My hands won't stop shaking.

The two glasses of champagne that Jane insisted I drink haven't helped the matter. In fact, I think they made things worse. My insides are bubbling and I'm finding it extra difficult to put my Grandmother's pearl earrings into my lobes.

A knock on the cabin door startles me and I drop the family heirlooms. They skitter across the top of the dresser, bounce onto the floor, and out of sight. "Damn it!"

I've had possession of these treasures since the last time I wore them, at my college graduation. Losing them today of all days, would feel like a jinx. My knees hit the ground and I start to hunt for them.

Jane looks at me, shaking her head. "I'll get it."

I hear her open the door while I'm behind the bed, in a bathrobe, patting around on the marble floor.

A British voice says, "Hello. I'm Fin's brother Paul. You must be Amelia's friend Jane."

Jane responds, "You hit the nail on the head. Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure, might be a stretch. Peculiar, is much more accurate when your brother calls to tell you to hop a last minute red-eye from Heathrow because he's getting married the next day, to a woman you've never met and he's only known for about a month."

I stop running my hands under the edges of the dresser, resisting the urge to reveal to Paul that I've just heard him. But he's not saying anything that isn't the truth, so I press myself lower to the floor and peer under the skirt of the bed instead.

Jane snorts. "No sweat. I'm sure I took the news much less graciously than you did at first."

I snicker softly and bite my lip at Jane's candor.

Paul clears his throat. "I... Um... I've brought a few things for Amelia."

"Oh I can take them and give them to Millie." Jane's voice is suddenly extra chipper.

It's her fake voice and now I know she's not happy with something. I'm extremely curious to see what Paul is holding.

"I'd much rather put them into her hands directly, and introduce myself."

"One minute. Let me make sure she's decent." Jane's voice has an icy edge to it.

The door closes just as my eyes spot the glimmer of eighteen karat gold. My relief at the earrings recovery gives me the strength to steel myself for whatever is next.

Jane looks at me with a frown. "He has a present from Fin, and a manila folder. Are you prepared to see whatever's in there? I mean... like what if it's a bribe, or some sordid pictures or something?"

I straighten my robe and tighten the belt. "I'm ready as I'll ever be, for whatever Paul throws at me. But seeing as he's a barrister, and lead counsel for Infinite Cove, I'm sure it's just some paperwork."

"If you say so. I'll step in there to finish my makeup and give you some privacy." She points towards the en-suite bathroom, then raises her eyebrows. "Unless you want me to stay?"

"I've got this. Don't worry." With a quick hug, I gently push her towards the bathroom.

One more deep breath before I open the door to see Paul.

He looks nothing like Fin. He's taller, and less muscular. Their faces are different shapes. Paul's is oblong, while Fin's is more heart-shaped because of his widow's peak. Paul's brown hair is straight, streaked with grey, and cropped short. Finally, Paul's eyes, while brown, don't speak to me at all in the way that Fin's do.

A shiver ripples through my body and I pull the bathrobe tighter around myself.

"I'm so happy to meet you Paul! Please come in." I step aside, holding the door open.

Paul crosses the threshold. "I've brought some things from Fin."

Of course I notice that he hasn't said he's happy to meet me too.

I shut the door. "He didn't have to get me anything."

"He said it's tradition for the groom to get the bride a special gift." Paul hands me a beautifully wrapped box.

The paper is the same color and sheen as the pearls in my pocket. The ribbon glitters like their gold settings too.

Paul pulls out the folder from beneath his arm. "I've brought something else that I um..."

It reminds me of all of the contract folders I've handed to clients over the past two years. I turn and put the box down on the foot of the bed. "I'm going to guess that it's something for me to sign."

"It's a pre-nup." His lips press into a determined line. "I can give you some time to read it over, and then come back to get it."

"That won't be necessary." I remove the folder from his hand before he even holds it out. "Did Fin ask you to bring this to me?"

"Does it matter?" He pulls a platinum accented Montblanc pen from inside his suit's breast pocket and offers it to me.

I accept it and remove the cap. "Not particularly. I'm just curious."

Flipping the folder open, I place it onto the dresser, and find the first spot flagged for signature. The pen is so smooth, it glides silently across the thick packet of papers. "Granted I don't know everything about your brother yet, but this doesn't seem like his style. I'm pretty confident that he'd have come to me himself if this was his idea. He's made it clear that having honesty between us is very important."

Paul's brow is furrowed. "Indeed. Well then, I'll tell you truthfully that he doesn't know I'm doing this. But I want you to understand that as his brother, and his solicitor, I will always protect Fin to the best of my ability."

I look over my shoulder and smile at him. "I can respect that. After all, I have someone like that in my life too. I'm fairly certain she's eavesdropping behind that bathroom door over there right now."

The corners of Paul's mouth quirk up into a tiny smile. As I sign each line, the wrinkles in his forehead slowly smooth out, one by one.

With the last page done, I close the folder and hand him back his shiny pen. "Rest assured - the only thing I want from your brother is his love."

But Paul still rings his hands. "Fin has already taken a tremendous personal risk this year by putting the bulk of his money into Infinite Cove. While this document will safeguard him in some ways, I'm afraid there are even limits to what this can do. My fear is that when news of this rash marriage breaks in the press, it will make important people think twice about working with Fin. If it makes securing future financing or insurance tricky for Infinite Cove, then his dream venture will be sunk before it's even begun."

The idea that I might be putting all of Fin's work in jeopardy hits me hard. I've been so focused this whole time on my goal of becoming a screenwriter, it didn't even dawn on me that our relationship might be putting his own future on the line in any way.

I don't know if I feel worthy of the risk he's taking.

But I want to be.

"Paul, I can't predict the future, or control anybody else's actions..." My voice feels thin and strained. I'm a heartbeat away from crying and ruining the makeup that Jane did for me, so I take a deep breath and fan at my face.

"I should go and let you finish getting ready." Paul slides the folder off the dresser, and steps toward the door.

I reach out to grip his forearm, stopping him before he can leave. "I want you to know that I'm going to treat your brother's heart, and his dreams, with as much care as I do my own."

He looks down at my hand, and puts his own on top of it. "I never thought my brother would ever meet his match. Probably because I've never known anyone as complicated as him before. But I do believe he finally has, and now I can understand why he's afraid to let you go. I'm just sorry to say that I don't think that things in this relationship will ever be easy for either of you."

I nod. "Hard work doesn't scare me."

We smile at each other for a moment. Then Paul lifts his hand to grip the doorknob. "I also have something else in the corridor that Fin wanted me to bring to you." He raises his voice. "He arranged this surprise with Jane. So it might be the perfect time for her to come out of the loo."

I hear the door behind me click open, while Paul swings the cabin door wide for a member of the yacht crew to wheel in a garment rack. It's bursting with silk, taffeta, crinoline, and crepe, making the generously sized cabin room feel claustrophobic.

"Oh my God! Look at all of these wedding dresses!" I press my hands to my cheeks.

Jane is at my shoulder. "We were worried the three you ordered online wouldn't come in time. Do you think I went a bit overboard picking out some options at Kleinfeld? Maybe we should leave them in the hallway and I can bring in the dresses one at a time for you to try on?"

Paul chuckles. "I think this is my cue to exit. I'll see you ladies on the Upper Deck at 8:30. Fin is absolutely dead excited to have a beautiful sunset ceremony."

"Well then Janie, it looks like we have our work cut out for us, so we won't be late." I push up my robe sleeves and start rifling through the gowns.

Jane claps her hands together and rubs them back and forth. "Let's do this!"