Page 60 of Wedlocked
“Oh hell nos!”
12
Jess
I would just liketo point out that if every wedding has a Bridezilla, it was not me.
It was Ben. Ben the Bridezilla.
I could only imagine what he would have been like if we had months to plan a wedding instead of barely a week. He was slightly feral. Had single-minded focus. I completely understood how he managed to amass over a million dollars in the last few years by working the stock market.
He made everything we decided on happen, and I had no idea how with such a short timeframe and considering the fact we were only a few weeks from Christmas. Maybe the people of White Pine Summit were also afraid to find out what happened when someone did something Ben forbade.
“Arsen! Get the SUV. And a bat.” He looked up from his phone. “Does this place have bats? Forget it. Get some ski poles. They’re pointy. It’ll get the job done.”
“What the hell do you need all that for?” I asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me to get anything?” Matty wanted to know as if Ben asking for weapons was a common occurrence.
Ben looked at Matty like he had twelve heads. “I’m not driving my brother into a crime scene! You already did jail time, P. You can’t go back.”
“But I can?” Arsen mused.
“We ain’t getting caught. And if we do, you can call your dad.”
Arsen laughed.
Matty crossed his arms over his chest. “You aren’t taking my boyfriend on a crime spree.”
“Don’t be jealous, P. It’s good bonding time for me and your other half.”
Yes. I lived with these boneheads.
Every. Day.
Ben turned to Arsen. “Why you still standing there? Get the poles. And maybe some plastic. Blood stains snow.”
“Benjamin Hayes Kruger,” I intoned, plunking my mug down on the table. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
“This,” he exclaimed, stabbing a finger at his phone. “The officiant I hired to marry us the day after tomorrow just quit!”
I gasped. “What?”
Ben gave me a smug look. “You wanna get the ski poles now too, don’t you?”
Arsen moved around me to tug the phone out of Ben’s hand and look down. “He has a family emergency and has to leave town,” he clarified.
Ben nodded. “Like I said, he quit. Tried to tell me I can’t get married.”
“He didn’t say that,” I rebutted. Glancing at Arsen, I asked, “Right?”
Arsen shook his head. “He gave a number to call and book someone else.”
“Maybe you should try that before you go on a murdering spree,” Matty mused.
“Yeah, okay.” Ben agreed and dialed the number.
After a few seconds, someone answered. “This is Ben Kruger. I’m a guest at White Pine Summit, staying at Snowdrift Ridge. I got your number from the traitor who quit on my wedding on short notice. I need someone to officiate.”