Page 10 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date (Unexpected Dates #2)

Hunter

"Marriage: When dating goes too far." ~Unknown

“Are you sure about this, cuz?” My cousin, Ryder, tugs at his shirt collar and asks me this same question for the hundredth time on this Thursday morning.

“If you want to back out, there’s plenty of time to do so.

I’ll pull the car around and we can get out of this joint A-sap, no questions asked. How about it?”

I sigh and motion for him to follow me through City Hall.

Our dress shoes make a clicking sound on the tiles as we head to the rotunda.

Mine sounds like the rhythmic beat of a drum, while his is a tired shuffle.

If he hadn’t insisted on coming, I would’ve found someone else to be our witness.

I throw him a concerned look. “For the last time, Ry, I’m sure.

I’m ready to get hitched. You, on the other hand, are so nervous, you’d think you’re the one getting married today. ”

“You do realize this is for life?”

I take a deep breath and nod. “Of course. I sure hope it is. ”

He runs a hand through his dark, wavy hair, leaving the ends of it sticking up. His expression changes from concerned to one of admiration. “You’re a bigger man than I ever was. I hope things work out for you and Lily. If not, I’m going to get an earful from Amelia, so please don’t screw this up.”

My brow quirks at the mention of his ex-fiancée. “Since when did you start talking to Amelia again?”

“It’s a long story. We’re not back together, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I wasn’t, but okay. You’ll have to catch me up sometime. Or we could do a double date; I bet Lily would like that.”

“We’ll see.”

There’s more I want to ask Ryder, but the moment we step into the rotunda, my heart starts to pound.

The space is impressive, with pink marble and columns that look like they belong in Rome rather than San Francisco.

The sunshine coming in through the windows on the second and third floors cast a pink glow onto the floor, highlighting the designs carved into them that match the ones in the dome above us.

But what fully captures my attention is the gorgeous figure at the top of the staircase.

My steps slow down as my gaze locks onto her.

It’s Lily. My colleague turned fake fiancée turned wife.

“Whoa,” Ryder murmurs at my side, expressing my thoughts out loud. “Oh, wow.”

I swallow hard, feeling the same awe and wonder to be in her presence. “I know, right? I can’t get over it either.”

“It looks daunting, but you’ll be okay. It’s not the first time you’ve faced something like that.”

I turn to him, confused. “Huh?”

“There’s only about 40 or 45. You can make it. You’re in better shape than I am.”

“What are you talking about? ”

“The stairs, of course. Come on, I’ll race you to the top!”

Before I can blink, Ryder takes off. I run after him, shaking my head, as a couple of middle-aged tourists take photos of us. We must be a sight to see, but we, along with everything around us, pale in comparison to the woman waiting for me on the second level.

I wince, however, when our eyes meet. Lily’s complexion is almost as white as her dress. She couldn’t be more beautiful in her long gown with its lacy sleeves and a low neckline that is modest yet intriguing, but her expression mirrors what Ryder’s was a few minutes ago. “Hey, Lil, are you okay?”

“Hi! Yeah, I’m fine!” Her words come out in breathy spurts. A tense smile curves her lips, which are a bright shade of red and the only color in her face. “Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure if you’d show up or not. Well, the truth is I wasn’t sure if I’d show up or not.”

“Oh?”

“It’s silly, but I couldn’t find the right pair of shoes to match my dress. I thought it might rain, so I didn’t know if I should wear strappy sandals or pumps. Anyways, I ended up going with the pumps.”

I glance down at her high heels. “At least it wasn’t a case of cold feet.”

She bursts out laughing and her entire body relaxes. “Now you’re the one breaking out with the puns? I hope that doesn’t mean you’re stressed.”

“Not at all. Ryder, on the other hand—where’d he go?” I look around for my cousin and spot him talking to an older man whom I guess is the officiant. “He’s acting like this is my last day of freedom on earth.”

“It totally isn’t! Like I said before, you have no obligations to stick around after my sister and Bruce get married. None at all. This marriage of convenience is only until January. And before then, you and I will continue to be colleagues and friends.”

“And roommates, right?” Lily and I had gone over the details of this plan a few days ago when we came to get our marriage license, but I want to be sure nothing’s changed. “My guest room is all ready for you to stay in.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” she says, wrinkling her nose.

“I feel bad for cramping your style. You have your bachelor pad set up the way you want it. You don’t need me bringing over my makeup and clothes and jewelry, not to mention my shoes, and invading your space with all my girly stuff.

It’s probably better if we stay at our own places. ”

I feign a pout. “I’m offended that you think I can’t handle girly stuff. I have two older sisters, remember? I grew up surrounded by every pink thing imaginable. Care Bears, My Little Pony, Polly Pocket—I was exposed to it all.”

