For Lucy

“We tasted cake today.” Lucy sits down in the chair next to mine as I roast a marshmallow.

“And what did you decide?”

“Well…” she shoves two marshmallows onto a roasting stick and laughs “…it wasn’t supposed to be my decision. However, Josh couldn’t make it because he was stuck in surgery. And Mom seemed to not care. She’s been so off this past month, but every time I ask her if she’s okay, she nods and smiles. I’m so tired of her nods and smiles. Like … if she’s upset with me, just say it. Right?”

“I doubt she’s upset with you. She’s had a month to process it all. Maybe she’s just stressed because of the wedding.”

“I chose raspberry cake with white chocolate frosting.”

“Good choice.” I assemble my s’more.

“What cake did you have at your wedding?”

“Vanilla. Vanilla frosting.”

“Boring.”

I laugh. “Probably. Your mom and your grandma picked it out. I didn’t have anything to do with it. I didn’t have anything to do with ninety-nine percent of the planning.”

“Because they didn’t let you?”

“Because I didn’t care. Most guys don’t care. Heck, Josh probably didn’t have surgery today. He just didn’t want to taste cake and act like it mattered to him.”

“I’m going to marry a guy who cares about the details.”

I lift an eyebrow at her. “Marry a guy who cares about you. Screw the details. They don’t matter.”

“Mom said you’re not invited to the wedding. When I asked why, she said because it would be awkward having her first husband at her wedding to her second husband. But that’s just stupid. You guys have hung out and played a game together when I went on my first date with Racer. You’ve done yard work for her. You’ve had dinner with Mom and me and Josh more than once. I think it’s awkward that you’re not invited. Don’t you?”

“Not really.”

“Or do you not want to go so you’re not acting like it’s a big deal?”

“Aside from seeing you in your dress, which I can see pictures later, I don’t have any huge desire to be there.”

“Because you still love her?”

“You know the answer.” I lick my sticky fingers.

“Then fight for her. The whole choose-me-love-me thing is very romantic. What happened to leaving it all on the field?”

“I’ve been benched. I have nothing to leave on the field.”

“I don’t buy it. You’re too scared to leave it all on the field. You’re afraid that you’ll put your heart out there, and she’ll still choose Josh. Right?”

“The dresses have been ordered. And I’m gathering the cake has been too. She’s not choosing anyone. She’s already chosen.”

“You stole her once. Do it again.” I love how the story of how we met always makes Lucy smile.

“I think stealing her from a blind date, whom she had never met, is a little different than stealing her from her fiancé.”

“You won’t know until you try.” She smirks.

“Stop. I don’t like how invested you’ve become in an us that no longer exists. It wouldn’t just feel like my heart on the line. It would feel like yours too. And I’m not feeding into that illusion. I’m not taking a chance with your heart where there is no chance.”

“You’re running out the clock and walking off the field.”

Shaking my head, I laugh. “There’s two minutes left in the game and I’m down by three touchdowns. It’s statistically impossible.”

“Hail Mary.”

This girl makes me smile so damn big.

“It could be epic.” Lucy doesn’t take the time to sandwich her marshmallow between graham crackers and chocolate. She shoves it into her mouth, making a sticky mess of her lips and fingers. “So epic,” she mumbles.

I think she’s epic. So epic.

“If it helps, her yard is a mess. It needs to be mowed, the weeds need to be pulled, and the shrubs by the front door have taken over. You’ll cringe.”

“You think I should tidy up her landscaping and take care of her yard? Just … show up unannounced? Because if I call her and offer, she’ll say no.”

“Well, duh … you need to do it when she’s gone. Like this weekend. She has a dance competition all day Saturday. I’m going with her.”

“I see. I’ll transform her yard from a mess to a neatly manicured oasis. She’ll come home, see the yard, and break off her engagement with Josh.”

“Exactly.” Lucy nods with a hundred percent more confidence than what I have.

“I hate to break it to you, but I’ve played the gardener and Mr. Fix It role before. It didn’t work.”

“Well …” She licks her fingers. “I’ll think of something.”

“Or … you could think of nothing and let your mom live her life without anyone trying to keep her from marrying Josh.”

“But what if she loves you more?”

“What if she doesn’t?”

“Well, that’s just it. We need to know.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

On Saturday, I don’t play gardener to Tatum while she and Lucy are at the dance competition. With two weeks until the wedding, I feel like the nicest thing to do is to let her get married and move to Chicago.