Getting to the Church On Time (4 page)

Levi couldn’t help but laugh. “So you want my wedding too?”

“It doesn’t matter,” TJ said. “
I
want it.”

“Why should I give it to you?” Levi asked, enjoying this. It was taking his mind off of Kate being several hundred miles away, for one thing. And he loved a good game. He was a gambler. He got a thrill from competition and people putting their wits up against one another.

“Because I’m the mayor and we have an important professional relationship,” TJ said.

Levi just looked at him. Levi definitely held all the cards in that relationship. He was happy to spend his money on his new hometown, but who the mayor was had very little to do with that.

TJ tried again. “Because you like my mother and she’s been waiting for me to get married the longest.”

Levi did like Kathy Bennett. Everyone liked Kathy Bennett.

“You’ve already been married,” Ty pointed out. “I think that definitely puts me and Tuck ahead of you. You had your chance.”

Everyone grimaced at that. TJ’s first wife, Michelle, was a crazy, manipulative woman who was, unfortunately, still around.

“I think I deserve
this
wedding even more because of that,” TJ said. “It’s about time I get this right, don’t you think?”

No one could really argue with that.

Levi saw Ty and Tucker actually considering TJ’s words.

He jumped in before they could ruin the fun by being good brothers.

“Tell you what. I’ll let you compete for the wedding.”

They all looked at him.

“Compete for it?” Ty asked.

Levi smiled. He should have known those words would pique the youngest’s interest most. Ty was a competitor through and through. He was a professional athlete who had competed on an international stage and had just recently come back from a serious injury. Ty would get into the idea of it being a contest.

Levi nodded. “Kate’s stuck out of town on what was supposed to be our wedding day. I’m depressed and bored. You all are going to keep my mind off of it. You’re going to compete to see who gets this spectacular Christmas wedding package and who will walk down the aisle tomorrow night.”

The guys all looked at each other. Ty looked excited, Travis—the already married one—looked amused. Tucker looked willing. He was the laid-back, fun-loving one. He’d definitely be willing. TJ was the one who looked dubious.

“You both promise that whoever wins, no one’s going to be mad or not show up for the wedding or some dumb shit like that?” TJ asked his brothers.

They both nodded.

“I can get Pat down there in the morning to do the marriage licenses,” TJ said of the clerk who would need to issue the licenses. “You both good with doing that before you know if you’re actually getting married?”

“Hell yeah,” Ty said. “We’ll be needing it eventually anyway.”

“It’s only good for a year,” TJ told him.

“We’ll definitely be using it before a year’s up,” Ty said.

“We’ve already got ours,” Tucker said with a grin. “Ready to go.”

“Okay, then.” TJ turned to Levi. “What’s this competition look like?”

Levi couldn’t believe they were going along with it. He needed time to make this good. “Let me think on it.”

“We’ve got like twenty-four hours here,” TJ pointed out. “You’ll have to think fast.”

True. A lot of the things that had been going through Levi’s mind would take too much time to set up. And the chances of getting an
American Ninja Warrior
set into the Sapphire Falls town square were slim with the storm.

“Okay, here’s what you have to do. Three contests. The guy who impresses me most wins.”

“The
couple
,” Travis said. “I definitely think the girls should get in on the competition.”

Levi grinned. “Yes. The
couple
who impresses me most wins.”

He considered each guy and his girl. Ty was maybe the most physically fit from his biking, swimming and running, but Tucker and TJ both worked on the farm. They were hardly wusses. They were also all smart, charming, and knew the town inside out.

It was the girls who might be the deciding factors. Delaney was a Miss Fix-it. She could build or repair almost anything. Hailey was smart and from Sapphire Falls so she knew everyone—and probably had dirt on most of them and wasn’t afraid to use it. Hope was the sweetest of the bunch. She was a little bit of a hippie with a vast knowledge of herbs and plants and healing remedies. She could make a potion for almost anything.

Okay, so he had to be sure the playing field was as even as possible.

Levi leaned back in his chair and regarded the other men. He was going to enjoy this. It was going to be entertaining for sure and the wedding, no matter whose it was, would be great.

“Tell me, why haven’t any of you been planning your own weddings already?” he asked. “And why
this
is how you want to do it.”

“Delaney and I have been trying to find a time but with school and summer activities and stuff with the boys, it’s been hard,” Tucker said. “She works hard and is always going a million directions with all her renovation projects and the boys. This will take all the pressure of a wedding off of her.”

“Hailey and I have been talking about it,” Ty said. “But I’ve learned that things turn out best when I surprise her.” He gave a grin that made Levi wonder if there were even more surprises in Ty and Hailey’s relationship than his surprise move back to Sapphire Falls.

“Hope doesn’t have family outside of Sapphire Falls,” TJ said. “We’ve talked about it too and she’s more the spontaneous, elopement type of girl. She’s not into all the hoopla and formality. This is a lot like eloping but my mother won’t kill me for
actually
eloping.”

Levi nodded. “All very good reasons.”

The guys all looked back at him. Travis continued to drink. TJ sat with his arms crossed. Ty sat with a hand on the table, fingers drumming. Tucker leaned back, one ankle propped on his opposite knee.

“We have a timeline here,” Levi went on. “The wedding is set for six p.m. tomorrow. The girls will want a little time to get ready ahead. So we’ll say deadline is two p.m. tomorrow.”

The guys said nothing.

Levi made a decision. He leaned in. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. By midnight tonight, you will each have officially proposed. Hope you’re ready.”

They all looked at one another but no one said anything one way or another.

