In Too Deep

by Dani Collins

  “Park in Glory’s spot and bring him down the path so no one sees.” He pointed down between the patio footings and the pond. “I’ll wait for you beside the stage.”

  “Okay.” She nodded and started to turn away.

  He caught her arm.

  This time when she froze at his touch, she caught her breath and snapped her head around, blushing while goose bumps rose on her arm.

  His scalp tightened. A shiver of pleasure raced up his own arm and the desire to smooth away her goose bumps was overwhelming.

  He made himself let go and worked his fingers against his palm, both soothing and trying to hold on to the tingles there. The question he wanted to ask seemed really juvenile now.

  “Are we okay?” he asked under his breath.

  “Of course,” she said, cheeks flushing darker while her gaze skittered away.

  “Are you and Quinn…? You seem to be spending a lot of time with him.”

  Her brows came together, confused and defensive. She looked around like she thought she was being punked, then frowned with exasperation. Maybe even accusation.

  “You’re spending a lot of time with a lot of people. What assumptions should I draw from that?” She was bright red now, with impatience and something else. Something anxious and hurt.

  Shit. Whatever conclusions she had drawn from the extremely warm greetings he had received from a few of the female guests couldn’t be good. Not that he had made a point of remembering any of the room numbers he’d been given. He knew every single offer was a hell of a lot less complicated than whatever was going on between him and Wren, but he wasn’t interested.

  “Why would I even take notice?” she muttered, seeming to ask, Why would you?

  It struck him that she didn’t have any idea how truly enthralling she was.

  “I need to check the kitchen,” she muttered, dropping her lashes so he couldn’t read her gaze. “You should get your mom seated and Rolf in place so we start on time.”

  “All right,” he muttered.

  “But hey.” She swung back to face him. “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Of course.” Anything to ease the sudden friction between them.

  “Your aunt Gerta wants the seating plan changed so I can sit at her table. Will you let her know you’ve asked me to run out for your guest so I’ll be sitting where I was assigned and will catch up with her later?”

  “You are mad at me,” he accused.

  Her mouth twitched and she hurried away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What if I trip?” Sky felt really shaky as she stood near the doors from the lounge to the patio.

  “You won’t trip. You look really beautiful.” Auntie Wren smiled the way she did when Sky came home with a certificate or made a good play on the volleyball court or let an old person have her seat on the bus. She handed Sky a bouquet.

  Carpet had been laid in a long path across the patio, down the stairs, over the stretch of lawn and down the aisle between all the wooden folding chairs that were covered in white skirts with blue ribbons and yellow silk flowers.

  All of this had seemed super exciting until Sky had caught her heel and almost landed on her face coming down here. Then it hit her that she was going first down the aisle. There were famous people in the audience along with the new cousins and other family she wanted to like her. Quinn was filming the whole thing.

  She might go viral with a hashtag: bridesmaid fail.

  Was there time to poop? What if she threw up and ruined the carpet where Glory was supposed to walk in her wedding gown?

  “Ready?” Auntie Wren said.

  No!

  But Auntie Wren was talking to Glory and Glory nodded. Auntie Glory, she had asked Sky to call her.

  Auntie Wren stepped outside and waved. The music faded and the piano player started. The guitar player changed to a violin and someone else switched to a cello.

  Auntie Wren moved to stand beside the door. She nodded at Sky. “Go.”

  Onkel Rolf had told Sky while they were on the water that she needed to learn to tune out spectators so it wouldn’t mess her up. Focus on your muscles. Breathe.

  She thought about the way her feet felt in her shoes, making each step firm and steady. She smiled and breathed slowly, trying to catch the smell of the flowers she held. She looked to where she was going, not at everyone who was staring at her.

  Before she knew it, she was looking straight at her dad. It was so bizarre to see him smiling at her the way Auntie Wren had, like she was winning a race when all she had done was walk as normal as possible. It hit her that one day she might walk down an aisle in a dress like Auntie Glory’s and she would hold his arm and…

  Oh, wow. She was going to start crying for no reason.

