Page 1 of The Backup Bride Proposal

Chapter

one

Mae Wallace lovedweddings, which was fortunate, since she was in the wedding business. She loved the flowers and the twinkling lights and the smiling faces of the wedding party, the way the groom teared up when the bride walked down the aisle, the way they clasped hands so tightly she just knew they were clutching each other at the altar out of sheer nervousness. It was adorable.

And receptions were the best. The food, the cake, the music and the dancing. And, oh, the men. This wedding in particular was blessed with a plethora of fine-looking men. Mae loved men. All men. All shapes and sizes and colors and all their vivid personalities. And by loved, she meant enjoyed, not love in the heart kind of way.

Because while men were fun and all, she didn’t want to keep any of them. She was more of the catch-and-release type of woman. Date them once, have sex with one every now and then when the urge struck, then let them go. Because she’d caught one once, had almost married him, in fact. Until she discovered he was a serial cheater. Heart broken, end of love story. At least she’d found out before the wedding.

She was grateful, really, because it had taught her a valuable lesson.

Men couldn’t be trusted. Sure, they were hot and great in the sack and fun to talk to and go out with. They were good for entertainment purposes. But marry them? Not on her life. After that colossal mistake she’d almost made with Isaac, she vowed to never fall in love again.

“Isn’t this one of our wildest weddings ever?”

Mae looked over at Honor Bellini Stone, her friend and coworker, and smiled. “Everyone seems to be having a very good time.”

Honor was the youngest of the three Bellini sisters. The sisters and their parents owned and operated both Red Moss Vineyards, where the weddings were conducted, and Bellini Weddings, which Mae was lucky to be part of.

Honor slipped her hand through Mae’s arm. “And to think, after this wedding, the film crew arrives.”

Mae wrinkled her nose. “Right. I hope they don’t trample over everything that’s beautiful about this place.”

“I think we’ve made it very clear that they need to step cautiously around the vineyards and our wedding business.”

“Let’s hope so.”

They walked outside the barn, where the reception was still going strong despite the late hour. Honor led Mae to the main house, where Honor’s parents lived.

“Are you sure we should disappear like this?” Mae asked.

Honor shrugged. “Erin and Brenna have got it. And my feet hurt. I need five minutes with my shoes off.”

Mae laughed and followed along. They stepped through the back door and Honor pulled out a pitcher of lemonade, pouring two glasses for them. They took seats on the backporch and Honor slipped her heels off, groaning at the same time.

Mae sipped the lemonade, enjoying its tart sweetness. “You know, you could wear flats.”

“I could, couldn’t I? Normally my feet are fine, but this wedding has had me running.”

“It’s a wild one, for sure. I’m pretty sure all the groomsmen are drunk.”

Honor smirked. “They were drunk before the ceremony. I’m surprised the bride hasn’t kicked the groom’s ass from here to Texas by now.”

“She’s saving face. I don’t envy that guy once the bride gets him alone later.”

“Same.” Honor wiggled her toes. “I guess it’s time to get back there.”

“Yes, before your sisters kick bothourasses from here to Texas.”

Honor laughed. “You’re right about that.”

They went back to the wedding party, which was in no way winding down. At least they were getting their money’s worth, which Mae couldn’t blame them for. Erin had charged the couple a premium for extra guests and longer reception time and they hadn’t even balked. Mae was glad that they’d hired more than the usual amount of help, not only for wrangling the guests and serving but also for cleanup, because right now the barn looked more like the aftereffects of a major frat party than a wedding reception.

She wandered around, checking on the staff to be sure they didn’t need any assistance. She also kept her eye on the guests because a free-for-all with a lot of inebriated people could get out of hand in a hurry.

“Anything going on?” Erin asked as they ran into each other.

“Nothing but a lot of heavy drinkers. Everyone’s partying hard, but so far it’s under control.”

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