“That’ll give me less than two months to plan.”
Nate used the towel Lauren handed him to dry his face. “So? How long does it take?”
Did he not know how much preparation went into a wedding? “Callie planned hers in about ten months, but it took my sister a year and a half.”
“Hell, no. I’m not waiting ten months.”
At this point she didn’t want a long engagement either. “July, then? Callie and I booked a cruise together. Now that she’s pregnant she can’t go. That could be our honeymoon.” Every year since college they had taken a summer vacation together.
A frown crossed his face so fast Lauren wondered if she’d seen it at all.
“July it is.”
Even a July wedding didn’t give her much time for planning, but she’d make it work somehow. “On Monday I’ll call and set up appointments at some reception locations. I’ll try for the weekend so you can come. I hope we can find something.” People booked locations sometimes years in advance. At this late date, she might have to take whatever she could find.
“Wherever you want is fine.” Nate pulled on the T-shirt he’d worn down. “If you need to go without me, that’s okay.”
Had she heard him right? “You don’t want to come with me?”
Perhaps he heard the hurt in her voice, because he leaned over and kissed her before answering. “That’s not what I said. But I trust your judgment, so if you can’t make an appointment that works for both of us, don’t stress about it. Just go without me. If you see something you like, book it. I want this day perfect for you. As long as we are both there, anywhere is fine with me.”
Most women would kill for a chance to make all the decisions about their wedding, and a part of her was thrilled. Still, this day was about the two of them. Nate should have some input. “Okay, what about the ceremony itself? Do you want it at the church where your parents were married? All your cousins married there. Or do you want a justice of the peace?” If left up to her, she’d have an outdoor wedding. At one time she’d dreamed of a big church wedding, but since Callie’s wedding in Newport she’d loved the idea of one outside.
“Up to you, sweetheart.”
On that one, she kept silent. An outdoor wedding it was. “You’re making this too easy,” Lauren said, as she stood up.
“If you need help sampling food choices, count me in. That’ll be my contribution.” He came to his feet and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Lauren leaned into him as they walked from the pool back through the hotel. At that moment there wasn’t a single thing she’d change. She’d thought she was happy before Nate came back into her life, but she’d been so wrong. Never had her life felt this right. In her mind she had it all: a wonderful family, a job she loved, great friends, and best of all—the love of the one man who’d had her heart forever. While a marriage to Kevin would have given her money and privilege, she’d never trade what she and Nate had for that.
***
Lauren ended her conversation with the events coordinator, put down her phone, and drew a red line through the last name on her list. Now what? Every single reception facility and country club on her list had a red line through it and some of the places she’d added hadn’t been her top choices. In fact, the Kirkland Country Club, which she’d just crossed off, had been more like third or fourth tier choice, and even they didn’t have anything open until winter. And that was still better than her favorite location. The Garwood, a fully refurbished hotel built in the 1920’s on the North Shore, didn’t have anything available until next July. When she’d told Nate about the difficulties she was having finding a place she liked on such short notice, he’d suggested they just skip the formal wedding altogether. He argued that a quick ceremony in Vegas would accomplish the same end with much less hassle. She’d told him exactly what she thought of his idea. In true Nate fashion, he shrugged it off and told her to plan whatever kind of wedding she wanted as long as it happened soon.
That had been last week. Now with every single location crossed off the list, she wondered if maybe his idea held some merit. Maybe they should just contact a justice of the peace and get married in her parents’ backyard with close family in attendance. It wouldn’t be the wedding she thought she’d have, but did that really matter? They’d save money if they skipped a big reception.
She closed her eyes and tried to picture a wedding at her parents’ house. The vision of her father standing at the grill with his “kiss the cook” apron on and the picnic table set with a red-checkered tablecloth popped up. As she and Nate said their vows, her nephew chased her parents’ dog through the flowerbed, covering the guests with mud in the process.