Page 34 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

“Oh, Lily, that is so far from the truth. You’re so amazing. You’re the smartest person I know and the most fashionable. And you’re such a good friend.”

“You’re saying all of that becauseyou’resuch a good friend.”

“Uh-uh. You’re not going to redirect the conversation like you always do when you get a compliment.”

“I was only speaking the truth.”

“So was I. And part of that truth is that you also give great advice. It was you who asked me how I was so sure that Shane wasn’t the right guy for me. It’s my turn now to ask you—how do you know Hunter isn’t Mr. Right?”

“That’s the thing. He’s not just Mr. Right, he’s Mr. Perfect.” I go on to relay all the things that Hunter’s good at, from baking cookies to planning the best date. “He even kisses well!”

Hope shrieks in delight. “You guys obviously have chemistry. And he takes such good care of you! I don’t see what the problem is. I’d be a lot more worried if hedidn’ttreat you well.”

“When you put it that way…” I groan and flip onto my stomach, face-planting into the memory foam cushion. Turning my head enough so I can talk, I continue processing out loud to Hope. “Logically speaking, this is the best possible outcome—for me. Not so much for Hunter.”

“Why not for him? You said he wants to stay married. I hate to say it, but you’re not making any sense at all. And you usually make a lot of sense.”

“It’s because there are feelings involved. I’m good when there are only ones and zeroes, but I can’t think straight when I feel so much. Why does love have to be so… illogical?”

Hope chuckles. The pleasant sound is soon followed by a gagging noise. “Let me know when you figure it out! I gotta run!”

I drop my phone onto the carpet, feeling more confused than ever. What is my problem anyway? I should be happy and grateful that Hunter likes me. I suppose a big part of me doesn’t believe I deserve a guy like him. He’s so sweet, genuine, and funny. He loves the Lord. An added perk is that he’s also tall—so tall that I can wear heels and still feel small next to him. He’s basically everything I could have asked God for, and poof—I just get to have him as my husband, no questions asked?

Well, I’ve got a lot of questions.

Why me? What did I do to deserve this? How did my wild idea of marrying my coworker turn into the best thing to ever happen to me?

I flip onto my back again, and the answer hits me—literally. My company badge, that is. The lanyard that it hangs from gets caught around my shoulder, so I flop around like a hot dog on a roller grill until it loosens enough for the rectangular card to fly into the air. I watch it fall as if in slow motion until it smacks me right in the face.

Ack!

This rude awakening is probably a sign that I should get to work, but I wonder if it’s also God trying to tell me something. When I hold up my badge, my gaze automatically goes to my name.LilyGrace Lam.

Our company has a weird tradition of putting employees’ full names on their badges. This is in case there’s ever two people with the same first and last names. I always thought it was unnecessary until I met three David Wangs and two Amy Changs in the office. But today, I’m extra thankful for this reminder of my middle name.

Grace. Unmerited favor.

That’s the only reason why anything good happens to me at all. I’m not perfect, not even close to it, but the Lord sees Jesus when He looks at me, so it doesn’t matter how good I am. Grace isn’t earned, it’s given. I just need to receive it. I. Just. Need. To. Receive. It!

Duh!

It figures that I’d need to be hit on the head for this truth to sink into my thick skull. But now that I have been, the idea of receiving Hunter as God’s gift to me makes a lot of sense. It feels like my birthday and Christmas rolled into one but also the Fourth of July because there’s a sense of freedom in my heart that wasn’t there before.

All my life I’ve been an overachiever so I could get the best scores and grades and the praise of my parents. I may have deserved those accolades because I’d worked for them, but I certainly didn’t do anything to earn Hunter’s love. Which is all the more reason for me to treasure it and to not take it for granted.

To not takehimfor granted.

I scramble to my feet and grab my belongings. This feels like one of those aha moments in a romance story where the hero or heroine realizes they want to be with the other person. A lot of times, I, as the reader, can see so clearly what the hold-up is and wish I could shake some sense into the characters because I know they’re perfect for each other.

Maybe a reader would think thatIdeserve a good shake,too, but at least I figured things out before Hunter could take off on a plane, train, or boat for a faraway land, never to be heard from again. That has to count for something, right? He’s just temporarily stuck in meetings all morning, which some might say is the same as being out of reach. But this does give me time to put a little plan into place, one that will let Hunter—and the rest of the world—know where I stand.

My first stop is the cafeteria, where I’ll be picking up some bagels.

CHAPTER 18

Hunter

“I loveyou like I love Wi-Fi—if you disappear for too long, I start to feel lost.” ~Unknown

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