The wedding took place a few days later in the Calebow living room. Molly wore the winter-white midcalf dress her sister had bought her. Kevin wore a deep charcoal suit with a matching tie. Molly thought it made him look like a gorgeous mortician.

They’d both refused to invite any of their friends to the ceremony, so only Dan, Phoebe, the children, and the dogs were there. The girls had decorated the living room with white crepe-paper streamers and tied bows on the dogs. Roo wore his around his collar, and Kanga’s perched crookedly on her topknot. She flirted shamelessly with Kevin, shaking her topknot to get his attention and batting her tail. Kevin ignored her just as he ignored Roo’s growling, so Molly knew he was one of those men who believed that a poodle threatened his masculinity. Why hadn’t she considered that in Door County instead of looking for burps, gold chains, and “You duh man”?

Hannah’s eyes shone, and she gazed at Kevin and Molly as if they were the central figures in a fairy tale. Because of her, Molly pretended to be happy when all she wanted to do was throw up.

“You look so beautiful.” Hannah sighed. Then she turned to Kevin, her heart in her eyes. “You look beautiful, too. Like a prince.”

Tess and Julie let out whoops of laughter. Hannah turned crimson.

But Kevin didn’t laugh. He smiled instead and squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks, kiddo.”

Molly blinked her eyes and looked away.

The judge conducting the ceremony stepped forward. “Let’s begin.”

Molly and Kevin moved toward him as if they were passing through a force field.

“Dearly beloved …”

Andrew wiggled loose from his mother’s side and shot forward to wedge himself between the bride and groom.

“Andrew, come back here.” Dan reached out to retrieve him, but Kevin and Molly simultaneously snatched his sticky little hands to keep him right where he was.

And that was how they got married—underneath a makeshift bower of mismatched crepe paper streamers with a five-year-old planted firmly between them and a gray poodle glaring at the groom.

Not once did Molly and Kevin look at each other, not even during the kiss, which was dry, fast, and closemouthed.

Andrew looked up at them and grimaced. “Yucky, mush, mush.”

“They’re supposed to kiss, you baby,” Tess said from behind.

“I’m not a baby!”

Molly leaned down to hug him before he could get worked up. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dan shake Kevin’s hand and Phoebe give him a quick embrace. It was awkward and awful, and Molly couldn’t wait to get away. Except that was a problem all in itself.

They made a play of sipping a few drops of champagne, but neither of them managed to eat more than a bite of the small white wedding cake. “Let’s get out of here,” Kevin finally growled in her ear.

Molly didn’t have to fabricate a headache. She’d been feeling increasingly ill all afternoon. “All right.”