Adaline laughed as I draped my arm around her neck and guided her out and to the parking lot where our family was waiting.
“How did you like it, Adaline?” MaryAnne asked. How my brother was able to keep a woman like her was beyond me.
“It was okay. I don’t think I’ll be rushing to zip line anytime soon.”
Everyone laughed as Waldo walked up to his daughter. “You’ll get in a racecar at over a hundred miles per hour with this one,” Pointing to me with his finger as he smirked and shook his head, Waldo kept talking. “But you don’t like to zip line. Go figure.”
Adaline winked at her father as she turned to her mother and mine. “I’m ready for some girl time! Tomorrow is my wedding and I need pretty fingers and toes.”
Before I knew what was happening, the girls were going to the spa, and the guys were headed to the golf course. Watching Adaline walk off as she laughed at something my sister said to her caused my heart to soar. I’d do anything to make her happy.
Anything.
Somewhere between the ninth and tenth hole, I got tired of feeling my phone vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw I had ten text messages from Todd. Pulling my phone out, I only had to read the first one to have my heart drop to my stomach.
Todd: Call me ASAP. It’s about tomorrow.
Fuck. What could have happened now?
“Waldo, Chris, I have to make a call to Todd.”
“Hell no, Emmit. It’s golf time, no work is allowed,” Chris said as he dropped his bag and got ready to swing his club.
I pushed out a frustrated breath and said, “It’s about tomorrow.”
Waldo and my brother both looked at me. I had told them both about the stunt Stephanie had pulled. Waldo didn’t agree with me when I said I thought it was best if Adaline didn’t find out.
As I hit Todd’s number, I took in a deep cleansing breath.
“Hello, Emmit?”
“Yeah, Todd it’s me.”
“I need you to come back to the resort as fast as you can.”
Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “Why?”
I could hear Todd letting a breath. Whatever it was, it had to have been big for him to not want to tell me.
“The wedding trellis on the beach was destroyed last night. I just got the message from the wedding planner. They said it could have been the storm last night caused bigger waves that came up further than they thought.”
I quickly let out the breath I had been holding in. “That’s it?”
Todd let out a nervous laugh. “What do you mean, that’s it? Emmit, that was a huge part of your wedding tomorrow evening.”
My hand pushed through my hair as I let out a relieved laugh. “Todd, I’d marry Adaline in an elevator. It’s fine. I’m positive Adaline isn’t going to be that worried if a storm took out the trellis. As long as there are no storms tomorrow afternoon, we are golden.”
“Are you sure Adaline is going to feel the same way? With the flowers and all that fabric she had made to put on it?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Shit. I guess it would mean more to her. Damn it. Can we not get another one in by the wedding tomorrow?”
“I’m working on it, but that one was custom-built and hand carved out of solid wood.”
“I didn’t think the storm was that bad last night. Are they sure it was the storm?”
“They are pretty sure. It was knocked down and a part of it was gone, so it had to have been washed back out to sea.”
“Damn it,” I said as I dropped my head down and tried to think of something else. “What about that trellis that leads into the yoga studio? Could we not move that down to the beach and use that?”
The phone muffled, and I was guessing Todd was asking. “I think that might work. Good thinking, Emmit.”
I glanced back over to the hole where Waldo and my brother had both tee’d off and started down the fairway. My brother suggested having Stephanie watched and last time Chris called in to check, all was good, so I knew this was nothing to be alarmed with. “Good. I’m glad we got that taken care of. I’ll let Adaline know what happened, so she isn’t thrown off by the change.”
“Perfect. Sorry to interrupt your day.”
Grabbing my bag, I quickly made my way over toward Waldo and Chris. “No worries. I’m just glad it wasn’t something far worse. Let’s say some prayers this is our last problem.”
Todd laughed and said, “Will do. Enjoy your day.”
Pushing my phone back into my pocket, I tried to push away the uneasy feeling I had wash over my body.
I’D WOKEN UP EARLY AND taken a walk along the beach. I secretly was hoping Emmit had done the same thing. Keeping with tradition, I stayed in Ashley’s room last night after the rehearsal dinner and the small little party we had afterwards. Emmit’s idea to use the trellis from the yoga study was a brilliant one. It wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the original one, but it would work perfectly.