17. McKenzie
SEVENTEEN
McKenzie
“On a scale from one to irate, how mad is Jo gonna be when she finds out you turned Emilia into the bouquet?” Luca asked as I wove artificial orange roses into the elderly pup’s collar. I’d already glued some of the blossoms to her diaper, and I’d found a small froufrou dress at the pet store and glued dozens of flowers to it. Once she had it on, she’d be the cutest, fluffiest bouquet on the planet. Luca was already watching her for Dallas and Katie since they’d be busy preparing for their trip, so he brought her to my place, allowing me to work my magic without being under the watchful and mildly terrifying eye of Jo.
“She told me to get creative,” I said with a shrug. “So that’s on her.”
Jo had put me in charge of the flowers and cake. Luca had offered up the garden of the hobbit house as the location, which was especially generous since that meant Jo had commandeered his space since around noon. He’d been all too happy to bring Emilia over that evening so I could enact my plan. I’d gathered all my supplies, and together we sat on the floor with Emilia tucked between us, while my cats gave us the stink eye from a safe distance.
Luca smirked. “And by the time she realizes what we did, it’ll be too late for her to do anything about it.”
“What we did?” I asked.
He stroked the top of Emilia’s head as she sat before me, soaking up the attention with her cloudy eyes half closed.
“Well, yeah,” Luca said. “You don’t think I’m gonna let you take the fall by yourself, do you?”
I couldn’t hide my grin as my eyes snagged on his mischievous baby blues.
“You know, you told me you weren’t much of an animal person,” I said as I continued to work. “But I beg to differ. You like my cats, and you clearly like her.” I scratched Emilia behind the ears and booped her freckled nose.
He chuckled. “Emilia doesn’t count. She’s like a sweet old lady. You can’t hate an old woman.”
I pretended to cover her ears, my mouth wide with feigned shock. “You never discuss a lady’s age, especially not if you’re going to call her old.”
“I don’t think she can hear me, anyway,” he said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure those ears are just for show now.”
“You hear that, Emilia? Uncle Luca doesn’t want to admit he’s a big ole softie.” I picked up the tiny dog, holding her in front of my nose, which she kissed, giving me a faint wag of her tail.
“Am not,” he protested, his lips quirking at the corners.
“Don’t you listen to him,” I cooed at the pup before carefully putting the small outfit I’d crafted on her and turning her to face Luca. “Whatcha think?”
He gave me a hearty laugh as he took her from my hands. “I think she might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile as Emilia licked his chin, causing my heart to flutter like a hummingbird’s wings. He seemed so much softer than I’d given him credit for before I’d gotten to know him.
“So, Dallas and Katie…getting married,” I said, sitting back, resting my weight on my hands. “Should you object so we can save them from themselves or should I?” I teased.
“Afraid it’s too late for that,” he said with a laugh that slowed to a contented smile. “And I’m pretty sure they know what they’re getting into. They seem happy.”
“Yeah, they do,” I agreed with a sigh. “It just seems like such a life-altering decision.”
“Getting married?”
“Well, yes. But even just committing to someone without the formality of a piece of paper—that’s a big deal.”
“So you think they’re crazy?” he asked, stretching his long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankle.
I sighed and pressed my lips together as I considered his question. If someone had asked me a few weeks before, I would’ve said yes. Outside of my affinity for Meg Ryan movies, I wasn’t one for romance or the idea that one person could come along and change your heart on a cellular level.
But then Luca came into my life. Even if this crush of mine would never become anything more, it had shown me, despite my numerous protests to the contrary, that maybe I did want somebody to love.
“I don’t, actually,” I finally admitted. “I might even go so far as to say it’s sweet.”
“Hmm…” Luca said, a smile forming on his lips.
“What?”
Those adorable wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes again, making me want to throw every ounce of caution I’d ever had to the wind.
“Guess I’m not the only one who’s gone soft,” he said, his voice low.
He held my gaze for a moment, and I could feel my pulse thundering in my ears. His lips were parted slightly, and he looked like he was on the verge of saying something—the kind of something that could split my life in two, into a definitive before and after.
“McKenzie,” he began, and my breath hitched in my throat.
“Yeah?” I asked, almost inaudibly.
Before he could get any further, his phone pinged. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, then retrieved his cell from his back pocket.
“It’s Jo,” he said with an exasperated breath. “I should get back. She and Derek probably need help setting up.”
And just like that, the moment was gone.
“I guess I’ll see you in a bit?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah. I’ve got to get ready and swing by the restaurant to pick up the cake.”
We both rose to our feet, and he scooped Emilia into his arms. I followed him out onto the front stoop and watched him leave, like I had too many times already.
Too many times without him knowing he’s the only person I never wanted to walk away.
I squared my shoulders, letting out a nervous breath as I stepped out of my truck at Luca’s house around 9 p.m. The temperature was a chilly sixty degrees, and the night sky was clear. The small cake I made was nestled safely on the floorboard of my passenger seat. I was about to retrieve it when Jo came running out to meet me in a flowy rust-colored dress, and I prepared for her to read me the riot act about turning the dog into a bouquet.
