Page 45 of Someday Not Soon

Over the rim of her glass, she huffs out, amused. “Oh, you sweet summer child.”

Cole’s daughter, Ava, runs and jumps into Delaney’s arms, nearly knocking her over. They look almost the same size, with Ava taking after her father’s height, and Delaney being miniature in every way. Waving at me with a toothless grin, Ava shouts her hellos.

“Hi, Ava. Are you having fun?” I ask, leaning down to her level.

She puts a tiny index finger to her chin, deep in thought, before finally blurting out, “Yes! Everything is so pretty. I thought for sure there’d be pigeons though.”

“Pigeons?” Delaney and I both say in unison.

“Yeah, you know, the birds,” Ava replies, matter-of-factly. “I thought at weddings they pull a string and a bunch of pigeons fly out or something.”

Noah, carrying two plates of food, walks by and overhears. He stops short, and says, “Oh, right. Doves. Turns out most of them starve to death after they’re released. Saw a documentary on it once. Didn’t feel like being a bird murderer on the happiest day of my life.” He shrugs, walking away as if we’d asked him if the sky is blue.

Ava’s eyes are wide with horror while Delaney shoots me awhat the hell do I say after thatlook. I shake my head, also having absolutely no idea how to make bird murdering a less depressing topic.

“Oh, look, a photo booth,” Delaney finally blurts out, desperate to change the topic.

They quickly wave goodbye and head off to wrangle Cole into taking pictures with the oversized props.

In the back of the renovated barn, gleaming chafing dishes hold the food that Jude and I spent the entire day preparing, arranged neatly by Sherie’s staff. Wedding guests look happy scooping smoked meats, potato salad, and other various side dishes onto their plates. Either we did a decent job, or everyone here deserves an Oscar.

I sip my champagne and take a moment to watch the people around me. An older couple nearby seems to be reminiscing about their own wedding day. Noah’s thirty-something boss, who has the looks of Henry Cavill and the attitude of a recluse, sits deliberately apart from the crowd. Several single guests scope out potential candidates, clearly hoping to get lucky tonight. Meanwhile, a pack of kids pick daisies in the open field directly outside the wide-open barn doors, their happy belly laughs ringing in the background.

Stepping up beside me, Jude joins in on observing the scene. “You doing okay over here?”

I nod. “Tired, but the good kind of tired.”

“Want me to get you out of here?”

“I’m good for now, but thank you.”

“Alright.” He grins. “Give me a signal though, and I’ll have the getaway car ready.”

I smirk up at him. “I’m starting to think you’re planning a very polite abduction.”

“And if I were? Would that be a bad thing or a good thing?”

I take a sip of champagne, pretending to mull it over. “I suppose it wouldn’t be all bad. Your guest bedroom is cozy. And your cooking won’t kill me.”

He smirks. “And here I thought you’d say it’d be because you can’t resist my charm or dashing good looks.”

“Oh, it’s definitely part of it,” I tease. “But if I told you that, I’d never hear the end of it.”

He smiles. “You’ve got a point.”

For the rest of the night, he sticks by my side. His arm drapes over the back of my chair as we watch Madi and Noah, swaying to their first dance or nearly throwing cake at each other. When they call all the couples out to the floor, he takes my hand, leading me out there like we’re one of them. We don’t even have to talk about it, he knows I want to dance but am too shy to go out there by myself.

Little by little, he’s chipping away at the cement door around my heart. Proving he’s here, showing he cares, and slowly gaining my trust.

When it’s time for the bouquet and garter toss, I deliberately miss, despite Delaney’s enthusiastic pep talk about using my height to my advantage. Jude also bows out of the garter toss scramble, leaning casually against the wall with an entertained expression as he watches the chaos unfold. The men go all out, practically diving over each other to catch the lacy garter. It’s obvious they’re hoping it’ll be their golden ticket to catching the eye of Noah’s stunning ballerina cousin, Marley, who effortlessly snagged the bouquet.

However, in a twist of fate, Noah slingshots the garter, and it lands straight into his boss’s lap—the one person who would never dream of participating in crazy antics. The dark-haired man looks both stunned and annoyed by his unlucky break. The photographer quickly ushersMarley over to capture the moment, eager for a picture of the two winners. As the boss rises to his feet, it feels as if he grows several feet taller. He towers over Marley like a skyscraper, as he buttons his suit jacket with one handed effortless grace. Marley, unbothered by the surly gigantic man beside her, throws her arms up in triumph at their win. Her joy is a stark contrast to his grumpy unease.

As soon as the picture is snapped, Marley leans in to say something to him, but before she can even finish, the man turns on his heel and bolts straight out the door.

With hands cupped around his mouth, Noah calls out, “Hey, Marley, what the hell’d you say to scare off Theo? He’s usually the one doing the scaring.”

She just shrugs and skips off to the dance floor, completely unbothered.

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