“But—but what do I do now? There are over three hundred people waiting in the church. And I don’t know if Nick can alert the media and tell them that I’ve fallen ill or have my father postpone—”
“Do you have any of your belongings in that room?” He nods at the propped door as he gently wipes away my tears.
“Uh… um, yeah. My phone and my weekend bag.” I start stepping side to side, my feet now killing me.
Luke looks down at the pointy witch heels poking out from under my dress. “Okay, here’s the plan. You’re going to gather your things, ditch those shoes, and slip into the Chucks I’m sure you sneaked in here. I’ll text your brother to prepare for what’s about to go down. Then we’re going to walk out, nice and calm, and you’re going to sit your ass in my truck. Because you, Daisy, are not getting married today.”
He smiles widely, and I freeze. I’ve never seen him smile like this, and now I’m glad I haven’t, because it’s downright devastating.
I shake the absurd thought from my head and try to grasp what Luke is trying to communicate with me.
“Okay, so toss the shoes and grab my phone and bag.” I nod, the pieces slowly coming into focus. “I’m not getting married today.” I smile my first real smile in what feels like forever.
“You’re not getting married today.” His smile now matches mine.
I go to move but stop to turn back to Luke. “Wait, and what are you going to do?”
He grins as he nods at the black truck in the mostly empty parking lot.
“Daisy girl, isn’t it obvious? I’ll be the one driving the getaway car.”
three
“You know, if youwanted to take the crown for most dramatic sibling, all you had to do was ask, sis.” I groan as my brother Nick makes light of the massive clusterfuck I’ve just caused. My sign of distress doesn’t deter him as his voice carries from my cell that’s on speakerphone. “And to think, there were so many ways I could have helped you really stick it to Damien, and you chose the route that didn’t include a scenario in which I could have had my own moment to shine. Very bridezilla of you, if I do say so myself.”
I don’t tend to get carsick, but as the realization of what I’ve done starts to set in, I find it harder to keep the contents of my meager breakfast from making a reappearance.
There’s rustling over the line, followed by a clear “ow” coming from my dear old brother. Before I can even muster the will to respond, my friend and now sister-in-law, Luisa takes over the line. “I swear, sometimes I wonder if your brother performed aspell on me, because why else would I be married to a guy who—”
“Because you love me!” Nick’s muffled voice interrupts.
Any other day, I would be giggling up a storm at the thought of those two going back and forth between lovers and adversaries. But today is not that day.
“Guys, please.” My voice unexpectedly breaks on the last word, and everything around me goes silent.
A warm, comforting hand finds my clamped ones and squeezes lightly.
I look to my left and find Luke’s worried gaze locked on mine. “We need a plan,” he says gruffly as he slowly directs his attention back to midtown traffic.
Nick is back on the line, and this time, I can tell he is in full business mode. “You’re right. My apologies, Daisy. I know this couldn’t have been easy for you to do, but please know that we are so damn proud of you and will handle the aftermath.”
“Aftermath?”
“Yes, aftermath,” he continues. “There are about three hundred guests plus staff in that church waiting for a bride who is currently tardy to walk down the aisle. It’s only been fifteen minutes, so they’re probably assuming you’re fashionably late. But before long, someone will leak what has happened and we’ll have a media firestorm on our hands.”
I don’t even realize I’ve made a distressed sound until I feel Luke squeezing my hands again. This time he unclenches my hands from one another and threads our fingers together until he’s got a firm hold on me. “I’m not hearing any solutions, Stonehaven,” he states in the same disapproving tone he uses while speaking to his baseball players when they’re late to practice.
“Yes, I was getting to that, Coach. Which, by the way, good save today. Talk about right place, right time, huh?”
“Something like that,” he mumbles.
“As I was saying, we need a plan. I’ve already texted all the heads of Stonehaven Media. They’ve already gotten a statement from me, which is better than any “unconfirmed sources” that I’m sure will be popping up throughout the week. It is set to go live as soon as you give me the green light, sis.”
“A statement? From my brother? Isn’t that, like, weird? And shouldn’t I talk to Damien before going to the media?” I bite the nail of the thumb on my free hand, and for a second, I think Luke is trying to figure out a way to hold both of my hands at the same time.
Nick audibly sighs. “Daisy, I am the media. And unfortunately, you won’t be able to talk to Damien before this goes live.” His voice gentles. “You know why, don’t you?”
I lean my head back and close my eyes.
