Page 77 of The Wedding Wrecker

"And you lived happily ever after?"

"Of course not! She still cannot cook to save her life. She could not put her shoes in the shoe bins. She sings terribly,and often.But she makes me laugh every day, and that is worth more than perfect soufflés, no?"

Before I could respond, one of his sous chefs called him away. I sat there thinking about his words until my phone buzzed.

Maggie:Did you talk to him yet?

Me:I'm working on it.

Maggie:That's a no. Stop being a chicken.

Me:I'm not being a chicken. I'm being cautious.

Maggie:Bock bock bock!

Her last text was followed by a few chicken head emojis.Jerk.

I pocketed my phone with a groan and headed for my next meeting. The resort's event coordinator wanted to review the reception layout one more time.

I was so lost in thought I nearly crashed into Marcus coming around a corner.

"Woah!" He caught my arm to steady me. "You okay?"

"Fine! Sorry, I was..." I gestured vaguely. "Thinking."

"About James?"

"Really? Is every single person I talk to today going to give me unwanted relationship advice?” I half shouted the question. I raised a hand to my mouth, winced, and then muttered an apology. “Long day already. Sorry.”

"I didn’t mean to pry. You two just seem so happy when you’re together, and then every time you’re apart there are storm clouds all over your faces. I know it’s not my place, but it’s like you can’t see how happy you make each other. Or… like you’re finding problems where there aren’t any, when you should really just be focusing on how you feel when you’re around him. I mean, take Lily. When I’m with her, I feel…” he smiled, showing a pair of dimples I hadn’t really noticed before. “Amazing. Like eating the best meal or landing the biggest deal. But better. It’s just… great. So when I’m not with her, I’m usually trying to figure out how the hell to get around her faster. Like right now she’s trying on her dress, so I’m stuck wandering around wishing she was here."

I studied Marcus. For once, I really looked at him. He had that same soft expression he always got when he talked about Lily—like she was the sun his whole world revolved around.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"How did you know? With Lily, I mean. How did you know it was real?"

He considered for a moment. "I think... I think it was the little things. Like how she leaves her stuff everywhere and it drives me crazy, but I know I’d be heartbroken if her mess was suddenly gone. Or how she tells terrible jokes when she's nervous. Or how she just... gets me. The good parts and the bad." He smiled. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." I started to move past him, then stopped. "Marcus?"

"Yeah?"

"You make her really happy. I just... thought you should know that."

His whole face lit up. "She makes me happy too."

I left him there, his words echoing in my head. The good parts and the bad.

Maybe that was the problem. I'd been so focused on the bad parts with James—the wedding wrecking, the trust issues, the complications—that I'd forgotten about all the good.

How he made me laugh. How he caught me when I fell—literally. How he looked at me like I was something precious even when I was being ridiculous.

How being with him felt like coming home, even when I was trying to run away. And I felt all these powerful emotions about a guy I hadn’t even spent an entire week around. It should’ve been ridiculous. Maybe itwasridiculous. But what did that matter?

It wasn’t as if I was considering saying my vows to him or promising my life to him. I was just thinking about taking the first real step—about finally admitting he was worth the risk to me.

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