“Amenities we can avail ourselves of,” Mom says, only slightly mocking. “How exciting!”

We take a seat, fill out our paperwork, and I take both our clipboards back to the receptionist. A few moments later, two women in white fetch us and take us to the locker room.

Our lockers are on opposite sides of the room, so Mom and I are separated. I change out of my clothes and into the robe offered. Then I decide to relax in the hot tub for fifteen minutes before my salt glow and massage. I take the glass of cucumber water my concierge poured for me, walk to the hot tub, remove my robe, and immerse myself in the water.

Mom is nowhere to be found, and oddly, I have the large tub to myself.

I close my eyes.

Tonight, I’m marrying the man of my dreams.

In a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.

My mom will be there, and that’s all I could ever hope for.

But what about Dale? Will Talon and Jade be upset?

Donny, Diana, and Brianna?

I breathe in the warm steam. Dale doesn’t seem concerned, so why should I be?

I’ll simply enjoy this afternoon of pampering and revel in the reality that Dale and I will soon be husband and wife.

I’ll have all I could possibly want.

Seems too good to be true.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Dale

Turns out I don’t have to worry about entertaining Dennis, after all. He’s a poker player, so once he’s settled in the low-stakes poker room, I have the afternoon to myself.

I didn’t bring my tux, of course. The idea to marry Ashley came to me after I got here. I did bring a black suit and tie, though, for her mother’s wedding. I’ll wear that, with my hair pulled back the way my mother likes it.

Though Ashley seems to prefer it down.

Fuck. I hope I’m not making a huge mistake.

It’s not like me to be so impulsive.

But I can’t deny that the thought of marrying Ashley makes me feel…

Fuck it all. It makes me feel happy. Happier than I’ve ever felt, to be honest.

I should call Mom and Dad. Donny and the girls. I’ve thought about it since Ashley left to go shopping with her mom.

But something stops me.

I don’t call them, and I know I won’t.

If I do, the newness of the moment will be bastardized, somehow. The more I think about what I’m about to do—the more people I tell—the more I may realize how ridiculous the idea truly is.

For it is ridiculous.

I’ve known this woman for a month, and though I’ll never doubt my love for her, I doubt my ability to be what she deserves.

“No,” I say out loud. “Stop thinking about it.”

I have to do something this afternoon before I meet Ashley and the others at the chapel for our double wedding.

I won’t let Ashley down.

I’m not much of a gambler, so I decide to take in a matinee. Drag Queens in Outer Space.

Should be good for a laugh.

Ashley texted me the information for the chapel. She told me she couldn’t see me until the wedding. Superstition or some such.

I stand with Dennis in the small foyer, talking to the officiant.

“Have you written your own vows?” he asks.

“Traditional vows for Willow and me,” Dennis says.

I’ve given vows absolutely no thought. “Yeah, traditional is fine.”

“Very good. Rings?”

“Got ’em.” Dennis pats his pocket.

“Ashley has her engagement ring,” I say.

“You need rings for the ceremony,” Dennis says.

I know that. Why didn’t I think about it? I could have gone back to Tiffany & Co. instead of watching a really bad show this afternoon.

“Not a problem,” the officiant says. “We offer a lovely line of rings.”

Of course they do.

I choose the most expensive set, though they’re white gold, not platinum like Ashley’s engagement ring. Big deal. I’ll replace them as soon as I can.

“Do you know the lady’s size?”

“I do, actually.” I pull the receipt for the Tiffany ring out of my pocket. “Six.”

“Great. And your size?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never worn a ring in my life.”

“We’ll just measure you.” He pulls out a device and has me stick my finger through holes until one fits. “Eleven and a half. Excellent.”

I crack out the credit card and pay for the rings.

The officiant checks his phone. “Looks like the ladies have arrived, which means you gentlemen need to go into the chapel so you don’t see them until they walk down the aisle to you.”

Dennis and I follow him into the chapel, which isn’t nearly as gaudy as I expect. It’s actually nice. Apparently Dennis and Willow opted for a traditional ceremony and not one of the chapel’s Elvis-impersonating shindigs. Good.

Oddly, I’m not at all nervous. In fact, I feel eerily calm. I’m standing next to a man who’s younger than I am and who’s about to marry my fiancée’s mother.

Twilight Zone city.

Organ music begins, but I’m not sure where it’s coming from.

Traditional, of course. Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus.”

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white…

The words from my childhood. Not sure where I learned them. Dee and Bree, maybe, when they used to play dress-up while I was trying to study for my college boards.

I stand on one side of the officiant while Dennis stands on the other.

Then I turn.

Ashley and her mother, with linked arms, walk toward us.

Willow looks nice, but her daughter totally eclipses her.

I have no idea what she’s wearing, what color. All I see is her in total—my angel, my mother’s garnet necklace sparkling around her neck, her new ring sparkling on her finger, but nothing sparkling nearly as much as her beautiful blue eyes.

My angel.

My Ashley.

The ceremony passes in a daze.

I repeat the vows the officiant speaks.

And Ashley is my wife.

We’re walking down the aisle together…

All in a haze.

My God. What have I done?

Chapter Thirty

Ashley