Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Mira
“I think we’re ready,” Markie says, handing me a bouquet of wildflowers. “Are you ready to become Mrs. Adler?”
I roll my eyes, but that doesn’t stop the smile on my face.
My brain can’t quite compute this situation.
It should sound goofy for my sister to say this, considering the circumstances with which I’m becoming Mrs. Adler.
And it does … kind of. It also sounds inexplicably exciting, a feeling I’m attributing to everyone’s positive energy rubbing off on me.
One day, I’ll be able to look back on this moment as a story from my wild youth, the best decision I ever made, or the day that I broke my own damn heart. Which one will it be? Time will tell.
“There you are,” Gray says, walking toward us. A piano begins to play, the music echoing through the halls of the small church. We’re tucked into a hallway out of sight from the guests who have already taken their seats. “I heard I’m escorting you down the aisle, Markie.”
“You heard right,” Markie answers him. “Okay, everyone. Listen up. The doors leading into the sanctuary are closed right now and will open in a few minutes. Once that happens, Gray and I will walk out slowly.” She turns to Jessica, the mom of the ring bearer.
“Once we make it to the front, Lilly can make her way to us.” She smiles at the cute little blonde. “Okay, Lilly?”
“I’m gonna be great at this,” Lilly says, holding the darling pillow with our rings as if it holds the key to world peace.
We all smile.
“Then, when the bridal chorus begins, you’ll do your thing, Mira,” Markie says. “And remember to take your time. This is your moment.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I say, grinning at her.
Jessica has a question, and Markie steps to the side to answer her. Gray turns to me.
“You look beautiful, Mira,” he says.
I blush, not expecting a compliment from my almost-brother-in-law. “Thanks, Gray.”
“You know,” he says, fixing his tie, “I always wondered if this day would come. Or if you two would be so fucking hardheaded that you’d rather be miserable your whole lives.”
My blush deepens, and I’m not sure how to answer him. He really thought his brother and I would end up married?
“You really shouldn’t cuss in church, you know,” I tease instead of directly answering his non-question.
He snorts. “Trust me. God doesn’t have time to worry about me. He’s too busy making sure Brooks’s bullshit doesn’t catch this place on fire.”
I laugh. He’s probably onto something there.
“No, but seriously … welcome to the family,” Gray says.
“I appreciate that very much.”
He gives his arm to Markie as she returns and takes a breath. “It’s go time.” They step into the foyer and face the doors, sealing the entryway from the sanctuary. The music changes, growing slower, as the doors creak open.
My heart begins to pound so hard that I’m woozy on my feet. I clutch my flowers, watching Lilly’s reaction to the number of people in attendance. Her wide eyes and hushed whispers to her mother make my stomach flip.
Suddenly, I wish I weren’t alone. I knew Miles wouldn’t attend well before he told me that, and I didn’t think it would matter. But I just wish there was someone here to make this journey with me, someone who I could call in a moment like this.
When did my life become so solitary? Is it just because I’m surrounded by all of these people who obviously care deeply about each other? Does that make my loneliness feel bigger than it really is?
I’m wearing my mother’s wedding dress in an impromptu wedding with the only man I could ever fathom marrying. That could be the cause. Well, that or my nomadic lifestyle has been a little too effective at making me a loner.
Do not cry, Mira. You’ll ruin your makeup. My chest shakes as I breathe, and I know tears are a moment away.
I take the blue handkerchief that Lolly gave me and dab my eyes. Just as Markie and Gray take their first step toward the aisle, I feel a hand on my shoulder.
Miles?
I gasp a breath and look over my shoulder to find Brooks watching me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him. “Shouldn’t you have taken your seat?”
He shoves his hands in his pockets, his usual mischievous smile gone.
“You know, I don’t know if I ever told you this or not, but when I was about eight years old, my dad had me around the throat after a baseball game,” he says.
My heart drops. Why are you telling me? And why are you telling me this now?
“He was shaking the shit out of me for missing a ball at shortstop,” Brooks says, somber.
“And your dad came around the concession stand and saw us. In no uncertain terms, he told my dad that if he ever saw him touch me again, he’d break every one of his fingers so that he’d never be able to grab anything again.
” He looks at the ground, as if he’s replaying the memory, before lifting his gaze to mine.
“I was just sitting in there with Audrey, thinking about our upcoming wedding. And I got to thinking about how beautiful she’ll be when she walks down the aisle with her dad.
” He licks his lips. “And then I realized that you’d be walking yourself down the aisle today. ”
My bottom lip trembles.
I know Brooks, but we aren’t exactly great friends. And maybe he’s not doing this for me, but he’s doing it for Hartley, knowing Hartley would want that for me. Either way, he didn’t have to get up and leave his fiancée and come back here to offer something so kind to me.
But he did. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell him how much his kindness means to me.
“If you’ve got this by yourself, I’ll go back to my seat,” he says.
“But if you don’t want to walk alone, I’d love to walk with you.
I kinda feel like I owe your dad a favor, and handing you off to the best man that I’ve ever known seems like a good way to repay him.
” His lips twist. “I’d also like to see the look on Hart’s face, but that’s me being petty. ”
I laugh through my tears as my heart swells, doubling in size. “I’d really, really appreciate you walking with me, Brooks,” I whisper, struggling to keep my emotions at bay. If Brooks has me ready to cry, I’m probably screwed.
