“I swear,” I grumbled, pulling my shorts down, “I think you get some kind of sick enjoyment out of embarrassing me.”
“You’re so adorable when you get pissed,” he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“The fact that you think I’m cute when I’m angry says a lot about our relationship,” I couldn’t help laughing.
The elevator doors slid open and I followed him out to the car.
“Where are we going first?”
“To get you a new phone,” He answered, unlocking the car, as his own cellphone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s my mom. I better answer it. Your mom probably told her that she couldn’t get ahold of you.”
“Yeah, go ahead,” I replied, buckling my seatbelt.
“Hey mom,” he answered. “Yeah, we’re good. Really? No, I haven’t talked to him. I’ll call him later and check up on Ace. Nothing much, just got married—” He held the phone away from his ear and I flinched at his mother’s shrieks. I couldn’t tell if they were good or bad. He clicked the button to put it on speaker and said, “Mom? Are you okay? Should I alert the paramedics of a possible heart attack?”
“Married?” She asked breathlessly.
“Yeah,” Trace replied, looking at me guiltily.
“When?” She gasped for breath. He must have really shocked her.
“Yesterday afternoon. It was a lovely ceremony in a New Hampshire courthouse. You should’ve been there, mom,” he joked.
“Trace Alexander Wentworth, now is not the time for your smart mouth remarks. I can’t believe you got married without your family there. Your grandpa is going to be so mad when I tell him.”
“How is Gramps?” Trace questioned, swallowing thickly. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“No reason,” Trace stared out the window.
“I’m really sorry, Lily,” I spoke up.
“There’s no need for you to apologize, Olivia. I know this wasn’t your idea.”
“Hey,” I said, looking at Trace questioningly, “we didn’t exchange rings, so maybe when we get back home we can have a ceremony at the mansion for everyone. We can even make Trace where a tux. Think you can plan something nice on short notice?” I asked her. Trace had said I could have a traditional wedding ceremony. Hopefully he hadn’t promised that just to sweet talk me into getting married yesterday.
“I’ve been throwing parties since I was twenty. I can put together a nice wedding ceremony in no time. Are you thinking the end of the month? That would give you plenty of time to get home,” Lily said.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Do I really have to wear a tux?” Trace asked.
“Yes,” Lily and I said simultaneously.
“Great,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look mom, we’ve gotta go. I love you.”
“Love you too. And Olivia, keep your phone on. I’ll be calling you to ask for details. Okay?”
“Uh—”
Trace snorted. “Olivia drowned her phone. We’re going to get her a new one now. She’ll call you with her new number.”
“Oh, okay! I love you guys! Bye!” She chimed and then the line went dead.
“I can’t believe we just agreed to that,” he mumbled.
I punched his shoulder. “You’re the one that said we could have a real wedding when we got back. This way, we can exchange our rings, and still have the typical ceremony with our friends and family there. I hope your mom doesn’t go all out, though,” I frowned, wiping my hands on my legs in a nervous gesture. “I’d prefer to keep it simple.”