“Everything is set up,” she said with one of her signature high-pitched squeals. “Dallas is waiting out back with Derek and Luca, but I’ve got Katie in one of the bedrooms with Emilia—who looks adorable, by the way. That was so creative. But anyway, Katie hasn’t been outside yet. I want her to be surprised.” She paused, regarding me with a tilt of her head. “You look amazing. Wow. You’re…you’re, like, hot. ”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to pretend you don’t sound so surprised.”
But she was right. I did look hot. I’d taken extra time on my hair and makeup before sliding on a slinky black dress and a shimmery shawl I’d found at the thrift store ages ago that I’d been holding onto for some future special occasion that had never happened. But I figured the wedding of one of my closest friends was a good enough reason, along with the blind hope that the moment Luca and I shared earlier hadn’t been all in my head.
Jo watched as I carefully extracted the cake, and she shut the passenger door for me before we started toward the house under the glow of the outside lamps.
“So, you were able to find an officiant?”
“Yep,” she said with the enthusiasm of five shots of espresso. “And a string quartet.”
“What?” I asked.
She gave me a shrug as though it was normal to just pull a four-piece ensemble out of one’s ass.
“Working in television has its advantages,” she said as we walked. “So, there are some outdoor heaters to keep everyone nice and toasty. Oh, and I didn’t do a ton of food. I hired someone to make a little grazing board, and of course, we have the cake you made. I figured they wouldn’t be able to stay too late, and we have to be home by midnight so the sitter can leave.”
“You really thought of everything,” I said, genuinely impressed.
Jo raised her eyebrows, repeating my own words back to me. “I’m going to pretend you don’t sound so surprised.” She grabbed the front door for me and followed as I placed the cake at the center of the rustic dining table that held the graze board, champagne in ice buckets, and a variety of autumnal flowers.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing my arm. “You’ve got to see Katie.”
I hung my shawl on the back of one of the chairs before she led me to the spare bedroom she’d turned into a makeshift bride’s room, and when she turned the knob, I caught my first glimpse of Katie.
I brought my hands in front of my mouth. “You are stunning.”
She had on the perfect cream-colored lace gown with bohemian sleeves that draped elegantly over her lithe arms. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, and she wore a flower crown made of cream and orange roses. Emilia slept on a pillow nearby.
“This was all Jo,” Katie said.
“But your beauty is all you.” Jo reached for her best friend’s hands, giving them a squeeze.
“Are you excited?” I asked.
“Actually, I’m kind of nervous,” Katie admitted. “I know we’re technically already married now, but this feels…different.”
“Well, if you’ve changed your mind, I can pull the truck around. You can just hop in the back,” I said with a grin.
She and Jo laughed.
“I don’t think I need a getaway car,” Katie said.
My own emotions clouded my eyes. I couldn’t even come up with a snappy comment or a single Tommy Lee and Pamela joke.
I nodded. “I know. You really love him.”
“I do,” she said, her eyes glittering as Jo fanned her own face.
“Save it for the ceremony,” Jo insisted, pulling Katie into a hug as the faint sound of string music filled the air. “It’s time.”
I knelt to scoop up Emilia, handing her to Katie. “Don’t forget your flowers,” I said with a grin.
Jo led the way, and I looped my arm through Katie’s as we trailed behind her.
“I’m happy for you,” I said. “Thank you for letting me be a part of this.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked, covering my hand with hers. “I couldn’t do this without you. Jo may be my matron of honor, but you’re my maid of honor.”
I scrunched my nose, unable to resist teasing her. “Can you call me something else? I’m afraid that might ruin my street cred.”
She leaned into me. “How about we call you one of my best friends?”
We stopped just inside the back entrance, and I wrapped her in a hug. “I think that’s perfect.”
Jo was pressed against the wooden door, her eyes lit with excitement. “Ready?”
Katie nodded. “Ready.”
Jo opened the door, and I audibly gasped when I saw what she’d done. She’d transformed the backyard of the hobbit house into a magical candlelit dreamworld. Near the back of the garden was the quartet, giving us the most beautiful soundtrack. Dallas looked dapper in his suit as he stood waiting beneath a floral archway lined with fairy lights, the preacher and Derek at his side.
And then there was Luca.
My heart lurched when my gaze landed on him, the chilly breeze tousling his hair. He wore gray slacks and a simple black button down with the sleeves rolled up. I’d never seen anyone more perfect.
I took a breath to ground myself as Jo started down the back stairs and up the glowing path that led to Dallas. She took her spot on the other side of the archway, and I began my descent down the stairs. I swallowed the lump in my throat as Luca caught my eye, his hand raking over his mouth, an unreadable expression on his face. Jo smiled at me as I took my position behind her.
Then we turned our attention to Katie. She looked like an angel as she floated toward us, her eyes glittering. But most of all she looked happy, in love, and unafraid. She reached Dallas’ waiting hands, and I had the perfect view of his face as he looked at his bride.
My throat tightened when I saw the tears slip down his cheeks. But his smile said it all. He’d waited his whole life for her, long before he even knew her name. Back when she was nothing but a distant dream, a someday maybe, a wish he didn’t know would ever be granted.
I never allowed myself to hope that big before, because it felt too impossible. Too rare and precious, like witnessing a star shooting across the sky. Even if I could be lucky enough to spot one, would it last?
There, under a late October sky, as Dallas took Katie in his arms, I started to believe. Maybe it was possible for me.