Page 36 of Unhitched

Chapter twenty-one

Mya

“This isn’t going to be anything like that movie Made of Honor , is it?

” I whisper to Kace as we sit in the back row of white folding chairs, soft instrumentals playing as everyone waits for the bride.

This venue is incredible with its floor-to-ceiling windows behind the altar that allow for a perfect view of Mt.

Hood on the far side of the Columbia River.

“Never seen it,” he whispers back.

“What!” I whisper-yell, taking my eyes off the view to look at him.

“It has Derek and Owen from Grey’s Anatomy .

So good. Even if I can’t stand Owen. He’s the worst.” I glance back out the windows.

By some miracle, the morning rain passed through quickly.

The only remnants of it are the dampness of the shrubs and grass dividing the venue from the rocky shore.

“Mya?” He holds his stare until I meet his gaze again.

“Yeah?”

“You’re rambling. You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes. I do. It’s my job,” I counter, practically shaking in my seat. I don’t have stage fright. I’m the furthest thing from shy–as confident as Lizzie McGuire during her rhythmic gymnastics routine, even if I don’t love what I’m doing. But this–it’s a lot.

“Are you sure?” Kace shifts in his seat toward me.

I nod, holding his gaze, only flinching a little when he reaches up to touch my face. His thumb brushes my cheek. “You can do this, Mya.” His words are soft and sweet like he’s shifted from being prepared to talk me out of it to full-on supporting the mission.

My eyes flicker back and forth over his.

I hold my breath to avoid pulling away from his touch, but I don’t lean into it either.

This is exactly how I wanted him to touch me the other night.

How am I going to survive the next job with him?

Half of the reason I haven’t been focused on the logistics of this job is because the one I managed to get roped into a few days from now will be even more stressful–not because of the job, but because the location comes with more pressure than being a wedding crasher.

It’s so far out of town, Kace and I will have to not only spend six hours total in a car together, but stay overnight in a hotel.

We’ll have separate rooms, but still, it’ll be more time spent with just the two of us than ever before.

That says a lot considering we live together, and I’m terrified not knowing if it’ll bring us closer together or send our tension off the charts.

I reluctantly move away from Kace’s touch, linking my hands in my lap to calm my nerves and focus on the present task.

The wedding processional song begins, and I recognize it immediately.

“Somewhere Only We Know,” by Keane, plays, and I can’t help but focus on the words.

Maybe it’s the horoscope effect, but this song seems to fit Allison and Eli.

It feels like it tells the story of them wanting to go back to a simpler time–one where they did love each other and there wasn’t any more to it.

Regardless of the truth in my interpretation, I sit up straighter, ready to take on this challenge and hoping it works out for the best .

The next few minutes fly by. Allison makes it down the aisle. The officiant welcomes the guests and asks us all to be seated. He then gives a short speech about the sacredness of marriage, which I block out so I can focus on the task at hand.

And then he says the magic words.

“I ask that if anyone here can show just cause of why Allison and Eli should not be lawfully married in the presence of God today, speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

I take a breath.

Then I stand.

Immediately, I feel the surrounding eyes jump to me.

And then in slow motion, the rest of the guests turn–I swear it happens one head at a time.

My pulse is so strong in my ears it feels like a sound machine blocking out all the noise around me. I internally snap my fingers like it’ll pull me out of hypnosis, and the room comes spiraling back and into complete silence.

There’s not a single sound as a hundred sets of eyes stare at me. I can feel Kace’s gaze, but mine is focused on the bride and groom. I’m the only one looking at them. I’m so keenly aware of it, and I wonder if they are too.

I clear my throat. “I object.” Squaring my shoulders, I speak loud enough for everyone to hear. The words feel so cliche and formal, but what the heck else was I supposed to say?

A collective gasp echoes through the room. Ali seems to ask Eli if he knows me, and he shakes his head. They both stare back at me, but with the way their shoulders relax, this feels right.

Heads swivel back and forth between me and the bride and groom. The whispers start, people leaning in closer to one another to gossip but still shifting their eyes back and forth between the back and front of the room.

I keep my eyes on the altar, ignoring the growing chaos that surrounds me. The officiant leans in, forming a huddle with Allison and Eli. The couple nod their heads after he speaks a few words to them, and then they all glance my way.

