guilt him into anything. Once more, she sank down onto one of the steps. This time the tears that ran down her face were filled with heartbreak. She would have her baby alone. In fact, she didn’t want Todd to ever know about their baby. If he had rejected them, they would reject him. No matter what it cost her.
Simon Foster Hopewell III had the beginnings of a monster headache as he reviewed the revised budget for the fiscal year beginning next month on the first of June. Simon closed his eyes. He was tired. Tired of being the heavy here at the company and tired of being the heavy at home. Ever since his father had died two years ago of a sudden, massive heart attack, most of the responsibility for both the business and the family had fallen onto his shoulders. Just then his intercom buzzed. “Your brother’s on the line,” Maggie, his secretary, said. “Noah?” “Todd.” Simon glanced at the Wedgwood clock sitting on his antique mahogany desk. Todd must be back. “Welcome home,” he said when Maggie connected them.
“How was your flight?” “Uh, listen, Simon, I’m, uh, not home. I’m, uh, calling from Fiji.” “Fiji! What the…what are you doing there? ” Simon listened thunderstruck as Todd explained. His heart beat ominously, and the headache that had begun earlier erupted full force. He knew if Todd had been there in the room with him, he would have had a hard time restraining himself from strangling the little worm. “You jerk,” he said when Todd fell silent. “How could you do something so irresponsible and cowardly?” As Todd sputtered and tried to justify himself, saying things like “I couldn’t help it” and “I’ve always loved Meredith” and “Chloe was a big mistake, even Mom thought so!” Simon got angrier and angrier. “Does Chloe know?” he ground out. “I, uh, sent her a letter.” “You sent her a letter,” Simon repeated flatly. “Yeah, I, uh, thought it was…the best way.” “You are more stupid than I thought.” “That’s not fair, Simon! Christ, you act like I killed somebody. I just broke an engagement.”
“No, you didn’t just break an engagement. You betrayed and humiliated a good person, someone who didn’t deserve to be treated that way. And, as usual, you expect someone else to clean up your mess.” “What mess? You don’t have to do anything. Stop treating me like I’m a child.” “Then quit acting like one. When are you coming home? When am I going to get a full report on San Francisco?” “You’ll have your report tomorrow,” Todd said, his voice filled with resentment. “I’ll fax it to you. And Meredith and I aren’t coming home till next week. Maybe not then, either. We deserve a nice honeymoon.” This final justification for his bad behavior filled Simon with disgust, but he was sick of talking to his brother, so instead of answering, he simply hung up on him. “Did Todd call you?” Simon asked his mother. Instead of phoning her after his conversation with Todd, Simon had told Maggie he was leaving for the day and to cancel his production department meeting that afternoon.
“Yes, he did,” Larissa Hopewell said. Her pleased expression spoke volumes. “And you’re not upset?” “Well, I certainly would have preferred he never got engaged to her in the first place. You know I never ap proved of his involvement with that woman from the beginning.” That woman. She can’t even say her name. Simon chose his words carefully. “But his wedding to Chloe was supposed to take place in less than six weeks. The church, the country club, everything is already booked. Don’t you think what he did was not only unkind to her but immature and thoughtless, that it doesn’t reflect well on our family’s name?” The family name you feel is so important? “Honestly, Simon, sometimes I don’t understand you,” his mother retorted, blue eyes glittering with indignation. “Where’s your loyalty? You should be glad he dumped her. She would never have fit into our family, and you know it. Why, she wasn’t worthy of having our family’s name.” “I know no such thing,” Simon said coldly.
“I liked her. I thought she would have been good for Todd.” And a breath of fresh air for us. “I don’t know how you can say that. She’s common. Simply not in our class. I doubt their marriage would have lasted a year.” Simon gritted his teeth to keep from saying what he was thinking. What good would it do? His mother would never change. “And you don’t think we owe her something? At the very least I think we should pay whatever out-of-pocket expenses she incurred in the planning of the wedding.” His mother shrugged her narrow, elegant shoulders. “Fine. Go ahead. Make the offer.” “So you agree?” “Whether I agree or not is irrelevant, isn’t it? You always do just as you please, anyway. As do your brothers. Even Todd.
But at least he’s finally come to his senses and recognized that when it comes to that woman I was right all along.” And with that, she turned back to the invitation she’d been answering when he’d interrupted her by his visit. Simon stared at her blue silk-clad back for one long moment before saying, “Goodbye, Mother.” He lingered a couple of seconds, but she didn’t turn around. As he walked out to his car, he decided he would not wait another day before calling on Chloe and offering his help. He only hoped she would see him.