Page 37 of The Wedding Run
My insides shift and sway.
Andrea slumps with relief. “What would I do without you two?”
“The wedding will happen with or without us,” I assure her. “As long as you and Taylor show up with a marriage license.”
Her eyes bulge. “Now, I remember what we’re doing tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 18
Libby
After dinner, I call Andrea's photographer again. But no one answers.
"Everything all right?" Stacy asks as I join her at the sink.
"Just getting Andrea's wedding ducks in line." I grab the dish towel and start drying.
Wade sets up the Monopoly game on the kitchen table while Luke takes out the trash. The cozy environment makes it feel like home—something I haven’t experienced for a while.
Derek was never one to eat at his place or my apartment. He always had a restaurant opening for a college friend or a meeting with a potential business partner. Business deals and networking kept us on a hamster wheel, spinning from one event to the next. It was a whirlwind of glitter and glamour, but the shine eventually faded.
Now, for the first time in years, I feel the muscles in my neck and shoulders relax as we share laughter over the fierce game. Wade and Stacy are real estate moguls, acquiring property like Pac-Man. The property squares fill up with green buildings and red houses, and each time I roll, I hand over more flimsy pastel cash.
Luke casually puts an arm around my shoulders, yet it makes my spine snap straight with a jolt of awareness.
“Don’t feel too bad,” he says, unaware of my reaction. “I’ll be out in about two more turns.”
Wade high-fives Stacy. “We still got it, baby!”
“Yes, we do!”
“They’ve been beating me at this game since I was five,” Luke explains.
“You poor thing,” I say.
Luke’s expression says,Maybe next time. But will there be a next time? I’m only here for a few more days. Honestly, I’d like to stay longer. Maybe it’s because I’m not ready to face my empty apartment in Atlanta, the loneliness waiting for me, or the consequences of my decision to run from the altar.
“If you think you’re out…” Wade looks to his son for confirmation.
Luke waves a few pink five-dollar bills. “I surrender.”
“Excellent!” Stacy starts gathering houses and property cards off the well-used board. “Come on, honey. Let’s turn in.”
Wade stacks the money that he and Stacy have been hoarding. “G’night all.”
“Goodnight,” Luke and I call after them. We avoid each other for a moment, then our gazes collide.
He closes the box. “I should be heading home, too. I have an early morning.”
“Opening the shop?” I ask.
“Always.”
“Once the morning rush is over, I’ll swing by to pick you up, and we can go get that wedding dress.” He stores the game in a cabinet that provides a glimpse into his happy childhood through tattered Candy Land, Yahtzee, and Clue boxes, reminding me of home.
“I’ll walk you out,” I say, surprising myself. I grab my iPad to take with me.
We step out into the cool spring night. The air smells of pine needles and wisteria. Overhead, stars glitter and sparkle like fairy dust. I’ve never believed in fairy tale endings, which never offer a glimpse past the declaration of love or the end-of-the-movie kiss to the desert of mundane living and the tar pits of disasters lurking beyond the end credits. But something about this North Georgia mountain hideaway has me wishing and almost, but not quite, believing.
