Marrying Her Rented Groom

My best friend, Mandy Cooper, and my boyfriend, Logan Bennett, had been at each other's throats since freshman year of college. Years ago, a careless mistake of Mandy’s indirectly led to the death of Logan’s best friend. Ever since that day, Logan made it his life's mission to wreck every ounce of happiness she ever tried to build. The day he crashed her third attempt at a wedding, I had just gotten back from studying abroad. Right in the middle of the chaos and shouting, Logan’s eyes locked onto mine from across the crowded room. It was love at first sight. Now, five years into our relationship, he was still obsessively scheming to ruin Mandy’s ninth wedding. I’ve begged him to drop it a million times, but he always shuts me down with the same stone-cold answer—"She doesn't deserve to be happy." Mandy came to my place in tears, begging for help. She planned to sneak off and throw a low-key wedding out of the country, scheduling it for the exact day Logan was supposed to fly back from his business trip. She needed me to keep tabs on him at home. "Maya, please. This guy is a total catch. He's a college guy, hot enough to be an actor, and I’m going to marry him. You have to help me keep Logan off my back." I promised her I would. To stall Logan, I blew up his phone asking when his flight was landing, but I didn't get a single reply. Then I opened Instagram and scrolled past a photo from Mandy's wedding. Standing right beside her, caught in a grainy side-profile shot, was Logan. The truth hit me like a physical punch. Five years of love, and every second of it was a sick joke. Just as my chest tightened with a numb, hollow ache, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find a ridiculously handsome guy standing on my doorstep, dressed in a sharp tuxedo. "Hey," he said, offering a casual smile, "I’m the rent-a-groom Ms. Cooper hired. I'm here for the gig." I stared at him, and suddenly, a quiet laugh bubbled up in my chest. If Logan could turn around and tie the knot with Mandy, why on earth should I turn down a fake husband dropped right on my doorstep? Chapter 1 The first photo from Mandy's wedding on Instagram only showed her. My heart hurt a little thinking about how I couldn’t be there to support her. However, two minutes later, two of Logan’s closest friends posted updates from the venue. One of the pictures was blurry, showing only half of the groom's profile. I had looked at that face every single day for five years. I recognized him instantly. It was Logan. He had this relaxed, completely satisfied look on his face, which I had never seen before. I stared at the screen while sheer absurdity and crushing despair washed over me, choking the breath right out of my chest. Right then, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Logan. [Maya, something came up at the office in Auckland. I have to stay three more days. Eat well and get some sleep. I picked out your wedding ring while I was here. Love you.] Looking at those two words, “love you,” my stomach churned with sick disgust. I dialed his number immediately. He picked up on the second ring, using that same sweet, soothing tone he always used. "Maya, it’s pretty late over here, and I’m still stuck at a business dinner. Go to bed, okay? I’ll talk to you when I get home." Through the receiver, a girl's voice floated over the background noise. I knew that voice like the back of my hand. "Logan, are you coming or what? Do I seriously have to beg?" Before I could get a single word out, he hung up on me. Of course. It was his wedding night. This was the happy ending he had been chasing for years. There was no way he was going to let me ruin it. I immediately called my younger brother, Ethan Brooks. Ever since I started dating Logan, my own brother had basically turned into Logan's loyal sidekick. Unsurprisingly, Ethan was at the wedding too. Just minutes ago, he had even posted a fake, sentimental story on Instagram. [Mandy, I hope you stay happy forever.] He helped hide this from his own sister just to protect his secret crush. What a great brother. The moment the FaceTime call connected, Ethan panicked and tried to duck out of the frame. Guilt was practically written across his face. "Scan the QR code on your phone right now to mirror your messaging app to my laptop," I said. "Maya, Logan isn’t even back in the country yet. Why are you losing your mind on me?" "How do you know he’s not back? Are you with him right now?" I asked. Ethan stammered, "I mean, Logan and I are in a group chat together. Is it really that weird that I know where he is?" I let out a cold laugh. "Scan the code. Don’t