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“I guess they’re dating. I didn’t know until just now or I would have given Elvis and Gwen a heads-up.”

“Well, Elvis is okay with it. Not sure about Gwen. But I don’t think she’ll make a scene. We’re all grown-ups here.”

“Yeah, that’s what Beau said. Well, I’ll go check on Basia. Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

I came up behind Basia just as she and Elvis burst out laughing. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing important.” Basia slid an arm around my waist. “You look radiant. How’s the bride doing?”

“Well, I haven’t run out of the room screaming yet, so there’s that. The real question is how are you? Looks like you guys are enjoying yourselves.”

“We are. Right now, I feel perfectly fine and am enjoying a wonderful evening with my most favorite people. I’m so sorry for the barf fest earlier. My stomach has been a bit shaky, but all’s well now. So, let’s dish on Beau. Was that Bonnie Swanson I just saw on his arm?”

I glanced at Elvis, who was staring in the direction of Beau and Bonnie. “Yeah. I didn’t know until just now. It was a last-minute thing, I guess. You okay with it, Elvis?”

He turned his gaze back to me. “Sure, I guess. I still like Bonnie, just not in that way anymore.”

“I know. Beau said he ran into her a few weeks ago and they hit it off. I’m sorry if it’s made you uncomfortable. I didn’t know. Otherwise, I’d had given you a heads-up.”

“It hasn’t. Really. I’m absolutely, positively, cool with it.”

“What about Gwen?”

He looked around. “I’m not sure where she is now, but I think she’ll be okay with it, too. Gwen knows how I feel about her. I’m not worried about that.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I’m glad we’re all on the same page.” I turned to Basia. “Anyway, I came over here to let you know how beautiful everything looks tonight and how much I appreciate all the effort you’ve put in to making this night, and my wedding, perfect. Seeing how wonderful everything is, I understand why people put a lot of work into planning something like this down to every small detail. It does make a difference.”

“Well, since you wouldn’t let me throw you a bachelorette party, it’s the least I could do.”

“Afteryourbachelorette party, I think I had the full experience and then some.”

Both Basia and Elvis laughed. “That was definitely a night to remember,” he said. “I’m sure tonight will be far tamer.”

“It better. I don’t see how anything could top that insanity.”

Just as I said that, several sharp pops sounded just outside the house. I froze for a millisecond while my brain caught up with the sound. I knew it well.

Gunshots.

Horrified, I glanced at Basia and Elvis just as a loud bang sounded from the front lawn of the house and the lights in the house abruptly winked out.

EIGHT

Slash

The evening was just getting started, and everyone seemed to be in exceptionally good spirits. Bluff House provided an intimate and lovely setting, and it had been decorated in an elegant fashion to make a statement without being pretentious. The investment we’d made by hiring Amanda as our wedding planner, and the fact that Lexi’s mom and Basia had so enthusiastically taken on the decorating, had been well worth it.

The arrival of the first lady had added to the energy of the evening without overpowering it. Lexi was handling herself quite well, and I was impressed. Perhaps she’d persuaded her little black cloud to take the week off, although intuitively I knew better.

The rehearsal had gone about as expected, although I hadn’t anticipated her taking her father out. I had to up my game a bit. Despite Basia getting sick in Lexi’s rental car—and thank God I’d missed that—and the incident with her father at the rehearsal, it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle. At this point, nothing would prevent me from marrying the love of my life in the church this weekend.

I wouldn’t let it.

But there was one small part of the wedding I was still working out that Lexi didn’t know about…yet. That’s because I wasn’t sure it would happen, and it was something I had to figure out on my own. For now, at least.

But time was growing short for me to do so. I needed a few private minutes to speak with Emilio, which I’d been unable to do since I picked him up at the airport with my entire family. I spotted him alone, so I excused myself from Lexi and headed into the hallway.