I step from the dais. Marge and Dennis are marriage goals. The way he smooches her cheek when he passes by her in the back halls. The way she gets all giddy when he enters a room.
They’ve been married for more years than I’ve been alive, and it’s hard to believe they haven’t just met.
Poppi peeks her head out the door to call me over to check out their design. “It’s no trellis, but it should definitely work.”
I walk over to where the original roses now weave throughout three doggy gates. “This is perfect.”
Poppi breathes out a sigh of relief and we very slowly and carefully transport it over to the podium where Dennis will stand when the bride and groom make their grand entrance.
After it's in place on the altar, I have to admit, it looks pretty damn good. The next half hour is spent tying ribbons on doggy bags, filled with goods from the spa. When I have a free moment, I check my phone for messages.
The first is from my mother—
“Marsha is hiring a string quartet for her wedding. Sounds lovely. Are you still planning on a DJ? I did some checking and maybe you need an orchestra?”
I’ll get back to her later on that. Not.
The next message is from Henry—
“I’m on my way and I have a big surprise for you.”
I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of surprises.
“Was that Henry?” Poppi asks. “Did you tell him about the kiss?”
“Shh. Of course, I did. It wasn’t like I cheated.” I whisper, like the very mention of the kiss could somehow travel through the phone and make it into Henry’s ears. “I haven’t even thought about it since it happened. Henry made me dinner last night and everything was...perfect.”
Poppi side-eyes me. “That’s a very long answer. Is it because you liked the kiss?”
“No, of course not,” I deny.
Poppi gets that disbelieving look in her eyes she always gets whenever I talk about how romantic Henry is.
Thankfully the interrogation ends because Darlene, mother of the bride, saunters down the aisle in a tight red dress finished off with classy stilettos and pearls. “It’s almost time,” she says, her bleached blonde hair waving in the breeze. “The beautiful bride is here.”
Georgia trails behind her, wearing a veil that was handmade to fit her ears.
“Adorable,” I tell her. I glance at the time on my phone. “The photographer should be here any minute.”
“Fun, right?” Poppi says to Darlene. “Why don’t we go inside and get Georgia ready.”
“She already looks amazing,” I bend over and give her a pat on the head. “Ace is a lucky dog.”
When I rise, over Darlene’s shoulder, I see what must be a mirage.
I blink.
It’s still there.
He’s still there.
The stranger that kissed me stands at the end of the aisle, staring straight at me.
FIVE
Ellis
Never trust your instincts...
I’ll be damned. There she is, looking prettier than ever in an olive-green strappy sundress with a white flower in her hair. Wow, it’s almost like one of those slo-mo things, where the girl stands there smiling and you realize yes, she’s the one I’ve been looking for.
Except, this girl isn’t smiling. And that’s getting way ahead of myself. I mean, we don’t even know each other.
Before I can cut off this internal monologue, and make an attempt to talk to her, she’s whisked away by two girls, and Henry finishes his phone call, and directs me into a row of chairs in the back. “Here is good,” he says.
“I feel weird about crashing a wedding. I don’t even know the bride or groom,” I whisper to Henry.
Henry rolls his eyes. “Trust me, it'll be fine.”
People sporadically filter in, until all the seats are filled. I'm guessing the bride and groom are pet lovers, based on the amount of guests who brought their dogs. A silver-haired man, wearing a tuxedo t-shirt and jeans, steps onto the platform in front of us, and a schnauzer soon joins him. A chihuahua licks my ankle as a bridal march pipes into the area.
All heads turn, and I follow suit, waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle.
Wait.
What?
“Umm, it’s a dog,” I whisper to Henry.
“Kiki has this vision that she thinks owners will love seeing their pets get married. This is her first one.” His tone implies his fiancée is ridiculous for thinking this way.
But, I’m so on board with it.
I watch as the English bulldog is led up the aisle on a leash by a tall, older woman with platinum blonde hair toward a black schnauzer looking dog. The owner of the schnauzer smiles, and slips the black dog a treat.
This is wild.
“I have to get a better look,” I tell Henry before standing. It’s not every day you’re invited to a dog wedding.
And it’s not every day someone pulls off something so amazing.
So as not to disrupt the ceremony, I slip up the side on the outside perimeter.
The English bulldog sits at the front with a look of ‘help’ written all over her smooshed face.
Like this is downright the coolest shit I’ve ever seen. If I have one critique, they needed a trellis, because...oh…
Standing right next to me is her.
The her.
The woman whose trellis I accidentally backed into and ...what did she call it? Murdered it.
“Cute, right?” she says before landing those stellar brown eyes on me. I can see all the different emotions play out across her stunning face. Surprise. Shock. Anger.
“What are you doing here?” she whisper-yells at me.
“I’m just here for a wedding.” I smile, loving the tinge of pink splayed across her cheeks.
“Who invited you?”
“Maybe the bride invited me.”
“She didn’t.”
“How do you know? The bride personally told you she didn’t?” I raise a brow.
She huffs a little, pushing back a stray strand of brown hair that’s fallen into her eyes. “You don’t know the bride.”
I lean in, so not to be overheard by the wedding that is in full swing now. “I was invited to the puptials. And be quiet, I don’t want to miss the bride saying her bow-vows.”
She parks a hand on her hip, her anger intensifying. “If you and the bride are such great friends, what’s her name?”
I blink.
“Exactly. You need to leave.”
“You can’t kick me out of this wedding.”
“I can and I will. It’s my wedding.”
I glance around, spotting a sign with a picture of the two dogs with their names underneath. “Georgia and Ace wouldn’t like it if I got kicked out.”
“Please leave.”
I fold my arms and lean against the back wall. “Can’t, I’m here to meet someone.”
Her eyes study me for a moment, and then she stalks away after a tense ‘fine’ from her lips.
Her ass sways in a hypnotizing way underneath the fabric of her little dress. She’s hands down the hottest girl at this wedding. And yes, she’s even hotter than the bride. Ha. I love a dog wedding.