And then I tell her everything. And surprisingly, it’s not that bad. She swears she will keep it to herself, but then I find myself not caring so much if people do find out.
Winning a state swim championship in February doesn’t hurt my confidence, either.
As spring break approaches, things take a turn when I open my locker on Monday morning and see something that pulls all of the breath out of my body. It’s my mother’s Christmas card. There we are. And someone has scrawled in Sharpie, a line with arrows on either side, pointing between me and Crosby. And underneath the line it says “Hillbilly Love.”
“What the fuck,” Crosby says when I show him the picture after school, as we sit on the bench by the school garden.
“But my dad and your mom are not even married yet.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Really? Bullies don’t operate under a strict code of logic. Ask me how I know.” I cast a glance around to make sure nobody is listening. “So what do you want to do about this?”
A grin spreads across his face. “Beat them to it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Marry me.”
My jaw drops open. “How does that make this better?”
His grin spreads wider. “We get married before our parents do.”
25
Crosby
It’s not the wedding I would have wished for Ridley Rushmore, Queen Bee of Greenbridge Academy, heiress to the Rushmore hotel and resort fortune.
It’s probably not the kind of wedding she ever would have expected for herself, either.
But the most unexpected part of all of this is Ridley planned it herself. No big wedding under a tent. No fanfare. No bridesmaids. The most expensive part of all of it ends up being the cost of flying my mother in for the wedding.
The small, civil ceremony takes place in the garden of her childhood home, in Bianca’s spring garden, blooming naturally with spring flowers.
Even though the elder Rushmores and I have made our peace with all of this, I still can’t help but be intimidated by the larger-than-life Anthony Rushmore as he escorts his daughter from the house to me via the tulip-lined garden path. But far outshining the man’s imposing presence is my own queen next to him. She comes to me wearing a simple green dress that plays off her blonde hair and gray eyes so magnificently she looks like she flitted straight out of a myth about forest fairies.
Maybe it’s silly, but I take a mental picture of the entire scene: my beautiful girl surrounded by blooming dogwoods, crocuses, and daffodils. Not just because my heart is so full, but also because I’m definitely going to base the heroine in the next big game that I design on her. I’ve never created anything in high fantasy before, but now I want to.
This woman is my ultimate fantasy, and I can’t believe I get to live this dream with her for the rest of my life.
26
Ridley
The spring green sheath dress is the same one I’d been saving for senior prom.
Mother smoothes my hair down just before Daddy comes to walk me down the garden path. He’s just returned from his own secret wedding in Capri to Hunter. So it seems Crosby and I beat Mother and Neil to the altar, but nobody—nobody—beats out the original Rushmore.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until next year? Give it some time? Or, at least, let me buy you a dress you don’t intend to wear to prom?”
I smile because I’m too happy to feel down. “Count on my Mother to question all my decisions, even my own wedding dress.”
“Honey, I’m sorry. I just meant…”
A laugh escapes me. “It’s all right, Mom, I’m just messing with you.”
She shakes her head and places a kiss on my nose. When she leaves to take her seat with Neil and with Crosby’s mom in the garden, Daddy strides up.
His morning suit is just a smidge fancier than the one he helped choose for Crosby. Because, of course it is. I can’t fault him for that. Well, maybe I can, but I don’t care. He’s watching his only daughter get married unexpectedly. Not to mention he’s looking fine in comparison to his ex wife’s future husband, who’s wearing Birkenstock sandals. Daddy doesn’t have to try to look good in comparison, but I’ll give him a pass for flexing at my wedding.