I righted myself and stood still, not risking ripping the expensive dress. The fabric swished out in front of me when I waved the material in my hands.
The blonde assistant came back to the room in what felt like two seconds and ushered me forward, getting me ready for the ceremony.
“I can’t believe I’m marrying my best friend and everything is so perfect,” I said, grabbing the bouquet and meeting her at the door.
She zeroed in on my dress and fixed the train. “Yeah, me either. It’s magical,” she said, barely above a deadpan.
I smiled, even though she didn’t sound as enthusiastic as I felt about the moment. She led me to the front of two tall double doors closing off the Chapel room and told me to wait.
“They’ll open the doors when it’s time for you to enter. Good luck,” she said.
The seconds clicked down as I watched the clock above the two doors. My mother was so going to freak out when I told her I got married in Vegas. One of my brothers would probably have a heart attack and die.
Totally worth it.
Thankfully, Chance added the videographer to our wedding package. We’d have a video for proof and memories. That might soften the blow. Or make it worse.
I tapped my foot, doing everything I could not to explode from excitement, and waited. It felt like forever. The doors creaked and slowly opened a hundred years later, revealing a small chapel-looking room with two pews on each side and a tall platform where a man in a suit and my future husband waited.
Chance lifted his head as the doors finished opening. He saw me and his smile split his face in two. Music floated out from the room and I took my first step without thinking about it.
It had always been my default to walk toward Chance. The music picked up pace, but I didn’t hear any of it. The only thing I had on my mind was the man at the end of the walkway.
We were doing this.
I was marrying my best friend.
It wasn’t what I’d expected, but I wanted to run toward the future full throttle.
Chance’s eyes lit up with every step I drew closer to him. His gaze tracked over my dress and stopped at my face as I clutched the flower bouquet to my chest. It wasn’t alcohol or anything besides true love that got me to walk down the aisle.
I reached him at the end of the walkway. He raced down the steps to meet me and then held my hand as we walked up together.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said as we hit the top step.
“Hey.” I laid the flowers at my feet. “You totally paid for me to keep those.”
Chance laughed. “Worth it.”
The officiant stepped up to us and said something, but I couldn’t turn my head from Chance. The flowers had an extra strong floral scent, and I pushed them to the side with my shoe as I pressed in closer to Chance.
His rented suit made him look hot, and I pictured what he’d look like wearing one every day to work. He was mainly a jeans and T-shirt guy, but now I wanted to dress him up in fancy suits. The longer I stared into his gaze, the more of our future flashed before my eyes. Children, dogs, maybe a little place in Pelican Bay. Dinners at the farm and every holiday together.
“Together you will defeat enemies and build a life while you forge a bond that is greater than you alone,” said the officiant.
Man, our wedding sounded wonderful. If only I could focus on his words. They just didn’t seem more important than sharing this moment with Chance.
The doors at the end of the room crashed open and Chance jumped in front of me, placing a barrier between me and the person who charged through the doorway.
“I object!” a male’s voice yelled. It echoed around the space, and I peered over Chance’s shoulder to see our intruder.
Then a man in a pair of running shorts and a sweaty tank top ran into the room like he had only seconds left to win a marathon. He had his hands in the air and came to a complete stop halfway to the dais. His head flipped back and forth as his attention skipped between Chance and me as we stood with the officiant.
Chance looked at me and raised a brow. I shrugged.
“Ella Greathouse?” the man asked as he trudged up the aisle, as my face might change appearance if he got closer.
I shook my head. “Sorry, man.”
