Page 34 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
“I was just trying to be logical!” Ben shoots back, clearly flustered.
Jace rolls his eyes. “Alright, enough. What did you have in mind?” His gaze flickers between Axel and me
Axel steps forward, leaning against the back of a chair as he starts laying it out. “We know the flowers are a lost cause, so we’ll have to work around that. Maybe we can get creative withwhat’s available around here. You know, make it rustic, use what we have in nature. Winter aesthetic could work in our favor.”
I nod in agreement. “We can also use some of the indoor plants from the lodge, maybe even pull something together with candles, lights. We’ve got a bit of time before the ceremony, so we can improvise.”
“Improvising’s what we do best,” Tanner says with a grin, winking at me.
“Second,” Axel continues, “we need to get Hailey to calm down. A freaked-out bride is gonna make everything ten times harder.”
“Agreed,” Ben says, and I’m glad he’s on board. “She needs to stay focused on the fact that the ceremony will happen, even if we have to make a few adjustments.”
“And then there’s the issue of the minister,” I add. “We’re still figuring that out.”
Jace rubs his jaw, his expression thoughtful. “That might be the trickiest part. No way to get anyone up here with the roads blocked.”
“Well, funny enough,” I say, glancing at Axel, “Collie mentioned something earlier—apparently in Colorado, couples can marry themselves. No minister required.”
There’s a beat of silence as the guys take that in. Tanner’s the first to react, letting out a low whistle. “Well, damn. Guess the universe is trying to tell us something.”
“We’ll have to figure out the decorations first,” I say. “It can’t be too plain.”
“How exactly?” Tanner asks.
“Actually,” Jace jumps in, his tone thoughtful, “this resort is pretty popular for weddings. I’m pretty sure we can find some leftover decorations from an earlier one they haven’t thrown out. Hailey mentioned they were jam-packed for the season and how hard it was for her to book the date.”
Axel nods, eyes brightening. “That’s a great idea. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.”
“What about music?” I ask,
“Well, I can do something about that,” Ben says, looking pleased with himself. “I saw a recreational room earlier with a couple of speakers. I can play the piano when the ceremony starts, and we can have songs playing after the ceremony.”
“I can curate a playlist with Hailey’s favorites,” I say.
“And I can play the guitar!” Tanner adds enthusiastically, like he’s ready to bust out a solo at any second.
Axel and Jace groan in unison, so loud it practically echoes through the lounge. “Oh for God’s sake, don’t do that,” Jace says, shaking his head.
“Yeah, we actually want people to stay for the wedding,” Axel adds, mock horror in his eyes. “Not run screaming for the hills.”
Tanner pretends to be offended, clutching his chest dramatically. “You guys just don’t appreciate my musical genius. I’ll have you know, I once brought a crowd to tears.”
“Oh, we’re sure,” Axel deadpans, “tears ofpain.”
I can’t help but burst into laughter, and Tanner, despite himself, joins in, shrugging with a grin. “Fine. Fine. No guitar. But you’ll regret it.”
“Oh, trust us, we won’t,” Jace says, rolling his eyes.
Tanner glares at him. “You’ll see.”
“Well, now that we’ve narrowly avoided that disaster,” Axel says, giving Tanner a playful nudge, “what else should we be worried about?”
“Well food for one,” Jace says. “The caterers can’t come up either.”
“The hotel is well equipped to serve guests for an extended period of time,” Tanner says. When all of us look at him, he goes, “What? I was worried if they were running out of stock. Turns out they have an emergency pantry for situations like this.”
“So it looks like Tanner is taking care of the food,” Axel says meaningfully.
