Treasure Moonstone and Blake Kraus were married as the sun set over Lucky Palms. Treasure had decorated the site with dozens of flower bushes and trees: she despised the desert, and wanted to have the perfect wedding she had always dreamed of.
It wasn't difficult to admit that the absolute best part of the wedding was inviting Jason.
But, as the ceremony progressed, Treasure found herself thinking less and less about Jason and more and more about Blake--well, not Blake so much as the wedding. She had always dreamed about being married when the family moved to
Hidden Springs, not the
desert.
"You know there are showers here?" Treasure whispered in his ear.
Jason made half-hearted conversation with one of the other guests, but all the while he couldn't keep from glancing over at the newlyweds. Ridiculous, he knew, and hypocritical, but he could feel the stirrings of jealousy already.
It was very important that Treasure cornered Blake quickly--they hadn't
tried yet, and if he thought the baby wasn't his it would all fall apart.
Once they emerged from the bathroom, Jason started yelling at Blake, who, also being a male, started yelling back, even if he didn't have a clue about why they were yelling at each other.
Before long, the shouting escalated to a full-out brawl. Blake, being more athletic, easily pounded Jason into the dust.
Almost laughing, Treasure kissed Blake good night and promised to meet him at home. The moment he climbed into his car, she turned her eyes towards Jason.
"Why are you doing all of this?" Jason asked softly. Treasure rolled her eyes. Because it's fun, of course!
"Because I love you," she promised with absolute sincerity. "But I made a vow to Blake a long time ago, and you to Grace, so now w're all locked into this hopeless situation." Not that I would change anything if I could, of course. If Grace finds out about us, that just means that I've struck another blow against my worthless sister, the so-called heir.
"Well, we have to stop, right now," Jason stated firmly. "And there's nothing you can say that will change my mind."
"Really?" Treasure whispered mournfully, hiding a smirk. Time to bring out the big guns. Switching into her maternity wear, she gently laid a hand over her stomach and raised an eyebrow. Jason looked like he was about to asphyxiate.
"Hey!" Grace airily floated across the sand, right into Jason's surprised arms. "My shift at the Theatre finally ended--sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding, Treasure, but congratulations!" Treasure smiled forgivingly, but ground her teeth in her smiling mouth. Of course, Grace had shown up at just the wrong moment! She had been so, so close . . .
Glancing to the left, Grace suddenly had an idea. "Why don't we get married right now? Of course, we'll have to get rid of all that flowery crap first, but I don't want to wait any longer." She glanced up at Jason's face, searching for a sign. She was sure that there was something going on between her fiancé and her sister, and it was time to put a stop to it.
In no time at all, Jason and Grace were standing below the arch. Looking at Grace, Jason completely forgot about Treasure--not
forgot, exactly, but pushed her out of his mind. He loved Grace. Grace loved him. That was all.
The ceremony was small, informal, the only audience being a lone woman with golden skin who stood up on the sandy hill. Behind the arch, the mountains of the desert towered above, cast in shadow.
In a word: It was perfect.
Right after they exchanged rings, Treasure approached Grace, allegedly to offer congratulations. Instead, she growled, "You think this is over, Garbage Pile. But it's not over, not by a long shot. Watch your back,
sis."
While Treasure stood there, glaring, Jason hurried over to see his wife. The two giggled, being frisky right there on the beach.
"You know Treasure's pregnant?" Jason told Grace quietly as they cuddled that night.
"No way! She and Blake planned it this early?"
"Yeah, she told me at the wedding." She told me that the baby is mine.
"I'm sure you know what that means," Grace said flirtatiously, moving a little closer to him. "We should start catching up to the race."
Two sets of newlyweds slept in two rooms that night. Only one of each pair was pure of heart. And another was downright evil.
