Page 24 of Love Me Not

“I need to go,” I said, bolting toward the house and telling myself I wasn’t running away from Trey Collins. That would be the cowardly thing to do. I simply remembered that I was on an urgent mission to get this bride out the door and down the aisle.

By the time I reached the main suite up two flights of stairs, my updo was loose, my lungs were burning, and sweat was sliding down my spine into my unmentionables.

“Where have you been?” Becca snapped, taking the flowers from my hand.

“I got busted and had to talk my way out of it.”

She crossed to the dresser under the window. “The florist is still out there?”

If I said no then I’d have to explain, and I had no good explanation for my encounter with Trey. “Are those the right ones?” I asked as a deflection.

“These should work, yes.” Twirling the bouquet, she held the new flowers up beside it. “They look the same, right?”

I was no expert, but they did not look the same. The flowers in the bouquet were softer shades, though the shape and size matched. Considering the high stakes involved, I said, “Sure, but maybe show her in a dim light.”

Becca looked ready to panic. “This is no time for jokes. What are we going to do?”

One woman losing her crap was all this wedding could handle. If we lost the woman in charge, then things would really go off the rails.

Snatching the stolen flowers from her hand, I tossed them into the small waste basket and covered them with the other trash. “You’re going to tell her that we did a thorough comparison and that everything matches. Then you’re going to remind her that you have everything under control, because that’s the only thing that has kept her sane for the last month. You’re the professional here. Keep it together and get that bride to the altar.”

Relaxing her shoulders, Becca took a deep breath. “You’re right. I just need to stay calm and get her downstairs. But back me up on the color thing.”

I didn’t want to lie, but I knew Megan would do the same for me if the roles were reversed. Not that I would ever be in her shoes, but still. Friends didn’t let friends miss their own wedding over some stupid flowers.

“I’m behind you all the way.”

As we stepped into the hall, Becca turned left and I turned right. “Where are you going?” she hissed.

“To get her dad. If she won’t listen to you, she’ll listen to him.”

Megan was raised by her father alone from the age of seven and they were as close as a parent and child could be. I was surprised Becca hadn’t called him up before now.

Blinking, she said, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Out of respect for our friendship, I opted not to answer. “Go make sure she’s ready and I’ll have him up here in two minutes.”

I found Mr. Knox waiting anxiously in the kitchen. The moment I stepped through the swinging door, he spun with a smile before disappointment clouded his expression.

“Where’s Megan? We should be at the end of the aisle by now.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Taking him by the hand, I explained on the way. “She’s having some pre-wedding…” Insanity? Idiocy? Total lack of rational thought? “nerves. Once she sees you, I’m sure she’ll come down.”

“She’s refusing to come down?” he asked, clearly concerned.

“She’s just…hesitant. Once you tell her that everything is fine, we can get this shindig underway.”

He slowed, which made tugging him more difficult. This was supposed to be a wedding, not a CrossFit workout.

“If she’s changed her mind, I’m not going to make her go through with it.”

This was no time for both of them to be irrational. “That’s not the issue, I promise.” We reached Megan’s bedroom door and I turned to him. “Tell her that everything is beautiful outside, and that she needs to come down so everyone can see her in her pretty dress. And tell her that Ryan is waiting to say how much he loves her.” Turning the doorknob, I added, “Whatever you do, don’t mention the flowers.”

With that, I shoved him into the room and closed the door. If this ended with James Knox helping his daughter ditch the whole thing, I did not want to be involved.

Chapter Seven

Thirty minutes later, Megan and Ryan were lawfully wed without any further incidents. If you didn’t count the bee that attacked her during the ceremony. Not sure what they expected when they decided to surround themselves with a thousand flowers at an outdoor wedding. They might as well have sent the bees an invitation.