Page 4 of Faking the Pass
I couldn’t see much of the guy—he was short enough that his face was blocked by Olivia—but he was in a tux, so it must have been an usher.
The woman I could see clearly. She was wearing yoga pants, flip flops, and a t-shirt, and she was pregnant.
Like,reallypregnant—at least eight months I’d guess.
She was crying, and the man’s arm was around her back, comforting her.
My first thought was that her luggage had been lost by the airline, and they were refusing to let her in because she wasn’t properly attired or some such nonsense.
My heart went out to her. It was probably impossible to find a semi-formal maternity dress at the last minute.
Well, I wasn’t going to stand for someone being turned away from my wedding for a silly reason like not matching the aesthetic.
I marched over to them, prepared to give Olivia and the rude usher a piece of my mind and assure the unfortunate guest she was welcome.
But when I reached them and Olivia stepped back to face me, I saw the man.
It was not an usher.
It was my groom.
“Randy,” I said in surprise. “Why are you outhere?”
Had Olivia actually draggedhimout into the foyer to deal with the clothing snafu? My mind was having a hard time processing.
“Rosie,” my fiancé said in a calm voice. His eyes were wide, though, and they held a spark of panic.
“What’s going on? Did her bag get lost?” I asked.
“My bag?” the expectant mother practically yelled. “What bag? What are you talking about?”
Randy tightened his arm around her back and took her hand, rubbing her knuckles. “Try not to get too worked up, darling.”
Darling.
Ooooookay. Sonota random guest.
My insides went cold, my stomach lined with ice. I looked away from the woman’s red, tear-streaked face to Randy’s wary expression.
“Randy?”
A deep breath inflated his tuxedoed chest, and he let it out in an audible gust before speaking.
“Rosie, this is Gina.” There was an extended pause. “My girlfriend.”
It felt like an invisible crane had swung in my direction, and I’d taken a direct blow from the wrecking ball. All the air left my lungs in an instant.
As I couldn’t respond, what with the spontaneous asphyxiation and all, Randy continued.
“I was going to tell you after the wedding. I’m sorry you had to find out this way, in this moment. I guess this has all been harder on Gina than I realized.”
The other woman (or was thatmyrole?) still looked distraught but appeared a bit mollified by his acknowledgement of her distress—and her apparent role in his life.
Randy looked down at her again, adding a shoulder rub to his gentle tone. “We talked about this, Pumpkin. You know the wedding’s not real.”
I sucked in a breath—finally.It’s not?
“I know, but I can’t stand it.” She pointed to the crowded ballroom. “That looks real.”
