Chapter 52
CHAPTER 52
Porter was here!
I walked around the room in a circle. Did that mean he wanted to marry me? Is that why he showed up?
A tightness banded across my chest when another dark thought passed through my mind. What if he planned to literally leave me at the altar?
If that was his plan, I would kill him.
Would he actually do that?
Since I didn’t know what else to do, I followed Emily to the back of the church where Dad waited for me.
He reached out and put both hands on my shoulders. “Beth, I’ve never seen you look more beautiful.”
“Dad.” I watched as my bridesmaids disappeared one-by-one through the double doors into the cathedral. I could hear the faint strains of the string quartet play. “I’m freaking out.”
Understatement of the year.
He chuckled and patted my hand. “You know, I’ve never been so proud of you.”
Emily looked over her shoulder at me, a cute smile teasing her face. She winked, and then she moved out of sight.
“Our turn.” Dad tucked my arm in his and tugged me to the doorway of the huge cathedral.
The thunder of feet echoed through the massive church as eight hundred guests stood to honor my walk up the aisle. My eyes flew to the front of the church.
There he was. Standing straight and tall, looking like a million bucks in his tux. The man I loved.
Holy fuck. He’d actually shown up.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his handsome face. Why was he here? What was he thinking? Did he actually want to marry me?
My trip to the front felt like an underwater dream. Hundreds of face peered at me, as we moved up the aisle. And then Dad helped me up the steps toward Porter. Behind me, Emily adjusted my dress. I couldn’t bring myself to face those grey eyes. Instead, I stared blindly ahead and concentrated on bringing air into my rib cage, but despite my efforts, I wasn’t sure any oxygen reached my brain.
A small children’s choir stepped forward, and their high sweet voices began to sing. With courage I didn’t feel, I peeked up at Porter. He stared down at me, but what he was thinking was anyone’s guess.
“You showed up,” I whispered.
“So did you,” he breathed back.
Why was he here? I needed to know.
“Did you lose the memo?”
“What memo was that?”
“The one that said, if we failed to plan a breakup, you were the one who needed to leave me at the altar.”
“It went against my policy of always having your back.”
What did that mean?
“So does that mean you’re not going to leave me at the altar?”
He regarded me with a mild expression and shrugged. “Nope.”
I nodded and stared, unseeing, as the choir finished its song. I didn't know how to respond. Was this some a joke to him? Did he not grasp the fact that we were standing at the altar about to be married ?
The minister announced a congregational hymn. The organ started, and eight hundred people stood behind us. Questions spun my mind in a hundred different directions. We were here. About to get married, but that still didn’t mean he wanted to marry me. And that fact was killing me. We listened to people sing behind us. I worked to gather my scattered thoughts.
I pinched my lips together, “Do you think we should talk about this?”
“I wanted to earlier, but you took off.”
“I was pissed.”
“Where did you go?”
“You want to have the talk right now?”
“Do you have a better time?”
The minister cleared his throat and chastised us with a pointed look.
My wedding, I can talk if I want to!
But we fell silent and watched as a soloist made her way to the front.
She started singing Ava Marie. I started to get pissed.
“We’re about to get married,” I reminded him.
“You’re free to walk.”
His casual tone frustrated me.
“Why do I have to walk? My mom would kill me.”
“Well, my parents are here now, too.”
“So?”
“If my folks are here, I can’t leave you unmarried at this alter.”
“But if you stay, that means we’re getting married.”
“Doesn’t matter. I can’t do it.”
The last chords of the harp sounded.
“That’s a terrible reason to get married.”
“If you don’t want this to happen, you’re free to leave,” he offered.
“Do you want to marry me?”
“I’m not opposed to the idea.”
My gaze snapped up to him, too shocked to speak .
His shrug was unapologetic. “We get along.”
And there it was. The most unromantic thing anyone has ever said to me. If I wasn’t so pissed, I’d be crushed.
“We get along?” I hissed. “That’s what you have to say?”
“What do you want me to say?”
Again with the out of body experience. Without remembering moving, I found myself walking to the side of the church. Loud whispers of hundreds of people ricocheted off the stone walls.
Porter caught up with me. He pulled me behind a huge planter of flowers, away from prying eyes.
“You’re leaving?” His grey eyes flashed with intensity.
I blinked up at him, finally allowing myself to ask the question I really wanted to ask. “What are we doing?”
“Would it be so bad?”
No, it’d be fucking great. But only if he actually wanted to marry me.
“Are you asking me to marry you?!”
His eyes never left my face. “I’m shit at this kind of stuff. This isn’t how I wanted to do it.”
“Do what?”
“Ask you if you’d be interested in not canceling our wedding.”
My mouth dropped, as shock rippled through my body. “You want to marry me?”
“I don’t not want to marry you.”
“Why are you suddenly using double negatives?”
He ran both his hands through his hair. “I can’t imagine not doing this.”
Disbelief, shock, and joy washed through me, but mostly joy. “That’s still a double negative.”
His lips twitched in amusement, “When did you become the grammar police?”
“Semantics matter.”
“Fine. Beth Stirling. I feel things for you that I’ve never felt before. ”
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” I half-whispered, half-wailed.
“I wanted to.”
“But?”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d say.”
Disbelief. “You thought I’d say no?”
“I don’t know.”
Our eyes locked. “Is this real?”
“I’m the one who told Roo to invite my parents,” he added.
“What!?”
“But I didn’t think they’d show. There’s a whole lot of stuff there that I need to tell you.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me?”
“Because you’re the only thing in this world that scares me.”
“I’m in love with you,” I whisper-shouted, “So stupidly in love with you, I can’t even take it.”
He crushed me into his arms, and his kiss was so passionate, so intense, I swooned. He lifted his head. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, I want to marry you.”
“You look hot as fuck in that wedding dress.”
“You should see the negligee Roo forced me to buy.”
He groaned and kissed me again. “Sorry for the shit proposal.”
Porter wanted to marry me!
My arms clung to his neck. “It kind of suits how we came together.”
Determination crossed his face. “Let’s get this show on the road. I want to make you mine.”
“Stay bossy,” I instructed.
“Oh, I plan on it.”
When we reappeared, the entire congregation clapped.
Porter led me to the front. We exchanged goofy smiles, and the minister asked with a dry tone. “Are you two ready?”
Porter didn’t look away from my face. He looked so damn happy. “We’re ready.”