The Wedding Agreement (24 page)

She chuckled. “Because I'm taking you to meet my parents.”

Benchmark

As Cass stared into the full-length mirror to fasten her earrings, she thought back over the whirlwind that had been the past day and a half. Yesterday morning, Cass and Alex had gotten up and eaten breakfast, and Cass had outlined a battle plan for the day.

First on the list was getting a marriage license and wedding bands, which they were able to do without any major hassle. But that was where Cass and Alex's joint effort had ended. The girls had descended on Cass' apartment by noon, each with a cell phone to her ear as Simone contacted a woman who could do Cass' hair and makeup, Quinn called her parents to arrange for flowers, and Lauren said she would handle the dress. Cass had no choice but to put her trust in her friends' abilities to help her pull this off. For her part, Cass had a very important call to make—to her parents. She asked if they were home, and if she could bring someone by in a couple of hours. Her
mom sounded curious, but invited them over immediately. Cass also placed a quick three-way call to Amy and Rachel. They were confused, but since they'd at least heard of Alex, the conversation wasn't as difficult as she was sure the one with her mom and dad was going to be. Her sisters had assured her that they'd be present at the wedding—after multiple questions that were all variations of “Are you sure you know what the hell you're doing?”—and that Cass was to let them know if she needed anything.

Alex had left when the girls arrived, telling Cass that he would procure an officiant, buy himself a suit to wear, and call his sister. She texted him to see if he could be back by two-thirty so they could head to her parents' house. He sent back a simple
Sure
, which did little to calm her nerves.

Cass wasn't stupid. It was no parent's dream to have their daughter wander into their house with a stranger and pronounce that she was marrying him the next day. But by three o'clock, that's exactly what Cass was doing.

“I don't understand,” her mom said.

“I
hope
I don't understand,” her dad added firmly.

Cass tried for lighthearted. “But I'm pretty sure you both do.”

“No offense, Alex,” Tom said, “but we don't even know who the hell you are. And you expect us to accept that you are not only marrying our daughter, but that you're doing so tomorrow?”

Alex looked at Cass and took her hand in his before turning back to her father. “I know how crazy it sounds. I have a daughter of my own, and I can only imagine how I'd be feeling if she came home in twenty years and told me what we just told you. But I
love your daughter. I know I haven't earned your blessing, but if you can support us tomorrow, I promise that I'll spend the rest of my life earning it.”

His words hadn't fixed everything, but they'd thawed the Mullens enough to where they promised to be present the next day. Her mom had even given Alex a hug when they'd left forty-five minutes later. Gloria had wanted them to stay for dinner, but they still had one more stop to make.

Alex called Tessa and gave her the rundown on what had happened over the previous twenty-four hours, and she'd reluctantly invited them over. Cass understood her hesitance. The dissolution of their “engagement” had taken a huge emotional toll on Nina. And even though Alex and Cass both hoped this would fix it, there was a big chance that their news would make it worse.

Tessa opened the door before Alex and Cass had a chance to knock. The look on her face was filled with resolve. “I need to know it's for real, Alex. Before I call that little girl down here and let you tell her this, I need to know that it's something you both intend to see through. Because I have to tell you, this back-and-forth bullshit isn't very encouraging.”

Alex pushed a hand through his hair. “Tessa, I get it. Believe me—I get it. Hurting Nina is the
last
thing I ever wanted to do. You know me, and you know how much I love Nina. Hurting her once nearly killed me. I could never do it again.”

Tessa's gaze shifted from Alex to Cass, and Cass got it. Tessa
did
know Alex—knew that he wouldn't hurt their daughter again. But she didn't know if the same could be said for Cass.

“I know you have no reason to trust me. You put
your faith in me—that I would take care of your little girl when you weren't there—and then I walked right out of Nina's life and left all of you to pick up the pieces.” Cass took in a ragged breath and tried to get her emotions under control. “I love Nina. With everything I have. And I promise that I'll make sure she knows it every day.”