“But that’s because you didn’t have a say back then.”

“You’re right, but I do now. And I mean it when I say you and all your girly stuff are welcome at my house.

You don’t have to be ke qi with me, Lil,” I say, reminding her not to be so polite.

“We’re equal partners in this. Just think of us like a dual-core processor.

Together, we can run applications faster, smoother, and more efficiently.

And with God as our power source, nothing can slow us down. ”

Her eyes soften as she gazes up at me. “I love it when you talk nerdy like that. Whoever gets to marry you is going to be so blessed. I mean, marry you for real since this one doesn’t count.”

Doesn’t count? I want to tell her that this wedding can be real and that we don’t have to put a time limit on our marriage, but her tone is so matter of fact, I can’t tell if she’s just being courteous.

“Thanks again for doing this for me, Hunter,” she continues. “ I know you’re sacrificing a lot. I don’t even know how I can ever repay you.”

“You could always name your firstborn after me.”

She raises a brow and says, “I would promise you that, but what if it’s a girl?”

“That’s easy. You can add a suffix and make it Hunterita or Hunterina. Better yet, Hunterella. That has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? I guarantee you she’d be the only girl in her class with that name.”

“More like the only girl in the world.” She laughs, looking a lot more relaxed now. “I’ll think about it.”

I see Ryder waving for us to head over. “Are you ready? I think it’s go time.”

Lily blows out a long breath and nods. “Let’s do this.”

“Hello, there!” The officiant calls us over to join him under the chandelier. He wears a black judge’s robe and holds a clipboard full of paperwork. “Are you the party of Payne and Lam?”

“That’s us!” Lily answers. “I’m Lily.”

“Hi, I’m Hunter.”

We all shake hands while Ryder positions himself a few feet away with his phone up, ready to take pictures.

“I’m Fred, and I’ll be handling your ceremony today. We have a full schedule today, so let’s have the two of you go ahead and face each other,” he instructs us. “Are you ready to start?”

Lily and I exchange nods.

“Feel free to stand closer and hold hands,” Fred says. He eyes the two of us curiously. “I’ve never seen a stiffer couple in my fourteen years of working here. You guys are in love, aren’t you? Or is this some kind of arranged marriage?”

“Not arranged,” Lily whispers. “It’s a marriage of convenience.”

Fred narrows his eyes and frowns. “A marriage of what?”

“Convenience. Hunter’s helping me out by marrying me, so my sister can marry the guy she’s in love with.”

Fred cocks his head at me and asks, “You’re okay with this? Because it sounds kind of inconvenient to me.”

“I’m totally on board, one hundred percent.”

“Huh,” he says again. “What’s that phrase young people use these days? You be you?”

“Do,” Ryder pipes up. “It’s you do you.”

“Right. You do you. Back in my day it was whatever floats your boat. Let’s hope your ship has all the romance of the Titanic without the death and despair.” He throws in a wink as he laughs at his own joke. “Get it? Boat, ship, Titanic?”

“We get it.”

“Yep, got it.”

Lily and I share an amused grin. We don’t have to exchange words for me to know how absurd she thinks this situation is; the look in her eyes says it all.

But there’s also a sense of relief in her smile, like she’s grateful we’re in this together.

I couldn’t agree more. In a show of solidarity, I step forward and extend both of my hands to her.

She glances at them, then up at me, before she meets me halfway.

The moment our fingers touch, I’m locked in.

Everyone else fades away and the only person I see is Lily.

Somehow, I make it through the next few minutes and say my vows.

Lily says hers, too, and we exchange rings.

They’re plain gold bands that her parents gave us, nothing fancy or personalized, but they symbolize a change in our relationship status better than any social media post. The ceremony then ends with Fred declaring us husband and wife.

The whole moment seems surreal, like I’m in a dream state.

But the instant I hear, “you may kiss the bride ”, a shot of adrenaline rushes through my body, all the way up to my face.

I’m pretty sure I could give Rudolph a run for his money because my ears feel blazing hot.

Oh no. Someone’s probably going to pull the fire alarm before I can kiss my wife.

I decide it’s now or never.

Like the dramatic scene of a movie, music suddenly plays in the distance in the form of a cell phone ring tone.

It’s the opening theme song to Star Wars.

While it’s not the romantic piece I would’ve picked for this moment, it does remind me of Yoda’s wise words: “Do or not do, there is no try.” My heart pounds as I anticipate my next move—a move that I hope will rock Lily’s world.

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I dip her back slowly and carefully.

Then with all the love stored up in my heart, I capture her mouth with mine.