Page 87 of The Wedding Wrecker

"The flowers are wrong."

I stared at Martha Wellington, who was frowning at the ceremony arch like it had personally offended her. "They're exactly what we ordered."

"They're too... pink."

"They're blush roses. The same ones you approved three times." I forced my voice to stay pleasant. "The same shade as the bridesmaids' dresses."

"Are you sure?" she said, squinting. "They look pinker."

A warm hand settled on my lower back. "Mrs. Wellington," James said smoothly, "I couldn't help but notice they matched your hat perfectly. The way they catch the light really brings out the subtle undertones."

Martha touched her hat—which was, of course, the exact same shade as the roses. "Oh. Yes, I suppose they do."

She wandered off, seemingly mollified, and I sagged against James. "My hero."

"Just doing my part." He pressed a kiss to my temple. "Everything looks perfect, by the way. Even if some people are too stressed to see it."

I surveyed the ceremony space. The morning sun caught on the snow-laden trees, making them sparkle. White chairs lined the aisle, each decorated with carefully crafted flower arrangements. The arch stood proud against the mountain backdrop, absolutely drowning in those allegedly-too-pink roses.

The historical weather patterns I’d obsessively studied even held true. It was an unseasonably warm day, meaning everybody was comfortable and happy.

It was exactly as I'd planned. Exactly perfect.

And for once, that wasn't the most important thing.

"Have you seen Lily?" James asked. “Is she doing alright?”

"She is still getting her makeup and hair finished. But she already looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. I kept crying every time I looked at her, so I had to make an excuse to get busy somewhere else.”

“Women,” James said with a small smile. “I saw Marcus in the lobby mingling as people arrived. He seems… lighter. I think the secrets were really weighing on him.”

"Amazing what honesty can do,” I said.

James's fingers traced patterns on my back. "Speaking of which, I feel the need to admit something to you. A secret, if you will.”

My stomach clenched and went cold. “What?” I breathed.

“The acoustics in our shower are amazing, and the walls must be very thin. Because I could hear every word of you whisper-singing in the shower this morning. ‘At Last’by Etta James? Very romantic choice. I wonder if you were inspired by the wedding today, or…”

I blushed so hard I thought my cheeks might melt. “I always loved that song. My mom used to play it and lip sync with my dad. It was kind of their thing. And… I wasn’t thinking of the wedding today when I was singing. I was thinking of somebody else.”

“Yeah?” James asked, eyes smoldering. “Who?”

“One of those Wellington muscle brothers,” I said, trying very, very hard not to smile.

James took a step closer, swallowing up the distance between us. “Careful, Em. Tease me too hard, and I’ll have to make sure you know exactly who you want. If you think I’ve used every trick in my bag, you’re wrong. I’ve still got plenty more.”

I raised an eyebrow as warmth trickled through my body. “Well, if teasing gets you to unleash your bag of tricks, maybe I should keep it up?”

“Don’t torture me, Em.” He pulled me closer, voice dropping low. "And for the record. I thought your singing was incredibly cute. Especially the part where you changed the lyrics to 'At last, my wrecker has come along.' In other words, muscle brothers my ass. You’ve got it for me.Badly."

I elbowed him in the ribs, but he just laughed and caught my hands.

"I have to check on the cake," I said, trying to sound stern despite my smile.

"The cake is fine. Chef Antoine’s pastry chef won't let anyone breathe on it wrong, let alone mess it up." He tugged me toward the resort. "Come on. I’m sure your sister wants to see you again before the ceremony."

I found Lily in the bridal suite, surrounded by what looked like every photo album our family owned. She was already in her dress, looking like an actual princess.

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