Later that night, Declan and I show up at the rehearsal prepared to face Melody. As I predicted, she’s tickled to find out my new groom is a Wildcat hockey player.
“Do you have some sort of legal agreement on this?” She taps away on her phone like she’s taking notes. “A prenup, for example?”
“Oh.” I glance at Declan.
“My lawyer sent one over. I was going to talk to you about it later.”
“Of course.” My face flushes with embarrassment. “I’ll sign whatever you want. I don’t want your money. Six months of your life is more than enough payment.”
Melody lowers her phone. “Six months?”
Before either of us can respond, she shakes her head. “No. That isn’t long enough. One year minimum. I’m not throwing a wedding that doesn’t make it to year one. I’ll be laughed out of a job.”
Declan doesn’t speak, but a muscle in his jaw ticks.
“It’ll be great for both of you,” Melody insists. “Jade can continue writing, focusing now on the first year of marriage. People will be begging for behind-the-scenes content about what it’s like to be married to an NHL player. And, Declan, this is the kind of press that will skyrocket you from a quiet, pro athlete to someone getting national endorsements and attention.”
He doesn’t look completely on board, but doesn’t say no.
“We’ll talk about it tonight,” I say. “Can I let you know?”
She sighs loudly and shoves her phone into her Prada bag. “Tonight. Before midnight. But, Jade, this kind of opportunity won’t fall into your lap again.”
I hate that she’s right. Hate even more that it puts Declan in this position.
“I’ll see you two in the morning,” she says, then casts one more smile at Declan before she leaves.
I blow out a long breath and resist asking him if he’s really, really sure he wants to do this.
“That went well,” he says.
“Yeah.” A little laugh with no joy behind it slips from my lips.
“They’re waiting for us.” He nods his head toward the barn, where the ceremony and reception are both happening tomorrow.
“Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”
I go in after him, but only to find the bathroom, so I can splash water on my face. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” I whisper to my reflection.
The door creaks open and Scarlett and Piper step inside.
“Hey,” they say in unison.
“Hi.” The word comes out on a near-sob. I have got to get it together.
“Oh, honey. You don’t need to do this,” Scarlett says, rushing to my side. “Whatever happens, we will figure it out together. You can live with me and Leo. I asked him, he said it was fine. And I bet Mike would hire you at the bar until you could find something else.”
“No,” I say, my resolve firming under their scrutiny, “I’m doing this. I know it isn’t the perfect love story you both have, but I’m not you. I never wanted to get married anyway, so what does it matter if it’s Sam or Declan?” It isn’t that simple, but maybe it should be. “You can either support me or not, but I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to get married tomorrow.”
Piper squeezes my arm. “We’re just worried. This is a big deal.”
“I know.”
They share a worried look, but then Scarlett nods. “Okay. I think you’re making a mistake, but I love you.”
I get hugged from both sides. If I weren’t keeping myself together by burying every emotion threatening to bubble up to the surface, I’d be teary at their willingness to love me through all the chaos. They’re good friends. The best. I know they don’t get it, but I have to do this.
“But if at any point you change your mind, I’ll have a car on standby,” Scarlett says.
The actual rehearsal goes by in a whirlwind. I feel like I’m in someone else’s body as I walk down the aisle toward Declan. He has Leo and Tyler standing up with him, and Scarlett and Piper are on my side. My mother watches from a chair in the front row with a tissue in her hand, dabbing at her eyes as we recite our vows. How she can still feel emotional about weddings after three of her own is beyond me.
If my stand-in groom is nervous, he has the coolest poker face I’ve ever seen. As he holds my hands in front of the officiant, his confidence slowly steadies the shake of my fingers and the racing of my heart. It’s all over in minutes and then the guys are loosening their ties and heading for the door.
Declan lingers with me at the front of the room under the floral archway. “I know it’s traditional to have a rehearsal dinner, but the guys want to take me out, and I overheard that Scarlett is hosting a girls-only sleepover.”
I can’t imagine eating right now. I also wonder if his friends wanting to take him out is an intervention like the one Scarlett and Piper obviously had planned for me earlier. “It’s fine. I didn’t expect you to put one together.”
“All right. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“What about Melody and the prenup and everything?”
“I’ll drop it by Leo’s before we go out, so you can look it over. Have your lawyer read it and if you have any issues with it, just note them and I’ll get it updated.”
I love that he thinks I’m the kind of person who has a lawyer on standby.
He must read my hesitation.
“It’s a pretty standard prenup.”
“And what about Melody’s condition of one year instead of six months?”
“One year is fine. My agent actually suggested the same thing. That puts us in the off-season and the marriage will have lasted long enough that there won’t be any speculation on why it ended so quickly.”
“Oh.” I bite the inside of my cheek as I nod.
He steps forward until I can feel the warmth radiating off him. “You keep asking me, but are you sure that you want to do this?”
I stare up at him, leaning into him the tiniest bit, just to feel how strong and steady he is. I need a little of that to make it through the next twenty-four hours. “Yeah. One year isn’t that long, right?”
He chuckles. “What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?”
“I’ll get a ride with Scarlett. You aren’t supposed to see me until I walk down the aisle.”
“Right. Okay, then. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at the wedding.”
“I’ll be the one in white, trying not to trip up the aisle.”
“If you trip, I’ll catch you.” One side of his mouth quirks up as he walks off.
