As a bonus, the photographer had agreed to pick up a bouquet of flowers for me to hold. Our wedding photographs would look like it was a real marriage.

And I reminded myself one more time, it was a real marriage in the sense that this was a partnership. Holden and I were in this together. Maybe not the traditional way, but maybe that wasn’t what was important.

I backed up as far as I could without running into the stalls to see my reflection. I took one more deep breath, shoving down my nerves, glanced at the time on my phone, smiled at my reflection, and said out loud, “Time to get married.”

I picked up the bag that had my work clothes in it, shoved everything else in, and walked out of the ladies’ room.

There were several people in the main lobby of the courthouse, and I felt their eyes follow me across the room as my heels clicked on the tile floor. Since we were one town over from Dragonfly Lake, I was confident no one knew me here, but I wasn’t comfortable with their attention. I raised my chin ever so slightly though, strengthened my imaginary armor, and blustered through with determination.

I smiled like a bride would smile on the day she was marrying the love of her life and didn’t allow my thoughts to go anywhere close to the word love where Holden was concerned.

I heard a feminine voice behind me, to the side, breathe out, “Beautiful,” and when I was almost to the big exterior doors, a man who’d just entered caught my eye and said, with a warm smile, “Congratulations.”

Without a single waver in my own smile, I replied, “Thank you,” and then I pushed open the heavy door to the outside.

The refreshing spring air hit me, and I saw him immediately.

Holden was close to the foot of the stairs, peering up at me.

I faltered at the sight of him.

My God, he was such a sight, so sharply dressed in his dress pants and matching vest and silk tie. He was a class act all the way and knew how to dress.

Despite all the determination I had summoned, the hard shell I was hiding behind, I felt my insides go warm and soft at the sight of this man who I’d had a thing for for half of my life—a thing I’d never intended to let him know and never would.

This might’ve been the dumbest thing I’d ever done, but there was no turning back now. Even if I should have, I couldn’t walk away.

Who in her right mind could walk away from a man like Holden Henry?

Holden

It was Friday afternoon, my wedding day. It was also April Fool’s Day.

Coincidence? Or was I being the biggest, dumbest dumb ass alive?