Chapter Twenty-eight
Eliza’s smile sharpened and she waved her hand back and forth in front of Mia.
“I have the best and most exciting news to share. Scott and I got married this afternoon at City Hall. Looks like your job is officially over. You lose and I win. And whatever Jedi mind tricks you think you’re doing on me about JP, it’s not working.”
Mia’s body went to stone. Her mild whirled in a multitude of directions. This was bad. Catastrophic. Here she and Roman had thought there was still time on the game clock, but it turned out it had been counting down at triple speed. Now the buzzer had sounded and the game might well be over.
Eliza lifted her hand in a half wave and Scott, who must’ve been watching from nearby, quickly approached. Roman immediately left his post beside the tent. The two men arrived at the table together and each took a chair beside their partner.
JP shifted uneasily on the now crowded table and Eliza lowered him to the grass. He sniffed the air and turned determinedly toward the house where another round of servers were parading out at regular intervals with trays of food held aloft.
Roman’s eyes focused on Mia’s face for a beat before flicking over to Eliza’s cat-licking-the-cream smile. “What’s going on?”
Eliza turned to Scott and held up her left hand. “Hey, honey. I already spilled the beans. I was so excited I just couldn’t wait.”
“They got married today,” Mia said.
“Here, you should put yours on, too,” Eliza said, passing Scott his ring.
He slid it on his finger and smiled down at it. “I’ve never been a jewelry guy. This feels kinda strange but in the best possible way.”
“Why the rush?” Roman asked Scott. “After everything we talked about yesterday, I’d have thought you’d want to take a moment and investigate a little further.”
“Because I have zero doubts. You two just don’t get it, do you?” He said, glancing back and forth between Mia and Roman. “I love Eliza and she loves me. She’s a good person. When she came to me in tears yesterday afternoon, insisting we call off the wedding because of my parents, I knew I might lose her, so I stepped up. Nobody tells me who I can’t marry.”
Mia nodded. “Ah. It all makes sense now. This was Eliza’s idea.”
“And mine,” Scott immediately shot back. “During the past month, we’ve joked off and on about eloping. In fact, I think I was the first person to bring it up.”
“But I didn’t want to. Not when the wedding was all planned. Plus, I still hoped deep in my heart I might win his parents over. Except it’s never going to happen. I know that now. I’ll just have to get used to the hurt, I guess.” She pressed her lips together while a tear clung to the edge of her lash line before slowly rolling down her cheek.
Scott grabbed her hand and cradled it between his palms. “Please don’t cry, sweetie. You know what it does to me. I hate to see you hurting like this. From now on, my mission in life is to make you happy.” He lifted his gaze to Roman. “And keep you safe.”
Eliza took a hiccupping breath and nodded. “You’re so sweet to me. Okay. No crying. This is a good day, right?” She waved a hand in front of her face as if clearing a slate. “Our first day as husband and wife. We’re not going to let a couple of low-level PIs or your parents ruin it for us.”
“Exactly, Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have an announcement to make,” Scott said.
He helped Eliza off her chair and they walked into the main tent. Scott gestured to the lead singer of the band who nodded to his bandmates. The music cut off abruptly. Many of the guests turned to see what had happened.
Mia noted that Eliza glanced wildly around then pointed to Kerry, who’d been lingering off to the side of the seating area with her cell phone poised and ready. She scurried straight to Eliza.
Scott leaned in to confer with the singer of the band, then took the microphone, and he and Eliza walked out of the tent to the area with the tables. They stopped not far from where Roman and Mia sat. A hush had descended among the party goers gathered across the lawn.
“Hey, folks. Sorry for cutting the tunes. I have a quick announcement to make then we’ll get the band fired back up and hopefully see some of you out of the dance floor.” Scott spoke easily with no hint of shyness.
Kerry stood a few feet away filming the scene. Occasionally Eliza smiled straight into the camera, but mostly she gazed up at Scott adoringly.
“Magnificent Catering, can you please give everyone a fresh glass of champagne,” Scott said.
He must have primed the wait staff because immediately five of them marched out of the sliding door at the back of the house and circulated, holding trays filled with champagne flutes. Once the majority of the guests had been served, Scott put his arm around Eliza’s shoulders.
“Okay. First of all, Eliza and I would like to thank everyone for coming. We really appreciate your love and support. Getting engaged to Eliza … it was a turning point for me. Best moment of my life. I never imagined I’d fall in love with such a beautiful, smart, amazing woman. And I’m so glad I can celebrate with y’all.”
Everyone clapped and a few of the women patted their chests or fisted hands over hearts. Mia saw Jennifer make her way from the house and through the guests. She beelined to Thomas, who was standing near the tent bar. Briefly, her eyes flicked to Mia then away.
“September eighth is fast approaching,” Scott continued. “We’re thrilled that so many of you are coming to the wedding, and we can’t wait for the big day.” He shot a conspiratorial smile to Eliza and she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “And when I say we can’t wait, I mean it literally. See, Eliza and I sort of snuck off this afternoon and got married. I couldn’t stand for one more day to go by before she was my wife.”
There was a collective gasp from the crowd, then a buzz of chatter swelled up. Someone started clapping and soon the backyard was filled with applause. Scott turned to Eliza and they grinned at one another.
Finally, Scott held up a hand. “Thanks, folks. It’s so wonderful feeling your energy and enthusiasm. You probably have questions, though. Let me assure you we’re still going ahead with the reception in September and I can promise it’ll be a great night. But for now, let me introduce my wife, Mrs. Eliza Lamb.”
He swung Eliza around in his arms then swept her low for a kiss. JP emerged suddenly and barked at the couple as they broke apart. Eliza laughed, her face glowing with joy as she scooped him up.
“Also, I’ll obviously be adopting Jean Paul Gaultier,” Scott said. “I couldn’t want for a better furry stepson.” He nodded to Kerry who quickly passed over two glasses of champagne from where she’d placed them on a nearby table. “Okay. I’d like to raise a toast to Eliza. My beautiful bride. Thank you for making me the happiest man on earth.”
There were several oohs and aahs from the crowd. Everyone clinked glasses. In the background, the band started up. Mia recognized ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley.
Kerry quickly cleared away some of the nearby chairs to make a small dance floor then picked up her phone and continued documenting the scene. Scott turned to Eliza and held out his hand. With an extravagant gesture, she placed her hand in his and they walked the few steps over to the open space among the tables.
Just for a moment, they stood staring at one another while people gathered closer and captured the moment with cell phones. Then Scott wrapped an arm around her waist, and they began to sway with the music. Eliza looked like a movie star with her upswept hair and filmy dress.
Mia almost sighed before giving herself an internal shake. This wasn’t a romantic moment. This was possibly the beginning of the end for Scott.
Over by the opening of the main tent, Jennifer stood stock still with her hand covering her mouth. She was visibly trembling. Beside her, Thomas shook his head manically back and forth.
“I guess the shit has officially hit the fan,” Roman said.