  She blinked really hard and made herself look for the little gold star on the carpet where she was supposed to stand. When she was in place, she looked back the way she had come. Bruno’s older sisters were coming now, then Eden’s sister, Candy. She was super pregnant. Then Eden, the maid of honor.

  Now Aiden and Zuzu were coming. Zuzu was Candy’s little girl, named for her grandmother Suzanne. They were adorable, Aiden in his suit and Zuzu in a white dress that had a big, fluffy skirt and a wide belt the same purplish blue as the bridesmaid dresses.

  Zuzu froze as she realized everyone was staring at her. Her eyes got really big and scared. Her mouth turned down and her bottom lip quivered.

  I feel ya, Sky thought, while Candy and Eden coaxed her to keep walking toward them. Aiden dropped his pillow with the rings tied to them and put his arm around her.

  “Come on, Zuzu.” He tried to nudge her along, but she shook her head, face crumpling as she threw down her basket of rose petals.

  Everyone started chuckling into their hands. Sky felt so sorry for her, she hurried back up the aisle.

  “It’s okay,” she said, crouching to hand Aiden the pillow. “We’ll all go together. You can hold my hand. Okay? Let’s go see your mom.”

  Zuzu walked a few steps with her, then started to cry and ran the rest of the way, straight into Candy’s round belly. Aiden got spooked and ran to Nate, dropping his pillow again and holding up his arms to be lifted by his dad.

  Sky picked up the pillow and basket, handing them to Trigg since he needed to give the rings to Rolf.

  “I said, ‘let Murphy bring the rings.’ You said ‘no,’” Trigg reminded Rolf.

  The people who heard him laughed. Then the music changed again, making everyone turn to watch Grandpa Marvin bring Glory down the aisle. He wore a fancy suit and he was smiling so huge his face should have broken. Tears were on his cheeks.

  Glory looked so pretty. Her dress was covered in lace. It was mermaid style, but the skirt was more like a trumpet and the sleeves were only lace, no liner. Sky had seen the back already and it was cut out to show most of her back with a single button at the top of her spine. Her curly reddish hair was done up like Kate Winslet’s in Titanic, only Glory’s headband was made of tiny flowers. Little ringlets hung against her temples. She was smiling really big, but it was wobbly and she was blinking really fast.

  Marvin used his hanky to blow his nose as he sat down.

  Then Rolf took Glory’s hands and said, “I know you wish your mom was here. Let me quote words she wrote, so she’ll be with us in spirit. ‘Love is not a game. It’s not something to be won or lost. It’s a gift to be cherished. I promise to cherish you, my love, for the rest of my life.’”

  Big tears rolled down each of Auntie Glory’s cheeks. Onkel Rolf had to take out his pocket square and mop her up. He looked worried.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought you would like it.”

  “I do,” she sniffed, hands shaking as she took the square and tried to get herself under control. “When you’re thoughtful like that, I realize how perfect you are. How well you know me and want to make me happy. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.” He finished drying her cheek and kissed her
.

  “No skipping to the good part, dude,” Trigg said. “Get married, already.”

  Glory laughed and so did everyone else. The rest of the ceremony went like it did in all the best movies. They said their vows and exchanged their rings and kissed while the band played a big swell of music. Then it was time for everyone to pair off and walk back up the aisle.

  Sky and Bruno were last. He held out his arm and called her a wimp in German because her eyes were wet. He looked bright-eyed, though. She would have to look up ‘cry-baby’ as soon as she could exchange her bouquet for her phone.

  For now, she settled on sticking her tongue out at him.

  *

  Wren thought of weddings as ‘things that other people do,’ like being in a parade instead of watching it. Or writing a book or putting up quirky videos online. She knew people all over the world did it, but she never aspired to do it herself.

  The one time she had talked to Lydia about it, Lydia had said she was probably too young to imagine herself getting married, but it went deeper than that. It might even go back to her mother’s marriage and belief that vows in front of God couldn’t be broken, no matter how bad things had become with her husband.

  That had left Wren thinking it was best not to make such a vow, if you might not want to keep it.

