“True love never forgets,” he said, like he had almost two years ago when we got together again. His memories may never return, but his heart always knew it belonged to me.
“True love never forgets…” I repeated after him.
“Okay, time to get all dolled up for Adam and River’s big day.”
Since our detour hadn’t left a mess, we picked up his suit and my jacket from the matching hanging bags andfinallygot ready.
“Look at us,” Emery said, stepping closer until our reflections merged in the mirror. “Two handsome devils ready to charm the hell out of everyone.” His hands found their way to my tie,adjusting it with deft fingers, the intimacy of the gesture making my heart skip a beat.
“Only you, baby.” I caught his wrist, bringing his hand to my lips for a brief, tender kiss. “Only you could make me feel like the luckiest man alive just by fixing my tie.”
His chuckle was a warm caress against my skin. “And only you could turn a simple wedding prep into something so damn poetic. I thought Adam was the wordsmith Spencer.” He reached up to brush a rogue strand of hair from my forehead.
“I can make you a drawing if you like. It’ll be me with permanent heart eyes, holding a bouquet of peonies for you.”
“Do you think it’ll be super hot outside?” Emery asked.
Adam and River had decided to marry at the same resort in Maui that we’d visited on his honeymoon. I hadn’t been sure it was a good idea, but as Adam had said, that vacation had marked a new start in his life, which had taken him to River.
“The ceremony is inside, baby. We can come back to drop off our jackets before the beach reception.”
A knock at the door made us jump, and I moved to answer it with a foreboding tightening my gut. The last time we heard an unexpected knock on the morning of a wedding, it had been River telling us Victoria had left.
The door swung open, revealing River, his face pale, eyes wide with panic, and my stomach sank.
“The rings—I can’t find them anywhere,” he gasped.
“Wait, Adam’s not gone?”
He froze, his voice going a few octaves higher. “What? Adam’s gone?”
“Guys,” Emery said in his usual calm. “You’re not listening to each other.” Then he turned to River. “What’s the problem?”
“You promise Adam’s not gone?”
Emery smiled. “Promise.”
River sighed in relief before his eyes found the panic setting again. “I can’t find our wedding rings.”
“How? When did you last have them?” I asked.
“I—I don’t know,” River stammered, his fingers raking through his hair. He was already dressed in his wedding suit, looking every bit the nervous groom. “I had them, I swear. I mean, I thought I had them in my suitcase, but I’ve looked everywhere…” His voice trailed off, lost in the gravity of what this meant.
“Okay, hey, breathe,” I urged, stepping forward to place a steadying hand on his shoulder.
“We’ll find them, all right?”
“Adam’s going to kill me,” River whispered, his usual calm demeanor shattered by the weight of the moment. It pained me to see him like this, unraveling at the seams, on his wedding day of all days.
“Adam won’t care about the rings as much as he cares about you,” Emery chimed in, his voice soothing. “We’ve got time before the ceremony. Let’s think this through.”
“Could they have fallen out somewhere?” I suggested, my mind racing through possibilities. “Maybe when you were getting ready?”
“Maybe,” River conceded, though doubt clouded his eyes. “I checked my room already, tore it apart, but nothing.”
“All right,” I said, injecting confidence into my tone. “We split up. Search the places you’ve been since last having them. They have to be here, River. This place isn’t that big, and we haven’t left the resort.”
“Okay.” River nodded, his breathing steadier now. “I’ll retrace my steps. Maybe…maybe I dropped them somewhere along the way.”
