Chapter 2

 

 

 

Afton

 

 

“If you’re going to send me a sign, now is the time,” I whisper as I gaze up at the ornate ceiling of the church.

“Did you say something, Afton?”

I glance over at my dad. He’s the definition of pride and joy at the moment. Today he’s walking me down the aisle toward my future husband. He did the same thing when Nelson got married.

The tuxedo he’s wearing was custom-made just for him. He had it tailored to perfection a decade ago. He pulls it out of his closet whenever the occasion calls for it.

The single purple rose that’s pinned to his lapel is the perfect complement to it today.

“Do you remember the day you married mom?” I twirl my bouquet in my hands while we wait for our cue from the wedding planner.

Nelson and Joel are standing near the front entrance of the church. My dad requested a few minutes alone with me, although he hasn’t used that time to offer any words of wisdom.

“The best day of my life?” He cracks a crooked smile. “You better believe I do.”

“Tell me about it,” I say, even though I’ve heard the story countless times.

Every summer, my parents hold a lavish dinner party at their penthouse on the Upper West Side to celebrate their anniversary. There are always too many flowers, more food than the guests can eat, and a slideshow of their wedding pictures.

It’s an evening to remember for my family.

“Your mother looked like a princess in her wedding gown.” He glances down at my dress. “I’ll never forget how the vision of her at the end of the aisle took my breath away. She still does.”

I’ve always longed for a love like that.

I grew up in a home with parents who weren’t shy about showing affection for one another.

They’d hold hands at the dinner table and kiss each other goodbye whenever one of them went to work or bed before the other.

Love was a staple of my childhood.

“Warren will have the same reaction when he sees you.” My dad taps his finger on my chin. “When did you grow up?”

“I’m twenty-six, dad.” I laugh. “I grew up years ago.”

“It felt like the blink of an eye to me.” He rubs his hand over his forehead. “You’re marrying the man you love, and before we know it, you’ll be a mom.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not ready for kids.”

He cocks both brows. “Warren is.”

It’s not news to me. Warren is two years older than me, and he’s panicked that his biological clock is running out of time.

His parents had their family complete by the time they were twenty-five.

I need at least a year or two of wedded bliss before I’ll even consider adding a baby to the mix.

“Warren and I talked about it.” I adjust the lapels of my dad’s jacket. “We’re going to sit down on our first anniversary and discuss when to start trying.”

“I like that plan.” He reaches for my hand. “Always work together, and your marriage will be a happy one.”

I glance at the gold watch on his wrist. It was a birthday gift from Nelson, Joel, and me last year. He wears it without fail every single day.

His gaze follows mine. “It’s almost time, Afton.”

I suck in a deep breath. “I think I’m ready.”

“You’re ready,” he reassures me with a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to check on Warren. When I get back, we’ll get you married.”

 

***

 

“Is your mascara waterproof?” My mom squints as she stares into my eyes. “I have a tissue in my bra if you need it.”

“I’ll pass.” I smile. “I won’t cry, mom. I’ll be fine.”

Her hand dives down the front of her dress. “Every bride sheds a tear on her wedding day.”

I halt her movement with a hand on her cheek. “I don’t need the tissue. I promise I’ll be all right.”

She sighs. “I need to take my seat. If you start crying during the ceremony, the tissues come out.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“Oh, Afton,” she says, wrapping me in a tight embrace. “I have loved you since the moment you were born. You deserve this day and all the happiness that comes your way in the future.”

“Let’s go, Mrs. Neal.” Warren’s cousin, Leroy, offers his arm to my mom. “I’ll show you to your seat.”

“Cherish every moment of today,” my mom whispers. “You’ll look back on this for the rest of your life.”

I clutch my bouquet tightly in both hands to mask how badly I’m shaking.

As my mom walks away with Leroy, Joel makes his way to me.

“I still don’t see a smile.” He reaches for my shoulders. “Bridal, not burial, remember?”

I manage a slight grin. “I remember.”

He looks toward the sanctuary. “They wanted to sit Nelson on the groom’s side to try and even out the crowd, but he told them no way.”

I laugh. “Even out the crowd?”

“Warren is not Mr. Popular.” Joel winks. “I’m as surprised by that as he is.”

Warren doesn’t have a lot of friends. He divides his time between his work and me. He does fit in Sunday dinners with his parents twice a month. I’m invited to those once a month.

“You’re going to kill those poor flowers.” Joel’s gaze drops to the bouquet in my hands. “You’re strangling them.”

I loosen my grip on the purple hydrangeas. “I’m shaking.”