  Her hang-ups weren’t everyone’s, though. She could watch a wedding and feel the collective joy. Glory and Rolf’s was probably the most beautiful, romantic, love-affirming ceremony she would ever see. She grinned through tears with everyone else.

  Then it was time to keep the milling guests amused while the wedding party was photographed against the backdrop of the pond and the mountainside behind it. Wren made a point of seeking out those guests standing alone to offer a mimosa and ask if they had downloaded the photo-sharing app that would aggregate the casual snaps taken today. She helped guests find their names on the seating chart, which was a wall of cards with pressed flowers upon them. Each was a keepsake they carried to their table with a line of trivia about Rolf and Glory on the back, so they could share it with their tablemates as an icebreaker.

  “I want you to consider a shift to event manager,” Vivien said as she appeared beside her. “This has been positively seamless.”

  “You organized it, Vivien. I’m only the executioner.” She didn’t bother mentioning the disaster with a tray of sixty amuse-bouche or the blown fuse that had the kitchen stringing an extension cord from the dining room, or the temp server she’d had to fire because she kept trying to take selfies with the celebrities.

  “Is it time for everyone to take their seats? I’ll signal the band.”

  “Where are you sitting?” Vivien asked sharply.

  “Trigg took care of it. I’m with Ilke, at the table with the wedding party dates.”

  “Are you comfortable with that? Because—”

  “Perfectly,” Wren assured her.

  “Thank you.” Vivien squeezed her arm. “I’ve been living and breathing this thing for half a year. All I want is to get through the next few hours without a disaster.”

  Wren was doing her best.

  Minutes later, as champagne was poured into fresh glasses, the wedding party and newlyweds were played into their seats.

  Glory’s uncle on her mother’s side was the MC. He introduced Marvin who made a wonderful speech about how proud he was of Glory, how much he wished her mother could be here, and how pleased he was to welcome Rolf to the family.

  “My dream in purchasing Blue Spruce Lodge was that you and I would find our way to a happier place. Even though this isn’t the way I foresaw that, I’ll take credit for the joy you’ve found,” Marvin concluded with a wink.

  Everyone laughed and Rolf stood to speak. He thanked Marvin for the hard work in bringing Blue Spruce Lodge back to its potential in time for the wedding then gave his stepmother a look that was affectionate and sincere.

  “I wish my own parents could be here, especially my mother, but I’ve been blessed with two. You have never treated me as anything less than your son, Vivien. You have made the most important day of my life a beautiful one. I love you.”

  “Bärchen.” Vivien blew him a kiss, then covered her mouth and shook her head, overcome. Marvin hugged his arm around her and she ducked her face into his collar.

  Rolf had special words for everyone who helped, especially Eden, “who plays a vital role in maintaining Glory’s sanity, especially when she has lost patience with me.” He toasted the bridesmaids and singled out his niece as, “a welcome addition to our family who delights me daily with her wit.”

  Sky blushed and rolled her eyes. “How can you say that? You never laugh.”

  He barely smiled now, only kept up his speech.

  “Wren… Where are you? Ah.” Rolf held up his glass. “I wasn’t kidding when I told you that your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Vivien excels at delegation. I know who is really responsible for today running with clockwork precision. Thank you.”

  Everyone laughed and Vivien nodded, admitting, “I do.”

  “Finally, I must thank my brother, my best man.” Rolf made a face as though debating the adjective, which prompted knowing guffaws. “I am eternally grateful to Trigg, who found Marvin, who brought to me the woman I didn’t know I needed—my gorgeous, funny, passionate, exceptionally talented wife.”

  Glasses were raised, then clapping and clinking of glasses ensued, demanding a kiss. Rolf and Glory stood to comply, but the MC soon brought the room to order.

  “The groom has asked me to mention that he will kiss his wife when he damned well wants to. Save your cutlery and glasses for the food. Now.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll hear from the best man. Good luck following him, Trigg.”

  Trigg gave a pained look as he arrived at the mic. “I don’t follow. I one-up. Hold my beer.”

