Page 20 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

I decide it’s now or never.

Like the dramatic scene of a movie, music suddenly plays in the distance in the form of a cell phone ring tone. It’s the opening theme song to Star Wars. While it’s not the romantic piece I would’ve picked for this moment, it does remind me of Yoda’s wise words: “Do or not do, there is no try.” My heart pounds as I anticipate my next move—a move that I hope will rock Lily’s world. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I dip her back slowly and carefully. Then with all the love stored up in my heart, I capture her mouth with mine.

CHAPTER 11

Lily

“New love islike a software update—it might have some bugs, but it also comes with cool new features.” ~Unknown

I think I’m glitching.

If I were a computer, I’d be malfunctioning right about now. We’re talking about a flickering screen, weird crackling sounds, and multiple programs crashing at the same time. You’d possibly even get the blue screen of death, but in my case, it would be a soft pink with glitter. My hardware’s being inundated with too much external input—the bright light of the chandelier above, Hunter’s muscular arm cradling my waist, and his soft lips pressed to mine. There’s also the rowdy sound of applause and cheers going up all around us, making me acutely aware that this moment is very, very public.

My heart is telling me to enjoy this moment—I’ve never been dipped and kissed before!—but my brain (or what’s left of it) is warning me of a major system failure. The strength in my legs is gone, and my limbs feel like wet noodles. My insides are at the point of overheating, and there’s no switch toturn off the fire. Not when Hunter’s so close. And certainly not with him kissing me like he never wants to stop.

But stop, he does.

Our connection is over before I can even respond. He lifts me back onto my feet and steadies me for a second before letting go. His ears are bright red like the traces of rouge on his mouth. My hand goes to my lips, lips that are still warm from his touch. I swallow hard as my body reboots itself and recovers from what feels like a virus. My skin is hot, my thoughts are jumbled, and I’m weak all over. What does this all mean?

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Fred claps Hunter on the shoulder, then gives me a cheery thumbs-up. “You kids have a great marriage of inconvenience!”

“It’s marriage of convenience,” Hunter tries to tell him, but the older man has already moved onto his next victims.

Oops. Did I say victims? I mean couple.

There was no crime or accident involved in our union, but I do feel like I’m suffering from some physical and emotional repercussions. I don’t think any woman can be kissed by Hunter and not be affected. But did our kiss affect him?

He offers me a sheepish smile as he rubs the back of his neck. “I, uh, I’m sorry about that. I got carried away. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Won’t happen again? “But?—”

“Lily? Is that you?”

I turn around and come face to face with a tall and slender redheaded woman dressed in a dark green power suit. With her hair pulled back in a low bun and a face full of makeup, she looks so different from her online persona. “Hadley? I almost didn’t recognize you. What are you doing here?”

“I could say the same! Are you—you’re not—you are!” She sucks in a sharp breath as she holds up my left hand. “Did youjust get married?! I thought this was supposed to be a fake engagement. What on earth is going on?”

“Um, about that, I can explain.”

“You better. But first, come here!” She wraps me up in a warm embrace that settles the nerves in my stomach. Hadley is one of my book club buddies who lives in the area, and unlike me, she’s a pro at physical affection. She releases me from her hug and steps back with a grin. “I can’t believe I crashed your ceremony! And here I thought I was just coming to scope out this place for one of my clients.”

“You have great timing.”

“The best, right? Well, it would’ve been better if I’d arrived five minutes earlier, but better late than never. Now, about this union of yours…”

I gesture to Hunter who’s been patiently watching us catch up. “I should probably introduce you to my… uh…”

“Hunter,” he finishes for me. He extends a hand to Hadley. “I guess you could call me Lily’s husband.”

“No handshakes allowed; this is a hugging occasion!” Hadley exclaims. “Any husband of Lily’s is a—oh, wait, that’s not going to work, is it? Well, you know what I mean! Come on over here!”

The two of them share a quick hug that leaves me smiling. This scenario almost feels normal, except for the fact that I didn’t tell any of my girlfriends I was getting hitched today. I hadn’t wanted to make it a big deal—there’s a limited number of guests allowed at the courthouse, which is how I’d convinced my family not to attend—but the real reason is that I didn’t want anyone warning me against this crazy, foolish idea. That’s a fact I already knew. But it’s so gracious of God to allow Hadley to show up when she did so I’d have a friend here to give me support.

Because, boy, do I need somesupport.

“I’m so glad I ran into you guys,” Hadley says, “but I really have to go! I have clients waiting! I expect a full report during our next meeting, Lily!” She waves and blows kisses at us before turning to go.

So much for my source of support.

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