Page 55 of Our Big White Lie
God, Tori’s smile was going to end me. Maybe Marco should’ve toldmeto get together with Tori, because I’d been as clueless as she was.
“Guess we’re a little late to file the paperwork, though,” Tori said. “Don’t we need like twenty-four hours or something?”
“Seventy-two,” Marco corrected. “But we can do the official stuff later. Just have it signed off at the courthouse and…” He gestured dismissively. “Tomorrow won’t be yourlegalwedding, but it’ll be yourrealwedding.”
The words brought a smile to my lips and a lump to my throat. “Our real wedding,” I said to Tori.
She squeezed my hand. “Kind of hilarious that we’re the last to know.”
“Um, excuse me?” Marco tsked. “I believeIwas the last to know.”
“Brat,” she muttered.
He laughed and stepped back. “All right, I’ll leave you two alone and let your moms know everything is fine.”
I stiffened. “Oh. Shit. My mom noticed we’re?—”
“Honey, people notice when a bride disappears at a wedding rehearsal. When theybothdisappear?” He grimaced. “Everybodynotices.”
“Oh, crap. I’ll?—”
“I’ll take care of it.” He squeezed my shoulder. “You two have your moment and steady yourselves. I’ll take care of everyone else.”
“Thank you,” Tori said. “For everything.”
All the humor was gone from his smile as he said, “Anything for you, hon. You know that.” His eyes flicked to me. “And for you, especially since you’re shackled to this one now.”
“Oh, shut up!” Tori laughed.
He chuckled. “Oh, and by the way? I told you so.”
Tori rolled her eyes and gave him the finger. He just cackled and disappeared back into the venue.
Tori faced me again, a soft smile on her lips. “I guess we should go back inside.”
“Yeah. Probably.” I stepped closer and cupped her face. “But he’s got everything under control. We’ll be okay for a minute.”
Lips brushing mine, she whispered, “A minute?”
“Just a minute.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tori
No one gave us any grief over disappearing for a while. My makeup was a mess and my eyes were red, and Ava’s weren’t much better, but Marco had apparently come to our rescue again. He’d told everyone pre-wedding jitters got to everyone, and sometimes emotions ran amok.
When we came back inside, hand in hand and smiling even with muddy tear streaks on our faces, everything continued like normal. Gail had asked us both if everything was okay, and she’d taken us at our word when we’d said yes. Then we’d all gone through the motions of rehearsing the ceremony, and we’d both choked up all over again. Yeah, it was just the rehearsal, but it was the first time we were running through it for real. Even if tomorrow wasn’t going to be our legal wedding, it was going to be a whole lot more real than we’d planned.
All the dread was gone. All the regret. All the worry that I was making a massive mistake.
I was marrying Ava. For real. In less than twenty-four hours, we’d say “I do” andmean it. I couldn’t wait.
I didn’t have to wait long, either. The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner flew by. I was so exhausted, I slept harder than I’d expected, and then it was time for hair and makeup with mymom. She and I went to the salon, then to the venue to get dressed, and before I knew it…
“Just a little farther.” Marco carefully guided me backward down the flagstone path. “It’s kind of uneven right here.”
I looked down, and with his help, made it over the slightly uneven ground. It was a challenge in these heels and this dress, but I trusted him not to steer me wrong.
