The Engagement Embargo

by Samantha Chase

  “Tracy’s a nice girl. She’s sweet and funny and…a good friend.”

  “But…?”

  “But…I don’t see this as the great love for either of you. Are you sure you’re getting married because you’re in love with her or just because you want to get married?”

  Now he’d had enough. “Why is everyone so down on marriage?” Elliott snapped, storming across the small room. “I mean, maybe it’s not right for everyone, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t right for someone! For me! I don’t understand why everyone is on my case about this!”

  “Elliott…”

  “No! You need to understand where I’m coming from. I want to be married and I want to be married to Tracy! I believe in falling in love and starting a family and going through all the highs and lows that go along with that! I want to live with someone who loves me and gets me and who completes me! Is it wrong to want to sleep beside the perfect person for the rest of your life? Is it wrong to want to enjoy inane conversations at two in the morning over…over…I don’t know…whether or not there’s a sale on lawn mowers?”

  “Elliott, you’re spiraling.”

  “Can you blame me? We’re standing here, ten minutes before my wedding, arguing over whether or not I should be doing this! If this is how you felt, why would you wait until today to bring it up?”

  He was about to say more when Skylar seemed to crash through the door. “Oh, my God! I’m sorry!” she said. “I…I…was doing final check and lost my balance at the door and…and…”

  Her eyes went wide when they landed on him, and Elliott’s immediate thought was how adorable she looked when she was flustered. She was dressed in a very nondescript navy blue dress with her honey-blonde hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Very professional looking. And yet he still saw traces of the girl he grew up with. It was an odd observation, but…there it was. He was about to ask if she needed anything, but she seemed to realize she had interrupted something and took a step back.

  Clearing her throat, she muttered another apology before leaving the room. It took all of three seconds for Tyler to start talking.

  “Believe me, I wanted to say something sooner, but…I don’t know…there never seemed to be the right time!”

  “And you suddenly thought this was it?”

  “Okay, I get it. The timing sucks,” Tyler conceded. “It wasn’t intentional, I swear!” He paused and seemed to collect his thoughts. “No one’s saying anything bad about marriage, Elliott. This is about marrying the right person for the right reasons! Honestly, I think you love the idea of marriage so much that you’re a little blind to who you’re marrying!”

  “And what’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded, more than a little offended.

  “It means,” he paused and let out a long breath. “I don’t think Tracy loves you. Not the way you love her.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he argued.

  “El, I’ve been around you enough to know that you guys act more like people hanging out together than a real couple. She’s like a friend or…”

  “Marrying someone you’re friends with is a good thing, Ty. At the end of the day, you should genuinely like the person you’re married to.”

  “Oh, I agree, but there should be more. There should be...you know...all the other stuff. The romantic crap.”

  “I am not taking relationship advice from someone who says romantic crap.” And before Tyler could object, he raked a hand through his hair and went on. “And what do you even know about this? Tracy and I do a ton of romantic stuff!”

  “No, you do a lot of romantic stuff for Tracy.”

  “That’s not…”

  Wait…was that true?

  Clearly Tyler caught his hesitation and decided to run with it. “Think about it, Elliott. All the romantic stuff that the two of you do is initiated by you.” He paused. “What did you do for her birthday?”

  “Took her to Napa and did the hot air balloon ride with a champagne picnic afterwards. Why?”

  “And what did she do for your birthday?”

  “Um…you know…we did the uh…the thing,” he stammered vaguely.

  “Dude, she bought you those custom car mats! And she didn’t even wrap the box!”

  “But I wanted them so–if you think about it, it was a very thoughtful gift!”

  “Fine, you wanted them. How about for your anniversary? What did you do?”

  “I surprised her with a trip to Asheville where we went for that spa retreat. It was something for both of us.”

  Tyler stared at him hard. “And what did she give you?”

  Dammit.

  “She uh…she forgot that it was our anniversary.”

  “How are you not seeing a pattern here?!” Tyler cried. “For all your talk about wanting what your parents have and what your grandparents have and all that happy horseshit, you are clearly settling here!”

  “I’m not!”

  “Yes, you are! Because that girl is nothing even close to what you say you want! There are no shared hobbies, no cute trips or inside jokes…none of it! If anything, she just seems content to hang out and let you take her places! Why are you settling?”

  “I get that you don’t agree with the way I think and that’s okay. You don’t have to.”

  “Elliott, can you really stand here and tell me this relationship is perfect? That there isn’t anything about Tracy that you would change? Or anything about the relationship that doesn’t check all your boxes? Because I’m going to tell you, I can see that there are things that just don’t…I don’t know…fit.”

  Letting out a long breath, he pinched the bridge of his nose and silently counted to ten because–sadly–Tyler had a point.

  If he were being honest, there were some aspects of his relationship with Tracy that weren’t as romantic as he’d hoped. But that came with time, right? All the examples Tyler just gave were things he had brushed off as no big deal, but…maybe they were. He just attributed it to her laid-back attitude and was hopeful that once they were married, things would change.

  “And what about this wedding?” Tyler asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  “What about it?”

