Page 47 of This Means War

“Okay with what? A client having an emergency?” I say, even though I know that’s not what she’s asking me.

“You know that’s not what I meant, Lydia,” Jamie sighs. “I meant you’re okay with Cole spending all this time alone with a woman he used to date? A woman who, according to you at least, he might still want to be with?”

“Oh. That.” I feel my shoulders deflate at having been caught out. “Why would I care?” I force the words out. “It’s not as if I love Cole, Jamie. You know that.”

“Right,” she says again, but she looks unconvinced.

“Listen,” I interject quickly, “this is your wedding day! What’re we talking about me for? There is hair and makeup to be done! There is a groom to meet at the end of the aisle in exactly,” I check my phone, “four hours. We have to get our butts in gear!”

Jamie looks as if she’s about to object, but then her mom rounds the corner looking frantic. “Jamie! There you are. Our hair and makeup people have arrived, but they’re not sure where to set up. We need direction.”

“Oh right,” I pipe up, glad for the reprieve from Jamie’s questions. “I can show you the way, Mrs. Collins.”

The next few hours go by in a blur as our hair is sprayed into submission and our makeup applied to perfection. As the start of the ceremony draws nearer, I find myself checking my phone repeatedly, wondering where Cole is and why I haven’t heard from him. Jamie’s questions about him and Ashley ring in my ears as I stare at my blank phone screen.

So what if he’s with Ashley right now? They work together; hehasto be with her. Besides, if they are having some sort of secret love affair, who am I to stand in the way? I don’t even like the guy. I’m just married to him. It’s not like I want him to take me in his arms and kiss me until I—I shake my head trying to clear it. The last few months of pretending to live in marital bliss with Cole have clearly messed with my head. I need to get back to our prank war. It’sjust been so much harder with Cole’s dad around. It’s like I can’t stop myself from trying to prove that I’m worthy of his son.

“Five minutes, ladies!” Jamie’s mom re-enters the basement, which we’ve taken over with all of our wedding preparations. Jamie immediately stops chatting with her other bridesmaid, Luke’s sister Elizabeth, and starts fumbling with her dress.

“Oh my gosh, this is it!” She turns to me, and I see a mixture of excitement and nerves in her eyes.

“You look beautiful,” I tell her truthfully.

“Yes, absolutely gorgeous,” Mrs. Collins echoes, moving closer to envelope her daughter in a hug. Mr. Collins comes in too and immediately starts singing Jamie’s praises.

I sneak one last peek at my phone. Nothing. And he’s still not here. Will he show up late or not bother to come at all? What if he’s so busy making out with Ashley he completely lost track of time? Despair settles in the pit of my stomach.

“Lydia,” Elizabeth touches me on the arm, “it’s time.”

“Right.” I paste on a smile. This is Jamie’s day. I have to be strong for her. I can break down later, while I’m stuffing my face with leftover wedding cake. My hand shakes slightly as I take my place in front of Jamie, but I turn and beam at her as the sounds of orchestral music come streaming in through the basement doors. Her dad stands proudly next to her, and I notice tears brimming in his eyes. A pang of sadness hits me as I think abouthow my own dad never got to give me away.

Ahead of me Elizabeth links arms with Luke’s groomsman, and they step out in time to the music. The memory of Cole walking me down the aisle at Josh’s wedding hits me, and I’m suddenly overcome with longing for his presence.

It’s my turn to go now, and I take shaky steps forward. The bright sunlight hits my eyes as I exit the basement, and I have to blink hard against it. As my eyes adjust, I see him. Cole. He’s running towards me. No, not towards me, just towards the wedding in general. He’s wearing one of his work suits, but the jacket has come unbuttoned. His chest is heaving as if he’s been sprinting for some time. He stops abruptly as he takes in the processional moving down the aisle. His eyes find mine, and my breath catches in my throat.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he mouths, but before I can reply I hear Jamie whisper at me to walk. I try to give him a stern look as I go, but my mouth betrays me by breaking into a huge smile instead. He’s here.

Chapter 32

Cole

I sink into a seatin the last row of chairs with a sigh of relief. I made it. Sure, sprinting from four blocks over to get here wasn’t my ideal method of arrival, but apparently when you invite 100 people to a residential space, parking becomes an issue. Still, the smile on Lydia’s face when she saw me made it all worth it.

My eyes seek her out again, and I see her adjusting Jamie’s train from her spot beneath the oak tree. She looks stunning in a bright red floor-length dress, her hair swept up in a wavy chignon that sits low on her neck. I have an urge to take her in my arms and pull her hair free so I can run my fingers through it as I kiss her.

“I have had the honor of watching the love between these two unfold,” the pastor’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I regretfully refocus my attention on the ceremony. “In fact, I was there the first time they met.” He gives a little laugh. “Hoping to meet some new people, they’d both signed up tobe a part of our church’s coed softball league. They each showed up to that first Tuesday night practice with bright smiles on their faces. But it wasn’t love at first sight.” Another laugh, this one accompanied by the titters of those in the audience who must already know the story. “As it turns out, both Jamie and Luke both wanted to be our team’s pitcher. As the captain I suggested we do a little contest to see who was the stronger pitcher. Each got to pitch for the same five batters and whoever struck more players out would pitch in the first game. Unfortunately for Luke, he’d never had to slow pitch before, and let’s just say he didn’t exactly take to it. Jamie won the contest hands down.” Another smattering of laughs.

“Luke was a gracious enough loser, but then came that first game.” He shook his head in mock reproach. “These two played completely out of synch with one another, to the point where Jamie marched over to Luke and demanded that he stop sabotaging the team by missing all of the balls she’d been throwing to him. He in turn informed her that he was playing first base, not five feet away from first base, so maybe she should work on her aim. By the end of the game, they were both fuming.” He chuckled again.

“Jamie got in her car and drove off only to find herself stranded a mile down the road thanks to a problem with her battery. And that was where Luke found her when he left the park a few minutes after her. Despite the sour way they’d left things,Luke stopped his car and got out to help Jamie. He jumped her car, then insisted on following her home to make sure she didn’t have any more problems. To thank him, Jamie invited him in for a glass of lemonade and well, as they say, the rest is history.

“Now some of you may be wondering why I told you this little story, or meet-cute as my wife would say, and I’ll tell you why. You may think anyone would’ve done what Luke did when he stopped to help Jamie. After all, if you see someone you know stranded on the side of the road, it’s only natural that you would want to help. But the part of the story I didn’t tell you was that Luke had an audition that afternoon to play at the Holland summer music series. That’s right, while Luke is a theology teacher by day, he is a drummer by night.” More chuckles from the guests.

“When he made the decision to not only stop to help Jamie, but also to see her home safely, he gave up that opportunity. He sacrificed one of his own desires for her good.” The pastor pauses, allowing the words to sink in.

“And that, dear friends, is why I told you this story, because marriage is built around sacrifices like this. Namely, the husband’s willingness to love his wife well through his actions, and a wife’s willingness to respect her husband through her actions. Jesus gave us a model for marriage in his relationship with the church as a whole. He modeled unconditional love for his church by sacrificing himself on the cross and in turn asks us, his church,to trust in him.”

As the pastor continues talking, now gesturing between Luke and Jamie, I realize with a start that I’ve been listening so intently to his words, that I’ve inadvertently moved to the edge of my seat. Feeling foolish, I slide myself back until my shoulders brush the tulle attached to my seat. Still, his words echo in my mind.He sacrificed one of his own desires for her good.

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