The Meltdown Match (A Romance Novella) (8 page)

“No.”

“Oh.” He shrugged, out of ideas. “I guess he’ll have to be the guy who can sense when two people are supposed to be together and manipulates the situation so they are.” He grinned as he tugged on a lock of her hair. “Like with salt.”

Her forehead creased in thought, and she drew her lower lip into her mouth for a moment before letting it out. “You mean like Cupid?”

Mitch frowned, picturing a naked cherub with a pink bow and tiny white wings. “No, not like Cupid. That was just a joke—a bad one.”

“Well, I like it. And considering how all of my ideas have been inspired by one of your bad jokes, it’s got merit.”

If that was the case, Mitch really needed to stop joking, especially when it came to characters named Mitch. “What about Hercules instead? He’s pretty cool.”

“No, I like Cupid.”

“Zeus? Poseidon? I’d even take Hades.”

Her fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of his neck. “I think I’ve finally figured out the perfect nickname for yours truly—one that will be as fitting and endearing to you as Salt is to me.” She grinned. “Cupid.”

This conversation was getting out of control. “I don’t think so.”

“I do.” Her fingers pressed on the back of his neck, trying to pull his head toward hers, but Mitch resisted. “Oh, c’mon, Cupid,” she said with a slight pout on her lips. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”

Mitch grasped for something—anything—to make the nickname go away. “Okay, fine, you win. I promise to stop calling you Salt if you
never
say that word again.”

“Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid—”

Mitch’s mouth covered hers with a kiss meant to erase all thoughts about engineers and books and Cupid. However, as her lips moved across his and her fingers worked their way through his hair, he was the one who forgot about everything but her.

The day of June Solstice dawned overcast and rainy. Through her window, Courtney frowned at the skies as she smoothed her fingers against the soft satin of her wedding gown. This was all wrong. According to the weather report, the skies were supposed to be clear, the day sunny. A perfect day for an outdoor wedding.

Her mother kept promising that it would clear up, that Courtney needed to finish getting ready, but the clouds didn’t break, and the rain continued to splatter lightly against her window pane.

Not good.

Courtney’s stomach twisted into knots at the implication. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. This was not the universe telling her that she shouldn’t marry Mitch or pick another wedding day. It was an unlucky coincidence. That’s all.

Horribly unlucky.

Her phone rang with Mitch’s ringtone, and Courtney quickly brought it to her ear. More than ever, she needed to hear his voice.

“No, this is not a bad omen, and yes we’re still supposed to get married today,” Mitch said without preamble. “In fact, this is actually a good sign. It means our married life together will be full of surprises and never dull.”

Courtney couldn’t help her answering smile. She loved that he knew where her crazy thoughts were headed—and that he still wanted to marry her in spite of them. More than that, he knew exactly what to say to erase the worried lines from her forehead.

“I was just thinking the exact same thing,” she said.

“Liar.”

Her smile widened. “Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, where are we going to have the wedding now?”

“Outside, near the lake, as planned. It’s already set up, and the food is under that gazebo thing you rented, so we’re good.”

“So long as the food stays dry,” she said dryly.

“Exactly.”

Courtney rolled her eyes and looked down, picturing rain splattering all over her dress while her short train skidded across the muddy ground. What would her hair look like after a few minutes in this weather? Not like it did now, that was for sure.

“But what about my dress?”

“I don’t see a problem. It’s not like you’re planning to wear it again.” A pause. “Right?”

“Well no, but—” It was beautiful and white and expensive, and Courtney didn’t want it to get muddy. She wanted it to look clean and perfect for the day her future daughter tried it on. Did she really have to explain that?

“But what?”

Courtney sighed. “My hair will go limp and the pictures will look awful.”

“Oh please. You couldn’t look awful if you tried, and the pictures will give us a great story to tell our kids one day.”

An almost hysterical laugh escaped Courtney’s mouth, mostly because she actually found herself considering his suggestion. She threw up her free hand and plopped down on her bed. “Okay fine, Mr. Cupid Man, let’s get married in the rain.”

“That’s my girl. See you in an hour.” At least he’d let the Cupid comment slide.

The phone went dead before Courtney could tell him she was only half serious. She frowned out the window once more before turning toward Hannah and her mother. “Looks like the outdoor wedding is still on.”

“Sweet!” Hannah said at the same time her mother excused herself to make a few phone calls to track down some umbrellas.

An hour later, Courtney found herself sitting in her dad’s car as he pulled into the mess of the designated parking area. She’d exchanged her satin heels for tennis shoes and stepped into the squishy mud, holding her dress high while her mother positioned a large, multi-colored beach umbrella over their heads.

They squished their way to a large tent, where Courtney made her final preparations. Her mother cleaned off her shoes with wet wipes while Hannah fiddled with her hair. Thankfully, someone had brought a clear, plastic umbrella for Courtney’s father to carry down the aisle so they could dispense with the brightly colored one.

In no time at all, her mother disappeared, the music started, and Hannah left the tent, carrying a bouquet of fresh wildflowers.

Courtney’s dad held out his arm for his daughter. “Ready to go, sweet pea?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Her feet landed once more in the mud, and Courtney tried not to cringe as they made their way to the back of the crowd, where a live band huddled under a canopy and guests waited with various colored umbrellas. At least the wildflower garland looked lovely and hydrated.

Through the drizzle and beneath her veil, Courtney’s eyes met Mitch’s. He stood at the front, looking beyond handsome wearing a black tux and holding a matching clear plastic umbrella. Her breath caught in her throat as all thoughts of rain and mud and limp hair faded. In a matter of minutes, she would be his, and he, hers. They would leave this scene as man and wife and spend the rest of their lives together.

It really did feel like a miracle.

She was led to Mitch’s side, where she relinquished her father’s arm and kissed his cheek. Then she placed her fingers on Mitch’s warm palm and smiled when he held out his umbrella so she wouldn’t get wet.

“You look beautiful,” he mouthed, drawing her close. “You ready for this?”

“More than ready.”

“Me, too.” He tucked her arm in his and turned to face the pastor. In what seemed like minutes, they were pronounced man and wife beneath a dense canopy of clouds. Although the sun remained hidden, the warmth that spread through Courtney’s body made it feel as though it was a clear, sunny day.

Mitch handed the umbrella to the pastor, and raindrops dotted Courtney’s face and arms. But it didn’t matter, not when his hands framed her face and he looked at her in just that way, as if she were his everything. Courtney raised her mouth to his, smiling when his lips moved gently over hers in a kiss that would be forever engrained in her memory. He kissed her as though she were fragile and precious—something to treasure. Her heart swelled with the kind of love she’d only ever imagined in her mind and written in her books.

In that moment, Courtney’s world aligned, as if she’d finally been able to bridge the gap between fiction and real life. She’d always been a wisher, a hoper, a believer in something greater than the ordinary, but today it was no longer wishful thinking. It was reality. Her very own real life fairytale come true.

She couldn’t wait to live it all out.

Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for reading! I hope this story took you out of reality for awhile and into a world of escape and rejuvenation because everyone deserves that once in a while.

If you’re willing, I’d love a review from you on
Goodreads
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Thanks again, and happy reading!

Rachael

Rachael Anderson is a
USA Today
bestselling author. She’s the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies, but she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating. You can read more about her and her books online at
RachaelReneeAnderson.com
.

Other Books by Rachael Anderson

Novels

Prejudice Meets Pride

Rough Around the Edges Meets Refined

Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity

Working it Out

The Reluctant Bachelorette

Novellas

Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella)

Twist of Fate