Ignoring the butterflies fluttering in my belly, I hustle over to Grace as fast as my heels allow in the spongy grass.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she says when I join her. “I need a bathroom assist.”
“Happy to oblige.” I smile, looping my arm through hers as we veer off toward the barn’s small side structure that houses the restrooms.
“I see you met Archie. I told you he was charming.”
I stop mid-step, the jarring halt making her wobble beside me. “Yeah, but you forgot to mention he was also my annoying neighbour.”
She swings to face me. “What! No way!”
“Yes, way,” I say as we start walking again, the hem of my dress catching on the dry grass. “And, I haven’t had time to tell you yet, but he was also in Uganda with me.”
“No!” She’s shrieking now, and I can’t even blame her. “That’s insane. It’s like you can’t get away from him.”
“Yeah,” I say softly, recalling Archie’s comment about fate.
“I’m surprised about the things you said, though.” Grace furrows her brow as we push through the bathroom door, the cooler air inside caressing our flushed skin. “I’ve known him since he was born, and he’s a good guy. Funny, a bit goofy maybe,but definitely not selfish, insufferable, or mean.”
She’s right. Uganda definitely changed my perception of him. I think I might have judged him too harshly in the past.
After our bathroom stop, we head back to the lawn and enjoy some drinks outside, and I spend a good chunk of that time watching Archie and one of his friends play with the little ones. He always seems drawn to them, or maybe it’s the other way around.
“Grace, the barn is ready for the reception,” chirps Bea—Noah’s mum—as she approaches us, smoothing the lapels of her light jacket. “Should we usher everyone in?”
“Sure,” Grace says. “Let me find Noah.”
There’s a flicker in Bea’s eyes, warm and familiar. And suddenly, it hits me like a freight train: she’s Archie’s mum too. Why am I only connecting the dots now? But yeah—the woman I’ve been texting and chatting with all day about the ceremony is Archie’s loving mother.
She offers me a kind smile. “Have everything you need, dear?”
I nod quickly. “Absolutely. Thank you.”
Someone calls her name, and she turns away, saving me from looking like a complete idiot for a second longer. I blow out a breath of air, my cheeks still warm when movement stirs tomy right. Archie appears beside me, a glass in his hand and that signature smirk playing on his lips.
“Now that you’ve met my mum, you officially have gone further than any of my prior girlfriends. So, what does that tell us?” He winks before taking a sip of his drink.
I just laugh, shaking my head. “You’re insane.”
“The Universe, Kat,” he mouths dramatically, then starts walking away backwards like he’s exiting a stage, disappearing into the crowd.
Before I can think more of it, Noah and Grace call for everyone to take our seats in the barn, and I follow the crowd in, the soft chiffon of my dress swishing around my ankles.
The decor hasn’t changed since the ceremony, but round tables are now scattered around the room, and a DJ booth has sprung up in the corner.
Dinner flows in a happy blur of conversation, clinking glasses, and plates passed across the head table. Grace and Noah are sitting front and center, glowing with that just-married energy, while I’m tucked to Grace’s left and Archie sits beside his brother.
I’m halfway through my plate of sea bass when I feel someone moving behind me. It’s Archie, reaching for a chilled bottle of sparkling water from the brushed-steel bucket on the table in front of me. His arm grazes mine, just barely—the press of warm fingers against my shoulder as he takes the bottle. I freeze, goosebumps prickling over my skin.
“Sorry,” he murmurs. His voice is low and close to my ear. “But you can’t keep all the sparkles to yourself.”
“It’s fine,” I say, a smile escaping.
He winks at me, and I busy myself with adjusting my napkin, even though it doesn’t need adjusting.
I spend the remainder of dinner glancing his way, still trying to process everything that’s happened these past weeks.
Finally, it’s time for the toasts. And there are quite a few. Definitely more than you’d get at a traditional wedding. Noah’s hockey friends all take the microphone to say something—or rather, to roast their favourite goalie—entertaining everyone. And then, it’s Archie’s turn. He stands up with a full grin as he grabs the mic.
