Page 13 of Accidental Wedding Crasher
This was a lot more than Mia had expected. Instead of a one-day thing, this would be a whole week of pretending to be Evan’s girlfriend in front of his family. In a foreign country, no less. But despite her apprehension, she couldn’t help feeling excited, too. She really had always wanted to go to Italy. In fact, this would be her first time leaving the US, apart from a weekend trip to Mexico with her college friends.
“Mia.” Evan put a hand on her arm. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and if you have plans or don’t feel comfortable, just say so.”
Mia shook her head. “No, I’m in.” Saying the words filled her with confidence. “Yes, I’m in. Let’s do this.”
“Great.” The grin reappeared. “You may regret this once you meet my family, but hopefully it can be fun.”
“And there’ll be pizza,” Mia added. “I hope.”
“Definitely. I can promise pizza and pasta, and tiramisu.”
“Then I’m looking forward to it.” Mia smiled. “What could go wrong?”
“Famous last words.” Evan winked. “But thank you. This will really help me out.”
“Of course. Thank you again for saving me from Elizabeth Saint Claire.”
“Anytime.” Evan stood and stretched. “Now that we have that out of the way, shall we go back to the wedding? I think they’re bringing out more desserts.”
“I’m stuffed, but I’d be happy to dance more.” Mia stood too.
“Perfect. Let’s go.” He held out his arm, and Mia took it, feeling the swell of muscles beneath his jacket sleeve.
They returned to the fairy-lit dance floor and joined the crowd again. Mia found that she couldn’t stop smiling, especially when the band played “The Chicken Dance” and all the sophisticated wedding guests made chicken wings and shook and shimmied. Evan resisted at first, but soon Mia was able to convince him to join in, too, and they both laughed so hard that Mia’s stomach hurt.
Mia had never had this much fun at a wedding before. It was possible that she was enjoying herself simply because she didn’t know anyone, which meant fewer prying questions about her love life and work, but she suspected that it had more to do with the man flapping his wings and shaking his tail feather in front of her. He’d turned this day from a nightmare into a daydream, and Mia was thankful. Plus, she was about to have an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy, which was one of her lifelong dreams.
Her words from earlier echoed in her head as “The Chicken Dance” ended and they moved into a new song.What couldgo wrong?She was young, she was at a wedding, and she was having a great night. It seemed like the answer wasnothing.
CHAPTER 7
EVAN
“Cake?” Mia wove through the crowd, holding a plate of sweets above her head.
Evan had stayed at the wedding far longer than he’d intended to, and he hadn’t gotten a single minute of work done since rescuing Mia, but he didn’t mind. He was having a lot more fun than he’d expected to.
“Sure!” He took a tiny cake from the plate Mia was holding out and popped it into his mouth.
“It’s good, right?” Mia winked.
“Definitely.” Evan looked around the venue, which was slowly emptying out. “We should probably head out soon.”
“Don’t you want to congratulate your friend first?” Mia nodded at Tyler, who was sitting at one of the tables with his bride, eating a piece of cake. “You haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him all evening.”
He hesitated, but when Mia gave him an encouraging smile, he grudgingly crossed to his friend. Tyler looked up, seeming surprised to see Evan there.
“Hey.” He smiled. “I thought you’d left.”
“Not yet.” Evan rocked on his heels. “Congrats, man.”
“Thanks.” Tyler’s smile widened. “Really. And thanks for coming.” He looked at Mia, who had held back and was looking up at the stars, her hands clasped behind her back as she waited for Evan. “Who’s that?”
“My date,” Evan admitted. Tyler’s smile widened, and he punched his friend in the arm.
“Good for you.” He beamed. “I’m so happy for you, buddy. We should all go on a double date sometime, if it’s serious.”
Evan couldn’t admit that he’d only met Mia today and that she wasn’treallyhis date, so he nodded and remained silent. Turning to Genevieve, he added, “Congrats to you, too. Tyler’s a good one.”
