“You are amazing and I’m thankful you’re in my life. And thank you for coming with me to this wedding. I won’t feel lonely when you are here,” I told him.
“Hey, you are my little sister in all but blood. Of course I came with you. Just know that our talk hasn't changed my mind. I will still make sure the men keep away from you,” he told me. I laughed.
“I don’t mind.”
We arrived in the town in the afternoon and I guided Martin to the diner. I had barely got out of the car when I found myself in a hug. CeCe squealed as she hugged me. I laughed and hugged her back.
“You look amazing!” she told me.
“Look who’s talking. You are radiant,” I said to her. She giggled.
“I am annoyingly happy,” she confessed, making me laugh.
“As you should be. Come and meet my friend,” I said and pulled her over to where Martin stood with an amused smile. “CeCe this is Martin, Martin this is CeCe, the bride to be,” I introduced them.
“Hello, and congratulations,” he said.
“Thank you and welcome to the metropolitan we call home.” CeCe leaned into me. “That’s not the man you left with,” she whispered. Martin could hear her with his improved hearing, and he had to fight not to laugh.
“I know,” I whispered back.
“Where is the other one? Did you dump him?” she continued our whispered conversation.
“I told you, me and Finlay are just friends. He had to go on a business trip,” I explained.
“And you just had a spare hunk lying around? What is this place you have moved to and can I come as well?” she asked. Martin had to pretend to look for something in the back of hiscar. But my hearing and the slight shaking of his shoulders told me he was laughing.
“CeCe!” I pretended to be shocked. “You are getting married tomorrow.”
“I know. But I mean,” she said, doing a small gesture behind Martin’s back, indicating his ass. I laughed.
“I’m happy you haven’t changed,” I told her. She sighed and shook her head.
“I have strict orders to escort you to the diner and then we will go to the coffeeshop. Mrs Andersen has turned the apartment over her shop into an Air BnB. Me and Jessie rented it for you.”
“CeCe! You didn’t have to. We could have stayed in the motel,” I said.
“Ew, nasty. You are our only out of town guests. It’s only right that we put you up. But, there is only one bed,” CeCe said.
“That won’t be a problem, we will manage,” Martin told her as he reached for my overnight bag as well as his own. CeCe poked her elbow into my side.
“Just friends, huh?” she remarked. I just rolled my eyes as we walked to the diner. It was nice to see everyone again. Mrs Jones gave me a tight hug and ushered Martin and me to a table and insisted on feeding us before we headed to her sister’s. CeCe and Jessie joined us. They both looked relaxed for a couple who had a wedding the next day. Very little had changed in town and the diner was still a meeting hub, the locals had heard about my return and many came by to say ‘hi’ and talk a little. Martin kept his word and made sure men kept a distance from me. CeCe and Mrs Jones gave me amused looks and I figured they didn’t buy my ‘just friends’ explanation. After eating and talking for a couple of hours, CeCe and Jessie took us over to the coffeeshop and Mrs Andersen gave me a tight hug before she shooed the bride and groom away.
“Honestly, the two of them are treating this as just another party. In my days, the day you married your husband was the most important day of your life,” she huffed as she showed us the apartment. At least the apartment had changed since I saw it last. It was now decorated in an idyllic countryside chick. “I hope everything is to your liking. You know where to find me if you need me. I will let you get settled in and… sleep.”
‘No one is buying the friends act,’ Martin mindlinked me as we said goodbye to Mrs Andersen.
‘Apparently not. We are lucky we didn’t decide to pretend to be dating. They would have made tomorrow into a double wedding,’ I told him and I could see him snickering. We got ready for bed. Martin offered to sleep on the floor, which I refused. We were all adults and I trusted him. The bed was big enough for the two of us to sleep in without it being awkward. Before we went to bed, I called Finlay and Martin called Sam. Everything was going well at the meeting of the packs, according to Finlay. But I heard how tired he sounded and I knew something was up. But it wasn’t the time to talk about it. If he told me everything was fine, whatever it was that bothered him didn’t have an impact on the pack. So it could wait until we all were back home again.
The day of the wedding we had breakfast with the sisters. The ceremony would take place in the afternoon out on Jessie's farm and the reception was to take place in the barn.
“Who has heard of getting married outside? On a farm?” Mrs Andersen huffed. “It’s only proper to have the ceremony in the church.”
“Honestly Amanda, you sound like a bitter old prune. You need to get with the times. People are getting married in allkinds of exciting places nowadays. I read about a couple who did it in a hot-air balloon,” Mrs Jones told her sister.
“Heathens the lot of them,” Mrs Andersen said. Martin and I listened while the sisters continued their bickering.
‘I wonder what she would think about our mating ceremonies,’ Martin mindlinked me. I almost choked on my coffee picturing Mrs Andersen in her Sunday best hiking out into the middle of the woods, listening to vows being said in honour of the moon and then watching how everyone shifted into wolves. I tried hard not to laugh and gave him an accusing look.