Tessa looked at Cass for a moment longer before turning and calling Nina.

Cass watched as she happily bounded toward the stairs and took two steps down before coming to a halt, the smile slipping off her face. “What's going on?”

Cass sighed and stepped forward, hoping her next words would be the right ones. “It turns out that I'm in need of a flower girl after all. I was wondering if you were still willing to take on the job.”

Nina looked back and forth between Alex and Cass. “Really?” The wariness in her voice nearly brought Cass to tears.

“Really,” Cass replied.

And then a bright smile lit up Nina's face. She rushed down the steps and flung herself at Cass. “Yes!”

Cass hugged her back tightly. “Good. Because there was no way I was getting up there tomorrow without you next to me.”

They talked a little more and worked out the logistics. Nina wanted to come with them immediately, but Tessa managed to convince her to allow Cass and Alex a few more hours to prepare for the next day. Tessa would drop Nina off at Alex's after dinner, and then Cass would take Nina back to her apartment so they could pamper themselves properly before the wedding.

And now here she was, looking at herself in the
mirror as her best friends, mom, sisters, and Nina bustled around behind her. She wasn't having bridesmaids, since getting dresses for all of the women who were most important to her would have been an added nightmare that no one had time to deal with, but they were all here anyway—bridesmaids in spirit.

Cass lightly fingered the large curls that were pulled to one side of her head, and surveyed the makeup that had been applied. The woman Simone had hired had done a wonderful job. She'd even gotten Nina to sit still long enough to French braid her hair. Cass smoothed her hands down the dress Lauren had shown up with earlier that afternoon. Cass hadn't been able to hold back her tears when she'd looked at the dress—
her
dress—the one she'd tried on in the store that day. When Cass had asked Lauren how she'd gotten it in Cass' size, Lauren had simply hugged her and said she preferred not to say anything that could be used against her in a court of law. Cass let it go.

She watched in the mirror as her mother approached her with a bag in her hands. “You didn't give me a lot of time to get things together. But I did my best.” Her mother reached into the bag and withdrew a white piece of fabric. “This is the bonnet Amy wore at her baptism. When you remove the straps, it doubles as a handkerchief that you can use for your wedding. It has blue flowers on it. So you have something old, something blue,
and
something borrowed. We can just pin it under your dress so you don't have to carry it. As for something new . . .” Gloria looked over her shoulder at Nina, who was talking excitedly with Lauren, before turning back to meet Cass' eyes in the mirror. “I think you already
have that covered.” Gloria put her hands on Cass' shoulders and squeezed. “You're going to be a great wife and mother, Cass. And even though I wish the circumstances were slightly different, I'm so very proud of you for following your heart.”

Cass brought a hand up to rest on one of her mother's. “Thank you,” was all she could manage without ruining her makeup. Cass' mom withdrew her hands to fasten the handkerchief beneath Cass' dress. When she was done, she fussed with the dress for a minute before stepping back, allowing Cass to admire herself in the mirror one more time. The last time she'd worn this dress had been an eye-opening experience for her. But she found that this moment was equally as special. When she'd last put on the dress, the girl staring back at her had been surprised, unsure. But the woman she saw now was neither of those things. Her new self was confident, certain. She'd found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But what's more,
he
had found
her
—or a version of her she never knew existed.

“You look gorgeous,” Amy said.

Cass smiled shyly, turning to see the back of her dress. “Thanks. For everything,” she added. “I can't tell you how much it means that all of you came through at the last minute like this. I'm so happy you could all be here today.” The women stayed quiet, returning her comment with nods and sweet smiles. Then Cass turned to Nina. “Especially you,” she said quietly, her hands on Nina's shoulders. “I'm so glad you decided to be our flower girl again.”

Cass could see how excited Nina was at the mere mention of being their flower girl. “I'm glad too,” Nina said. “I missed you.”

