Page 4 of Kiss the Bride

“I’ll get my vows, get to the church, marry him and we’ll be happy.” Olivia interrupts my black thoughts, but there is something in her tone that makes me pause. Is Olivia trying to convince me, or herself? “We have a lot in common, enough to work through the other shit.”

“Livia, you’ll be fine. Pre-wedding jitters only means this isn’t a decision you’ve taken lightly.”

“Marriage is forever, you know.”

“I know, baby, I know. You’ll be a beautiful bride and a wonderful wife. As long as I get to be godfather to one of your rugrats when they come along, the world will keep turning.”

“How am I going to get to the church? Daddy’s car could still be stuck in traffic, and …”

I squeeze her hand, stopping her panic before it takes hold. “Once we get your vows, text Lina or Jess. Tell them we’ve had a change of plans. I’ll drive you to the ceremony and you can tell everyone you planned it this way. Your first boyfriend gives you to your father who gives you to your husband.” Again, I swallow back the bile, for her.

“You’d do that?”

“Sure. No one has to know about the vows.”

I can’t get past thinking of Mitch as the luckiest son of a bitch in the world. It’s like seeing her in a wedding dress makes it all real. I’ve missed my chance. They’re never breaking up. She is going to promise to love him forever and I know that Livia doesn’t believe in divorce. It’s over, and I have no one to blame but myself.

I love Olivia Marie Woodgrove.

I love her enough to help her marry another man and hope he loves her half as much as I do.

Always My Hero

Olivia

Hunter came as soonas I called. I knew he would.

There are only three people I can always depend on: my mother, who always ensured Marcus and I knew we were her only priority; Daddy, who might have left mum for his secretary—how cliché and boring—but can be counted on to bail me out of trouble; and Hunter. The third person should be Mitch, but I know his limitations and even love him because of them. Mitch has been part of my life since he, Elena, Jess, Caleb, Hunter and I were inseparable during high school. I know him as well as I know myself and loving someone means accepting them, faults and all.

When Mitch is with me, he gives me one hundred percent of his attention. But when he's not, he can be forgetful. It isn’t his fault. Trying to find his place in his father’s firm, he sometimesforgets things—like picking me up after the gym or work, or attending dance lessons for the wedding waltz. He was even late to our rehearsal dinner, but in his defense, his calendar was overflowing with bachelor parties, dinners with friends who hadn’t made the final five-hundred-strong guest list, and suit fittings.

Hunter.I can’t remember a moment or a significant life event without Hunter. Sitting next to him now, surrounded by his familiar scent, it feels right that he’s the first person to see me in my wedding dress. Except, I spent my high school years fantasizing about this day with Hunter waiting for me at the end of the altar—Hunter, not Mitchel.

I have three people I trust with my life and rely on, and even though I’d never admit it to another soul, Hunter is my third, not Mitchel. Hopefully, things will change after today when Mitch doesn't have to deal with the stresses of bringing our wedding date forward. We will have the perfect marriage and perfect life together—just the way I always planned. I promised myself years ago that I'd never marry the wrong man, and never divorce. I refuse to be like my mother. I refuse to marry a man like my father. Unable to fidget, my fingernails almost draw blood in my palm before I force myself to stop. I have a need to do something else with my hands, but can't. I can't finger my hair, touch my cheek, or even squeeze my hands between my knees. I'd tap them on the dashboard, but the last thing I need today is a chipped or broken nail.

“I know I said it before, but you look beautiful, stunning.” Hunter’s voice pulls me from my thoughts as we stop in traffic near my house. His presence calms my nerves, just like he always has. Like when we waited for our end-of-high school exam results which would dictate our college courses, Hunter took me down to his boat. We sat on the water for hoursin silence, just staring into each other’s eyes until our phones buzzed with our results.

I need Hunter with me today. If that makes me a bad person, I don’t care. He’s still my best friend.

“Thanks.” With deep breaths, I take him in as if for the first time. Blonde slicked back hair, cleanly shaven, and with a crisp white linen shirt that hugs his athletic chest. One of my friends will be a very lucky girl tonight. “As far as best men go, you’re not so bad, yourself.”

“Did you ever think we’d get here?”

“You offering to drive me to my wedding? Only if we were eloping.” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

“The whole us being friends. You moving on with Mitch.”

“He’s a good man.” But I can’t tell Hunter I love Mitch. “I will be happy.” My words hang in the air, unconvincing even to myself.

Today is my wedding day. The day I’ve dreamt about since growing up believing I could be a Disney princess, floating down a staircase in a white silk gown with pink satin ribbons. My little dramatic meltdown about forgotten wedding vows is because I want today to be perfect. After witnessing my parents’ debacle of a marriage, Ineedmine to be perfect.

“I thought you were taking a shortcut,” I tease Hunter as we inch forward through traffic.

“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll get you to the church on time,” Hunter chuckles. “And even if I don’t, Mitch can’t exactly start without you.”

“Is he already at the church?” I know the event run sheet by heart. Mitch should be arriving at the church for the obligatory glass or two of sherry with Father Bob. Our family minister welcomes each marriage as if it’s his first to bless. The sherry has helped calm many a groom’s nerves, and the awful taste has almost become a right of passage.

“Assume so. He’s not my problem right now. My problem is a stressed-out bride who, for the first time in her life, doesn’t know what to say,” Hunter teases with a smile that I shouldn’t find sexy.

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