It’s times like these that I wish I were the type of person who planned ahead. The kind of organized person who checks the weather and brings umbrellas and raincoats and slicker boots when there’s a prediction for rain.
But I’ve never been that person. Hell, I don’t even own an umbrella.
I check the time on my phone and realize I have exactly thirty minutes to get across town to the bridal shop where my bridesmaid dress for Sophie’s wedding is waiting for pickup.
Also not ideal for this kind of torrential rain situation.
I start to weigh out the taxi versus subway pros and cons, both of which seem to end in me giving my best impression of a spring break wet T-shirt contest, but the sound of my phone ringing from my purse stops me before I can decide which is the lesser of two evils.
Incoming Call Flynn flashes on the screen, and I answer it by the second ring.
“Hey, you.”
“Where are you?” he asks, and I look up at the protective canvas barrier above me.
“Welp. I’m standing underneath the awning outside my building and trying to decide how to avoid the rain while I run across town to get my bridesmaid dress. You don’t happen to have access to a teleportation device, do you?”
He chuckles. “What about an umbrella?”
“Well, that would certainly help, but how are you going to get it to me?”
“By car.”
“So…you’re going to send a car to drop an umbrella off to me?” I question on a snort. “That sounds like a waste of resources.”
“Not if I’m driving the car.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Huh?”
“I’m half a block away,” he expands.
“For real?” I question. “So, you can drive me to the shop to get my dress?”
“There’s no need. I already picked it up for you after I got my suit.”
The surprising, downright fan-fucking-tastic news makes me fist-pump the air. “Oh my goodness, Flynn! You’re my hero!” I exclaim so loud it startles the man working security at the entrance doors.
“Stay put. I’ll be there in a minute,” he says just as I look toward the street to see him pulling his Range Rover to a stop in front of the building. There’s a smile in his voice—an easiness he’s acquired when it comes to dealing with me that steals my breath unexpectedly.
He’s parked illegally and New York traffic is showing its disdain through obnoxious honks and middle fingers, but Flynn is undeterred. Out of the driver’s side door, he heads my way with an actual umbrella in his hand. Rain soaks his dark hair and his white T-shirt as he jogs toward me.
Holy hell. An actual hero. My heart feels as if it wants to burst out of my rib cage, and the burning, stinging pain in my jaw gets more and more intense. Tears, it seems, are trying their damnedest to make a showing right now, but there’s no way I’m letting some sappy emotion about all of this coming to an end ruin the moment for me.
“Hey, babe,” he says with what just might be my favorite Flynn smile. It’s a signature smile of his where just one corner of his lips quirks up, but it always reaches his eyes in a way that makes the blue look bright like a clear, summer sky.
“Hi, handsome.” I smile up at him. “Was this a coincidental pickup or intentional?”
“I didn’t want you to have to deal with the rain.” He leans forward to press a soft kiss to my lips, and then he pops open the umbrella and leads me to the Range Rover with it safely hovering over me.
My heart lurches. Talk about some kind of romantic.
Almost like what a real-life, married husband would do for his wife.
Once I’m buckled inside the car and Flynn is pulling away from the building, I glance over my shoulder and spot his suit and my bridesmaid dress for Jude and Sophie’s wedding hanging off one of the hooks by the back passenger doors.
Only three more days until their big day. And three more days until pickups from my knight in shining armor go up in a fantastic ball of immigration interview smoke.
Where in the hell did the time go?
Thursday, May 30th
Daisy
I adjust the nonexistent wrinkles on my dress and follow Flynn’s lead across the sidewalk and toward the entrance doors of The Penrose.
“You ready to deal with my rowdy family?” Flynn asks with a little grin. “Because, you know, if you want to skip the madness and head back to our apartment for a quiet night in with my cock inside you, I doubt anyone will notice.”
I snort. “We’re both in the wedding, Flynn. I’m pretty sure they’ll notice if they’re short a groomsman and bridesmaid at the rehearsal dinner.”
He just shrugs. “Hey, later tonight, when my uncle Brad is trying to get you to dance with him, just remember this conversation.”
I playfully slap a hand to his chest, and he opens the door to usher us inside.
I don’t know how it happened, but one minute, I felt like I was arriving in New York, and now, I’m stepping inside the Upper East Side gastropub that is hosting Jude and Sophie’s rehearsal dinner.
And tomorrow, you’ll be interviewed by USCIS.
I swallow hard against the anxiety that wants to move into my throat. Now is not the time to focus on that. Instantly, I force myself to think about the happy couple we’re celebrating tonight and plaster a smile on my face as I follow Flynn’s lead through the venue.
The Penrose is packed to the brim with everyone who loves and adores Jude and Sophie. The aesthetic touches my designer heart, fitting perfectly in the middle of vintage and contemporary. It’s cozy, with wood and brick elements throughout, but the light fixtures add this cool, modern vibe.
If anything, this place is authentic and fun and just suits them perfectly.
Flynn takes my hand and guides me toward our assigned table, but on the way, we’re stopped by several familiar faces for hugs and greetings. His mom, Aunt Paula and Uncle Brad, Ty and some woman with big boobs and even bigger jade-colored eyes named Mindy, every step we take, it feels as if another person pops up to say hello.
And the instant Lexi sees us, she sprints across the hardwood floor and wraps both of her little arms around us. “Hi, Uncle Flynn and Aunt Daisy!”
Aunt Daisy. Gah. That pulls right at the heartstrings.
“Hey, Lexi Lou.” Flynn smiles and releases my hand to lift Lexi up and into his arms. “Whoa, did you grow?”
She rolls her eyes and giggles. “Of course, I grew, Uncle Flynn. That’s part of childhood development.”
Her reaction makes me smile, but it also spurs an ache to form inside my chest. I rub at the annoying discomfort and try to focus on the big night—Jude and Sophie’s rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow, the happy bride and groom will be happy wife and husband.
And tomorrow, you could find out that you and Flynn no longer need to keep up the marriage fa?ade.
“Aunt Daisy?”
I blink out of my thoughts and find Lexi back on her feet, staring up at me. “Yeah, sweetheart?”
“My Mathletes competition final is in two weeks.”
“It is?” I ask, trying like hell to act as excited as I should be. “That sounds like a really big deal, Lexi.”
“It’s the state championship. Do you want to come?”