17. Claire

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Claire

I don't know what miracle Drew worked, but the wedding is breathtaking. Everywhere I look is pink or pastel—and the pink chiffon! If I wasn't sewn so tightly into this dress, I'd be jumping up and down at how beautiful it all is.

The wedding looks like something spun from a dream—an ethereal garden cocooned beneath a canopy of blush-pink drapes and golden light. Delicate vines cascade from the ceiling, dancing between glowing lanterns and crystal chandeliers that flicker like starlight caught in a whisper. The scent of fresh roses mingles with peonies and lilacs, overflowing from grand arrangements perched on silver pedestals, painting the air with romance. Ivory chairs with soft, rounded backs circle tables draped in fine linens, the pale blue embroidery just visible beneath crystal glassware and rose-tinted centerpieces.

Every detail is a love letter come to life—elegant and soft, yet impossibly bold in its beauty. I'm sure if you asked Drew to describe it, he'd say there were flowers and chairs and it was a wedding. But it isn't just a wedding—it's a promise wrapped in silk and sunlight, where every petal, every light, every shimmer in the air whispers the same thing: This—us together—is worth every breathtaking second.

As I walk toward Drew, I notice his jaw clench. I glance around, looking for his family. Shockingly, I don't see them anywhere. I know Becca would run over a homeless child to be here, so something must be wrong. He isn't looking around the room, though—he's looking at his best friend, then at Aiden. But when his eyes come back to me, they don't leave mine.

Right as I'm about to reach him, he starts walking toward me. I'm pretty sure he's supposed to wait a few more steps, but that wouldn't be Drew. Joy told me Jared had texted her a couple of times asking her to hide me because Drew had almost made it into the house looking for me. I know he was just as anxious to see me as I was to see him—the only difference is Joy would literally tackle me to the ground, wedding dress and all.

Drew goes to take my hand from Aiden, but Aiden holds on and steps up to him.

"Take care of her, Drew. Just because we're giving her to you today doesn't mean we're going anywhere. If you don't take care of her, Joy and I will take her back."

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Drew looks him dead in the face. "That won't be necessary, Aiden. But I appreciate you both loving her the way only a friend can."

Both Drew and Aiden are clenching their jaws, so I take that as my cue. I clear my throat, and they both look at me. I lean over, give Aiden a kiss on the cheek, then Drew takes my arm and we walk to the front and stand before the judge.

I'm so nervous that Becca is going to come running down the aisle, I glance back a few times. Drew furrows his brows, confusion on his face. I whisper to him, "I keep expecting Becca or your mom to come running down the aisle."

He chuckles and whispers, "I told them the wedding starts at 8 p.m. We have two hours to enjoy our wedding—knowing them, probably an hour before they show up. It's me and you and the people we love... and my coworkers. That's Jared's fault."

I take a deep breath in and finally feel like I can breathe. I know Drew loves his family. As toxic as they are, they're all he's ever known, and for him to do this is a big deal.

"Get out of your head, Claire. You're more important. It's me, you, and Bean."

The next thing I remember, we were saying I do, and Judge Seymore pronounced us man and wife—Mr. and Mrs. St. Claire. I am Mrs. St. Claire. There was no drama, no yelling, no Becca running down the aisle. It was me and Drew. And it's done.

We turn to each other, and Drew slides one hand to my face and the other behind my neck, pulling me in for the most salacious kiss ever known to humankind. Jared is yelling some alpha-man nonsense, Joy is laugh-crying, Aiden is clapping like a proud father, and I'm ready for everyone to go home so Drew and I can turn this party into the horizontal kind.

It was all going too well to be true—we had professional photos taken, everyone was enjoying refreshments at their tables while Drew and I made rounds. It was all going so well.

And then I heard it—loud, clear, and hysterical:

"DREWY!!!"