make me call Grandpa right now to have him drag your butt back to school." That shut him up instantly. He caved and scanned the screen. "Look, I only went to Mandy's wedding to check things out for you since you couldn’t go." I hung up on him. When the desktop app synced, the pinned group chat name burned my eyes. It was called “Operation Cover-Up.” There were four people in the chat. Logan, his two closest friends, and my backstabbing baby brother. I scrolled up to read the messages sent two hours ago. Tyler: [Logan is a legend for pulling off a whole fake business trip. His girl is waiting at home while he gets married to another person abroad. Nobody plays the game like him.] Justin: [For real. He ruined Mandy’s weddings eight times. If he didn’t lock her down today, he was gonna snap.] Ethan: [I feel sick about this. It’s my sister on one side and Mandy on the other. Tyler, are you sure my sister will not recognize Logan’s profile in that photo you posted?] Tyler: [It’s blurry as hell, what are you scared of? Besides, your sister is so obsessed with Logan she’d turn a blind eye anyway.] [Logan has made his feelings for Mandy obvious for years. You think your sister doesn’t know? She just refuses to break up with him, so she suffers in silence.] [Look at her. She hasn’t said a word. She’s clearly taking the hit.] Ethan: [Honestly, my sister isn’t the type to take hits quietly. My family won’t just let this slide...] Tyler: [So what if you have money? Can you mess with Logan’s family? Are you guys gonna eat him alive or something?] The last message was from Logan, sent just ten minutes ago. [Getting married in New Zealand isn’t going to trigger a bigamy charge back home anytime soon. Ethan, relax. I’ll take full responsibility for your sister.] I stared at those words and burst into a bitter laugh. Five years of pouring my heart out to him, and to him, it all boiled down to taking responsibility. The doorbell rang. Standing at my doorstep was a guy in a sharp tuxedo. He was tall, lean, and ridiculously handsome. "Hey," he said, offering a casual smile, "I’m the rent-a-groom Ms. Cooper hired. I’m here for the gig." Chapter 2 Before I could process what was happening, a notification chimed from my laptop behind me. In the “Operation Cover-Up” group chat, Tyler had just dropped a message. [Look who finally came out of the bridal suite. Good luck making babies.] My entire body trembled as memories from five years ago flooded back like a broken dam. That was Mandy's third attempt at a wedding. I had been studying abroad during her first two, so she never invited me. When I got back, I even complained that she was not treating me like a real best friend. She had given me a forced, tight smile back then. She told me there was this absolute psycho obsessed with revenge, and she did not want me traveling all that way just to watch a trainwreck. I had naively tried to comfort her. "What psycho? Maybe he’s just into you and acting out to get your attention." Her face turned deathly pale. She shook her head fiercely. "Maya, don’t say stuff like that. His best friend died because of me. He hates my guts." That day, I swore I would protect her. I genuinely thought the ceremony would go off without a hitch. However, halfway through, Logan burst through the doors. He casually dropped an Amex Black Card at the groom's feet. "There’s a hundred grand on that. Get lost." The groom picked up the card and slunk away like a coward. Mandy bit her lip, her eyes burning with tears. "Logan! Do you really have to push me into a corner like this?!" Logan let out a cruel laugh. "Pushing you? As long as I’m breathing, you’re never marrying anyone else." Whispers erupted across the room. Seeing her tremble, so humiliated she could barely stand, a rush of heat surged to my head. I hurled myself in front of her like a human shield. "If you have a problem, take it out on me!" I yelled, closing my eyes tight, "Mandy is my best friend!" The violent shove I braced for never came. Instead, a wave of warm breath brushed past my forehead. I opened my eyes and locked onto a pair of dark, intense eyes staring down at me. He looked at me for two solid seconds, then his lips curved into a sharp, dangerously charming smirk. Before I could react, his fingers wrapped tight around my wrist, and he yanked me toward the exit. Every single guest stared at our backs that day. He pulled me through the crowd like a groom sweeping me away from my own ruined wedding. For a brief moment, it felt like I was the bride all along. I fell for him, right then and there. Later, when he confessed his feelings to me, his voice was dripping with absolute