Page 53 of Anyone But You

“Good, because we’re kicking it up a notch. Close your eyes.”

I was relieved when she obeyed without giving me hell. I led her through the cave, and reaching the beautiful paradise on the other side only took a few minutes.

“Hey, Batman. Can I open my eyes yet?” she asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

“You may.”

She opened her eyes and her feet propelled her forward, but not before she glanced back at me. I nodded in encouragement. The gasp that left her lips was worth more than gold.

“Is… is this—”

“It’s a bird sanctuary.”

“There have to be at least fifteen different species here,” she said in awe as she ventured further into the birds’ personal oasis.

“Go explore, but don’t go too far,” I warned. Victoria was gone in the blink of an eye. I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched her as she cautiously tiptoed around the storks wading in a pool of water, not wanting to invade their personal space as much as possible. My attention was distracted from her when a flock of vibrant-colored parrots flew above and perched on a nearby tree.

Thunder boomed again, but that time, it was closer.

“Victoria, I don’t mean to rush you, sweetheart, but I think it’ll rain sooner than we thought.”

“I don’t hate you. I do!” she shouted from a distance, not giving me the time of day now that she was surrounded by colorful chicken nuggets with wings.

God, what I would give to have a fucking chicken nugget.

“While I appreciate your efficiency—”

“Make sure you put that in my performance review,” she joked as she returned to me with the veil over her face. I smiled briefly.

“While I appreciate your efficiency, that is the most trifling wedding vow I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s theonlywedding vows you’ve ever heard.”

16

For Better or For Worse

Victoria

“Are you sure you want to do this right now?” I asked. The threatening thunderclouds made me fear we should seek shelter instead of exchanging nuptials.

“There’s no time like the present,” Knox said, corralling me to the altar, which was a tree with hanging vines and pink flowers. “Where is your bouquet?”

“Ummmm… see… what happened was—”

“I swear to God, if you say a stork took it, I’ll scream.”

I twisted my lips and waited for Knox to proceed with our sham of a wedding.

It’s not a sham. Once Knox says, “I do,” we’re locked in for life.

“No response?”

I shrugged. “I’d rather you didn’t scare off the birds with your screaming,” I mumbled as I assessed the sky that was darkening with every passing second. “The only screaming I want to hear from you is screams of ecstasy. Do you want to say your vows first, or do you want me to go first?”

“Ladies first,” he insisted, grabbing my hands and wrapping those rough, calloused fingers around mine.

Here goes nothing….