Page 80 of Falling into a Second Chance

“Same living room, only it was the middle of the night,” Kaine said as he let his wife go finally.

“Lucy and Leo?”

“Six a.m. in the kitchen here at the house as she prepped the food Harper was supposed to be making. Lucy couldn’t let her do it alone,” Leo said as his wife tried to cover his mouth but failed.

“Buzzy?” She turned to her last daughter.

“In the middle of the night at the hotel.” Louisa was grinning as she jumped in with the answer, as if she had been just waiting to tell what she knew.

“Do you know how much money was spent on those weddings? And time? All the time I wasted?” Sera demanded of the room.

“Yes, and they all tried to get out of it. They had plans, and you didn’t let them happen. But I don’t want to just go along with it, so the judge is here, and we are getting married right now,” Agatha said with a smile.

“Now?” Sera sat down on the couch, looking lost.

Agatha sat down with her and hugged her. “Yes, right now, and you’re going to be my witness. You and Chris’s brother.”

That was when Chris realized what was happening. This wasn’t just Agatha’s mom getting the surprise of a lifetime. It was also his wedding day, and he hadn’t even known about it.

“Agatha, can I have a word with you?” he said and picked her up off the couch and threw her over his shoulder. Chris carried her into the empty kitchen where they could talk in peace.

In the kitchen, he sat her on the counter so that they were at eye level. “Did you forget to talk to me about this?”

“I knew you would say no, but then again, you wanted to get married ASAP,” she argued, her dark eyes dancing.

“I thought this was an engagement party,” he replied, pointing at the room full of people.

“Do you know what’s even better than an engagement party? A wedding!” She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “I thought you hated parties.”

“I hate weddings, and you wanted to elope. Let’s elope in our living room with our families.” She wrapped her legs around him and clung to him.

Chris was starting to like her idea more and more. “But my mom and all our other guests are going to be at the cathedral tomorrow,” he argued.

Sera ventured into the kitchen. “How about we do this one today and then the cathedral tomorrow for everyone else? I mean, think of who isn’t here. Bex and Arabella aren’t here. Chris’s mom isn’t here. Your lawyer, Aspen, isn’t here. Leo’s girls aren’t even here. We can’t have you getting married without any of them. Tomorrow they will be there.”

“Mom,” Agatha groaned into his chest.

“No, it could work. It will be beautiful, and we can still go get you a gorgeous dress for the wedding. And dresses for all your sisters since they’re all bridesmaids. All eight of them. Good thing Chris is a football player; we needed more guys,” Sera said, clapping her hands in excitement. “And I already have the top hats. I regretted not using them with Mabel, but I get to with you. Oh, and the doves. I know how much you loved the doves.”

“That’s defeating the purpose of this wedding!” Agatha argued but Sera wasn’t listening.

“Two weddings are better anyway—just ask your sisters. Now I only had one, and I think I would have liked two,” Sera replied as she walked back into the living room, announcing that the other wedding was still on.

“What just happened?” Chris asked her as she shook her head against his chest.

“I got outsmarted. I worked so hard on this. I even wore my good shirt.” She pointed at it but didn’t pull away from him.

“Is it so bad to marry me twice?” He wanted to laugh at her but managed to control it, just barely.

“Doves, Chris,” she stated, her grip on him not loosening.

Pulling her free of him, he set her back on the counter. After kissing her nose, he asked, “Are you ready to start our two-day wedding celebration?”

“This is not happening to me,” Agatha grumbled.

“This could only happen to you. To us. We wasted most of our lives to get to this day, so let’s make it an event. Bring on the top hats and the doves and whatever your mom throws at us. It’s nothing compared to what we’ve gone through to get here.” He stepped away and lifted her off the counter.

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