“Don’t say that to her or she won’t wear it. She wanted people to think of a Christmas angel instead.” Liv chuckles as she curls deeper into my embrace.
“No offense, but she missed the mark on that goal by a mile.” While Liv’s so close, I steal a kiss or two.
“Oh, hush. She’ll be a gorgeous bride. Her very specific catering request was brilliant. She went to London a few years ago and fell in love with having high tea in the afternoon. I think it’s a great idea to recreate that trip for her. We should go before I’m too pregnant to travel. Now that Kiwi is settled into her new palace and is comfortable with our parents coming around, we can afford to run away for a week or so.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll have my people call your people to find a week we can both take off. It’s not as if we don’t have enough to occupy our time right here in Tiny Town, Montana. Then again, after the baby’s born, we won’t want to go anywhere without her.” My hand drops to her baby bump on reflex.
“Pack warm clothes. It’ll be cold there too during New Year’s week. That’s when we’re going. I just decided for you. We have a Christmas-themed wedding next week, Christmas is the following week, then a trip to England. If I can find a hotel room this late, that is. We never had a real honeymoon, so this will be our last chance before we’re parents. I’m claiming it now.” She kisses me before getting up and walking back to her desk.
She’s not kidding about our trip and we both know that to be true. Her fierce determination is one of the reasons I love her though. She’s impulsive and fearless while being cautious and concerned at the same time. Somehow, she makes the quirky enigma irresistible. She’s probably searching for reservations during the holiday week right now.
“Did you mail all the wedding invitations when you went into town?” She pokes her head over the top of the monitor.
“Yes, ma’am. Just as Miranda asked, the majority of her guests will be local residents. I get the feeling her fiancé is all about the status of being seen in this wedding. He’s not listening to what she wants at all. I don’t get why she’d insist our friends attend instead of inviting her own.”
“Yeah, I tried to question her about that and point out the obvious—it’s backward from every other wedding in the world. You keep strangers out, not the people you know. She said her friends wouldn’t go through the trouble of getting here, so she wanted the town to come and be part of our new business venture. It’s a weak story, but she didn’t budge when I pressed the issue.” She shrugs and taps the end of her pen against her lips. “Should I pry more?”
“No, babe, I wouldn’t do that. She obviously doesn’t want to talk about it yet. Just be there for her when she needs a shoulder to lean on. That time is coming, trust me. We can only hope she’ll come to her senses before she says ‘I do’ if he is the problem. Maybe she just has cold feet and we’re reading too much into it.”
“Maybe.” She doesn’t sound convinced, and I know she’s worried about her friend.
“Hey, I just thought of something else. Did you ever cancel the divorce? We’re coming up on the six-month mark any day now.”
She meets my questioning gaze with wide-eyed alarm. “No, I didn’t do it. I thought you did it. You didn’t contact George or Judge Nelson?”
“Nope. We’ve been moving at warp speed since we returned from New York City, and it just slipped my mind. If we missed the court date, we may have a warrant out for our arrest. Wouldn’t that make George’s day?” After scrolling through my contacts, I tap George’s name to make sure Liv and I don’t have a cell with our names on it.
“To what do I owe the absolute pleasure of receiving a phone call from the famous Mr. King?” George’s sardonic tone always makes me laugh, even if he’s being serious.
“You’ve probably seen and heard by now that Liv and I are back together again. Officially. We need to stop the divorce proceedings before it’s too late. Neither of us remember the date we’re supposed to be in court. Can you help us out?”
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Ryder, but you both missed your court date, so Judge Nelson finalized your divorce as it was filed. I gave my recommendation on the custody arrangement of your bird and he ruled on it.”
“You mean Liv and I are already divorced?” His revelation just sucker punched me in the gut. From the crestfallen expression on Liv’s face, she feels it too.
“I’m afraid so, Ryder. That’s what you both assured me you wanted, isn’t it? You’ve both waited over a year for this day. I would’ve thought you’d be relieved you don’t have to fight anymore.”
Dead silence fills the line as my mind and heart attempt to reconcile the earth-shattering news George just leveled on me.
Then George bursts out laughing. For a solid ninety seconds, I listen to his uncontrolled, maniacal laughter.
“That felt so good. Words can’t even describe how much I appreciated this little moment we just had. You missed your court date, but I’d already talked to Judge Nelson and asked for a thirty-day continuance. From all the scuttlebutt around town, I had a feeling you’d call me to share the news. Come by the office tomorrow and we’ll withdraw the petition to dissolve your marriage.”
“George, I don’t know whether to kiss you or punch you when I see you next. Thank you for your help. We’ll see you tomorrow.” I chuckle and hang up when he has yet another laughing fit at my expense.
I move over to Liv and pull her into my arms. “You’re still Mrs. King. George just had a little fun with us after all we’ve put him through. Maybe he’ll take that permanent vacation after giving me that heart attack just now.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m going to kill him when I see him. My heart stopped for a minute. At least we have the Tahiti vacation thing as our alibi when he disappears.” Liv laughs and drops her forehead against my chest. “Now I can breathe again.”
