Page 98 of Wedding or Not

That’s the way he’s holding on to me.

“Fuck, baby,” he gasps after a minute, speaking the words against my hair. “If you love me, why did you break my heart this morning?”

I inhale raspily and pull back. “You broke my heart!”

“I was trying to tell you I’ve been in love with you forever, and you were so set on not hearing it you ran away!”

“You weren’t—” I blink up at his damp face and wildly joyous eyes. “Wait, is that the truth you were trying to say?”

“Yes! What else do you think I’d be bumbling around trying to get out like that?”

“I thought you were trying to end it between us! You said… you said you couldn’t do it anymore and…”

“I couldn’t keep pretending.” His face twists with emotion and something like amusement. “Jesus Christ, we both made a mess of it because we were so scared the other didn’t feel the same. But I love you, Ella. For real. And I was afraid we’d never get there if we continued pretending. I didn’t want a fake marriage with you because I so desperately want the real thing.”

“That’s what I want too. The real thing. Forever.”

I’m beaming up at him so I can see his expression crack as he leans down into a kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back with all the jumbled passion in my soul that’s never had a resting place before.

There are cheers and applause from the wedding tent behind us, but I’m barely conscious of it as Wes kisses me so ardently he ends up leaning me backward a little, the way we posed for one of the magazine photos.

It feels right. Him, loving me. And me, loving him right back.

And the entire world, who watched the beginning, who saw the truth even before I did, can now witness the happy ending.

While it would have been nice to be able to collapse with Wes and indulge in the culmination of our messy, passionate romance for the rest of the day, that’s sadly not possible.

There’s a wedding going on at Blossom Park right now and another one this evening. We grab a few moments together to kiss and hug, but it’s not until the sun goes down that we have any chance to spend more than a handful of minutes together in private.

The evening wedding is larger—not huge but definitely above midsize for our capacity—and the ceremony is held in the rose garden with the reception in the mansion.

Because the wedding is formal, I have to change into a less casual outfit. I choose a dress Aunt Grace passed on to me a couple of years ago. It’s a silvery-blue color with a soft, drapey cut and loose sleeves.

I can’t wear long, elegant sheaths or sexy party dresses. They don’t look like me, and I feel ridiculous in them. But the fabric and color of this dress elevate it from my normal pretty daytime dresses, and since I’m staff and not a guest, it will effectively fade into the background.

Natalie looks gorgeous in black, and we split the tasks and requests between us.

Since Jake doesn’t need Wes for anything this evening, he can’t attend the wedding, but it goes quickly and the ceremony and reception dinner are over before I know it.

A lot of the guests have already left, and the ones remaining are well into their liquor (as my grandmother used to say).

Natalie grins at me from across the dance floor and taps her watch and then points in the general direction of the cottages, signaling I can leave anytime.

I hate to abandon Natalie to cover the last part on her own, but I also really, really, really want to find Wes.

Now that things are wrapping up, it feels like it’s been forever since I laid eyes on him.

“When is this thing going to be over?”

The dry murmur comes from behind me, and it startles me so much I let out a silly squeak.

Wes chuckles and slides an arm around me. “Did you not see me come in?”

“No! Where did you even come from?” I lean against him, rubbing my cheek against his shoulder. He’s still wearing the same suit and sweater-vest he was in earlier.

“The front door. I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I’ve been waiting forever to have you to myself. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“That’s how I’ve been feeling too. Natalie said I could leave.”