“That’s because you want to do right by Dan. Because you’re a good friend. And a good man.”
“Do you think so?” He asked the question in a way that made me think the answer was really important to him.
Despite not wanting to move, I lifted my head so that I could again meet his gaze. “I do. I think you’re a good man. And I . . .”
I wanted to tell him. That I had feelings for him. That I most definitely wanted to see him again and date him and maybe adopt another cat with him and someday even more than that.
But Troy interrupted me before I could say too much. Apparently the camera crew wanted some specific footage of the bridal party toasting each other. He handed us flutes of champagne and we followed him to where everyone else was waiting.
“By the way,” I told him as we walked, “you are a total wizard.”
At my compliment Troy gave me an enigmatic smile and simply said, “I know.”
The six of us stood in a circle and I was at a loss as to what we should be doing. I started to ask Hank, the director, but he made a cutting motion across his throat and I remembered that this was all being broadcast live.
Camden took the lead and said, “To the bride and groom!”
“To Dan and Sadie!” we said back, clinking our glasses and taking a drink. I mean, I didn’t take a drink. The night wasn’t over yet and I needed to keep my wits about me. But I did pretend.
I glanced around quickly and spotted Mandy and Brandy sitting together at their table eating. Brandy was actually smiling, so I figured that was a good thing. I felt myself relax. It seemed like everything was under control.
Dan and Sadie made their grand entrance a couple of minutes later, and we all applauded for them. The cheering got louder when Dan bent her back, kissing her soundly. They went out onto the dance floor to have their first dance as husband and wife.
Then it was time to cut the cake, where Dan very wisely did not smash cake in Sadie’s face. I had never liked that tradition. Plus, that meant we were about to get cake soon, and that was good.
Camden and I were assigned to sit together and he got up to get food. He asked if I wanted anything, but I waved him off. I wanted to sit here for a second and take it all in. Sadie and Dan moved among the tables, talking to everyone. Troy was running around like a chipmunk on Ritalin. There were a lot more people dancing now and it was entertaining to watch how much fun they were having.
Krista came over to me and said, “We should go upstairs and get our luggage.”
I’d totally forgotten that we needed to grab our stuff and leave it with the bell services so that we could make a quick exit when our taxi arrived. Camden was helping himself to a bunch of roast beef when I leaned in to tell him that I had to take care of something.
He winked at me. “Don’t make me wait too long. I can’t promise I’ll be here when you get back.”
That was the thing—I knew he would be. That he was reliable and that he was the kind of guy I could depend on.
It didn’t take long to pack up my things because at this point I was basically a pro. I put an outfit into my carry-on bag so that I could change before I got on the plane.
I went back downstairs and left all of my stuff at the bellhop station, my keycard at the front desk to officially check out, and returned to the reception. The DJ had started playing “YMCA” and almost everybody was out on the dance floor, doing the arm movements along with the chorus. I felt a little like I should do a victory lap that it had all turned out okay.
Someone tugged on my arm, and to my surprise it was Sadie. “Would you come with me?” she asked.
“Of course.”
She led me out of the reception, into the hallway just beyond. “I wanted to let you know that Dan and I are leaving.”
“What? Now? But . . .” I looked toward the doors. “The toasts, throwing the bouquet, you’re going to miss all of that.”
“You were right today. All of this is just fluff. I didn’t care about the wedding, I just wanted the marriage. Dan and I are headed back to New York because I don’t want to wait another minute to start our lives together.”
“But . . .”
“We cut the cake, we did our dance, we talked to everyone. The camera crews will keep streaming until they realize that we’re gone, but they got what they needed from us.”
“Okay,” I said, realizing this was happening and was what she wanted. My job was to keep her happy, and this obviously made her very happy. “I’m guessing you didn’t get a chance to say anything to Camden.”