“You will provide proof of the proposal,” Levi paused, then added, “via video recording, to me, by midnight,” he went on. “If the girls say yes,” he smirked at them, “you will then have until noon to present me with two items each. One, you have to make a homemade Christmas recipe.”

TJ’s eyebrow went up, Ty grinned, Tucker groaned. Everyone knew that Delaney wasn’t much of a cook.

“The other is a homemade Christmas decoration that Kate and I can keep forever to remember the love of all of our friends.”

Again, no one said anything. Travis did snort, however.

“I will receive your entries at the gazebo at noon,” Levi said. “They will not be labeled so I can check them out without knowing whose is whose. I’ll announce a winner by two p.m. And I’ll need proof that you were each involved with making the recipe and the decoration.”

This would be great. He’d get food out of the deal
and
decorations to commemorate the occasion.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” TJ asked.

“You can drop out,” Ty said, shoving his chair back and standing. “I mean, you don’t
have
to do any of this.”

TJ pushed his chair back and stood as well, stretching to two inches taller than Ty and looking down on his little brother. “Oh, I’m doing this.”

Tucker pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed. “Laney, need you. Where are you?” He paused, listening. “Be there in a minute.” He got to his feet. “Got a girl to propose to. See you guys later.”

He started for the door eagerly. Levi couldn’t help but grin. He and Kate weren’t getting married tomorrow but there was about to be a lot of fun and romance in town. He couldn’t help but feel good about that.

“Hey, Tuck!” he called.

Tucker turned back.

“No one can help you with the tasks but Delaney.” Levi looked at Ty and TJ. “Same for you guys with Hailey and Hope.”

They nodded.

“Great,” Tucker agreed. “Now come on. And bring your phone to record this.”

Levi chuckled and got to his feet. “You coming?” he asked Travis.

“Are you kidding? Watching my three brothers make asses of themselves? You don’t even have enough money to get me to miss that, Spencer.”

Levi (& Delaney & Tucker & Hope & TJ &…everyone)

They all followed Tucker out of the Come Again. Their conversation hadn’t gone unnoticed by the other patrons in the bar either. A small crowd followed them out the door, across the parking lot and over the snow-covered green space between the jail and city hall. They were in the town square in two minutes, but Tucker continued across the square and it was soon obvious he was headed for Scott’s Sweets, the bakery and candy shop where Delaney was evidently hanging out. Levi knew even before they pulled the door open that Delaney was there with the shop’s owner, Adrianne Riley, along with Lauren Bennett, Hope Daniels and Hailey Conner. He also knew this was where Kate and Phoebe would have been if they’d been in town.

Damn. He was having fun thinking of the wedding shenanigans he’d stirred up but he couldn’t completely escape the idea that they were supposed to be
his
wedding shenanigans.

“Delaney Callan,” Tucker said, sweeping into the shop. “I need to ask you a question.”

The five women Levi had guessed were indeed in the shop, gathered around one of the little round tables, with coffee cups and cake in front of them.

They all froze. Delaney had a bite of cake halfway between her plate and her mouth.

A distinct, sweet and familiar aroma hit Levi.

Peppermint.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped around Tucker.

“Are you eating my
wedding cake
?” he asked.

Adrianne’s cheeks got red immediately. “Levi! You’re home.”

He crossed his arms. “I am. I had a wedding to get back for.”

The truth seemed to hit the women all at once. Hailey sprung out of the seat. “But Kate’s not here.”

“I’m aware,” he said dryly.

Delaney grabbed her phone and started to dial.

“I’ve already talked to her,” he said.

“They’re in Denver,” Lauren said.

“I
know
,” he told them impatiently. “Are you seriously eating my wedding cake?”

“I’m not going to charge you for this one,” Adrianne said quickly, stepping in front of the cake on the counter—the cake that was missing five pieces.

“Well, I certainly hope not,” Levi said.

“And I’ll make another for whenever you need it,” she said. She hesitated, then said softly, “It turned out wonderfully.”

Levi shook his head. “Let me see.”

She quickly cut him a piece and handed it over.

It was, as a matter of fact, completely delicious.

“Well,” he said, turning to the Bennett men…and the rest of the Come Again. “I guess you can pick your flavor.”

“They can do what?” Adrianne asked.

Levi looked at her and gestured for her to wipe the corner of her mouth. She swiped at the crumb and blushed again.

“We’re going to need a wedding cake for tomorrow, but now they can pick whatever flavor they want,” he said.

Adrianne shook her head. “Who can?”

“Whoever ends up getting married.”

“Oh.” Adrianne frowned. “What?”

“I think I’ll let Tucker say a few words before I go on,” Levi said.

“Delaney—” Tucker started.

But Ty pushed in front of him. “Marry me, Hails. Tomorrow. Right here in Sapphire Falls.”

Hailey’s mouth dropped open.

Tucker shoved Ty. “Hey!” He looked at Delaney. “Put the ring on, babe.”

“Tucker, what are you—” she started.

He moved toward her quickly, pulling her out of her chair and moving her to another one at the table near the window. He pushed her into it and knelt in front of her. “This is where you were sitting the first time I ever saw you,” he said. “I swear to God, part of me wanted to propose to you right then.”

Delaney’s eyes widened. “Tuck—”

“I knew then that I didn’t want to live another day without you. I’ve been waiting for you for so long and we’ve been talking about this for a while now. So let’s just do it. Tomorrow. Here in front of everyone we love.”

Delaney’s hand went up to cover her mouth.

They just sat looking at each other for a long moment and even Ty didn’t seem inclined to interrupt.

Finally, Tucker gave her a slow grin. “Put the ring on.”

Delaney reached into her front jean pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. While Tucker and the rest of the small crowd watched, she slipped it onto her left ring finger.