Diana jumped to her feet, earning her a quick tug to her hair, as her sister wasn’t quite done sectioning it off. “Celine, please, please don’t tell anyone. I’m not even sure what’s going on with Cliff.”
Celine set the spray bottle on the dresser. “I need to go for a walk.”
Diana’s hands shook. “This is bad. This is so, so bad.”
Sadie pushed her back in the chair. “You can’t worry about her right now. We need to get your hair done, and I haven’t even started on your nails.”
Diana slumped. Celine was like a time bomb. She’d been testy all weekend and was one ornament short of a decorated tree. Cliff seemed on board with everything, but he hadn’t actually said he loved her. And to top that off, she was in love with him. Which meant that she was standing on the edge of something either wonderful or terribly heartbreaking. “I need to call this off.”
“You can’t.” Sadie’s answer was so fast, so matter-of-fact, that it paused Diana’s anxiety. Her older sister had a way of sounding so authoritative when she wanted to.
“Why not?”
“Cliff’s already been left at the altar once. How is he going to feel if you back out?”
“Oh my gosh—I didn’t even think of that.” Her heart seized at the thought of the pain she’d cause him by leaving him at the church—er, barn. He’d been in such a dark place when they first met and so grumpy for so long after that. “Even if he doesn’t have feelings for me, calling the marriage off now could trigger some sort of traumatic memory.” She grabbed Sadie’s arm. “I can’t do that to him.”
“You’re not going to.” Sadie’s voice had the note of assurance that Diana needed.
Diana nodded. The only way to save Cliff from her rash decision-making and blatant misrepresentation of their relationship was to marry him. It was upside down and backwards, but somehow it made sense. “I’m going to do this. I’m going to marry him. If he wants to undo it later, that’s what we’ll do.”
Sadie slowed down. “What about you? Can you handle marrying him and then having it annulled?”
“I don’t know,” Diana whispered. “It’s a real possibility that I would be messed up.” She closed her eyes. “I’d rather I’m messed up than he is, though.”
Sadie hugged her from behind. “Then you know it’s really love.”
“Yeah.”
Chapter 21
Cliff
Cliff pressed his phone to his ear as he trudged along the driveway. He finally had a moment alone and cell service. He was about to call his parents when he chickened out and decided to call Asher instead.
“Ho ho ho,” Asher answered the phone.
His brother’s voice was as calming as a warm southern wind. Asher had a level head, whereas Cliff was off in Whoville agreeing to get married in a barn on Christmas. “You sound chipper for a guy stuck in a hospital today.”
“That’s because I’m getting off early.”
“How’d you swing that?” He tugged on his beard. Exactly how was he going to explain the last 24 hours?
“A Christmas miracle.”
Cliff decided to bite the bullet. “Good. If you hop on I-25, you might make it in time for my wedding.”
“Your what now?”
He groaned. “Remember that fake dating thing I told you about?”
“With Diana.” Asher’s brain was the faster and smarter out of the two of them. He knew exactly what Cliff was talking about but was slowing this all down for Cliff’s sake. Bless him.
“Yes. Well, things have escalated—you could say.”
“I’m getting in my car and headed that way—so start talking. I need something to keep me awake anyway.”
He talked. And then talked some more. He even shared light details about Mistletoe Mile and her great-grandparents and the 100-year anniversary. He talked about how much this meant to her parents and how the whole family was behind them getting married. “It’s like a force of nature, man—tearing through the house and sweeping up everyone in its wake.”
