Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
“Yes, Grant.” I smile, interlocking my fingers behind his neck. “I’m sorry I looked at your laptop and ran off without giving you a chance to explain.”
“That’s okay, baby.” Grant nods, waiting for what he clearly knows is coming next. “You had every right to be upset and afraid.”
“And Grant?”
“Yes, Allie?” He smiles, melting my heart.
“I…I love you too.”
15
Grant
Goddamn, that was a close one. I almost lost her.
Part of me keeps telling myself that there’s no way I could have actually lost her, because she’s my soul mate, and soul mates can’t truly lose each other. But the down-to-earth part of me feels like if she’d actually gotten in that car and left, I never would have seen her again.
She would have ignored my calls and texts and found a way to keep me from seeing her, so I’m just absolutely bursting with happiness inside as I look at Allie standing in her place with the other bridesmaids.
She’s wearing the same necklace and the same gown as the other girls, but she’s outshining them by a mile. It’s just not fair. Sure, I may be biased, but it’s just the truth. Allie belongs on a runway in New York City.
Too bad I’d never let her go. My jealousy would get the best of me and I’d be down there kidnapping her and dragging her back to be with me and just me the first day she started working.
It’s a good thing Allie is here for me to look at, as I’m already bored out of my mind as we all wait for McKenzie to show up and do her walk down the aisle. Thank God I’m in the audience and not the actual ceremony, but the whole thing really has me thinking—what would our wedding be like?
“I feel like I’m about to cry,” some girl I don’t know says from beside me.
“Oh, yeah?” I smile and nod, not wanting to be rude.
But when I look back across the hall, I’m instantly drawn to Allie and her beautiful, radiant face. She’s trying not to smile back at me and maintain her poise as a bridesmaid, but somehow that makes her even cuter.
All of a sudden, the music changes, and everyone glances toward the door as McKenzie steps in, holding on to her father’s arm. He’s smiling proudly—as proud as a man can look—and after a brief pause, the two of them begin down the aisle toward the altar.
She looks great in her wedding dress, and she’s smiling like it’s the greatest day of her life—which I’m sure it is. I even catch her toss me a little wink as she passes, which I return with a thumbs-up.
After what happened with Allie’s little discovery of McKenzie’s and my emails, things could have ended with catastrophe between the two of them. Luckily, fate or destiny or the gods were shining down on all of us, because they somehow managed to work things out today before the wedding.
I wasn’t there, but from what Allie told me, McKenzie went to her during hair and makeup and asked her about us and how we were getting along. She was clearly probing about whether or not I’d done my job to romance Allie yet. Allie said she really didn’t want to bring the messages up and potentially cause a fight on McKenzie’s big day, so she “hinted at it in a roundabout way,” and McKenzie understood.
McKenzie said she just had the best intentions and was just worried that Allie was going to end up as an “old single cat lady,” so she wanted to basically kickstart her dating life. And that was me.
“An old single cat lady?” Allie told me when we were both back in the room waiting for it to be time to go down to the hall. “Can you believe that?”
She was clearly upset, but at the same time, she was kind of laughing.
“She was just looking out for you,” I replied as I hugged her gently. I had to restrain myself as she was in her bridesmaid gown and her hair and make-up were all done. If I messed up anything now for the ceremony, I’d be in big trouble.
“She could have just sat me down and had a discussion with me!”
“Would you have listened?” I asked. Allie simply responded with a frown. I pointed back. “Exactly.”
Do I agree with McKenzie’s methods? I can’t say for sure. What I can say is that at the end of the day, they led Allie to me. And that’s all that matters.
I watch as McKenzie’s father leads her up the steps to the altar. Everyone in the room is either smiling or misty-eyed—or both. I make a heart with my hands that no one can see but Allie, playfully distracting her as the ceremony goes by. The rings are exchanged, and I’m already thinking about buying one to propose to her with.