“I was trying to figure out how I’d convince you to marry me a second time. Since I used all my best moves the first time, I’d have to find new ways to trick you into saying yes again.”
“There’s one thing you can count on all the time. I’ll always say yes to you.”
We’ve finally settled down after the initial run on her lingerie. Once the product specifications were sent to the new factory, the production lines ran at full speed to fulfill all the outstanding orders. Liv hired my mom to manage the retail store in town. Her parents oversee the manufacturing processes, working directly with the factory on new orders. Liv’s focus is primarily on nurturing the creative side of the business.
I still manage the marketing part of her clothing line, but we make all the decisions together.
Miranda’s wedding is today, and Liv and I have been going nonstop to give her the best ceremony we can. We’ve connected the lingerie business to the wedding planning in some ways, and we have more plans for the future. For Miranda, Liv created a new white bride-themed teddy, complete with a veil, thigh-high stockings, high-heeled house shoes, and a personalized wedding garter for the groom to remove in private. I tried to get her to model it for me before wrapping it as Miranda’s gift, but she refused. She muttered something about we don’t try on our clients’ thongs before giving them as gifts.
“This place looks amazing, Ryder. I can’t believe how much you’ve transformed it from the barn it used to be. Everything looks absolutely perfect for today. I can’t wait for Miranda to walk down the aisle and take it all in. The wedding photos will be fabulous.” Liv adjusts some of the hanging flower bouquets as we do a final inspection before the town guests arrive.
“Do you think you should go check on Miranda? She doesn’t have any of her family here to help her. It’s just odd.” I can’t put my finger on the crux of the issue, but I’m sure she hasn’t told us the whole truth about her situation.
“Yes, I think you’re right. She did seem more nervous than usual for her evening wedding. She saw the Christmas trees outside and nearly broke down crying just looking at
them. When I brought her in the back door, she mumbled something about the candlelight ceremony, but she wouldn’t repeat it when I asked her what she’d said. This is what she told me she wanted, so I hope we recreated the vision she had in her mind.”
Liv walks off to join Miranda in the back and I make another pass through all the public areas, just in case we missed something on the other ten rounds we’ve made. As I walk past the groom’s dressing room, I overhear Miranda’s fiancé, Victor, talking to the two men who came with him.
“Just a few more hours, boys. Not much longer now.”
Normally, that phrase wouldn’t catch my attention. The happy groom is usually impatient to reach the end of the night and be alone with his new bride. But the typically cheerful, pre-wedding excitement sounds dark and sinister with his ominous tone. I stop walking and glance around, finding no one in the hall with me, and move closer to the door.
“Why do we have to go through all this bullshit? Why didn’t you just go to Vegas and get it over with?”
“Think about what you’re asking, Monty. With this wedding, we’ll have an entire town as witnesses of the happy couple. No one will oppose our wedding.” Victor’s voice moves closer to the door as he talks, so I make a quick getaway.
There’s no apparent threat in his words, but his inflection speaks volumes. I make a beeline to find Liv and share my concerns with her, but a knock at the front door steers me off my path. We locked the building while the wedding party prepared for the ceremony to prevent curious guests from arriving early and snooping the grounds. After a quick glance at my watch, I realize it’s time to welcome our guests and get everyone seated before the bride makes her grand entrance.
Grayson and Grady walk in first. They both promised to help direct people since the entire town was invited to the premier event. The three of us alternate showing people to their seats and corralling those still waiting until the chairs are full and the aisles are empty. The low roar of chattering guests fills the room, and they keep each other entertained while I go check on Liv and Miranda. I haven’t seen my wife in too long for my liking, especially with the bad vibes I get from Victor. With my feet carrying me as fast as I can move, I reach the bride’s suite and knock on the door.
“Ryder.” Liv’s concerned voice from behind me makes me whirl around.
“Babe, are you okay?”
“Not really. Umm, Miranda asked me to get her bag of small gifts for the servers out of the car. When I came back in, she was gone.”
“What do you mean she was gone?”
“I mean, she used to be here and now she isn’t. I’ve looked everywhere she could possibly be, but she is nowhere in this building. We have lost the bride… on our first event. What should we do, Ry?” Her wide eyes and slack jaw are adorable, even if we’re both in deep shit.
“I’ll do one more pass around the building to look for her. If I don’t find her, I’ll break the news to Victor. Wait here in case she comes back.”
After checking every nook and cranny in this place, I come to the same conclusion as Liv did. We have a runaway bride and a jilted groom, though I can’t say that’s a bad thing after meeting her ex-fiancé. I knock on the groom’s dressing room door and wait for Victor to open it. When he sees me, his stoic expression doesn’t change. This man took no joy in promising himself to Miranda for life.
“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Miranda is gone and didn’t leave a note or anything. She asked my wife to get something from the car, then disappeared. We’ve searched the entire building several times. I’m very sorry to say, but it seems she changed her mind.”
His face turns blood red, but not from embarrassment. The fire and anger in this coal black eyes are palpable. He balls his hands into fists at his sides and grits his teeth so hard I hear them scraping inside in his mouth. “Thanks. I’ll take care of it. Keep the money. Monty, get my stuff. We’re leaving.”
