“Thanks for coming home, baby,” she said, smiling even though her eyes were watery. “Love getting to see you, even for a couple of days.”

“We’ll be back soon,” I promised, smiling back.

“Make sure of it,” she replied. She turned to Sarai. “It was so good to meet you, sweetheart.”

“You too,” Sarai said, smiling as my mom pulled her into a hug.

As soon as they’d separated, I laced my fingers with Sarai’s and tugged her toward the truck.

“Love you,” I called over my shoulder to my mom.

“Love you, too. Call me this week.”

“I will.”

We climbed into my dad’s truck, and I turned to smile at Sarai. “You ready?” I asked as my dad backed out of the driveway.

“Yes,” she murmured, grinning excitedly.

Chapter 12

Sarai

I swallowed painfully, smoothing down the front of my white sundress as I waited for the receptionist to start the music. After Alex and I had split up and found clothes to wear for the ceremony, it had been pretty easy to find a chapel. It was nothing fancy, and the small building had only a few people working, but they’d fallen all over themselves trying to make sure everything was perfect for us.

They’d stuffed a bouquet of fake flowers in my hand in the reception area and ushered Alex to the front of the chapel to wait for me, and the moment he was out of eyesight, my stomach twisted painfully with nerves. Was I doing the right thing? We hadn’t told anyone what we were doing. In theory it had seemed really romantic, but now that it was actually happening, it felt…sneaky. Like we were doing something wrong.

My aunt and uncle were going to lose it. I couldn’t imagine getting married any other way, but convincing them of that would be impossible.

“Are you ready?” the grinning receptionist asked me. At my nod, she started the music and gestured for me to move through the door to the chapel.

My heart was thumping heavy in my chest, and my feet felt like lead as I moved forward, but the second I saw Alex’s wide smile and the way he fidgeted, clearly nervous himself, I calmed down.

This was what I wanted.

When I reached Alex, he leaned down so our foreheads touched, and let out a shaky breath, his excitement palpable.

“Ready?” he whispered.

“Ready,” I whispered back.

As we turned to face the officiant, Alex’s hand found mine. We held hands through the entire ceremony.

*  *  *

I was married.

Married.

I stared down at my ring while Alex took his shower, and finally let the gravity of the situation sink in. I had a husband. I was a wife.