26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
Emily
Harriet’s number flashed on my screen, and I answered it.
We were barely home from the retreat, our bags still by the door, and the trill of my ring sounded foreign after the technological blackout in the woods.
“Are you all there?” she asked.
“Yes, putting you on speaker.” I placed the phone on the table and the three of us huddled around it.
“Good news?” Mac asked.
The line was silent.
Harriet cleared her throat. “I wish. I even thought of making up something good to tell you guys—”
“I’d rather hear the truth,” Bash grumbled, clearly already stressed before we even knew what was wrong this time.
To be honest, I was fretting, too.
She sighed, scrambling the phone. “The baker saw some article about the three of you and decided it was bad for her business to make your cake—”
Mac’s face turned red, and he pressed his palms to the table. “So, we’ll find another baker?”
“That’s the spirit,” Harriet cried, no doubt relieved Mac was open to something else, but she couldn’t see his face.
“Any luck with more tents?” I asked, hoping for better news with a new topic.
“We can just buy some—” Mac cut in.
“The company that makes them has the size we need on back order. I checked every place we could buy, rent, or have them made, and it’s been a bust. How do you guys feel about getting a few smaller tents and attaching them? It can still look nice and intentional if we do the lighting right.”
“Smaller tents are probably better,” I said, trying not to show how much the next sentence bothered me. “The guest list isn’t very big.”
“No luck with your parents?”
I glanced at Mac and Bash and my chest tightened. “No.”
“Leave the tents and new cake to me. I have made several calls to people and should hear back over the next few days. Regroup and we’ll talk again when I have better news.”
We said our goodbyes and stared at the phone for a few seconds.
“Can we pay her to stop updating us?” Mac sighed and raked his hand through his hair. “What else can go wrong?”
“Don’t even say those words out loud.” Bash’s eyes widened.
“I told her from the start I wanted to be updated on everything as it happened.”
“But did you expect every single call to be bad news?” Mac asked.
“Obviously, not.” I rolled my eyes and then sighed. “Sorry—”
“No, I’m sorry.” He groaned and wrapped his arms around me. “The wedding’s supposed to bring everyone together, not pull us apart.”
“Exactly,” Bash murmured.
Mac rubbed his hands together and rolled his lower lip between his teeth. He was antsy, and I made a mental note to tell Bash to exercise him more. He had a few weeks off and was used to way more physical exertion.
“Let’s go on a walk,” I said, grabbing my sunglasses.
We ended up at the lily gardens, and I hesitated at the front gates. We could keep walking, or we could face our problems head on. We had avoided wedding talk for too long and the retreat had reminded me how good it felt facing my problems and my fears.
“Let’s go walk around the grounds and see how we feel,” I suggested.
Mac kissed my cheek and reached for Bash’s hand. “Sounds good to me.”
Bash nodded, gritting his teeth.
I rubbed his arm, and his shoulders slumped. “You okay?”
He smiled, his jaw remaining clenched. “Yeah. I’m just tired of all this—”
If I didn’t feel the exact same way, I’d be worried he was talking about me or about Mac, but I knew what he meant. This whole wedding thing had gotten so out of proportion and it was exhausting.
I stretched up and kissed his scruffy cheek. “Let’s go.”
The gardens were just as pretty as I remembered. Now that the weather was hotter, there were only a few wispy clouds, and the lake reflected the blue sky.
A couple was walking ahead of us, pointing out the features of the grounds, clutching each other’s arms and whispering so excitedly the wind carried snippets of their conversation.
“I think they’re scoping the place out for a wedding—”
“Or they’re casing the joint.” Mac grinned and pulled me in for a tight hug. “Coming here was a good idea. I want to marry the two of you so damn bad.”
Bash wrapped his arms around us, resting his head on my chin. “Me too. Hell, I’d be happy to elope—”
A small giggle bubbled up in my chest, turning into a full-blown, almost-snorting laughter.
Bash pulled me to arm’s length and raised his brow. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s really not that funny, but of course you would rather elope.” I dried my eyes. “Avoiding all the people and fanfare.”
Bash stuck his tongue out and I laughed harder.
“I thought you wanted a big wedding?” I asked, sobering slightly.
His eyes widened. “I thought you wanted a big wedding? I’m seriously fine eloping—”
“I’m fine with that, too.” Mac grabbed the back of his neck. “This got so out of control. Harriet’s having to reach out to all these people and knowing some of them don’t want to work with us because there are three of us? I mean, it should be about the three of us and our love for each other.”
I frowned, the laughter fizzing out. “I really wanted my family on board.”
“I know,” Bash murmured, rubbing my lower back. “I did, too.”
Mac’s shoulders fell, and he put his arms around both of us. “We have each other?”
The way he said it like a question tore my heart open. He brushed away the tears that fell down my cheek, his face softening. “I’ve got you,” he murmured.
Bash leaned in close, creating a huddle that shielded me from the gardens and let me cry in peace.
“You’re right. We have each other and I should be grateful for that.” I wiped the back of my hand across my nose. “And I am—”
“But it’s not what you pictured,” Bash answered for me when I couldn’t.
I nodded and took in a huge breath that made me a little dizzy. “It’ll be okay, though. Let’s walk around and daydream, okay?”
Mac nodded, smiling softly. “Sounds good to me.”
We strolled around the grounds, soaking in the garden’s beauty. I couldn’t picture getting married there, but it was our best option, and, at the end of the day, the venue really didn’t matter.
We reached the front office and watched as the couple that had been handsy and awestruck when we first got there walked out of the main office, looking like they’d both been crying.
“Hey,” Mac yelled over to them. “Everything okay?”
The two of them looked at each other before looking back at us. She shook her head, and he wrapped his arm around her, calling back, “The venue’s all booked up.”
They wanted this venue. They could see themselves getting married there. I could see them getting married there.
“Let’s give them the venue,” I blurted before I even knew what I was saying.
Mac’s eyes widened. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time, Pink.”
We both looked at Bash, who was frowning and watching the sullen couple. “Let’s do it.”
They didn’t even question me or try to talk me out of it. This was the first thing about our wedding planning that had seemed right in a really long time. A weight lifted off my chest and I jogged over to tell them the good news, tugging my guys with me as love bubbled in my chest.