Chapter Fifteen

Saylor

Casey turned me to the mirror. “You look stunning. Absolutely stunning.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wear the veil?” Dani asked from over my left shoulder.

Fighting back tears, I pivoted to face my wonderful, supportive friends. I took each of their hands and pulled them close.

“I can’t do this,” I explained. “I can’t face that empty room and marry myself. Hunter and Matt aren’t here—”

“For all you know they might be drinking in the bar,” Casey said.

I shook my head. “I’ve been checking the airport app since six a.m. Flights have either been canceled or diverted because of the storm. Let’s skip the ceremony and go straight to Christmas lunch?”

Casey cupped my face in her hands. “No way, girl. You’ve come this far, and you’re doing this. It’s wedding jitters. You’ve probably got hundreds of followers checking your Instagram between unwrapping gifts, to see how your morning is progressing.”

“They won’t be. I’m closing the account. They’ll have forgotten me by Tuesday.”

“They are checking because you promised a little video for them, and they’ll already be tired of the relatives they’ve been forced to spend the day with. You are their distraction.” She waved her hand at Dani. “Bride needs a drink. Did that champagne arrive?”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“Here it is,” Dani said, opening the door.

Sally wheeled a small cart into the room, with champagne in a bucket and three flutes. She made quick work of opening the bottle and pouring drinks. “Management loved yesterday’s spa photos,” she said. “The function room is ready for you. Photographer and celebrant are here.”

“Saylor just needs to get rid of her nerves,” Casey explained. “We’ll be down in ten.”

“Good. You ladies look magnificent,” Sally said, then left the room in the same efficient manner in which she’d arrived.

Dani handed each of us a champagne flute. She raised hers in the air. “Here’s to our magnificence.”

We drank fast rounds of increasingly silly toasts, and I finished with: “May I live happily ever after.”

“With a never-ending supply of batteries for your sex toys,” Casey added.

I placed my empty glass back on the tray. “Let’s do this, team. If we don’t get down there they might think I’m a runaway bride, again.”

I hadn’t wanted a practice for the ceremony, seeing as it was only going to be Casey, Dani, and me, but the girls had worked out a format for a semi-grand entrance where they would flank me down the short aisle, and present me to the celebrant. Dani insisted we practice as we descended the wide staircase, our little procession catching the interest of the couples waiting in the foyer.

“They’re all looking at us,” I muttered.

“Own it, girlfriend. You look so amazing, they’re awestruck,” Casey said. “Lift your chin. Be a princess.”

I did, and was amazed how the shift in my posture filled me with confidence. Yes, I would own this moment, and honor myself. This was not only my closure from my disastrous relationship, but my new beginning.

Sally waited at the closed double doors to the reception room. Casey gave her a nod and she opened the doors and moved quickly out of the way. Soft music greeted us, and I closed my eyes and took a moment to compose myself. The scent of my favorite lilies met me and I drew a deep breath and nodded. I was ready.

I clasped my friends’ hands, stepped into the room, and stopped.

“This is the wrong room,” I said in a low whisper. There must have been another wedding taking place at the same time as my ceremony. It didn’t make sense. Sally had been so efficient until the moment she brought me to the wrong wedding venue. The gathering was small, but it was complete with what looked to be a groom and best man waiting with their backs to us at the end of the aisle.

I tried to duck out, but Casey and Dani held me in place.

“Move,” I hissed. “This is embarrassing. The real bride’s going to turn up and—”

“She’s here, already.” Dani was grinning.

I looked again, just as the groom and best man turned to face us.

Hunter and Matt!

“What’s happening?” I didn’t expect an answer, and even if one had been offered I doubt I’d have heard it over the blood roaring in my ears.

Hunter, in a formal suit walked towards me looking devastatingly handsome, as Casey and Dani urged me down the aisle. With a quick glance around the room I saw the guests from my side of my original wedding invitation list.

Was I being pranked?

Hunter reached out to me, and Casey and Dani released my hands into his, then left us standing in the aisle.

“You look beautiful,” he said, with a smile so radiant, my temperature shot up.

“So do you. Handsome, I mean. But beautiful too. I’m confused. Everyone’s here. Why are you all here?”

“To support you through the ceremony you have planned.”

“Wow. I’m stunned. I didn’t expect this. You look amazing. I’m so happy to see you. Did I say that already?”

Hunter laughed. “I’ve haven’t heard you scrambling for words since that morning you found me in the kitchen when you thought you were alone in the house.”

“You mustn’t tell anyone that story.”

He squeezed my hands. “Come on, you have some vows to make.”

“I don’t want to do it.” When I blurted those words I wasn’t sure who was more surprised. Hunter or me. But they came directly from my heart. With Hunter in front of me, the last thing I wanted to do was take a vow of sologamy.

“Do you have your vows prepared?”

I nodded, glancing around the room. There were Mom and Dad, Matt, my two favorite cousins, Lily and June. My Aunty Nina. Other friends and cousins adding up to about forty people all looking intently at Hunter and me.

“Tell me the crux of your vows,” he said.

