“That’s my girl. See you in an hour.” At least he’d let the Cupid comment slide.
The phone went dead before Courtney could tell him she was only half serious. She frowned out the window once more before turning toward Hannah and her mother. “Looks like the outdoor wedding is still on.”
“Sweet!” Hannah said at the same time her mother excused herself to make a few phone calls to track down some umbrellas.
An hour later, Courtney found herself sitting in her dad’s car as he pulled into the mess of the designated parking area. She’d exchanged her satin heels for tennis shoes and stepped into the squishy mud, holding her dress high while her mother positioned a large, multi-colored beach umbrella over their heads.
They squished their way to a large tent, where Courtney made her final preparations. Her mother cleaned off her shoes with wet wipes while Hannah fiddled with her hair. Thankfully, someone had brought a clear, plastic umbrella for Courtney’s father to carry down the aisle so they could dispense with the brightly colored one.
In no time at all, her mother disappeared, the music started, and Hannah left the tent, carrying a bouquet of fresh wildflowers.
Courtney’s dad held out his arm for his daughter. “Ready to go, sweet pea?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Her feet landed once more in the mud, and Courtney tried not to cringe as they made their way to the back of the crowd, where a live band huddled under a canopy and guests waited with various colored umbrellas. At least the wildflower garland looked lovely and hydrated.
Through the drizzle and beneath her veil, Courtney’s eyes met Mitch’s. He stood at the front, looking beyond handsome wearing a black tux and holding a matching clear plastic umbrella. Her breath caught in her throat as all thoughts of rain and mud and limp hair faded. In a matter of minutes, she would be his, and he, hers. They would leave this scene as man and wife and spend the rest of their lives together.
It really did feel like a miracle.
She was led to Mitch’s side, where she relinquished her father’s arm and kissed his cheek. Then she placed her fingers on Mitch’s warm palm and smiled when he held out his umbrella so she wouldn’t get wet.
“You look beautiful,” he mouthed, drawing her close. “You ready for this?”
“More than ready.”
“Me, too.” He tucked her arm in his and turned to face the pastor. In what seemed like minutes, they were pronounced man and wife beneath a dense canopy of clouds. Although the sun remained hidden, the warmth that spread through Courtney’s body made it feel as though it was a clear, sunny day.
Mitch handed the umbrella to the pastor, and raindrops dotted Courtney’s face and arms. But it didn’t matter, not when his hands framed her face and he looked at her in just that way, as if she were his everything. Courtney raised her mouth to his, smiling when his lips moved gently over hers in a kiss that would be forever engrained in her memory. He kissed her as though she were fragile and precious—something to treasure. Her heart swelled with the kind of love she’d only ever imagined in her mind and written in her books.
In that moment, Courtney’s world aligned, as if she’d finally been able to bridge the gap between fiction and real life. She’d always been a wisher, a hoper, a believer in something greater than the ordinary, but today it was no longer wishful thinking. It was reality. Her very own real life fairytale come true.
She couldn’t wait to live it all out.
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for reading! I hope this story took you out of reality for awhile and into a world of escape and rejuvenation because everyone deserves that once in a while.
If you’re willing, I’d love a review from you on Goodreads or Amazon or wherever else you’d care to post one. And if you’d like to be notified of future new releases, you can sign up for my newsletter list HERE.
Thanks again, and happy reading!
Rachael
Rachael Anderson is a USA Today bestselling author. She’s the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies, but she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating. You can read more about her and her books online at RachaelReneeAnderson.com.
Other Books by Rachael Anderson
Novels
Prejudice Meets Pride
Rough Around the Edges Meets Refined
Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity
Working it Out
The Reluctant Bachelorette
Novellas
Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella)
Twist of Fate
The Meltdown Match (A Romance Novella) Page 6