  He shuffled some cards, then threw them over his shoulder, leaning on the podium as though getting comfortable, making everyone laugh.

  “I looked up what the best man is supposed to say. I did my homework, Skylar,” he said with a stern look toward his daughter at the far end of the head table.

  She rolled her eyes again.

  “Apparently, I’m to mention how I know Rolf. It’s rumored we share a father. We also share a competitive spirit that has pushed Rolf to set a bar I have always felt compelled to surpass. If I am any kind of ‘best’ man, it’s keeping up with him that has driven me. Having said that, we’ve had our differences…”

  Trigg recounted their explosive argument when Trigg rejected skis in favor of a snowboard, which culminated in Trigg breaking his skis, then Rolf leaving him, “in the forest without even a trail of breadcrumbs to follow.” Trigg provided a list of times Rolf had been proven wrong. “It does happen and I do keep score.” He summed up a poll taken on the sly by people who knew Rolf best. “It turns out we all think you’re a terse, pigheaded, single-minded perfectionist with impossible standards.”

  Rolf kept an unbothered expression on his face, one that asked Trigg if that was all he had.

  “There were also many votes for fair, generous, witty—I don’t know how that one got on there—and unshakably loyal. And, ‘the guy I want in my corner if I’m in trouble.’ That one was mine. Thanks for never telling Mom about that time I called from Morocco. Mom, you don’t want to know.”

  “I’m sure I don’t,” Vivien swore, hands against her cheeks.

  Trigg looked to the bride. “Glory, I keep asking you what you see in him, but Rolf is the guy who will slay your dragons. Isn’t he?”

  She was sitting crooked on her chair so she could lean back in to her husband while watching the speeches. She smiled and lifted her hand to Rolf’s jaw in a loving caress. “Yes.”

  “Well, since I know you to be the woman who will hand him the sword and tell him where to stick it, I think you’re perfect for one another.”

  “True.” Rolf chuckled and tightened his arm across her collarbone, kissing her temple.


  Trigg held up a finger to stop the laughter. “I had more to say, but I hear your wedding gift arriving.” He cocked his head as the sound of a helicopter grew louder. “It’ll be down at the base when you’re ready to leave. Limos are so last year.”

  “Are you serious?” Glory stood to peer from beneath the edge of the tent, agog.

  The pilot kept his distance so he didn’t stir up more than a slight whoosh in the treetops. The sound increased then faded while Rolf gave Trigg an exasperated look.

  “Show-off.”

  “What can I say? I put the ‘best’ in best man. Got it in the color you wanted and everything, Bro.” Then he said out of the side of his mouth, “We’ll talk about the payments when you get back from your honeymoon.”

  After a final toast to the happy couple, Trigg sat down and the first course came out. Dinner was a fun, lively affair. Wren found herself enjoying her tablemates. She only had to jump up once to resolve a small issue, then it was time to cut the cake. Eden’s creation was a masterpiece, but she insisted on sharing credit with her sister. “Candy makes it taste as good as I make it look.”

  “I don’t want to cut it,” Glory complained. “It’s too beautiful.”

  There were already a thousand photos of it, though, so she and Rolf sank a beribboned knife into it.

  “Do you mind running down the hill now?” Trigg asked, fingertips warm where he touched the inside of her upper arm. He had removed his jacket and bow tie, but still looked amazing in a tuxedo shirt that somehow accented his wide shoulders and tailored pants that fit neatly across his hips.

  She shivered in surprised reaction, prickling all over. “Of course.” But she was a little sad she might not be able to watch the first dance. The day had been storybook perfect. She didn’t want to miss a minute of it.

  But of course Trigg’s surprise guest wasn’t just anyone.

  Wren hadn’t really thought about why the special guest couldn’t come up to the lodge, but when she saw the tour bus and trailer of equipment she realized it would spoil the surprise.

  Maverick Jace, which had to be a stage name, was one of America’s most popular singer-songwriters, currently topping the charts with his acoustic album. He wore jeans with holes, a black T-shirt and had brown hair scrabbled this way and that. He carried his guitar by the neck as he climbed into Glory’s SUV.