devotion. "Maya, the crowd was deafening that day, but the second I looked across that room, I knew you were the one. I don’t want anyone else in this lifetime." I said yes. That same day, I went straight to Mandy to come clean and apologize. Her expression turned sour for a split second, but she quickly forced a soft smile. "It’s totally fine, Maya. Honestly, maybe if you two are together, you can talk some sense into him and get him to leave me alone." Back then, I thought she was just being sweet and forgiving. Looking back now, that line was not sweet at all. It was a sharp, taunting jab hidden behind a smile. For five years, I begged Logan to drop his vendetta. For five years, he went ahead and wrecked wedding after wedding anyway. Every time he smirked with smug satisfaction after sabotaging Mandy’s life, I chose to look the other way. I kept telling myself over and over that Mandy was responsible for his best friend's death. How could he possibly love her? If he loved her, why didn't they just end up together from the start? Why did he choose me? The truth was that my entire existence was just a pawn he used to force her to surrender. I was a disposable prop she used to test if he still cared. Mandy had been trying to tell me all along that no matter how hard I tried, his sick obsession would always belong to her. The cold, hard truth proved that I had lost completely. My eyes burned with unshed tears as I turned around, gesturing for the guy at the door to step inside. "What’s your name? How much did Mandy pay you?" "Leo Carter," he said, stepping into the house, "Ms. Cooper booked me through a dating app. Three hundred dollars for the day." He had a sharp nose, warm, clear eyes, and a face so striking it looked totally flawless. Yet his aura was calm and steady, nothing like a typical college kid. "With looks like yours, only three hundred?" I asked, scanning him, "Did you guys know each other before this?" Leo offered a soft, gentle smile. "Nope. She posted the job, and I took the gig. Strictly business." He paused, his eyes searching mine. "Are you unhappy with the service, Ms. Brooks?" My stomach dropped slightly. From the moment he walked in, I had never told him my last name. I did not press him on it. I turned around, poured two glasses of red wine, and handed one over. I said, taking a slow sip, "Actually, I’m very happy with it. I heard you’re still in college. How about a long-term contract? You don’t have to do anything weird. Just marry me." Chapter 3 Leo took the wine glass from my hand and offered me a slow, unreadable smile. "Ms. Brooks, since we’re getting married anyway, doing everything for real makes it look a whole lot more convincing." My throat felt tight and constricted. Throwing caution to the wind, I tilted my head back and swallowed half the glass in one sharp gulp. "Fine. Let's go get the marriage certificate right now." I should have figured it out much sooner. Mandy asking me to stay home and watch Logan, only to send this hired rent-a-groom right to my doorstep, was no accident. There was never a real groom for her ninth wedding, just like there was never one for the previous eight. From start to finish, it was always just a messed-up game of emotional tug-of-war between her and Logan. I was sitting right in the middle of it, playing the part of the absolute idiot. Sending Leo to my front door was Mandy’s twisted way of throwing it in my face. She wanted me to know that she was one of the masterminds behind this whole setup. Since they went to all this trouble to set the stage for me, I might as well play along. When we walked out of the county clerk's office, my phone vibrated in my hand. It was a message from Mandy. First came a shaky video clip. Logan's familiar profile was painfully clear on screen, making my eyes sting like crazy. Then came her text message. [Maya, I’m taking Logan for myself. Think of that college guy on your doorstep as my makeup gift to you. He’s got the face and the body, so you’re not losing out, right? [Honestly, all those weddings I planned over the years were just for him. I wanted to see if he gave a damn about me. [I never expected him to show up today and actually marry me. It wasn’t until this exact moment that I finally realized I love him too. [Also... About his best friend who died because of me? That was just his family dog. [When you told me years ago you wanted to date him, I didn’t hold a grudge. We’ve been best friends forever. You’ll forgive me just like I forgave you back then, right?] I stood outside the clerk's office as the cold wind whipped against my cheeks. I was completely frozen. Ridiculous. It