Page 102 of The Wedding Run
“Look what Darcy risked for Lizzie! Money, his reputation in finding her sister… whatever her name was.”
“Lydia,” I say.
Elle snaps her fingers. “Right. Lydia.”
I start pacing. “I don’t know. I don’t know!”
Charlie cuts to the chase. “Do you love him?”
That stops me in my tracks.
Charlie answers her own question, "It’s too soon,” but then asks, “Isn’t it?”
“I haven’t known him long,” I agree. “I was just about to marry Derek. A week ago! This is all crazy!”
“If it’s the right one,” Elle says, “then it’s not too soon.”
“Is that from a movie?” Charlie asks.
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Elle raises her chin defiantly. “Libby doesn’t have to marry him tomorrow or even next week. She can take her time. Don’t overcomplicate it. Don’t think of excuses or reasons why you shouldn’t or if you should. Don’t think about a list of positives or negatives.”
“Yeah,” Charlie agrees, “no more lists.”
“What does your gut tell you, Libby?” Elle asks. “This second. Right now. Do you love him?”
A smile tugs at my lips, and I can’t help myself. It feels like rays of sunshine pouring through me. “Yes. Yes, I do. I really do love him!”
The realization stuns me and makes me want to leap around the room or jump on the sofa, Tom Cruise style. “Can you believe it?”
Bailey begins barking and bouncing around me.
“Dad showed me what I was looking for. I thought it was Momma’s letter… or searching for some elusive answer in the teabag. But it was Dad showing how much he loved Momma and us. That’s what I want: someone who will give his all, no matter the circumstances. Deep down, I knew Derek could never hurt me because I didn’t love him completely, and he could never love me the way I needed or sacrificially. He would never give his all to our marriage. He just wasn’t the one.”
Charlie’s face pinches with confusion. “But Luke is?”
“Yes! He took care of me in the wake of my disastrous wedding, jeopardizing his own business and his friendship with Derek. He busted up a wedding today, all to spare me the heartache of marrying someone he knew I didn’t love. Who does that?”
“Someone who loves you,” Elle says, a starry look in her eye. It must reflect my own dazed expression. “How do I love thee…” She quotes Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s most famous poem.
Together, we complete the line, “Let me count the ways.”
Charlie looks at us as though we’ve lost our minds. “You want to make a list now?”
I realize it would be the easiest list ever, counting all the amazing things about Luke Ryan Maine. "I could!"
Elle offers me her phone. “Well, then… Call him!”
Bailey barks and jumps around, sensing all the excitement in the room.
Charlie grabs Bailey’s collar. “There might be a better way.”
CHAPTER 54
Libby
Iwatch as Charlie and Elle break out the monster coffee maker. “I don’t know about this.”
Charlie begins randomly pressing buttons. Elle purchases coffee grounds, the good kind, along with various types of milk and syrups. I overrule the reckless enthusiasm and insist that we read the instructions, which are not exactly clear, and formulate a plan. Yes, that means making a few lists. It is, after all, my forte.
