Page 104 of The Backup Groom
I couldn’t wait for Amber to be my wife.
The last seven days had flown by in the blink of an eye, the two of us inseparable between the wedding planning and the simple urge of not wanting to spend any free time apart from each other.
With the help of Dean and Stella, we booked the wedding reception at the Polynesian restaurant, Bali Hai, as well as the DJ, the photographer, and the videographer. My mom had insisted on doing the flowers. We went back to Lesta’s Cakes for another tasting and, surprisingly, all agreed on the chocolate raspberry truffle cake. Thankfully, there were no accidents this time.
The invitations had been sent out electronically since we didn’t want to take a chance on the mail arriving late, even though everybody on the list had already been contacted by phone. Not wanting to have a grand affair since this would be the second marriage for both of us, we decided on an intimate wedding of thirty-five guests, including the wedding party, the lawyer, and the officiant, who was a friend of the family. We even got our marriage license and booked our honeymoon to Italy.
Everything was set.
Well, everything except for the divorce decree I was still waiting on.
Honestly, how did I not have an ulcer from that? My stomach was more than a little unsettled at the moment. My mouth was dry. Was this the pre-wedding jitters or was it my body reacting to the fact that I couldn’t technically marry Amber yet?
“Any news on the divorce front?” Dean asked, reading my mind.
I shook my head. “Nothing yet. I checked the status online and also called Iggy and the courthouse before you got here, but the judgment is still pending. It’s going to happen at any moment. I need to keep checking.”
Ever since Iggy had told me I could check the status of my divorce online, I had been obsessed with it, checking ten to twelve times a day, maybe more.
“I guess it’s probably not a good idea to think about that right now,” I said.
“Good call,” Dean said. “Everyone should be here any minute.”
We were waiting for Amber and Stella, my parents, and the officiant to arrive for a quick run-through of the ceremony. The plan was for all of us to have dinner afterwards.
Unfortunately, Amber’s parents would not be traveling from Alaska to attend, which made me sad. Their reason for not coming was that they had prior commitments they couldn’t get out of. Amber and I both couldn’t help but wonder if it was an excuse. That maybe in reality, they didn’t want to come because they believed we were marrying for money, not love.
Either way, she told me not to worry about it, and that her parents would learn soon enough that what we had was one hundred percent pure love, nothing less.
“The girls are here,” Dean said, pointing up to the street as they pulled up in Stella’s car.
“And my parents,” I said, watching them pull up right behind Stella.
I assumed the third car behind my parents was the officiant, Faye.
Everything was on schedule.
Amber gave me the biggest smile as she approached, kissing me, then wrapping her arms around me. “This is really happening. I get to marry someone I really do love.”
“This is the real deal.” I grinned. “Nothing’s gonna stop us now.”
My parents approached, both kicking off their shoes and walking barefoot on the grass toward us. They were wearing matching all-white outfits, dressed like they were going to a wedding on the beach in Hawaii. My mom had flowers in her hair, and my dad even had a corsage on the pocket of his silk shirt.
“You realize this is the rehearsal, right?” I asked them, chuckling.
“We’re just practicing,” my dad said, giving me a hug.
My mom reached up and pinched my cheek between her index finger and thumb, then squeezed harder and wiggled it. “Are you sure you’re eating enough?” She eyed me from head to toe.
I sighed. “I had about ten pounds of cake this week. What do you think?”
“Not enough!” She kissed me on the cheek, pulling me in for my favorite hug. “And there is my dear, sweet, future daughter-in-law.” She gave Amber a big hug as well. “You are going to have the most beautiful bouquet a bride could wish for.”
Amber smiled. “Thank you, Eileen. I really appreciate you doing the flowers for us.”
We exchanged more hugs and kisses all around.
After I introduced Stella to my parents, she stepped closer to my mom and whispered, “Amber said you makethe bestbrownies.”
