Chapter 41
Wade
I have attended exactly three wedding rehearsals in my life.
All of them have taken too long.
But I’d be fine if this one lasted all night, because Ari looks incredible in some kind of sweater dress that should be completely innocent.
It isn’t.
The soft tan fabric skims every curve that I have absolutely no business noticing. Tall brown boots disappear beneath the hem, and her brown hair hangs loose around her shoulders in perfect waves.
She has this ability to look effortlessly beautiful while the rest of us are out here fighting for our lives in khaki pants and a sports jacket.
The entire wedding party gathers at Horseshoe Holler. White chairs line the aisle down the tree-filled path. The leaves have fully committed to autumn now, covering the hillsides in every shade of orange, gold, and red imaginable.
It’s peak Vermont fall in Autumn Ridge.
Jaxon stands at the front, beside the wedding arch, while Landrie fusses over the order of how everyone is supposed to line up.
“No, Wade is supposed to be at the end of the groomsmen line because he’s not family.” She points. I move.
Jaxon catches my eye, giving me an awkward smile. Neither of us has any authority here. But I don’t mind. I’m not family. I’m just the best friend. I’ll stand wherever Landrie tells me to.
Ari smiles at me as she stands in line opposite the men.
My own smile immediately appears; I don’t even try to hide it anymore—not that I ever really did.
She steals a page from my book and winks at me.
There’s something wildly attractive about her winking at me.
It’s probably the cutest thing another human has ever done.
And now I’m just counting down the minutes until this is done and I can be right next to her.
My desperate need to be near her as much as possible is crazy and a bit humbling.
“Alright.” Landrie claps her hands. “Can everyone please focus? Look at the bridesmaid or groomsmen who are across from you. That’s who you’ll be walking down the aisle with.”
My eyes shoot to the best man. I’ve never been more jealous of Luke Walker in my entire life.
“Careful, Luke.” Jaxon nudges his little brother. “Wade looks like he’s about to strangle you just for walking Ari down the aisle.”
This makes all of the Walker brothers laugh.
And now I’ve got Ben teasing me. “It’s good for Wade to have a little competition. Keeps him honest.”
Tate joins in. “Sorry, Wade. We can’t rearrange the whole wedding party because you’ve finally fallen for someone.”
Luke raises his palms in innocence. “I swear I won’t touch her the whole time.”
I laugh, glancing at Ari. “Just make sure you deliver her back to me when you’re done.”
And I mean it.
The rehearsal takes forty-seven years or approximately forty-five minutes.
Same thing.
Eventually, everyone makes it through the ceremony without any mistakes or doing anything that Landrie doesn’t approve of.
Jaxon throws an arm around my shoulders as people begin heading toward their vehicles. “It looks like you finally succumbed to your feelings for Ari.”
I glance her way. She’s laughing with Liv near the parking area.
“Yeah, maybe I have.”
His grin widens. “It’s about time, buddy.”
That’s all he says before slapping me on the back and running off to his bride.
And honestly, when it comes to Ari and me, it really is about time.
The church buzzes with conversation when we arrive for dinner. Round tables fill the activity room just off the chapel. Every detail is over the top. I don’t know much about rehearsal dinners, but I know this one is nice. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Landrie and Barb.
The Walker family occupies two entire tables when you figure in Maven with Ben, Liv with Tate, and some blonde girl with Luke.
I find Ari helping carry pitchers of water to tables. Without thinking, I take them from her hands. “Put me to work, Miss Langford.”
“Still trying to impress my mom, I see.”
“We’ve been over this.” I lean in, whispering low into her ear. “I’m only trying to impress you.”
“Okay, then.” She smiles. “You’re on water duty.”
And just like that, we’re working together, moving through the evening side by side. It’s surprisingly easy for a man who’s spent most of my life making sure nobody got close enough to me to matter.
But now Ari’s become my first instinct.
Not my date.
Not my fake girlfriend.
Just my person.
The woman I want to deserve.
Dinner is halfway over when Ari nudges my arm. “Do you realize we made it to the end of our bet?”
The wedding was always the deadline for our fake arrangement.
I turn toward her, resting my elbow against the back of her chair, my thumb tracking small circles over her back.
A grin pulls at my mouth. “Like I said last week, it looks like you won.”
“Based on how Ashtyn completely dropped off the face of the earth, I’d say I did win.”
“You were a formidable opponent.”
She laughs, tilting her body into my space. “You weren’t terrible yourself.”
“High praise coming from you, but I think there’s still some work to do on your mom.” I lean in closer, intertwining my fingers in hers on top of the table, my thumb skimming across the top of her hand. “So if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stick around. Really see this thing out until the end.”
Her mouth tilts as her eyes flick to our joined hands before returning to meet my gaze. “Is that so?”
“I’m no quitter.”
“Quitters never do prosper.”
“And I love to prosper.” I squeeze her fingers, sending a subliminal message. “But the real question is, what’s the prize for winning?”
“We never had one.”
“Well, I’m offering to give you whatever you want for winning our bet. It’s a one-time offer, Miss Langford. Take it or leave it.”
“Hmm.” Flirtation fills her eyes as she shifts even closer to me. Under the table, her thigh brushes against mine. Luckily for me, she doesn’t pull it away. “I’m sure I could think of a few things.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“And what about you? If you had won, what would you have chosen as your prize?”
“I’m here with you.” I glance down at her hand still folded inside mine. Without thinking, I lift it slightly, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. “I’m already walking away with the best prize.”
Her eyes light up, and I realize, somewhere over the last month and a half, Ari stopped being part of the bet.
She became the whole point.
Later, after the guests have all left, I find myself carrying chairs toward the storage room.
“Thank you,” Barb says as she holds the door open for me.
I shrug as much as I can with a pile of chairs in my arms. “Many hands make light work.”
A small smile touches her mouth. “That’s not what I was thanking you for.” She glances across the room to Ari. “I can see that you really care about her. So, thank you for making her happy, especially tonight and this week. It could’ve been really hard for her.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“I’m sorry if I came off as rude. It was less about you and more about my fear of Ari getting her heart broken again.”
“You don’t have to apologize. She’s your daughter, and it’s not like I’ve had an outstanding track record with the women I’ve dated.”
“But I hope that’s changing?”
“I hope so too.”
Then she walks away before I can figure out a better answer than that.
I watch her disappear into the crowd, wondering if, after the wedding, Barb will still feel the same way and want me in her daughter’s life. Still want me to make her happy.
I hope so, but I also have no idea what happens next between Ari and me.
This is uncharted territory.
I don’t know whether Ari is building a future here in Autumn Ridge or simply enjoying her time with me until she leaves again.