Page 48 of Fighting Happily Ever After

“Giving what a chance?”

Both sisters turned at the sound of Steph’s voice. She’d curled her red hair into soft waves that she’d pinned up on her head in a casual, yet elegant updo. She was holding a beaded hairpiece in her hand and staring at them both with suspicious eyes. “What’s going on?”

Faith sighed and, tired of the lie, opened her mouth to tell Steph the truth once and for all when her cell phone rang.

Logan.

There were a million reasons she didn’t want to talk to him. But one very important reason she needed to. She held up a finger to the ladies and took the call.

“What’s going on with the license?”

“Hello to you, too.”

She bristled. “We’re running out of time.” Faith turned away from the other women, not wanting to worry Steph, but it was too late; she’d stepped closer and was clearly listening to the conversation. “What’s going on?”

On the other end of the line, Logan sighed. “The dates are wrong,” he said after a moment. “I don’t know how to explain it, but the registry said there isn’t a Stephanie Straub born on September 28, 1991 in the system. She doesn’t exist.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Faith shook her head and turned around. “Did you ever legally change your name to Starz?”

Steph shook her head. “No. It’s just a stage name. My legal name is still Straub. At least until I take—”

Faith stopped listening. “That doesn’t make sense,” she said again to Logan on the line. “She didn’t change her name. It should all work.”

“What’s the issue?” Hope asked from her seat. “The dates are wrong?”

Faith nodded. “I just don’t—”

“I’ll look into it.” Hope grinned. “I have an idea.”

“What—”

“Don’t worry about it yet,” Hope interrupted as she got up. “I think I have a plan. I need to make a call.” She stopped by Faith and whispered into her ear. “Keep her calm and don’t worry. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.”

There was nothing else to do but nod and smile and when Hope made her exit, Faith turned once more to Steph. “How about a top-up on that prosecco?”

“No license?” Stephanie drank from the glass Faith had just refilled. “What does that mean? I can’t get married without a license, can I?”

“Let’s not worry about it yet, okay? It’s probably just a glitch at the registry. Sometimes computers make mistakes.”

Faith sounded confident, but Stephanie wasn’t an idiot.

“Maybe it’s a sign.” She sat down hard on the edge of the mattress. “Maybe I’m trying to do it too quickly. Everything is…” She turned to look at Faith. “Do you think Dax is the one for me?”

The other woman’s face flickered with something Steph couldn’t decipher, although she was pretty sure she’d seen the very same look in her new friend’s face a few times already since Dax had arrived.

In fact, the entire feeling in the house had shifted when Dax got there the night before. Everyone seemed a little on edge and even Dax hadn’t seemed…normal. Maybe she’d just never noticed it before, but Dax didn’t seem quite as attentive as she remembered him. In fact, he seemed a little on the fringes of things. As if he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—fully engage.

When Faith still hadn’t answered her question, Stephanie looked up from her lap at her new friend. “Well? Do you?”

Faith pressed her lips together and took a deep breath.

That didn’t look promising.

Suddenly Steph knew she didn’t want to hear Faith’s answer, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from pushing the other woman.

“Faith?”

“I think the better question is, doyouthink he’s the one for you?”

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