  “Most women dream of and plan their wedding for years! This was sort of put together in a matter of months and…”

  “And what?”

  “And it just seems to me like it was treated as just an everyday kind of event rather than the biggest day of her life.”

  “Since when do you know anything about planning a wedding?” he snapped.

  “Since I have three sisters who I had to sit through wedding planning hell with! Trust me, each of those weddings took a minimum of a year to plan and they were all super obsessed with every little detail. Tracy just went on Pinterest and said, ‘Here. Do this.’ I mean, that’s not normal, Elliott.”

  Okay, so maybe she didn’t show as much enthusiasm for the wedding as brides usually do, but maybe that was just nerves. Maybe…

  Just as he was about to explain some of this to Tyler, Skylar popped her head into the room and announced it was time. “Thanks, Skye. We’ll be right there,” he said with a smile. Then, without a word, he walked back over to the mirror to make sure he looked okay. Standing beside him, Tyler asked him one more time if he was sure about this, and Elliott told him he was.

  And in that moment, he truly believed it.

  When he was in front of the room and looking out at all his family and friends, he felt good. Confident. At peace.

  The music began to play and the next thing he knew, Tracy waltzed toward him–a beautiful vision in white–and he thought about how lucky he was–how fortunate. She looked so happy–happier than he’d seen her in weeks! Her smile told him her earlier lackluster reaction to the wedding really was just about nerves. Now that their big day was finally here, she was just as excited as he was, and her radiant smile was the sign he needed to truly relax. Yes, a radiant smile that was…

  Not quite dire
cted at him.

  Hmm…

  Looking over his shoulder, Elliott caught a glimpse of their officiant–Tracy’s best friend, Daniel St. James. Somewhere in the wedding planning process, the idea of having one of their friends officiate came up and it seemed like a good idea at the time. He had expected it to be one of his friends, not hers, and certainly not this guy.

  Yeah, he wasn’t overly thrilled with Daniel stepping up to do the ceremony, but Tracy convinced him it was the perfect personal touch to their big day.

  However, looking at the smile Daniel was currently directing at Tracy, he wasn’t quite so sure.

  Once Tracy was at his side, she did smile at him and–for a moment–Elliott relaxed. Why was he looking for trouble or letting his mind wander toward things that didn’t even matter? Daniel and Tracy were friends and rather than looking at this as a bad thing, he should be thankful that he cared enough to want to be a part of their big day. Taking her arm and looping it through his, he faced forward with confidence.

  Here we go…

  “Family and friends, welcome,” Daniel began.

  Elliott studied him and tried to relax but…he frowned. Daniel looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ while Elliott looked a little…well…not like the cover of GQ. They were both wearing tuxedos, but Daniel’s had a more custom fit to it while Elliott’s was definitely of the rental variety.

  And it didn’t end there.

  Here’s the thing–Elliott had no problem with who he was. He knew he was tall and good-looking–but not overly so. He was a hard worker, loved to volunteer his time wherever it was needed, and cared deeply about the people in his life. Maybe he was a little on the quiet and reserved side and he enjoyed the simpler things in life, but that made him happy.

  He made a good living as a software engineer and had been the fastest climbing one in the company! And while some called him nerdy-looking–he was one of those people who enjoyed wearing glasses–he never felt inferior to anyone.

  Until right now.

  “You know, when Tracy and I first met, I knew we were going to hit it off,” Daniel was saying and Elliott forced himself to focus. “I remember the first time we hung out on the playground in fourth grade,” he went on with a small laugh and then proceeded to tell a story of the two of them bonding over peanut butter cookies–Tracy’s favorite.

  Okay, that was sort of new information…

  “I think back at all the amazing times we’ve had together–the trips to the Bahamas, the cruise to Mexico…”

  Wait…when was this?

  “Do you remember the time we got stuck in the rain when we were camping and had to share a sleeping bag in my tent?” Daniel asked while flashing his model-worthy dimples.

  Is this even an appropriate story for a wedding service?

  Elliott discreetly tried to clear his throat to get the point across that he was not amused with the direction of this speech, but no one seemed to notice.

  “Tracy, you are my best friend and the most amazing woman in the world,” Daniel went on. “And you deserve every happiness and all that is good in this world because you are everything that is good and perfect and wonderful. We are all better people for knowing you.” He paused. “At least, I know I am.”

  O-kay…

  “Marriage is about the joining of two lives and making them one. About commitments and the future and building something together. Something special.” He let out a long, soft breath, and his gaze never left Tracy’s. “And every time I think of that for you, I know that the only way to make sure that happens, is if you’re with me.”

  Elliott felt the collective gasp in the room all the way to his soul.

  Say what now?

  Tracy went to pull her arm from his, but for some reason, Elliott held firm.

  “Daniel,” she began, her voice trembling slightly. “What? I mean…”

  And then, the six-foot Adonis stepped forward and it was like something out of one of those damn rom-coms Elliott secretly enjoyed watching. The guy had the perfect amount of shame and confidence that made you want to cheer for him.

  Your typical romantic hero.

