Page 140 of Fall I Want
“Are you excited?” my sister asks, pulling the champagne bottle from its bucket stuffed with ice. Blaire passes out glasses to us.
“Understatement of the year.” I gulp the vanilla-flavored bubbly. It’s delicious, and I wonder if Zane chose it for me.
“I can’t believe we’re back home,” my mom laughs. “My head is spinning.”
“It feels right, though.” There is a sense of excitement surrounding us. I am Cinderella in this story. The thought makes me smile.
My sister’s phone buzzes and she turns it off. I make a face,wondering what it could mean. When our gazes meet, she slightly shakes her head and glances at our parents.
She hasn’t told them about her job.
As if she reads my mind, she leans in close.
“I’m trying to find a good time to drop the news.” Her voice is a whisper.
“I won’t say a word. What will you do? Stay in California?”
“I was thinking I’d move home for a little while. I miss it a lot.”
“Selfishly, I think it’s a great idea.”
“Staying with Mom and Dad for longer than two weeks sounds like a nightmare,” she admits.
“You can have my place. Take over my lease.”
She laughs. “Oh, that’s right. You’re getting married.” Her words trail off. “It seems like it worked out, doesn’t it?”
“An intelligent woman once told me it always does and that we shouldn’t stress about things that haven’t happened yet.”
“Are you nervous?” Winter asks.
Calmness washes over me. “No. Every day I’m with him, I’m living a dream. He has a good heart that should be protected at all costs. Earlier, he thought I was going to call this off. The expression he had...” I shake my head. “I never want to see that look again. It nearly destroyed me.”
“Because you love him.”
“Yes,” I whisper. “And I keep asking myself how it’s possible, how I can feel this strongly and deeply about someone so fast.”
“Hey.” She squeezes my hand. “Time is irrelevant when you’ve waited a lifetime for love like this. There isn’t a rulebook to life, sis. You’ve been obsessed with it for as long as I can remember. It’s why you wanted to write romance books. You found it, though. Some people never get to experience what you have. Don’t question it, embrace it.”
Ten minutes later, the car slows. When the door opens, a helicopter awaits us on a pad.
“This way,” the driver says, leading us across the path. The eight of us climb on board, putting on the headsets and buckling ourselves into the leather seats. It drips with luxury and extravagance.
My sister sits beside me and rests her hand on my shoulder as we lift off. I grab her hand like we used to when we were kids. Her fingernails are cut short, which is usually a sign that she’s stressed.
Time is passing fast and we’ll be in Cozy Hollow quicker than I anticipated. It’s almost like having the wedding here was the plan all along.
Oliver, April, Blaire, and Julie take shots. My parents are focused on the view on the opposite side of the cabin.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I say to her.
“Me too.” Winter smiles, and we grow silent as we fly over mountain passes past the highway. The sun hangs low in the sky as wisps of clouds float in the distance. My thoughts go to Zane, and I wonder what he’s doing right now and if he’s thinking of me, too. Being apart is hard. Once we return from his father’s wedding, we’re not leaving the manor for a week.
I want to be with him and only him.
An hour later, I realize where we’re going—the secluded one-room chapel and white steepled church at the top of the resort, which is only reserved for the most notable events. White folded chairs with bows face the staged platform.
In my dream, when I married Mr. Dreamy, it wasn’t at the Chapel of Love in Vegas. It was...here. I gasp, covering my mouth.
