Page 33 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

Leaving Lily behind, I force my feet to move in the direction of the main building. Nothing about our interaction just now sits right with me, but I’ll have to wait until later to debug the problem.

CHAPTER 17

Lily

“You knowthat tingly little feeling you get when you like someone? That is your common sense leaving your body.” ~Unknown

I think I’m having another malfunction, but this time it’s the blue screen of death kind. Not only is my mind jumbled, my body’s acting like it’s going through puberty all over again. My emotions and skin are a mess—thank the Lord for good concealer—and I’m as angsty and dramatic as my former fifteen-year-old self. One minute I’m happy and hopeful; the next minute I’m ready to write depressing haikus and wear all black. There’s no reasoning with myself either. Things are going too perfectly, which means it’s only a matter of time before the other shoe drops.

And no doubt it’ll be my favorite leopard print wedge sandal that faces its demise.

My shoulders sag with worry. I can’t shake the thought that Hunter’s going to realize he made a mistake marrying me and he’ll change his mind about staying. That’s why I want togive him an out first. In any sport, it’s better to play offense than defense, right? At least it seems to be in theory. My idea of athleticism is juggling two boba teas in one hand.

Since our cafeteria only has coffee and hot tea this early in the morning, I grab a cup of chai, then head over to one of the company’s “quiet rooms.” There’s no better place to think and pray, especially when I need to be alone for a few minutes.

I soon make myself comfortable in one of the blue-themed spaces, leaning back on a large bean bag and staring up at the mirrored ceiling. A minute passes as I focus on breathing in and out. Memories of the day before play in my head, making my pulse race. I thought I’d be more relieved today. After all, I made Jasmine’s wish come true. But I never expected this marriage of convenience to produce real feelings…andreal fears.

My phone suddenly buzzes in my pocket with a new text.Lily, why did I have to hear from Hadley that you got married?! What’s going on?

It’s from my friend Hope, the only one in our book club who’s married. She’s a fifth-grade teacher in the Bay Area, and her hubby is Amelia’s younger brother (yes, their relationship was a surprise to us all). I quickly start typing:Sorry, I was going to tell you guys, but?—

The screen lights up with an incoming call from Hope. “Hey, Hope. I was just replying to you.”

“I know. I saw the text bubbles, but I thought it’d be faster to call.”

“Don’t you have work today?”

“I took the day off. I’ve been extremely nauseous, so I likely can’t talk too long. If the line goes silent, it’s because I’m rushing to the porcelain throne.”

“Oh no. Do you have the stomach flu or food poisoning?”

“Nope and nope. It’s related to something more long term. Like for the next eighteen years or more.”

I gasp as I catch on to her hint. “You’re pregnant?! How exciting! Congratulations!”

“I could say the same to you! How did you go from being fake engaged to being a married woman? Hadley said she saw you and Hunter kiss! As my students would say, I needallthe deets.”

I cover my eyes, so I don’t have to stare at my grimacing face reflected in the ceiling. Where do I start? “The condensed version is that my mother wasn’t satisfied with me only being engaged. I had to get married so my sister could start planning her wedding. Then Hunter offered to have a marriage of convenience with me for three months, but now it’s kind of turned into a marriage of inconvenience.”

“Marriage of inconvenience? Is that a new trope?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say that we’re both having some real, unexpected feelings. Now Hunter says he wants to stay married, but I know it’ll only be a matter of time before the honeymoon period ends and he wants out. So, I told him to take some time to think about this. I don’t want him to regret his decision.”

Silence comes over the line before Hope bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I ask. I’ve heard of pregnancy hormones causing mood swings, but do they produce laughing episodes, too? “Did I miss something?”

“I just can’t believe how funny God is. This is like déjà vu, Lily. We had this exact same conversation about me and Shane. Remember how I called you up early one morning last summer because I couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah.”

“And I told you that Shane said he liked me,and I liked him, too, but I was freaking out about the whole thing and didn’t know what to do, and you said it was because I was afraid of commitment.”

“Mm-hmm. But my situation’s different.I’mnot afraid of commitment.”

“Whatareyou afraid of then?”

A long sigh pops out of me like I’m a deflating balloon. “It’s what I’m always afraid of, that I’m not good enough.”

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