His gaze locked with mine and suddenly we were the only two in the room. My vows tumbled about in my head, and the most meaningful one, the promise to myself that I hoped to honor throughout my life, became the only vow of importance among the little speech I’d prepared over the past few weeks.

“Mostly…” I choked up and had to take a moment to swallow past the tightness in my throat.

“Take your time.”

God, his eyes. I couldn’t tear my gaze away. “Mostly, I want to vow that I will do whatever it takes to know who I really am, to live as that person, totally awake and aware, and to never settle for less than my heart and soul desire.”

“And, do your heart and soul desire to live a life of sologamy?”

My heart and soul desired him. Truth. I bit my lip as I tried to come up with a way to explain that to him. “No.” I shook my head. “No, there’s somebody else I’d rather share my life with.”

“I believe we’ve reached the same page of the same book,” he said, reaching into his pocket.

He took hold of my left hand, holding it flat, palm facing down. Then he pulled his hand from his pocket and slid a beautiful emerald and diamond ring onto my bare finger.

We stared at it. The fit was perfect. Hunter said my name and my gaze slid back to meet his.

“I hope with all my heart, Saylor, that you’ll do me the great honor of becoming my partner, my soul mate, and my fellow adventurer in this crazy thing we call life.”

“Can I cry?” I asked, knowing I couldn’t contain tears and calm a heart that was trying to detonate in my chest.

“Only if it means you’re going to say yes.”

“I’m saying yes. Every inch of me is saying yes.” I put my hand on my chest. “You’re killing me, Hunter, I can scarcely breathe.”

“Let me fix that for you,” he said, bending forward, clasping the back of my head and bringing my mouth to meet his.

He may have started softly but like me, he chose to ignore everyone in the room and take what we’d both missed for the past two days.

“I thought you weren’t coming back,” I said, running my tongue along his bottom lip.

“I never went anywhere. I stayed close, kept an eye on you, made sure you and the girls were safe. It’s been crazy, Saylor.” He kissed me again, fast and hard. “I’ll explain everything later, but don’t you worry. You were front and center of my mind the entire time.”

Our mouths collided again.

“I guess she said ‘yes’, Hunter,” Matt called out, and all the guests stood and cheered.

“The only thing I couldn’t organize was a marriage license, so everyone’s here to celebrate our engagement, and Christmas. I don’t want to rush the wedding.”

“I do,” I said. “I don’t want you to change your mind.”

Hunter grinned. “No chance of that, but I want to help you plan it. We’ll do exactly what you want. Big or small, your choice.”

“Maybe we could elope,” I suggested. “I’ve done the long wait and the planning, and all I can say was that it was worth it because it brought us together. This is right, Hunter. We are right. I don’t need anything fancy, I just need to be your wife.”

We were about to kiss again when Santa burst through the door carrying a sack of gifts, accompanied by decidedly cute elves with champagne.

“Let’s get this party done. That dress is hot, but you’re hotter out of it.”

“That suit you’re wearing, Hunter Stratten, is delicious. But I have to agree. You’re even more delicious naked.”

“Glad we agree. Come on, I think our parents would like to say a few words.

By the time we’d been congratulated by everyone in the room my cheeks ached. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. The photo I chose for my final Instagram post was one of our entire group, complete with Santa and elves, all gathered around the astounding Christmas tree.

After we’d eaten, I cornered Dani and Casey.

“You two knew about this?”

“Blame your fiancé. Hunter phoned us in Chicago, telling us his plan. He wanted us to keep you occupied while he got this little party organized, but things went somewhat awry when he suddenly had business issues to deal with,” Dani explained.

“It hurt to see you so sad when he had your luggage sent over, but we knew it would turn out fine,” Casey said.

“You could have told me,” I said. “You’re my besties. You’re not supposed to keep secrets.”

“And ruin the surprise? No way,” Dani said.

“You should have seen your face,” Casey added. “I hope the photographer caught that.”

“We’re in the wrong room, quick, we have to leave before the real bride gets here,” Dani mimicked.

“Don’t remind me. All I could see were the shapes of people. I didn’t even look at them properly, I just wanted to get out.”

“I hope that’s not me you’re talking about.”

The voice of that man would finish me if I wasn’t careful. His scent hit me at the same moment that he spoke. He was right behind me and I leaned back into him, trusting without looking that I wouldn’t fall because Hunter would be my wall, my pillar, my rock. Forever.

He wrapped me in his arms. “Best Christmas ever,” he said.

“I agree. Tell me what you got from Santa.”

“A future bride. The best bride.”

“Wow, coincidence. I got a future groom. The best groom.”

“Looks like we’re made for each other,” Hunter said, his arms squeezing around my waist. “Why don’t we go back to the house and check that we still fit.”

“Gross,” said Dani.

“Take it to your room,” Casey added.

“I won’t argue,” Hunter said, steering me towards the door.

“I should say goodbye to—”

Hunter pressed his finger against my lips. “They’ll all still be here tomorrow.”

I grinned. “Oh, good, well in that case, get me out of here.”