He stands tall beside me, offering me his elbow. I slide my arm through it and take a long, deep breath.
“For the record,” he says, “I do want to be invited to every holiday and cookout, no matter what Hartley tells you.”
My cheeks ache from smiling. “Noted.”
The bridal chorus begins to play, and Jessica motions for us to begin our walk.
“Here we go,” Brooks whispers as we step into the foyer.
“Oh, my gosh,” I gasp as the guests come into view. They rise from their seats in the packed room. “What is happening here?”
Brooks smiles down at me. “Everyone’s happy for you guys.”
We move slowly down the aisle, passing Lolly’s friends, the mayor and his wife, and Lisa from Piper’s Pizza. Patsy gives us a thumbs-up.
But it’s the man at the end of the aisle—the one wearing a suit and black tie, and a smile that lights up the room—that makes me wobble.
Hartley’s eyes widen as we grow closer. His weight shifts from one foot to another, and he rearranges his hands in front of him as if he’s not sure what to do with them and is trying to keep himself from reaching for me.
And for a moment, I allow myself to pretend that I’m in a vacuum and that this is real.
That happy endings are a thing.
“Oh, Mira,” Lolly says, beaming with pride.
We come to a stop in front of my fiancé. Brooks unwinds my arm from his and then takes my hand and places it into Hartley’s. Then he pulls him into a one-armed hug.
“How did I know you’d weasel your way into this somehow?” Hartley chuckles.
“What can I say?” Brooks whispers back. “I love attention.”
Our guests take their seats as Pastor Reed appears between Hartley and me.
“We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Hartley Adler and Mira St. James,” he says. “Marriage is a sacred covenant built on love, trust, patience, and grace, a promise made in front of your friends, family, and our God.”
Hartley takes my hands in his, staring into my eyes. There are no second-guesses reflected in his beautiful browns—no anxiety or regrets. He rubs the tops of my hands with his thumbs and smiles. “You’re so beautiful,” he mouths.
“Before we continue, if anyone here has just cause as to why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace,” Pastor Reed says.
“I swear, if anyone objects after we’ve waited this long …” a voice says from the back of the room, eliciting a roar of laughter from everyone present.
The pastor chuckles. “Do you, Hartley, take Mira to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”
Hartley’s eyes sparkle. “I do.”
My breathing quickens.
“Do you, Mira, take Hartley to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”
I smile. “I do.”
“May I have the rings?” Pastor Reed asks. Lilly hands them to him. “These rings are outward symbols of the promises you made today.” He hands Hartley a ring. “Please place this ring on Mira’s finger and repeat after me.”
Hartley slides a gold band with a gorgeous emerald-cut diamond set east-west—my favorite—onto my finger, repeating after the pastor.
I gasp, my gaze shooting from the sparkler to his face, wishing I could ask him what he’s doing.
It’s beautiful and exactly what I would’ve chosen for myself—and entirely too expensive.
Pastor Reed hands me the ring I bought for Hartley. I slide it on his finger. “With this ring, I give you my heart,” I say, repeating the words Hartley said to me. Our eyes lock as he takes both of my hands into his. “You had my heart a long time ago.”
My lips purse together as I try not to cry or scream or melt into a puddle on the floor of the church.
“By the authority vested in me by the state of Tennessee, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
A roar of applause and a few whistles fill the church.
“Hartley, you may kiss your bride,” Pastor Reed says, stepping away from us.
My heart jumps into my throat as my husband cuts the distance between us until our bodies are nearly touching. He cups my cheeks in his hands and tilts my lips toward his. But instead of kissing me, he just grins.
“This is wild,” he says, chuckling so softly that I can barely hear him over the ruckus around us.
“You know what would be even wilder?”
“What’s that?”
I giggle. “If you kissed me.”
“Kiss her already,” someone yells.
He lowers his mouth to mine as I sag into him.
My breath hitches as he makes contact, and fireworks burst inside me.
I grab his lapels, afraid my knees will give out, as his lips move expertly over mine.
It’s a sweet kiss—bringing back memories of much, much dirtier things we’ve done over the years.
I’m on absolute fire when he pulls back, and I have to restrain myself from bringing his lips back to mine. No man has ever kissed me like Hartley Adler. Then again, I haven’t kissed that many men over the years.
I knew they’d never compete, and who wants to start a relationship already disappointed?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Pastor Reed shouts. “May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Hartley Adler!”
A round of applause accompanies the loud cheers. I hold up my bouquet as Hartley leads me back down the aisle, catching a glimpse of Astrid grinning as we nearly jog past and duck into the room where I got ready this afternoon.
“What do you think, Mrs. Adler?” Hartley asks, teasing me.
“I think—no, I know—you can kiss better than that.”
He rolls his eyes. “Are you complaining already?”
I giggle. “Yes. We have rules to follow, and aside from a few pecks in public, that was the best I’m gonna get.”
He starts to respond, but stops himself. Something tells me that’s for the best.
The sound of everyone starting to leave grows louder.
“Did you pack a honeymoon bag?” Hartley asks.
“Yeah. It’s over there. I just need to toss a few things back in it, and I’m ready to roll.”
He smiles. “Then I say we get the hell out of here before we get caught up in chitchat.”
Something deep inside me stirs. “Sounds like a great plan to me.”