ADAM
Nothing good ever starts with a frazzled Lilly running at full speed in heels.
She flags me down mid-march across the back deck, weaving through people hauling chairs and crates of flowers down the flagstone path. Her heels click against the wood, and she skids to a stop in front of me.
“We can’t find Carter,” she pants, holding her side. “Photo guy needs to take his solo shots.”
I know better than to comment on that. “Did you call him?”
She glares at me like I asked her to smile more. “Straight to voicemail.”
“I’m on it,” I say and give her a mock salute.
The scene inside is slightly chaotic. Caterers sprint between the kitchen and the backyard, where the open linen tent is halfway up, fabric flapping in the lake breeze. Someone is arguing by the cake table. Loudly.
After a few minutes, I finally spot Logan near the hallway, talking to some of the guests who’ve trickled in early. His posture straightens when I catch his eye. His military instincts cut in, and he excuses himself and stomps behind me.
“Do you think Martha scared him away?” I ask as we make our way upstairs.
“I don’t think he’s that stupid,” Logan smirks, tugging open a nearby door. Empty linen closet.
I yank open another door that leads to a Carter-less library. “Then I don’t want to be the one to tell her we lost the groom.”
Logan snorts. “Doesn’t surprise me that little old ladies trigger your flight response.”
“You’re throwing a lot of stones for someone who hid in a wardrobe at the last gala to avoid Blanca’s mother.” It’s so satisfying to wipe that smug smirk off his face. “Maybe you should let her set you up with her daughter.”
He freezes with his hand on a door handle, glaring at me. “How did you…” He smooths out his lapels, sneering. “We should split up. I’ll check the studio out back. You keep looking around here.” After a pause, he adds, “try the attic too.”
“Oh, no. Don’t leave me. We’re having so much fun.” I smile at him.
Logan flips me off as he walks away, grunting.
Turning the corner, I make my way toward the short flight of stairs that leads to the quiet little nook overlooking the lake.
And sure enough, there’s our vanishing groom, sitting on the bench, staring out at the wedding preparations underway at the edge of the water.
The golden tie pin between his fingers glints in the mid-morning sun.
“Didn’t take you for a jewelry guy.”
Carter startles slightly and snaps out of whatever thoughts had him looking miles away. Then he gives me a bitter smile. “It was Dad’s.”
He turns it over, silent for a moment. “Mom thinks I should honor him somehow. Onmywedding day.”
Not the topic I’d pick for this wedding morning. “No one would blame you if you didn’t.”
He shrugs, focused on the gold piece. “It doesn’t mean anything to me. Not anymore. I’ll wear it for her, but…” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Got me thinking about their marriage.”
The room fills with the heavy memory of Carter’s fraught relationship with his dad. In the silence, I can feel the tension rolling off him.
I step inside and sit beside him on the discolored pillows, the wood creaking beneath us.
“Cold feet?” I ask, only half joking.
He doesn’t laugh. Just rubs his hands together, more distraught than I’ve seen him in a long time. “I don’t want to screw it up.”
“Carter…” I shake my head. “Of all the people I know, you’re statistically the least likely to mess up your life.”
