Page 124 of Fake it for Keeps

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COLT

Valentine’s Day.

The words felt surreal. I watched Hallie, her mother, Hallie, and April walk out of their apartment building. They were all dressed in pink. Apparently they had color coordinated things. All but Hallie piled into the back of the limo.

Hallie walked directly into my arms. “Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I wanted to. It’s your wedding day. It should be special.”

“You are special.”

“I love you,” I said and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you at the altar. Get out of here. I think we’re breaking rules about seeing each other before the wedding.”

“It’s only if I’m in the gown,” she said.

“Oh? Is that so?”

She grinned at me, her face already flushed with excitement. “You’d better be there.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I kissed her quickly, then pulled back before I could be tempted to climb in with them. “Now go. Get pampered. You deserve it.”

She climbed in with her friends. I heard the laughter and the unmistakable sound of the champagne being opened. The driver closed the door, nodded at me once, and then climbed into the driver’s seat.

I watched the limo pull away, carrying my bride-to-be off for a morning and afternoon of mani-pedis, hair, makeup, and whatever else women did before their weddings.

My wedding.

Our real wedding.

I turned to find Frankie standing behind me, her phone already out and recording.

“Getting sentimental?” she teased.

“Maybe.” I grabbed my coat from where I’d left it on the porch railing. “Come on. We have work to do.”

Hallie had invited her to spend the day with them, but Frankie insisted she needed to help me. There was still some tension there. I got it. Frankie was looking out for me. She wasn’t in love with Hallie, so she didn’t have the same understanding of the situation as I did. And I believed Hallie. I trusted her.

We picked up my tux from the dry cleaner.

“Are you going to feed me or am I supposed to starve until your wedding dinner?” Frankie asked.

I smiled. “You’re hangry.”

“I’m hungry.”

“You could have gone with them,” I said. “I could have picked up my own tux.”

She rolled her eyes. “When have you ever picked up your own drycleaning?”

Good point. “My driver knows where the place is.”

She shook her head. “Someone needs to make sure you don’t get cold feet and run.”

Much to Frankie’s amusement and embarrassment, I had the driver take us through a McDonald’s drive thru. In our limousine. It was cold and wet out and I wasn’t interested in being in public. The story of my canceled wedding was still pretty big news. No one knew we were still getting married but just out of their sight.

I liked that. I liked that it was just for us. The people that mattered would be there.