Page 23 of When it Sizzles

When both of those efforts prove fruitless and we’re quickly burning time we’ll need to drop off our bags and get to the wedding venue, he turns to me and asks, “Any other ideas?”

I love that he asks me, that he already values my input and my voice.

I love it even more when he says, “Yes,” when I suggest we become the proud foster parents of a scraggly parrot—at least until we can get him home to the shelter where my sister-in-law, Starling, works, which accepts all varieties of homeless critters.

Three taxi rides later—one to Petco, one to a specialty store for parrot food, and a final stop for me to grab the pantyhose I forgot to pack—we’re finally on our way to our hotel, with just barely enough time to spare. But I don’t care that I won’t have time to take another shower before the wedding. My hair actually looks amazing in the dry desert heat, and I’m too excited to marry this man to care too much about the ceremony itself.

What matters most is that by eight-thirty tonight, Connor Sinclair will be my husband—and teammate—for as long as we both shall live.

Chapter 8

Connor

Thanks to bumper-to-bumper traffic and a group of sign-waving protestors blocking the easiest path to our destination, we make it to the chapel with only ten minutes to spare. But my brilliant soon-to-be wife called ahead, and our rental clothes are already waiting for us in our dressing rooms and the attendant said they could push the ceremony to eight-fifteen, since the next couple isn’t booked until nine.

“See you in twenty minutes?” Wendy Ann asks breathlessly as we part ways in a long hallway leading to the groom’s suite on one side and the bride’s on the other.

“Absolutely, I’ll be the one in—” I break off with a frown. “In what? Which decade did you choose?”

She grins, her blue eyes dancing with mischief. “You’ll see.”

“Not the 80’s,” I say, my brow furrowing. “I love a laugh as much as the next guy, but I don’t think I can pull off a Miami Vice suit. And I need at least one decent picture to share with the family. It’ll make my parents at least fifty percent less likely to disown me.”

She shrugs, backing away beside the equally mischievous-looking attendant. “Trust me, Sinclair. I won’t let you down. I promise.”

“I know you won’t,” I say, deciding then and there that I’m wearing whatever she picked out, even if she’s arranged for us to be married in matching blow-up T-Rex costumes.

Because I do trust her, and I want her to know that there’s nothing in the world more important to me than making her happy.

Besides, my parents won’t disown me. They’re old-fashioned, but they love me, and once they see how great Wendy Ann and I are together, they’ll just be happy that we found each other.

A few moments later, I step into the dressing room, spying my suit hanging on a rolling clothes rack in the corner next to a large vanity mirror.

Instantly, I love my soon-to-be wife just a little more.

It’s perfect.

As perfect as she is.

Wendy Ann

Seraphina, the attendant, is a miracle worker.

Not only does she help me sweep my hair into a gorgeous up-do that looks amazing with my 1950s-style lace wedding dress, but she also fetches an extra crinoline, so my skirt sticks out like a beautiful bell all around me. She also dips into the jewelry rental without charging extra, providing a delicate pearl necklace, pearl earrings, and a tiny diamond tiara that I expect will look ridiculous.

Instead, it takes my breath away.

“Wow,” I say, blinking at my reflection. “I look like…”

“Grace Kelly,” Seraphina breathes. “A brunette Grace Kelly, but still. You’re a mid-century princess!” She claps her hands excitedly. “God, I love my job. You’re almost ready, just let me grab the bouquet from the fridge and one last finishing touch, and we’ll get you headed down the aisle to your man.”

She dashes out of the room as I stand staring. The woman in the reflection is almost unrecognizable, and it isn’t just because I look more beautiful than I had any idea I could be. That isn’t even the half of it.

It’s the confidence in my expression, the steadiness in my gaze.

The last vestiges of the awkward girl I once was are gone. In her place is a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go off script when Fate offers her a leading role in an improv production. I’ve never been a “figure it out as I go along” girl, but today it worked out just fine. Connor and I worked together every step of the way, whether it was booking travel, finding alternate routes through unfamiliar city streets, or swinging the rescue and last-minute adoption of an unexpectedly upbeat parrot.

We’ll handle everything married life throws at us with the same spirit of teamwork and adventure. Because this is meant to be.

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