Page 82 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
“Right,” he mutters, that dazed look still lingering on his face. “We’ll finish this later, then.”
“How have the guests been? No one’s being weird with you, right?”
“Everyone’s been great, so polite and welcoming. Whatever talking-to you gave them is working. Though I’m pretty sure Naomi’s parents and Simon’s mom and grandma have no idea who I am. They’ve forgotten my name a few times already.”
He chuckles and presses a kiss to my cheek before heading back into the living room, but I catch his wrist. “Thank you for everything you did. This place looks beyond beautiful. My cousin is gonna burst into happy tears when she sees it.”
A warm look passes over his face. “It was my pleasure.”
I watch him as he walks into the living room, stopping by where my parents and Uncle Pedro are seated to say a quick hello and promise to catch up after the ceremony. He stands near the kitchen island, away from everyone.
The door opens behind me, and there stands Naomi, her arm looped in the crook of her dad’s elbow. She holds her bouquet in her hand; her dad hands me mine.
“Ready?” I ask her.
She beams. “So ready.”
I walk out and nod to the instrumentalists. The opening bars of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” ring in the small space as I walk along the flower-petal pathway to the fireplace. Then, I turn and take in Naomi’s wide-eyed reaction when she walks out and gawks at the decor. Simon is standing just a few feet away, looking like a cartoon character whose eyes have just popped out of his head as he gazes at his soon-to-be wife.
I hold in an “aww” sound. He is the definition of lovestruck.
Soon the amusement inside me morphs into an ache when I spot his chin wobble while he watches his bride walk up to him. I take Naomi’s bouquet and stand off to the side. They join hands, their teary gazes glued to one another.
The photographer moves quietly around the space, snapping photos. I’m relieved that Naomi was okay with my suggestion not to have anyone take photos on their phone during the ceremony and the reception. Not only does that help protect Lewis’s privacy, but she and Simon said it’s perfect because they want everyone to be present in the moment and enjoy spending time together instead of being glued to their phones.
The officiant begins, and I half listen while I glance around at the small audience gazing adoringly at Simon and Naomi. But then my ears perk up when he says something that resonates.
“We’re here today because Simon and Naomi decided to be brave. They decided to do one of the scariest things you can ever choose to do—make yourself vulnerable to another person, to give yourself—your heart—completely to someone else. That’s terrifying, because so much could go wrong. You could get hurt. You could get your heart broken if the other person doesn’t feel the same way.
“But you could also experience one of the most fulfilling and blissful things in the world—being in love. To me, that’s worth all the risk. The payoff is so much greater than what you put on the line. Because the payoff is waking up every day next to the person who loves you most in the world, the person who would defend you till the end, the person who lives to make you happy, the person whose joy is wrapped in your own joy. And I hope that seeing Naomi and Simon here today declaring their love for one another inspires every one of you in this room to be brave and fight for the love you deserve.”
My cynical heart pulses harder and faster at the officiant’s words.
Fight for the love you deserve.
Never in my life have I ever felt the urge to fight for anyone I’ve been with...except for the man standing a dozen feet away from me.
I twist my head to look over at Lewis, taken aback by the intense look on his face as he gazes at me. It makes my skin tingle and my insides ache. It’s even hard to breathe. But I inhale slowly, quietly. And I can’t help but wonder if the officiant’s words hit him as hard as they hit me.
I hope so.
It doesn’t matter, really; I’ve already made up my mind. Tonight I’m going to be brave. I’m going to shove aside every doubt about the future, every fleeting insecurity I have. Tonight I’m going to tell Lewis that I love him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lewis
When I walk into the living room after changing out of my suit and see Harper passed out on the plush armchair in the corner, I chuckle to myself. She’s still dressed in her gown and those sky-high heels.
I’m not surprised. It was one hell of a night she helped pull off. Now that all the guests are gone, exhaustion must have caught up with her.
After the wedding ceremony, we toasted Simon and Naomi with champagne. Everyone dined on appetizers and cupcakes. Someone’s Spotify playlist played romantic songs in the background while everyone chatted. We moved the chairs into the garage and made a makeshift dance floor, where Simon and Naomi shared their first dance as a married couple. That was the only traditional wedding thing they did, opting instead to visit with guests the rest of the time. It felt more like a laid-back dinner party than a wedding. I loved that. Not like I’ve been to a lot of weddings, but the ones I’ve attended have always felt so formal and stuffy.
But this crew? They blew me away with how easygoing and friendly they were about everything. I guess I’m not used to that...to being around a welcoming and loving family. Even as I opted to hang along the sidelines on my own, checking with Harper when I wasn’t busy hauling away furniture or setting up food, people still went out of their way to thank me for my help and compliment me on the work I’ve done to the house so far. To my surprise, not a single person mentioned anything about me being an actor or my meltdown. There weren’t even any curious looks thrown my way. Everyone was polite and treated me like a regular wedding guest. That honestly blew me away. Harper must have laid down the law when she talked to her family. Or maybe they’re just that kind and considerate. That would make sense—that’s how Harper is.
Tonight also showed me that it’s worth it to let my guard down. Maybe around the right people, I don’t have to be so skittish and scared of my trust being broken. I can be myself, and that’ll be enough. It’s an incredible feeling, this comfort, this lightness. I have Harper to thank for it.
I smile to myself again as I take in her sleeping form draped over the arm of the couch, how peaceful she looks, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