  Except…he was the bad guy here! No one should be cheering for Daniel because he–Elliott–was supposed to be the hero today! This was his day! His moment! How could he not…

  “Maybe I should have said something sooner, but…I couldn’t. I thought I was doing the right thing,” Daniel explained, his eyes never leaving Tracy’s. “You are the only person in this world who makes everything right, and I know the timing of this really isn’t ideal…”

  Did everyone think it was appropriate to bring their feelings up today?!

  “But I wanted you to know–needed you to know–before you say ‘I do’ to another man, that…well…I would love the chance to prove to you how perfect we can be together.”

  Next thing Elliott knew, he was stepping aside and watching his fiancée kiss her best friend.

  This cannot be my life!

  As he stood there stunned, he wondered just what exactly he was supposed to do–should he break them apart? Yell? Scream? Just what is the appropriate reaction to having your wedding hijacked in such a dramatic fashion?

  Before he could figure it out, Tracy and Daniel looked at him. “Elliott, I’m sorry, man. I really thought I’d be okay with this,” Daniel said and, dammit, he sounded sincere.

  “Me, too,” Tracy said. “I’m so sorry, but…I always hoped one day Daniel would feel for me what I felt for him. I just thought it wasn’t meant to be.” And then she had the nerve to smile at him.

  A pitying smile.

  “I never wanted to hurt you; you have to believe me. But…this is something I have to do, Elliott. I hope you understand.”

  His mouth was moving–he knew it was–and yet no words came out, and in the blink of an eye, the happy couple was running down the aisle and away from him.

  You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

  A hand on his shoulder reminded him that he was indeed awake–that this wasn’t some sort of crazy dream or a nightmare.

  This was his life.

  “El, man," Tyler began. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  That made two of them.

  Wordlessly, the two of them walked back to the very room they had stood in just moments ago while the throngs of people left–undoubtedly wondering what they were all supposed to do.

  Collapsing in the first chair he spotted, Elliott pulled his tie loose and let out a long breath. He had no idea if he was angry, sad, or simply confused. The only thing he did know was that he was numb. Letting his head fall back, he closed his eyes and just tried to focus on breathing and embracing the silence. Maybe if he could just have a few minutes to try to make sense out of this disaster, he’d start to feel a little better.

  Or at least like he could breathe.

  Sadly, the silence didn’t last long because it seemed like his entire family had followed him and instead of wrapping him in their arms and telling him how sorry they were, they sort of surrounded him and waited for him to straighten in his seat.

  “Um…”

  “Elliott,” his father said somberly, authoritatively, “it’s time we had the talk.”

  Great. Just what he needed right now.

  Chapter 2

  Love is like heaven, but it can hurt like hell.

  Unknown

  “No, I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do with three hundred crab cakes, Pat,” Skye said with more than a hint of annoyance, smoothing a hand over her sleek ponytail. “Let’s give the family a few minutes to let the dust clear before we start freaking out about food!”

  Normally, Skye was known for keeping her cool and never getting upset, but this wasn’t an ordinary wedding. Right now, she wished she could be a fly on the wall in the groom’s suite rather than being the responsible wedding planner and business owner who had to figure out how to deal with this mess.

  Her emotions were all ove
r the place and she felt a twinge of guilt for being happy Tracy left Elliott at the altar. But then her heart broke for him because she just watched his life essentially get destroyed in front of a hundred and fifty guests.

  Was he okay? Devastated? Relieved?

  Yeah, that last one played on her mind the most because of the conversation she overheard before the ceremony. But no matter how much she wanted to, there was no way she could go and listen at the door again.

  “Skye,” Leanna said as she walked over, interrupting her thoughts. “This is a nightmare! Have you talked to Josie? What are we supposed to do? We’ve never had a wedding fall apart like this! What if we’re left holding the bag because their precious daughter ran off with the preacher?”

  Doing her best not to roll her eyes, Skye leveled her friend with a glare. “First of all, he wasn’t a preacher. He was just a friend who went and got ordained online to do this wedding.”

  “Are we sure? I don’t remember Josie saying that.”

  “I would think it was obvious. I mean, you heard the speech, right? That was definitely coming from a friend.” Then she paused. “Or at least…I hope he’s not a preacher. That would make this even worse. Although, I guess he could still be a friend who was a preacher or…”

  “Okay, I’ve lost interest. Does it even matter? What’s our plan here?”

  “I can’t even imagine what Elliott is thinking right now or how he’s feeling. This has to be the worst day of his life. There’s no way to bounce back from something like this. At least, not quickly.”

  “Um…hello? I get that you’re in love with the guy and probably wishing you could just step into Tracy’s shoes, but we’ve got bigger problems here,” Lea reminded her. “We’ve got enough food here for almost 200 people and since there isn’t going to be a reception, what are we supposed to do with all of it? And the cake? I spent days on that beast!”

  “We don’t know that there isn’t going to be a reception. For all we know, runaway bride and creepy officiant could decide to roll with it and be the ones to get married today.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen. It would be really tacky for them to do that, don’t you think?”