“I do,” I said with a smile. “Which is why I hope you’re bringing me good news and not bad news.”
“Well, I do have news,” he said gruffly, and my heart seemed to fall in my chest. I let him continue. “Amanda Briggs has dropped all charges,” he continued. “Completely dropped them.”
“Are you—are you kidding me?”
“No,” he said, and a small smile played on his lips. “She admitted that she was jealous of you and Peyton’s relationship and wanted to hurt you.”
I stared at Burton, waiting for him to take it back, yell surprise, or something equally as shitty that I could only expect.
“Why?” I asked finally. “What makes a woman like her change her mind over something like that?”
“It must have been something Peyton said to her,” he said with a shrug. “I guess she got through to her.” He turned to leave, but I stopped him, stepping forward.
“When did Peyton talk to Amanda?” I asked, and Burton shook his head with a slight shrug.
“That’s her business,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be too angry because it must have worked.” He turned again to leave and then stopped once more. “Congratulations again.”
“Thank you, detective,” I said softly, trying to gather my thoughts. “Please know that you’re welcome to stay. The reception will have an open bar.”
“Thanks.” Eli Burton stepped out of the room, leaving me alone once again. I sat back in the chair, unsteady now, feeling a whole rush of emotions bombard me. Amanda had dropped the charges. I was free from her insanity, and it sounded like the person I had to thank was my future wife.
“Okay,” I said, getting to my feet again. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter44
Peyton
I looked around at what had once been a mere ambulance bay, the place to house the firetrucks and ambos as they waited for their turn on shift. It was no longer just an oversized garage, no. Now, it was stunning.
The bright, overwhelming overhead lights were off; instead, the aisleway was lit with candles. It was the lights I noticed first, soft, blinking white lights that glimmered from the ceiling, hanging down in small tendrils like icicles from a roof. They were fake, of course, but breathtaking, nonetheless. They sparked and glowed, lighting up the floor covered in a soft, white rug that led straight to the ladder of Engine One, where I would climb a couple of steps and meet Korbin on top of the truck for all of our guests to see.
Rose petals of red, pink, and white littered the floor, their petals misted lightly with shimmering glitter, making the floor and air seem even more magical and bright. Metal chairs with lovely sky-blue covers lined the aisle, their legs twisted subtly with beautiful, misty white lights.
It was—perfect.
Behind me, the back door opened and closed, and Paisley hurried in with a clipboard in her hand. She caught sight of me and scowled, shaking her head. “You weren’t supposed to see it until you walked down the aisle,” she moaned. “Now the surprise is ruined.”
Instead of responding, I crossed the floor and hugged my friend, squeezing her until she pushed me away, mumbling under her breath as her cheeks flushed red hot with embarrassment.
“Don’t get all sappy on me,” she muttered. “But I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it, Paisley. Thank you.”
“Good,” she said, reaching one hand up to brush the hair from my face. “But guests are going to be arriving any time now. Your mother is waiting for you in the kitchen. Go see her, and I’ll tell you when it’s time to walk.”
Smiling like an idiot and walking like one in my dress, too, I waded through the fire station until I found my mother, just where Paisley had promised me she would be. She stood from the table when she saw me, tears sprouting from her eyes as she watched me come toward her.
“My God,” she said, reaching out to hug me. “You look like an angel straight from above.”
“You look beautiful, too, Mom,” I whispered, hands traveling down her silky blue dress. She looked vibrant. Young. And I loved it.
“Don’t cry,” Mom scolded, lifting a hand to my face to brush a tear away. “You’ll ruin that pretty makeup. Are you excited to marry Korbin today?”
“I’m ecstatic,” I said quietly, holding my mother’s hand. “And did you see the ambulance bay? Paisley has completely turned it into dreamland.”
“I know,” Mom said with a slight chuckle. “She and your friend Rem recruited me for help. It was quite fun, actually.”
“What did I do to deserve all of you?” I asked. Out the door and down the hallway, I could hear the guests arriving, chatting excitedly, piling into the bay to take their seats, anxiously awaiting a beautiful wedding.
