Chapter 4
After unpacking my bag and hanging my suits—one for the rehearsal dinner and one for the wedding—in the closet, I head outside.
Skipping my truck, I follow the trail signs near the cabin and make my way back to the main lodge.
The rehearsal dinner and reception will be held there while the ceremony itself will be outdoors.
There’s an overlook farther up the mountain with a gazebo that we’ll be married under.
Hopefully all the rain we’ve been getting lately won’t affect the ceremony.
The lady at the front desk warned me earlier to avoid certain trails because the rain has increased the risk of a landslide.
Despite assurances that the overlook wasn’t one of the areas on that list, I can’t help but worry.
Am I really doing the right thing, marrying Ashley?
Shaking my head, I once again tell myself to stop questioning things.
Ashley is nice, and I love her like family.
I know we aren’t marrying for love, but maybe in time, love will come.
The thought makes me snort because I know there’s no way our hearts will change anytime soon, if they change at all.
They already belong to someone else and have for years.
Continuing on my way, I focus my thoughts on what I have to do before meeting Rex for lunch.
First, I’ll check with the resort’s restaurant staff to go over the menu for the rehearsal dinner and reception again.
I’m sure they and Stacy—our wedding planner—have everything squared away, but Ashley is a bit anal about making sure everything is perfect and will go smoothly.
As the only daughter in her family, there’s pressure from her mother and likely mine, too, since I’m an only child, to have a big wedding.
We had to hire a wedding planner to keep our mothers under control.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother just like Ashley loves hers, but the minute we announced our engagement, they turned into momzillas.
Originally, we were letting them help with the planning, but it didn’t take long before it became apparent that they didn’t agree with a lot of the things Ashley and I wanted.
Yes, Ashley comes from money. Her father is the CEO of a multibillion-dollar architecture firm, and Ashley is set to take over for him when he retires.
My parents aren’t as well off, but they do have enough where I could live a full life off the trust fund they created for me without worry.
Needless to say, both our families are used to a certain level of luxury.
My family lives humbly within the pack and aren’t ones to flaunt their wealth.
However, with the wedding, I’ve seen a side to my mother, Elizabeth, I’ve never seen before.
It’s not that she’s being a snob or anything.
I know she only wants the best for me since this is the only wedding she’ll get to be involved in and she didn’t have a big wedding herself.
Mating is different, and since she’d already had a wedding with my father, she didn’t have one with my stepfather, and I think she regrets it.
Not the marriage or mating but the fact they had a courthouse shindig instead of another fancy ceremony.
So, she’s living her dreams out with me and Ashley.
Not that that’s a bad thing, but when it comes down to it, it’s our wedding, not hers and not Miranda’s.
When I came home one evening and found Ashley crying into a wineglass because they ran roughshod over her and decided the flowers she wanted for her bouquet and centerpieces weren’t a good choice, I told her it was time to cut them out of the wedding planning.
After that night, we hired Stacy, and while our mothers had things to say about it, they relented once we explained how stressful they were making everything.
Stacy has been a blessing, and I know she’s got everything under control, but like I said, Ashley is anal retentive, so I’m happy to double-check things for her to give her peace of mind.
After I finish checking on the menu for the reception and rehearsal dinner, I’ll see if Stacy has brought over any of the linens and things for the tables and chairs.
Everything will be set up the morning of the wedding while we’re all getting ready since the ceremony will take place at sunset, so there truly isn’t much for me to check on, but I told Ashley I’d do what I could.
Ashley thinks the sunset and the backdrop of the fall foliage will make for stunning pictures.
She knows more about things like this than I do, so I rolled with it when she suggested it.
Deep down I wish it was Rex I was marrying instead.
But I can’t keep thinking like that when I already know nothing will come of it.
No matter how much I wish things were different.
Walking into the main lodge, I head for the restaurant.
When I walk in, I spot Stacy standing with a man in chef whites.
They’re deep in conversation, with her showing him things on her iPad, and I can’t help but grin.
I knew she had this handled. Walking over, I tap Stacy on the shoulder and ask, “How are things going, Stacy?”
She turns to me with a bright bubbly smile, as the chef heads back to the kitchen, and says, “Perfect! I was going over the menu and serving times with Chef Little. He’s got everything handled.
The florist will be delivering the centerpieces and bouquets the morning of the wedding, and the resort staff have the rest of the decorations ready and waiting to be set up at the same time.
We’d set up early if we could, but without knowing what the weather is going to do, we don’t want to risk anything getting ruined. ”
Someone’s getting a five-star review. She’s got this in the bag. “Well, it sounds like you have everything handled,” I tell her with a grin.
She nods. “Absolutely. We even have a tent area planned for the ceremony in case it does rain, so the guests don’t get wet. You and Ashley have nothing to worry about. You can leave everything to me and relax. I’ve got it all covered, and if any issues arise, you’ll know right away.”
“Thank you, we truly appreciate all you’ve done for us.”
“Well it is my job,” she says with a humorous twinkle in her eye that makes me laugh.
Checking my watch, I realize it’s close to the time I’m supposed to meet Rex. It took longer to get here than I thought it would, thanks to my mind wandering. “Then I’ll leave you to it. I’m due to meet my best man for lunch before we go spearfishing.”
She says, “Have fun” before walking out of the restaurant area. After she’s gone, I let the hostess guide me to a table for two, where I settle in to wait for Rex.