“Uh.” The officiant’s voice is louder than mine, coming through the microphone attached to his lapel.

“Sorry for the interruption. Please give us a moment,” he addresses the room before focusing on me.

“Young lady, please meet us in the back of the room.” He points to the freestanding partition where Allison had waited to walk down the aisle.

Taking another breath, I glance at my path. I have to shimmy past Kace, and as I squeeze between his knees and the chairs in front of me, he grabs my hand, giving it a quick squeeze before I continue on my way.

The gazes of a hundred people propel me toward the back of the room, and I disappear behind the black divider to find the officiant waiting with the bride and groom.

“Who are you?” Allison whispers in a tone that doesn’t necessarily sound angry–it’s more concerned and curious than anything.

The three of them focus on me, waiting.

“Umm. A concerned guest?” I know I need to exert more confidence to be able to drive my point home, but this pressure is nerve-wracking.

Eli stands frozen as the officiant speaks. “Do you have valid reasoning that these two should not be wed?”

I swear on my Princess Diana Beanie Baby that Allison is holding her breath in a “please tell me you’ve got something” way. I just know.

“Yeah.” I take a breath and stand straighter. “They love each other, but they aren’t in love.”

The officiant looks between them. “Is that true?” They share a look of hesitation, but neither one of them confirms or denies. The man sighs. “Are either of you feeling reservations about spending the rest of your lives together?”

Eli wets his dry lips, and Allison bites the corner of hers.

It’s silent for a moment. Any gossiping whispers from the other side of the partition might as well be on another planet.

Then Allison nods. “Yes,” she whispers, glancing up at Eli, her eyes watering.

“Well, I was…” Her voice cracks. She tries to look away, but he catches her chin with his thumb, keeping their gazes connected.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he says gently.

She takes a deep breath, her gaze flickering over his face with worry. “I love you so much, Eli. Lately, I’ve been thinking that’s not enough…”

He hesitates, but then slides his hand to cradle her face. “And now?”

“Now… I can’t stand the thought of you being taken from me.” A tear escapes, carving a perfect streak down her otherwise flawless wedding makeup. “But that’s not fair to you. That I could have those thoughts and not be fully committed to you until I was faced with losing you.”

He smiles. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t had cold feet or questioned if we’re making the right choice.”

Confusion washes over Ali, and I feel it too, unsure where he’s going with this. “Really?” she asks.

He nods, pulling her closer to him by her waist. “This is scary as shit. You’re the only girl I’ve ever been with. It’s easy to wonder if that’s how life is supposed to work, if I can know you’re the one without being with anyone who isn’t.”

She breaks eye contact, staring at his tie. “Yeah.”

He shifts her gaze back to him with his grip on her face. “But the thought of losing you today… It makes me realize if I don’t choose you, I’d spend the rest of my life regretting it.”

She reaches between them to press her hands to his chest. “What if someday you change your mind?”

He contemplates his response. “How about this? We put divorce on the table.”

Her brows scrunch. “What?”

“Not in an ‘escape plan’ way, but rather knowing that we’re choosing to be together instead of forced to be.”

“We’re not trapped.” She says it somewhere between a question and a statement .

“If we ever feel trapped, we’ll tell each other. Do you feel that you are? If we do this? If we get married today?”

“Not anymore. Now that I have an out, I don’t want it.

” She lets out something between a laugh and a sob but doesn’t break his stare.

“I’m sorry it took a stranger–” she turns to me, “no offense–” I hold my hands up, unoffended and surprised she even remembered I was here.

She continues, “to make me realize it.” Her face falls. “I didn’t want to let you down.”

He pulls her into a hug, her chin settling on his shoulder. “I know, baby. It’s okay.”

Ali pulls back and looks at me. “But seriously, who are you?”

“Umm. I’m Mya.” I don’t want to betray her mom’s confidence, but I’m sure she’ll find out eventually. “Someone who loves you asked me to give you the push they thought you needed.”

Allison chuckles, her gaze flicking to Eli. “I bet it was your mother.”

“No way,” he says with an amused grin. “This has your mom written all over it.”

She leans into him, and he wraps his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. “Whoever it was,” Allison says, not prying any further. “Thank you.”