“Tonight, at the stroke of midnight, you will become Mrs. Charlotte Edwards again, but this time in front of all our family and friends. A wedding, Charlotte. We never had a wedding.”
“But… but… what?”
“Everything is taken care of. I won’t see you again until 11:50 p.m., Charlotte. Apparently,” he says in an annoyed tone, “… I have a bachelor’s night to attend.”
“Yes, and dear Charlotte here has hers,” Nikki responds, much to Lex’s displeasure.
“Okay, I’m confused, really confused, but I don’t care. I trust you, Lex.”
His hands find their way back to my face, placing his lips on mine, this time with more pressure, and I know, without a doubt, he’s anxious. It’s the same kiss he always gives me before we’d say goodbye each day before work.
“Six hours until you’re my wife… in the eyes of our family, friends, and the whole world.”
“That’s a long time.” I smile back.
“Thank God, you are thinking the same thing,” he murmurs, rubbing his nose gently against mine.
“Okay, show’s over, we need to get down to serious business,” Rocky announces.
Nikki and Rocky pull us away from each other. I mouth ‘I love you’ before being hustled out of the gymnasium and into a Range Rover waiting at the entrance of the building.
“Wow, nice ride. So, what’s next?” I dare to ask. I still have no idea what’s going on.
“Your dress, silly… finally, I get to reveal my creation.” Adriana beams as she clutches my arm and rests her head on my shoulder.
A wedding dress.
When Lex said we didn’t have a wedding, I thought he meant the reception. My insides are doing the cha-cha, dancing on the ceiling, singing from the tops of their lungs. It’s every girl’s dream, and why I thought I deserved anything different is beyond me.
It’s all systems go—I’m prepared and ready to marry the man I love in front of everyone.
What I’m not prepared for is this bachelorette party, and if Nikki had anything to do with it, I am in trouble.
Deep trouble.
LEX
“It’s a boat.”
“It’s a boat, would you get a load of this guy? Dude, it’s a Lady M luxury yacht for fuck’s sake,” Rocky says, overly excited as he stands beside Elijah and me on the dock.
“Excuse my ignorance, yacht, why are we staring at it?” My head isn’t clear
but rather in a warm, fuzzy haze as my girl just said she will marry me in front of everyone. Of course, I know it’s a fucking yacht, I also know the builders after my stint last year which saw me yacht shopping.
“Because we’ve got five hours to celebrate your freedom before you’re tied to the ball and chain again,” Rocky explains, clearly impatient to get aboard.
“I highly doubt Charlie is a ball-and-chain kinda gal, Rocky. Perhaps you need to find your balls again. Should I call Nikki to see if she has them in her purse?” Elijah snickers.
“Dude, aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon? I thought you’d be porkin’ your new wife like the cowboy you claim to be.”
“Rocky, not all Texans are cowboys…” Elijah points out.
The conversations around me become a distant sound as I stand still watching the ocean. The waves calmly lap against the piers, the heavy scent of salt lingering in the air. The sun’s setting on the horizon, a reminder that in five hours, Charlotte will walk down the aisle and say “I do” in front of our family and friends.
My mind refused to let go of that moment where I stood waiting for her to walk through the door of the gymnasium. I always knew how I wanted to propose, it was a no brainer. I promised her things back then I couldn’t deliver, and if I had a time machine, I’d go back and act on them, but this was the next best thing.
Adriana was thrilled she was in charge of recreating the prom scene. It’s the reason she decided to stay in New York instead of taking me up on my offer for her and Elijah to spend their honeymoon in the Virgin Islands.