was all so utterly ridiculous. Eight years of dramatic, toxic battles, eight chaotic weddings ruined, years of his intense hatred and years of her keeping secrets. The best friend who supposedly died because of her was literally just a dog. My five years of pure devotion, and every single wedding I tried to protect her from, were built on a pile of absurd lies. Now she had the nerve to ask for my forgiveness. A sudden laugh bubbled up in my chest, spilling out until I could not stop. Forgive her? I was going to give both of them the biggest, most unforgettable wedding gift of their lives. Back at my apartment, the “Operation Cover-Up” group chat was still popping off on my laptop screen. Tyler: [Logan, your girl is insanely obedient. You give her one lame excuse and she doesn’t even question you all night? You seriously need to write a playbook.] Logan: [She’s head over heels in love with me. You guys wish you had it this easy.] Ethan: [Logan, you better hurry back home and check on my sister. My heart is beating super fast right now, like I have some bad gut feeling.] Justin: [Chill out. It’s not like your sister hasn’t been taking this quietly for years. She’s just scared Logan will dump her if she makes a scene.] Logan: [Ethan, stop worrying. I’m not dumping your sister. [I can handle both sides. Once Mandy finishes her wedding visit with her family, I’ll settle her in Auckland. She gets a share of the villas and real estate here. [As for your sister, I’ll take good care of her back home. The first thing I’ll do when I get back is to marry her. She has been waiting for this for years anyway.] Tyler: [Take it easy, man. Mandy’s gonna wear you out over there. How are you gonna perform when you get back home to your girl?] I stared at the screen and let out a cold, sharp laugh. Logan really outdid himself, playing both sides with such calculated effort. In our third year together, I had subtly brought up the topic of marriage, but he always brushed it off, saying there was no rush. A few months ago, I caught him staying up late in his study looking at wedding dress designs. My heart had soared, stupidly believing he had finally decided to settle down with me. Looking back now, he was not picking a dress for me at all. He was choosing one for today's bride. I remembered leaning over his shoulder that night, pointing at the screen like an idiot. "I love this off-the-shoulder gown. It looks so elegant." He had paused for a second before reaching out to ruffle my hair. "Yeah. The dress, the venue, the ring, I want to take my time planning all of it. "My princess deserves the absolute best and most perfect wedding in the world. No rush." The main point was always "no rush." Back then, I thought it meant he treasured me and took us seriously, so I played the good, understanding girlfriend and never pushed him. In the end, my patience only gave him the perfect chance to pursue someone else behind my back. His proud trick for keeping a girl obedient was nothing more than walking all over my heart and self-respect. Now that he had already married Mandy overseas, he was casually offering to marry me as if I were nothing more than a consolation prize. Trying so hard to satisfy both his heart and his body at the same time must have been exhausting. Too bad for him, I was officially off the market now. He did not need to trouble himself anymore. As I stared blankly at the screen, a pair of warm hands suddenly wrapped around my wrists. Leo leaned down, his palms burning hot against my skin. "Maya, I told you," he whispered, his voice laced with an intense, sudden possessiveness, "I’m in this for real." He led me toward the master bedroom on the second floor. Right as the heat between us peaked, the phone on the nightstand started vibrating uncontrollably. It was Logan. The sun was just coming up over where he was, and he finally decided to show some mercy and check in on his girl. Leo glanced down at the screen, picked it up, and tapped the speakerphone button without missing a beat. "Maya, are you asleep?" Logan's voice came through the speaker, raspy with that typical post-coital huskiness. "I was stuck drinking with clients all night, which is why I had to hang up so fast. I’m flying back tomorrow to give you a big surprise." A surprise? Like offering me a pity marriage? No thanks. A tiny noise slipped from the back of my throat. "Mm." My voice trembled slightly, heavy with the breathless heat still lingering in the air. Logan knew better than anyone what I sounded like when I made that noise. In an instant, his voice turned sharp and icy over the line. "Maya? What are you doing? Who’s with you?"