The woman’s brows shot up.“Really?”
“Yep.”Lilian nodded.“But you have to bring the picture here for proof.”
“Deal.”Her eyes lit up at the challenge.
Lilian locked eyes with Margo from across the room.Her friend seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing Lilian was.Maybe the flyers weren’t the only thing they could do to help the shop.
The crowd had them working through lunch, and Lilian wouldn’t have it any other way.By noon, the sun had brought back the summer heat even though it was the first week of October.
Alex stopped by briefly, but when she saw the constant stream of customers, she grinned and left with her band of female pirates in tow.
It was hours before they had a break, and Lilian dipped out to fill up their water bottles.
All the weddings and vow renewals were tucked into an area near the Reject Woods, far from the noise and rabble of the main faire.She had to walk past it on her way to the nearest water stop.Curious, she stopped by the flower arch that marked the entrance.
Not far down the path, a small group of people stood among the trees.A narrow man-made stream ran alongside the trail, adding to the soft ambience.A man dressed in black held the hands of a woman in a beautiful cream-colored gown.Her auburn curls were adorned with a glittering silver crown.Together, they looked like an ethereal fantasy couple.
An actor dressed as a humble friar joined their hands together, reciting the same script he had for every couple that came before them.But what stole her breath was the way they looked at each other.Like they were the main characters in their own love story.
“What are you doing?”
Lilian jumped as the question shattered the quiet moment.An embarrassed excuse rose to her lips when she saw it was Hawk.
“Shhh,” she whispered, waving him over.
His brows drew together in confusion, but he stepped forward anyway and came to a stop just behind her.Lilian tensed at the heat radiating from his polo.Even though he wasn’t touching her, she felt his presence like a solid tree at her back.He was taller, which meant he had to hunch slightly as they peered down the path, sharing the view in front of them.
Lilian forced her voice to be steady as she whispered, “I was passing by when I saw the renewal happening.”
“Mmm.”Hawk’s face was its normal blank mask that he wore at work, but his eyes peered past her to the group.
A rumble of claps echoed as the couple kissed, and for a moment, she and Hawk watched.Paying the moment its proper respect.
It started as a sweet kiss, but then the man took the woman in his arms and deepened it.God, no one had ever kissed her like that.Not even her last boyfriend.When they pulled away from each other, she saw a flash of the biggest, giddiest smiles before the man pulled the woman back for another kiss.
She couldn’t help but sigh at the sight.“I love this.”
“Why?”Hawk asked.“It's not real.It's just people in costume, reading a script.It’s not even legally binding.”
She turned to him, eyes wide in abject horror.“That doesn’t matter.Not to those people.Look how happy they are.”The couple was now being congratulated by their friends and family, but they still only had eyes for each other.Maybe they were married and had been for years.Or maybe they were only dating.It didn’t matter.In this moment, their love was one of the most real things at the faire.
Hawk snorted.“Is this really the fantasy?To have a pretend wedding with a pretend priest?”
“He’s a friar,” she corrected.“And for some, that doesn’t matter.People come here for fantasy.For this space where they can step back in time and be whomever they want.The walls and the trees surrounding this place transport us all to another time.”
“Is that what you would want?”
Her eyes snapped to him.Well, that was a hell of a personal question, and the pitter patter of her heart was a very personal answer.One she didn’t want to risk letting see the light of day.“I’m nowhere close to getting married, so it doesn’t matter.”
Hawk stared at her.
Heat licked her neck as she turned to him.“What?I know it sounds silly, but you don’t have to be rude about it.”
“I don’t mean to be rude,” he said.“It's just… what you said reminds me a lot of someone.”
“Oh, really?Who?”
“My mom.”He shrugged.“My parents got married here.In the Flint Hills.They had a…” He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed to even be saying the next words.“Medieval-themed wedding.”