Cass sat on the bed so she could be at Nina's level, and put her arms around the little girl who would become her daughter. “I missed you too,” she said. “But you know what?”

“What?”

“We never have to miss each other again, because I'm not going anywhere.” Cass put her forehead against Nina's and then gave her a quick kiss between her eyes before standing so she could put on her shoes. Then she inhaled deeply and gave the girls a confident nod. “I'm ready.”

*   *   *

Alex hated being the center of attention. But as he stood under the trellis, the crisp October air enveloping him and the guests, he felt all eyes on him. It wasn't that he was nervous. He wasn't. Everything was ready to go, and there was no doubt in his mind that this was the right decision. But Alex was a private man, and the attention made him fidget under the scrutiny. He was also overwhelmed with the desire to make this the perfect day for Cass. After all they'd been through, they both deserved to have the moment they became man and wife be as flawless as possible.

Finally he saw Nina come down the aisle. He could tell she was making every effort to slow her pace as she tossed yellow rose petals onto the grass—Alex's idea—to represent that the core of his relationship with Cass was friendship. Nina beamed as her eyes locked with Alex's, and she nearly ran to him. Soon he'd have both his girls by his side.

He knew it would be only another minute or so before he'd get to see Cass, and once he saw her, he wouldn't be able to look at anything else, so he used
the moment to take in his surroundings. Cass had been right the day of the food tasting; the outside ceremony was beautiful. The leaves on the trees surrounding the grounds had just started to turn, their colors decorating the landscape naturally.

Alex looked into the white seats, which were filled with their family and close friends. Some of the guests would have been in attendance even if it had just been a party. But there were others who'd found out last-minute and had still been willing to put their lives on hold just to take part in
their
day. It meant a lot.

Finally, Alex heard the song that signaled Cass would be walking down the aisle. The guests stood, blocking any early view he might have gotten of her. Alex's heart fluttered with a movement he'd never felt before, even the first time he'd gotten married. This felt different, better, more . . . right. As soon as he saw Cass making her way toward him, her arm locked with her father's—Alex immediately relaxed. Her presence alone calmed him.

She walked slowly down the aisle, her blond hair shining even more brightly in the late-afternoon sun. A few soft curls fell into her face and she swept them to the side casually, her gaze never disconnecting from his. Her smile was small. It was the kind that looked like she was trying to hold back tears. As she approached him, Alex finally let his eyes drift down the length of her, over the lace of her dress that hugged her breasts and hips perfectly. Suddenly the small distance between them was too much. He wanted to touch her right then, wanted to feel her hands in his as he stared at her.

“Please be seated.” Cass whipped her head toward Scott in what Alex immediately identified as
confusion. They'd been so caught up in staring at each other as she approached him, Alex was sure this was the first time she noticed Scott was standing in front of them.

Cass' eyes were still narrowed at Alex.

“Scott got a onetime officiant certificate,” Alex whispered. “Which means I had to tell him I was proposing before I actually proposed. I hope you're not mad.”

“I'm not mad, but are you sure we're actually gonna be legally married?”

“Yeah. The certificate was issued by Fairfax County, so we're all good.”

Cass' eyes widened, and Scott cleared his throat, signaling that he was ready to begin the ceremony. “We're gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Cassidy and Alexander. We'll also be their witnesses and supporters as they celebrate their commitment to one another. Everyone they've invited here today is special to them, and Cass and Alex want to thank you for being here to take part in this important day. They would also like to recognize everyone who could only be with us in spirit.” Scott paused for a moment, and when Alex closed his eyes, Cass knew he was thinking of his parents. “Or those who couldn't make it today because Alex and Cass decided to give people only a day's notice.”

Everyone laughed, including Alex and Cass, immediately lightening the mood.

“And speaking of important people, who gives this woman away in marriage to this man?”

Mr. Mullen spoke. “Her mother and I do.” Then he gave Cass a kiss before turning to Alex to shake his hand. “Take good care of her,” Tom said. “You're a lucky man.”