Page 2 of Walkoff Wedding

The thought of me going to a party, a frat party at that, is actually ludicrous.

Me.

At a party.

Yeah, right.

Standing from the computer chair, I walk over to my unmade bed, scooting a snoozing Auggie and all of his belly rolls over, and then crawl between the star-patterned blankets.

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m betrothed to an evil toad and will be forced into an arranged marriage soon. These are my last weeks of… freedom.” My tone is jokingly light, but the truth is I’ve been looking for some way, any way, to stop this insanity from happening. We both have.

Except… time is running out, and therefore, so are my options.

When my stepfather, Brent, approached me with this plan over a year ago, I thought he had truly lost his mind. Need to be committed to a psych ward kind of crazy.

My mother’s bakery, Ever After, was her pride and joy that she’d dedicated all of her love to before she got sick.

And he ran it into the ground.

Now, the bank is on the verge of taking it, and his solution is to marry me off to Dixon Barrilleaux, believing his family’s money will save the hole that he’s dug our family’s business into. So, either the bank takes it, or he’ll sell it to pay off the mortgage.

My choice is to lose Ever After or to agree to this archaic scheme and hold on to the only piece of my mother I have left.

It was never really a choice, and he knows that.

I couldn’t lose Ever After, no matter what it cost me, which has led me here. The clock is ticking, and the figurative guillotine lowers closer to my neck by the second.

“Addie,” Amos murmurs softly as he sits on the edge of my bed and pulls the covers down to peer at me. “I truly cannot imagine what you’re feeling right now, my darling, and we won’t stop trying. We won’t stop looking for a way to prevent this from happening. But in the meantime, you can’t stop living. This is the time of your life to be free and young and wild before the real world creeps in. Cher, you are the most responsible person I know. You’ve had to weather things most kids your age haven’t. You’re levelheaded, driven, and focused in a way that many adults never are, but I want you to experience all of these things before you start the rest of your life.”

My laugh shakes Auggie from his nap again, earning me another grumpy growl. He opens his eyes just long enough to give me that notorious judgy corgi look. “Sometimes it just feels impossible to look ahead, Amos, past the impending nuptials of doom, you know? What’s the point anyways? And besides, I’m perfectly content here, painting, reading, and pretending that I’m not a college student with no social life, about to be sold off in marriage.”

I think putting myself out there and actually attempting to talk to people and make friends would be considerably worse than being here alone in the first place. While I’m comfortable around Amos, I’m painfully shy around basically anyone else.

The campus wallflower.

And most of the time, the people I go to school with don’t even see me in the first place. I’m practically invisible. It reminds me of a scene in one of my favorite ’90s rom-coms where the shy, quiet girl literally gets sat on by a jock in the courtyard.

That’s my everyday life.

Except no one sat on me—they just walked right by without ever noticing my presence instead.

It seems pointless to form relationships anyways when, essentially, I have no control over my future.

“Oh, come on, cher. Go out and have a night of fun. One single night, just for a few hours. That’s all I’m asking for. Try to let go of the things weighing on you for one night. Enjoy yourself. You deserve it,” he pleads, his dark hazel eyes holding mine.

Sighing, I sit up, wrapping my arms around my legs and resting my head on my knees, “Is it really this important to you?”

“Yes. Because you’re important to me, and I want to see you live a little. I’m putting my foot down. Up. Up. Let’s go.” Within a split second, he’s on his feet, shooing me out of the bed. “You can thank me tomorrow.”

As much as I’m dreading it, I agree. Only because I don’t want to disappoint Amos.

Much like Cinderella, I’m waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Because once it does, my promise to Amos will be fulfilled, and I can leave this stupid frat party that I never wanted to come to in the first place.

The deal was I’d stay until midnight.

But… I never promised that I’d actually stay at the party. Only that I would attend.

Clutching my sketchbook against my chest as if it’ll protect me from unwanted attention, I make my way through the crowded, unfamiliar house in search of the nearest exit.

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