“I just mean that I was not supposed to be the Oliver standing here.”
He’s right that he wasn’t supposed to be him, but that’s not what I was thinking. He is the right Oliver. He is everything, and if I had gone through with the wedding that was planned, it wouldn’t have been this perfect. Oliver Parkerson is warm and inviting. He welcomed my family, and while our being in love was all for show, the way he acted wasn’t.
Had I actually married my ex-fiancé, nothing would’ve gone as smoothly. He is nice, yes, but he’s not comforting. There’s no way he would’ve fit in with my uncles the way Ollie did, and my stepmother would have eaten him alive.
“Maybe not, but I know I married the best Oliver today,” I say softly.
Slowly, I raise my gaze to meet his, and the desire swimming in his eyes weakens my knees. He leans in, without anyone tapping on glass or analyzing our interactions, and presses his lips to mine.
It’s soft, sweet, and tinted with something more.
This is crazy.
Absolutely insane because I shouldn’t want him to keep kissing me, but God, I do.
He pulls back, rests his forehead to mine, and says, “I am in so much trouble,” under his breath as the song ends.
Me too.
Me. Fucking. Too.
We break apart and start saying good night to everyone.
“This was definitely the most interesting wedding I’ve ever officiated,” Mark says with a grin.
“Considering it’s only your second, that doesn’t say a lot,” Charlie, his wife, says.
“True, but you know . . .”
“Please don’t ever agree to do it for anyone else.”
“I make no promises. I have to uphold the rules so I don’t lose my spot in heaven.”
Charlie rolls her eyes. “Please, we all know you’re going to hell.”
He grins. “That’s life with you, my sweet.”
“Right. You’re in hell.” She scoffs and then gives me a tight hug. “We are so going to talk about this when you get back.”
“I know.”
“Mark is right,” she says, pulling back and smiling. “You would’ve made an excellent field agent.”
I roll my eyes and snort. “Please, I don’t do danger.”
“And you don’t think this was dangerous?”
“That’s a different kind of danger.”
She looks at Oliver and then back to me. “True, but it isn’t any less risky, my friend.” Then her gaze moves to her husband. “I know all too well how my story ended with a man I didn’t love and had to fake it with.”
So not going down that road.
Jackson and Catherine nudge their way closer, and Charlie whispers something in Oliver’s ear that causes him to laugh.
“Congrats on the nuptials,” Catherine says with a glimmer in her eyes. “I can’t wait to hear how the honeymoon goes.”
“Stop it,” I warn.
“Have fun, Maren. Seriously, if you were my client, I would tell you to just embrace this for the time you can. Life is hard, and you are always in your head. Allow your heart to lead this one just a little, regardless of the possible fallout.”
Coming from a publicist, I’m a little shocked at that advice.
Jackson nods. “It’s amazing what might happen when you do that.”
Catherine tilts her head. “Aww. You’re being all sentimental, Muffin.”
“Weddings always do it.” My boss is a man who could snap anyone in this room in half. He’s tall, strong, and trained to be deadly, but when he looks at his wife, he’s goo.
It’s cute.
“Thank you all for everything,” I say, knowing they could’ve imploded everything and went out of their way not to.
“We’re a team, and if you had told us before you came up with this plan, we would’ve done what we could.”
I eye him, not sure what that means and not sure I want to, but smile because I think he means it in a sweet way.
After they move down, Devney and Sean come over with a sleeping Cassandra and Austin looking like he’s ready to fall asleep standing up.
I know she has mixed feelings on all of this, but she stood by me without ever wavering. “The wedding was amazing, and I don’t really know what to say other than I love you and hope this works out for you both.”
“What does that mean?”
She shrugs. “Just that . . . well, I hope you both are happy.”
“What we did made me happy.”
“Right. For your dad.”
I nod. “Of course.”
Her eyes move to Oliver. “Of course.”
“We have to get these two to bed,” Sean says, trying to adjust Cassandra while also keeping Austin steady. “Congrats, you guys.”
Oliver’s family comes over, bidding us the same well wishes, but his brothers start to make inappropriate jokes, causing him to flip them off. I hug Jessica, Delia, and then Stella, thanking them again for all their help.
We take the time to thank everyone who came but save my father and Linda for last. While she’s normally a nightmare, today she was actually kind. She didn’t wear cream, thank God, and told me how proud she was. It’s hard to hate her when she acts this way.
She gives Oliver a hug first. “You have made us all so happy. We worried when we hadn’t met you before this, but you’re a wonderful person, and we’re so happy you found each other.”
Oliver smiles. “I’m very lucky to know her, and it was a pleasure to meet you all and become part of the family.”
She hooks her arm in my father’s. “Patrick and I couldn’t be more pleased to have you as our son now.”
Dad nods, tears in his eyes. “Family is all that matters in this world.”
“I agree,” Oliver says, placing his hand on my back.
“You sure you have to leave early tomorrow?” I ask my father, not wanting this time to end.
Linda speaks. “We have a long trip, and your father needs to recover from this weekend. It’s imperative we get him home.”
As much as I’d like to argue, she’s probably right. This took a lot out of him. I just wish . . . I wish we could have more time. More laughter and hugs. I wish he could just stay here and we could just pause time so I would never have to lose him.
Oliver’s hand moves up my back, rubbing along my shoulders. I turn to him, feeling his sympathy with each stroke of his hand. It’s as if he’s telling me that it’s okay and he’s here. With tears in my eyes, I nod and step toward my father.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you most, Princess. You and Oliver are perfect for each other, and I can’t tell you how much this has meant to me. To see it with my own eyes, just . . . joy.”
My chest grows tight because he saw what we wanted him to see. Oliver squeezes my shoulders. “Linda, my mother is over there and she mentioned needing to speak with you.”
“She did?”
He nods. “I can’t remember what it was about, but I know it was important.”
“Oh. Of course.”
He gives me a wink and then leads Linda towards his mother.
This man.
I know that couldn’t be easy because Linda doesn’t like to leave my dad and not be privy to the conversation.
However, I’m going to take advantage of this private time I get.
I help my father over to a seating area and take his hand in mine. “I’m sad,” I admit.
“You shouldn’t be sad on your wedding day,” Dad says with a wheeze in his voice.