He takes me into his arms. “Focus on Warren’s face. Pretend it’s just you two, and you’ll do great.”

“We should have had a rehearsal.”

His head tilts to the side. “It was your idea to skip that detail.”

He’s right. I did forgo the run-through that the wedding planner insisted on. I didn’t see the point since the ceremony is simple, and Warren had to work late every night this week, including last night.

He’s rarely taken a vacation, so our upcoming two-week honeymoon in Maui meant that he had to prepare his work ahead of time so Lydia could tackle the research project by herself for those fourteen days.

The sudden sound of organ music startles me. My dad sprints out of the sanctuary, headed toward me with the wedding planner on his heel. She stops a few feet short of where I’m standing. I sense she wants to give me one last moment with my dad before the ceremony starts.

“This is it.” Joel kisses my cheek. “I need to head up the aisle. I’ll see you there.”

My dad pats Joel on the back before taking his spot next to me, linking my hand around his elbow. “I’m proud of you. You picked the perfect husband. I couldn’t have asked for a better man to take care of my little girl.”

“I can take care of myself,” I say softly.

He gazes down at me, his eyes locking on mine. “That I know.”

As the music seamlessly flows into what sounds like a sped-up version ofHere Comes the Bride, the wedding planner urges us to move with a circle of her finger.

My dad takes a measured step forward.

I follow, inching along beside him until we round the double doors of the sanctuary, and I spot Warren staring straight ahead.

A smile finally graces my mouth when his hand leaps in the air to wave at me.

He’s kind, he’s safe, and he cares for me.

My dad and I move forward, closer to my tomorrow and farther away from my doubts.

“When we get to Warren, I’ll lift your veil,” my dad whispers. “I’ve been waiting twenty-six years to do that.”

I look up and into his eyes. “Thank you, Dad.”

“Anything for my girl.”

Warren reaches for my hand as soon as we’re close enough to touch. I take comfort in the way he squeezes it. There are no fireworks. It’s a calm sense of familiarity.

My dad kisses my cheek after he raises my veil, adjusting it perfectly. “She’s all yours, Warren.”

Warren drops my hand to shake my dad’s. “It’s an honor, sir.”

We turn at the urging of the pastor, who has been an integral part of Warren’s life since he was a small boy.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

“No! Stop! You’re making the biggest mistake of your life!”

Warren’s head turns at the sound of a man’s voice behind us.

I stand in place, stunned by the interruption, unsure of what I’m supposed to do.

“You can’t marry him!” The man’s deep voice bounces off the walls. “You belong with me! I love you!”

He can’t be talking to me. Warren is the only man I’ve been seriously involved with. It’s been years since I’ve heard from either of the other two guys I briefly dated. Besides, neither of them had a toe-curling voice like the man behind me.

I look up to the ceiling and whisper under my breath, “I’m going to take this as a sign.”

“Afton?” Warren tugs on my arm. “Who is that guy?”

I spin around to see a man charging up the aisle. His brown hair is a mess, and his blue eyes are laser-focused on me.

He’s dressed in a dark blue suit and a wrinkled white button-down shirt. He might look like he just rolled out of bed, but he’s drop-dead gorgeous.

“Wow,” I say under my breath.

The man stops in his tracks when our eyes meet. His hand jumps to his mouth. “Oh, shit.”

I glance around. All eyes in the church are on me. Every assumption is the same.

These people came here to witness me marry Warren. They think that the man who just barged in is someone from my past.

I take a leap of faith because I believe in fate.

“I’m sorry, Warren,” I say, shoving my bouquet into his hands. “I can’t marry you.”

“What?” His voice comes out high-pitched. “What are you talking about, Afton?”

I glance at his face. It’s the same face that I thought I loved for the past ten years, but I’ve never felt a charge of desire when I’ve looked at him. I’ve never yearned for his touch or melted inside because of his kiss.

“He’s right.” I point at the man standing in the middle of the aisle. “I can’t marry you.”

I bunch the skirt of my dress into my fists and run toward the handsome stranger. “We need to go.”

“I’m sorry,” he slurs as his gaze volleys between Warren and me. “I made a mistake.”

I grab his hand and pull. He’s well over six feet tall, and his broad shoulders and trim waist hint at how muscular he is under the suit. “We have to go now.”

“Afton.” My dad’s voice snaps through the silence. “What’s going on?”

I turn back to look at him. “Destiny. It’s all about destiny.”

My pulse races as I run out of the church holding tightly to the hand of a beautiful stranger, not knowing what my future holds but feeling a sense of relief unlike any I’ve ever felt before.