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“Rachael.”
“You have to!”
She let go of his arm to slam her fists against it. Thankfully he still hadn’t put that hand back on the wheel.
“Rachael, you are going to regret this in the morning.”
“I’m not that drunk, Austin,” she muttered, and when he glanced over once more he could see that she was sobering up by the minute. But still. This request was outrageous.
“If you don’t want to get married,youhave to call it off, Rachael,” Austin said. He breathed a sigh of relief as he finally turned down her street.
“I can’t. We already paid for everything. I have the prettiest dress. I can’t do it, Austin. But I can’t marry him either.”
Was this why Rachael had been drinking alone? She liked to have a good time, but Austin felt like this was out of character. He really did feel badly that she felt so stuck. But he wasn’t her way out.
“Just promise me that you’ll do it. If I regret asking you this, I’ll text you. But if I don’t text, you have to do it. You have to save me, Austin. Please,” Rachael begged, tugging on his arm once more as he pulled into her driveway and cut off his engine.
He scrubbed his free hand over his face, wondering how he’d gotten here. This was why he didn’t save anyone other than Sofi. Sofi would never ask this of him. She wouldn’t have gotten so drunk in the first place. Sofi . . . there was his answer.
Austin pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed the name of the last person he’d called.
She answered on the third ring.
“Austin?” Her voice sounded groggy. Austin could imagine her sitting up in her white sheets, a ratty band tee falling over one shoulder as she sleepily pressed her phone to her ear. Her hair would resemble a lion’s mane, the prettiest lion ever.
“See. You love her,” Rachael whispered.
“I need your help,” Austin said, Rachael’s voice reminding him of his purpose.
“Are you okay?”
“He’s fine,” Rachael said, loudly enough for Sofi to hear.
Austin put the phone on speaker.
“Rachael?” Sofi asked.
“I lied and told him you were in trouble and he came to get me. I need him to stand up during my wedding and object, Sofi.”
Rachael slapped a hand over her mouth. “You shouldn’t know that,” she said around her fingers.
“Why does he need to stop your . . . do you not want to get married, Rachael?” Sofi was sounding more awake by the second.
Rachael shook her head.
“She’s shaking her head no,” Austin said for Rachael.
“She’s not supposed to know that!” Rachael scolded.
Austin felt like he was playing a game he didn’t know the rules to. A game he was anxious to finish.
“Rachael, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But if you don’t want to get married, you need to tell Roland.”
“I want to get married. I don’t want to marry Roland. I would marry Austin.”
Austin backed up so that his back was against his car door.
“Austin, would you marry Rachael?” Sofi asked, her voice serene.
