Page 30 of Marrying the Accidental Groom
Juliana hesitated. “I feel like maybe I used to. My job was everything. Events, weddings, galas...It was predictable in all the right ways. You plan, you execute, you move on to the next. Like puzzle pieces snapping into place.”
“But?”
“But I stopped knowing who I was when my other half ran off to Paris with my best friend.”
He was quiet for a beat. “Leo,” he grunted.
She made a face. “Don’t say his name like he’s a real person. He’s more of a...walking cautionary tale. A PSA for why you don’t ignore red flags just because a man owns a yacht and knows how to pronouncecharcuterie.”
Gideon chuckled, but his expression stayed soft. “What about before him? Why the need to control the puzzle in the first place?”
Juliana’s smile faded. “My parents split when I was six. My mom blamed my dad’s lack of ambition. My dad blamed her obsession with money and perfection. I was the human buffer between two people who never learned to compromise. Everything felt so out of control and my preteen years were full of chaos, being shuttled from house to house and forgotten at school or dance lessons. So...I became the planner. I could remind everyone where to be and when. List out what to bring and how my day was supposed to go. If I could control everything, nothing would fall apart. No more than it already had, anyway.”
She didn’t realize she’d gone quiet until she noticed him watching her, one hand loosely resting on the wheel.
“What?” she said, suddenly self-conscious.
“Just thinking how glad I am you climbed into that pineapple truck.”
Juliana rolled her eyes, but the warmth in her chest was impossible to ignore. She was about to deliver a fresh round of sarcasm when her stomach gave a warning twist. She ignored it.
“Yeah, well,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning back against the seat. “I think I deserve some kind of medal for that level of poor judgment.”
Gideon smirked. “You mean getting in a truck with a stranger in a foreign country?”
“Exactly. I guess my stranger danger lessons got skipped when I was a kid. Honestly, I mean deviating from the plan in general. You were not on the itinerary.”
“Neither was the marriage license,” he said, eyes crinkling as he glanced over at her.
Juliana snorted. “Don’t remind me. I’m still trying to figure out how I skipped straight from snack bar tea buddy to accidental husband.”
“Island magic,” he said sagely, like that explained anything.
She gave him a flat look. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
He shrugged. “Call it what you want. You asked me, after all.”
“You were very persuasive. With your dimples and your wholelive a littleenergy. I blame the humidity. And possibly the hibiscus tea. Probably laced with some island mushroom.”
He laughed, full and unfiltered.
After a moment, he grew quieter. “I really am glad. I didn’t expect any of this...but I feel like maybe God meant for it to happen.”
Juliana didn’t answer right away. Her instinct was to deflect. Toss out a joke or change the subject.
“I’m glad too,” she admitted, then quickly added, “Not about the accidental marriage part. Just...the rest. Meeting you.”
He nodded, like he understood. Because somehow, he always did.
Of course, that’s when her stomach twisted again—stronger this time. But she gritted her teeth and pasted on a smile. If she ignored it hard enough, maybe it would go away. He let her words settle for a moment, his thumb tapping gently against the steering wheel.
“So,” he said, voice softer now. “What do we do, Jules?”
She glanced at him, ignoring the little trill of pleasure the nickname sent through her. “About what? Your questionable taste in roadside cuisine or the small fact that we’re legally, spiritually, and tropically married?”
He gave her a look. “You know what I mean.”
She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about that more than I want to admit.”
