Page 5 of More Than My Hometown

Well, this has been a very uplifting and life-affirming few minutes. Time to go find my parents. At least they’ll be happy to see me.

“Does the bride know you’re coming? It’s rude to show up to a wedding unannounced.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, upping my patience count to twenty.

“Nope, it’s a surprise,” I say. My aunt opens her mouth to respond, but I keep talking, not letting her get there. “She told me when I sent my regrets a couple of months ago that if anything changed, I was welcome to come, even if it was last minute, so I know she’ll be okay with me being here.”

There, that should put that matter to bed.

The doors open again, and we both pause as Judge Robinson and his wife walk in. I expect them to stop and chat—no doubt making a comment about how long it’s been since they’ve seen me—but they simply give us a nod and keep moving toward the sanctuary. Damn, the respite would have been nice. Heck, that might have even been the chance at the escape I needed.

“So you lost your job and slink back to town unannounced, just to show up at a wedding unaccounted for?” Pursing her lips, she gives me the most judgmental once-over I’ve ever received. Contestants at the Westminster Dog Show are scrutinized less. “I know you have this whole free spirit thing going, but manners are still a thing, Maisey.”

“Dolly’s wedding is a pretty big deal and⁠—”

“You weren’t here for the last one,” she cuts me off.

You know, I’m starting to think that counting to one hundred isn’t even going to be enough at this point.

“True, but this is the real one,” I say, forcing a smile. “No one actually wanted to see her marry Jeff. Dolly and Hux, though? That’s different. Plus, Grandma Amelia’s hundredth birthday is next month, and there is really no missing that.”

Take that, Aunt Hattie. Two damn good reasons for me to be back. Spread those around town.

Let’s not lie here; that’s what she’s really after—the inside knowledge so that when word gets out, she’s the one everyone calls and asks. A master class in gossipmongering.

I’m not letting her in on the real reason I’m here. The secret that I’m keeping.

That I’m here to collect.

To make good on a deal I made twenty years ago. A pact sealed with blood—okay, ketchup, because even thirteen-year-old Maisey was concerned about blood-borne pathogens—between two people who were so intertwined they couldn’t imagine their lives without each other. Or well, two kids who were innocent enough to not be able to picture past their sixteenth birthdays and the idea of twenty years in the future—and ever being that “old”—was an impossibility.

The deal was simple. Classic. A tale as old as time. If we’re not married in twenty years—by our thirty-fourth birthdays—we marry each other.

I turn thirty-four next month, while his is later this summer.

As fate would have it, I’m single. So is he.

If that’s not the universe telling us something, I don’t know what is.

Especially after the abrupt end to my contract and the expiration of my work visa with it. Two things that are crucial for an international traveling nurse.

“Mother will be happy to see you.”

Oh my stars, Hattie Burch just said something nice. Okay, she said something factual. But it was said without her normal tone, so I’ll take it. Seriously, I don’t know how Dolly and Emily do this every day.

“Speaking of mothers, I should go find mine. If you’ll excuse me…”

With a nod, I’m off, my patience and manners all used up. I hear the creak of the doors as I move, leading me to believe she’s about to find someone else to sink her teeth into.

Entering the sanctuary, it takes me a second to locate my mother, an internal groan releasing when I spot her strawberry blonde bob. She’s all the way up front, and I can feel each new set of eyes land on me as I make my way to her.

Ahhh, small towns.

“Hey there, darlin’, you made it on time,” Mama greets, scooting into the pew to make room for me. “I was starting to get worried.”

“Weekend traffic through Macon hasn’t changed,” I lament. “Where’s Daddy?”

“He’s escorting your grandmother down the aisle. Originally it was going to be Landon Noble, since he’s best man, but after she slipped last month at the Southern Brothers St. Paddy’s party, Landon told your daddy he thought it would be a better idea if he escorted her, thinking she might be more at ease, and therefore steady on her feet, with him.”