She breezed them through it and even phoned ahead to the other side of the courthouse to make sure the judge would be ready for them when they got there.
“We don’t have too many marriages here, so he’ll enjoy tying the knot for you two,” Wendy said. “And Montana doesn’t require witnesses, so you’re good there. Uh, Lydia, can I borrow you for a second before you go over there?”
Lydia never turned down a member of her pack who came to her with a reasonable request, especially when Wendy was only asking for a little bit of her time. She excused herself to Case—who seemed adorably happy to contemplate the mural that sprawled across the whole western wall—and let Wendy pull her aside.
“What is it?”
Wendy flushed. “I know you and Ruth have always been private, so this might seem inappropriate, me getting involved in your personal life, but I just wanted to say congratulations. For real.”
“For real?”
If possible, Wendy went even redder. “I mean, thanks, too, but ... the two of you—I mean, I knew you were getting married, obviously, but I thought it was for the sake of the pack. Like a business arrangement? Now that I’ve seen the two of you together, I know it’s more than that, and I wanted to say that I’m happy for you. Everyone will be. You deserve a real life and a real marriage, and I’m glad you’re getting one.”
She hadn’t realized that anyone in the pack had been fretting over her potential happiness at all. She would have thought that—understandably!—they would have been too scared about their own futures to worry about hers. The idea that Case made them happy forheras well as for themselves filled her with a confusing, fizzy warmth that she had no experience in dealing with.
They might be getting ahead of themselves, though. It wasn’t like things between her and Case were guaranteed to work out. Far from it.
... Right?
I mean, both WendyandPolly think Case and I are good together. That’s a good sign, isn’t it?
“It’s ... complicated.”
Wendy apparently thought that Lydia had a much better grasp on her own thoughts than Lydia actually did, because she nodded invitingly, like there was obviously more information on the way.
What was Lydia supposed to say?
Of course I’m already halfway in love with him. Have youseenhim? And even if I ignore what he looks like—which trust me, I can’t—he’s still incredible. He’s brave and good and adventurous, and he can shrug and take on everything the world throws at him. And I found out two minutes ago that apparently he also writes my favorite kind of book!
That all made sense on the surface, but Lydia couldn’t help feeling like it didn’t come close to capturing everything. It made it sound like she’d lost her heart to Case because he had checked off every box on some mental list of what would make a guy a total catch.
But the truth was, while Lydia was understandably wowed by Case’s truly ridiculous number of good points, she sensed that someone else could pop up right now with the exact same qualifications and leave her cold.
Because he wouldn’t be Case, would he? He wouldn’t daydream about standing in line with her at the DMV. He wouldn’t insist on buying her delectable wedding cookies. He wouldn’t like brownies from a store-bought mix, and he wouldn’t ruin his night defending someone else’s service dog. He wouldn’t right this second be looking genuinely interested in some courthouse mural painted by earnest high school students.
No one but Case could be this alive to the world and this ready to enjoy whatever it had to offer. No one but Case could make her heart lurch in her chest like this, like she was feeling years of joy and pain all at once.
She couldn’t say all that to Wendy, especially when she hadn’t even said it toCase.
“I really like him,” she said instead, trying to talk around the sudden lump in her throat. “I really, really do.”
Unlike “it’s complicated,” this answer seemed to be enough.
“I’ve seen how he looks at you,” Wendy said, smiling. “I think he really, really likes you too.”
Lydia couldn’t help smiling at that, because she remembered what Case had said earlier. “He likes a lot of people.”
Wendy shook her head, looking very sure of herself. “Yeah, I don’t think he likes them like he likes you. Now go get married. I’ll be there in spirit, throwing rice.”
13
Life involved a lot of waiting. For the most part, Case was philosophical about it, and he didn’t think it made much sense to get impatient. It didn’t help, after all. Usually, fretting and fuming only tore you up and made you feel like the whole thing was taking even longer.
Now, for the first time, he hit the limit of his usual laidback approach.
“I can’t stand this.”
He was mostly talking to himself, but it caught the attention of the guy a few feet away from him. He was burly and a few years older than Case, but he was surprisingly baby-faced.
