Page 99

I grinned.

How this conversation turned into our wedding cake I couldn’t tell you, but I definitely didn’t mind the flirting.

I liked her so much that it was starting to make me worry. It was completely outside of my norm to be this into someone this quickly. I was a cautious person by nature. I didn’t do reckless or impulsive. But there was nothing about this woman that I didn’t like. And that was a problem, for obvious reasons.

We were here only two more days. I was leaving on Christmas. After that, we’d be six hours apart in different states. Not impossible, but not ideal by any stretch—not that she was having the same thoughts. I was probably on my own for this one. I just wasn’t that lucky.

The “Bridal March” began. Noel started down the aisle with her Christmas ribbon bouquet and I felt Nick beam from next to me. I glanced at Lauren and her face was soft while she watched her friend. Then Lauren saw me looking at her and she nodded for me to look at Noel instead. I shook my head.

She rolled her eyes and gestured between us. “This could be us, but we won’t get married after three days,” she whispered.

I cracked up quietly.

Noel came to stand in position in front of Nick, and the wedding coordinator shut off the music. “How did that feel?”

“Good,” Noel said.

“Do you want to run through it again?” she asked.

“I think we’ve got it,” Nick said. “Lauren? William? You good?”

“I think so,” Lauren said.

The wedding coordinator nodded. “Okay, that’s a wrap, then. We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

We all fell out of formation. Lauren came to stand in front of me.

“We could always go with a marble cake,” I said. “Half and half?”

She made a face like she was thinking hard on it. “Okay.”

“You know what I’d do, though?” I said.

“What?”

“I’d secretly call the baker and tell her to make it chocolate like you wanted.”

“Darn. I will have already emailed her telling her to make it vanilla like you wanted. And she’d definitely do it since I don’t write bad checks.”

We smiled at each other. If we were really getting married, this is when I’d lean down and kiss her.

I didn’t move.

“You guys coming?” Nick called.

We snapped out of it.

I gave her my arm. “May I?”

She took my elbow. “You may.”

“What else would you want for your wedding?” she asked as I walked us out to the car.

“Hmmmmm. Casual elegance.”

She looked up at me. “Like, barefoot on the beach?”

“Like a day wedding followed by brunch. No black tie or cocktail dresses or horse-drawn carriages.”