And with that, they march out the door without so much as a goodbye.
Liv meets me halfway down the hallway with a disappointed expression marring her beautiful face. “I’m really worried about Miranda. I knew something was wrong. You and I both felt it, but she wouldn’t confide in me. Now I have no idea where she is or if she’s even okay. We have all these people here, all this food, and a beautiful, delicious wedding cake… but no wedding.”
“I know, babe. Let’s go tell them before the rumors start.” I take her hand in mine and lead her through the side door into the sanctuary.
A hush falls over the crowd and all eyes are on us. The preacher looks more perplexed than anyone.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. This night is special for many reasons, but we do have an announcement to make about a small change in the agenda. The original couple has decided they need to reevaluate their lives before making a lifelong commitment. Instead…” I turn to face Liv and drop down on one knee. “I’d like to ask my wife to renew our vows in front of all our family, friends, and neighbors.”
She covers her mouth with her hands. Her eyes grow wide, and tears instantly fall to her cheeks. “Ryder, I love you more than life itself.”
Her reply is only a whisper, but the crowd breaks out in cheers and clapping for us.
I push to stand and take both her hands in mine.
“Olivia Anderson-King, I have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you when we were in second grade. You walked into the classroom and took my breath away. Even though I was only seven years old at the time, something in me knew you’d changed my life forever.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, ins and outs, highs and lows, and none of that will change in our years to come. But I promise to love you with the same awe and wonder I felt the first time I saw you and you blew me away. I promise you’ll never question my commitment to you or our children. And lastly, I promise to keep making you scream like a female fox in heat or howl like an alpha female wolf during mating season at least three times a week.
“We’ll always be fodder for the gossip mill around town, but we’ll also always make it entertaining and worth talking about.”
More cheers, laughter, and clapping come from the packed house, but my eyes and ears are only for the woman in front of me. She wipes the tears of laughter and emotion from her cheek, then links her fingers with mine again.
“Ryder, you were my first everything—my first friend here, first boyfriend, first love, and you’ll be my last. The last man who owns my heart, body, and soul. For the rest of our lives, I promise to be as stubborn as you are, drive you crazy with my off-the-wall antics, and make you cringe because you’re never sure what I might say in public. But I’ll never give up on you or our family. I promise to rock your world and keep you on your toes, always wondering what I’ll do next. The only secrets I’ll keep are the ones you ask me to, or if I have a surprise for you and don’t want you to know what it is.
“You’ve been the love of my life longer than not. That will never change. My love for you only grows stronger every day. I will love you forever. You are my past, present, and future, Ryder King. I’m proud to be your eternal queen.”
“Now I will kiss my wife.” I pull her into my arms, cover her mouth with mine, then twist and dip her while her eyes are closed. She laughs through our kiss before melting into my arms again. After I stand her upright once more, I turn to the packed house. “Everyone’s invited to join us in the reception hall for some delicious wedding cake, champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and hot tea. Feel free to help yourselves.”
The chapel empties as Liv and I take a moment to thank each person for coming. When we’re finally alone, she smiles as she steps toward me. “You surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to renew our vows at all, but I loved every minute of it.”
“I thought we should give the whole town the perfect excuse to talk about us.”
Epilogue
Olivia
Spring in Montana brings warmer days, allowing us to finally start to thaw and see sig
ns of life again. One of those signs of new beginnings happened a few minutes ago when my water broke unexpectedly. It’s still two weeks before my due date. I’ve been staring at the puddle between my feet for the last few minutes, trying to make my brain function past the “oh, shit” moment.
“Liv? Where are you, babe?” Ryder calls out through the house, but I can’t answer him.
When he appears in the doorway in front of me, all I can do is stare at him with the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look.
“Babe? What’s wrong? Talk to me. You’re freaking me out.”
All I can do is point to the floor. His eyes follow my finger then he looks back up at me. “Help me out here. Did you pee on yourself or did your water break?”
His teasing smile breaks me out of my mute trance. “We’re having a baby now, Ryder. Right now. I’m not ready yet. It’s too soon. I can’t do this.”
He steps closer to me and slides his arms around my waist. “We’re ready, Liv. We’ve been ready. The nursery is painted, and the furniture has been in place for weeks. You’ve thought of everything well ahead of time. We’ve been waiting for our little bundle of joy to make a grand appearance. Today’s the day, my love. How about we grab your bag, head to the hospital, and meet our baby today? I’ll call the doctor and everyone else on our list while we’re on the way.”
Over the past few months, Ryder has been my constant in this ever-changing world we’ve created. His dad bought the jewelry store back and has made a few changes of his own to the merchandise. After his world travels, he wanted to add more culture to the display cases. Now he can’t keep the customers out. My lingerie, that was such an abomination to some of the town members when I first opened the store, is one of the biggest new clothing line success stories in the business sector. Then the wedding planning and reception venue took on a life of its own, keeping Ryder hopping from day-to-day.
Perfect Excuse (Mason Creek Book 11) Page 17