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Walking into the room, Rafferty must have heard the question. His expression told her that he had been worried about the two women being alone together. Rafferty went instantly to Mia’s side and took her hand in support. “For a day longer than you have, sister.”
“I don’t think so. I would’ve heard something if that had happened. Mia can’t keep a secret to save her life,” Ruth argued.
“I don’t think you know my wife very well then, Ruth. She kept everyone’s secrets as if they were her own. Since you made her promise to not tell anyone about your wedding, she couldn’t tell anyone about her own.”
Ruth sat down on the bed as the realization dawned on her. “I didn’t know. Nobody knew. Where was I when you were getting married? We were together the entire time during that trip.”
“Were we even on the same trip? We were never together. You and Anderson were so wrapped up in each other, Rafferty and I didn’t even exist. We could have done anything without you knowing,” Mia said in disbelief.
“And did, it seems,” Ruth said just as Mandy came into the room, a little apprehensively.
“Did what?” Looking from Ruth to Rafferty and then to Mia, Mandy asked, “Oh, and we have to share forks unless I can borrow a key to the café for Hue to grab a few more.”
“In my coat pocket,” she told her cousin, hoping she would leave, so everyone didn’t know her business.
“That Mia and Rafferty got married months ago.” As if it wasn’t something everybody knew, Ruth told her, ignoring the forks talk.
Tess walked into the room to hear the tail end of her explanation. “So we can finally talk about that? Thank god. I’m tired of keeping that secret.” With that, Tess grabbed Mia and hugged her tight.
“What?” Mia asked, pushing her away in confusion. “How did you know?”
“You streamed Math and I the entire thing. I like to think it was because we were your first choice and not because Mandy wasn’t answering her phone like you said. It was so romantic.” Tess gushed a little.
“You knew the entire time? Why didn’t you say anything?” Rafferty asked, because Mia was speechless.
“Because you told us not to, and had to we kept it secret until you got back and could tell everyone yourselves. But then you didn’t. I had to drag it out of you that you were even in Vegas. So we started to think it was a joke. That you were playing us. For months we waited. Math even tried to get Rafferty to admit it at Natalie’s wedding, but nothing. ” Tess said and handed over her phone to Mia.
As Ruth filled them in on her wedding weekend, Rafferty looked over her shoulder as they watched the ten-minute ceremony where they said the drunken words they both were too scared to say when sober. They could’ve spent the last eight months happy instead of scared that the other didn’t feel the same if they had just watched this.
Taking the phone, Rafferty sent the video to Mia, who was in Tess’s contacts. Then handed it back to Tess. Now they had proof of that day forever.
“I wish I remember marrying you,” Mia said. “It’s unfair that I don’t remember the happiest moment of my life.”
“Let’s do it again. A sequel, but sober this time. I know how much you love a sequel.” Rafferty spun her in his arms and kissed her, not caring who else was in the room.
Mia lifted an eyebrow in question. “What sort of sequel? And how sober?”
He laughed at her questions. “We get married again, only this time, exactly like you want. Maybe not completely sober.”
“I want everything. Church, dress, bridesmaids, whiskey, flower babies, oh, and flowers. I love flowers. Not roses, though, I don’t love those. But other ones. Purple ones.” She could see it already. Might as well lean into the color pallet of her first wedding, even if she only had a video of it.
“Lavender,” he corrected. “My only request is that we get married on the same day as we did before.”
Shaking her head, she questioned his idea. “We can’t. That day is almost a year ago.”
“I mean this year. How else would you want to spend your first anniversary?”
“I can’t think of a better way,” she admitted, grinning. There was nothing she could imagine would be better. Then she realized something. “And as a bonus, I don’t have to tell my mom that I got married without her there. I would hate for her to miss out on seeing her oldest daughter get married.”
“Nobody wants that to happen,” Mandy said from beside them, reminding Mia they were not alone.
“I have a preacher who would be happy to marry you again,” Hazel said from the doorway with that very preacher behind her nodding enthusiasticly.
“I’ll help any way I can,” Ruth surprised Mia by saying.
“I’ll take all the help I can get. Time is short, and the wedding is going to be big.” She smiled at her former friend, who might just turn back into a good friend again. Them being a family might not be so farfetched as it had been a few minutes ago. There was hope for them repairing their relationship.
“I’ll take care of everything,” Ruth said with confidence.
