Give Me a Day

by Zoe Ann Wood

  She stared at him. “What speech? For the charity?”

  Sebastian blew out a breath. He shouldn’t have tried to trick her, telling her she should get her hair and nails done for the charity event. But he had to get her to the salon somehow, since there would be little time before the ceremony.

  You need to propose first.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked, figuring it was best to just get it out in the open.

  Lorelei blinked. “What?”

  Reaching into his pocket again, he pulled the dark-blue box from his pocket, knelt to one knee, and popped the lid. “Lorelei, I love you. Will you please be my wife?”

  Twenty-Two

  Lori

  Lori stared at Sebastian, who was kneeling on the floor in front of her, holding out a real, sparkly ring. His blue-green eyes shone with earnest love and hope, his lips pressed tight as if he was doubting what her answer would be.

  “Yes!” she gasped, bending down and kissing him right on the lips.

  He laughed, getting to his feet, and kissed her with such incredible passion, her knees went weak and she had to cling to his shoulders.

  Then he released her and took up her left hand. “Let’s see if this fits.”

  The ring slipped onto her finger, perfectly sized, and Lorelei lifted her hand to admire it. “Oh, Sebastian.”

  She couldn’t find the words to thank him, so she kissed him again, laughing and crying at the same time.

  “So you like it?” He rubbed his thumb over the large stone, which was surrounded by smaller diamonds, creating a dazzling effect. “I didn’t know what setting you’d prefer. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with a classic halo setting, but if you’d rather have something else…”

  She shook her head, taking his face in her palms. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

  Sebastian hugged her close, and she leaned her head against his chest, listening to the slowing thudding of his heart.

  After a moment, he jerked. “There’s something I need to do.”

  Taking out his phone, he typed out a text, and after a moment, a cheer went up from outside the study. What sounded like at least twenty people hollered and whooped, and Sebastian’s phone lit up with notifications.

  “What’s going on?” Lori asked.

  In answer, Sebastian showed her his screen.

  She said yes, his message read—followed by several Congratulations and a fireworks emoji from his sister. It seemed to be a group chat with an immense number of people in it.

  Lori now turned to look out the window, where several people were milling around something that looked like…a greenhouse?

  “What’s that?” She stepped closer to the window to find a busy scene: people carrying flowers, one man balancing two trays full of empty champagne flutes, three women carrying stacks of linens. “Are we having a party?” Turning to Sebastian, she exclaimed, “An engagement party? You told me we were going to that charity gala! But there’s no gala, is there?”

  “Er, no.” Sebastian tugged at his collar, growing pink in the face.

  “How long have you been planning this?” Lori peered back through the window. “Did you really have an entire greenhouse built?”

  He remembered their dinner at that greenhouse restaurant in Vienna. This greenhouse was more modern, but still filled with plants, and though she couldn’t see well from this angle, she didn’t doubt that it would be magical.

  Her heart bursting with happiness, she skipped over to Sebastian, hugging him again. “I love you so much. Thank you for organizing this.”

  “Lorelei.” He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment before focusing his fathomless gaze back on her. “This isn’t an engagement party.”

  “Oh.” Lori tried to hide her disappointment. “Um, that’s fine. But maybe we could do something similar for when we organize it?”

  “I…” Sebastian’s arms were still tight around her, as though he didn’t want to let her go. “I should have phrased my earlier question better.”

  Lori blinked. “Which one?”

  “I meant to ask: Will you marry me today.”

  The world swayed around her. Or maybe she swayed—Lori wasn’t entirely sure. She was still staring at Sebastian, who did not look like he was joking.

  “What?”

  He caressed her back in soothing circles, comforting her. “We don’t have to get married today if you’d rather have a long engagement. But I’ve been thinking about this and…I don’t want to wait. I mean, I will, for as long as you need me to, but I’d rather marry you today. I want you to be my wife.”

  Lori took one deep breath, and then another, glancing back at the window.

  “No, don’t look at them.” Sebastian cupped her cheeks, just as he had in that Prater Ferris wheel gondola, shielding her from the view. “They don’t matter. I only care about what you think. We can do this all again in six months or a year. Would you rather have a spring wedding? The weather is nice today, but if you’d rather not get married at the house—”

  Lori kissed him. And then she kissed him once more for good measure. “Yes.”

  Sebastian stared at her. “Yes, you’d rather have a spring wedding?”

  He seemed so worried, so earnest, that Lori couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I meant to say, yes, I’ll marry you today.”

  “Oh, thank god.” Sebastian exhaled, leaning his forehead against hers. “It would be such a waste of Sacher cake if you decided to wait.”

  It took Lorelei an hour to get ready for her magical wedding. At first, it didn’t even occur to her to wonder about her dress and shoes—she just wanted to become Sebastian’s wife. But then Hannah knocked on the door, followed by Sophie, Sebastian’s mother, and, incredibly, Mira Haas.

  “I’m sorry, you two, but if we’re doing this today, we need Lori right now,” Hannah said, grinning.

  Sebastian let her go with another farewell kiss, and his mother told him sternly that he was forbidden from entering the second floor of the house.

  She tried her dress on first. Sophie admitted to having hacked Lori’s Pinterest account—“I knew you were spending way too much time on there to be only researching travel destinations.”—so Mira had known what to create for her. The dress was an ethereal gown in the empire style with a tasteful V-neck in the front, showing some skin in the back.

  Sebastian’s mother burst into tears at the sight of her. “I’m so glad you’re marrying my boy,” she sobbed while Hannah poured her a cup of tea and produced some tissues for her.

  Lori gazed at her reflection in the mirror, running her fingers over the delicate needlework on the straps. “I can’t believe you all kept a secret from me for this long.”

  “Well, it wasn’t easy,” Sophie stated, opening the zipper on a garment bag that hung from the wall. “I was certain you’d figure it out.” Then she pulled out a pale-blue dress.

  “Is that…” Lori turned to look. “Is that a bridesmaid’s dress?”

  Mira tutted at Lori, her mouth full of pins.

  Lori dutifully turned back, then said, “I hadn’t even thought of that! Hannah, Sophie, will you…?”

  “Be your beautiful, fabulous bridesmaids? Of course.” Hannah gave Lori’s cheek a peck, grinning. “One good thing about organizing this wedding in secret was getting to pick my own dress color.” She unveiled a dress that was similar to Sophie’s in cut, but a deeper, richer shade of blue. “That pale blue completely washed me out.”

  Mira’s quiet assistant appeared soon after, doing Lori’s makeup and pinning back her hair. The rest of the ladies got ready in a flutter of excitement. Then Lori registered the noise coming from downstairs.

  “What’s happening?” she asked.

  Sebastian’s mother peered through the window. “The guests have arrived.”

  Lori hurried over. “How many people are coming?”

  There were Sebastian’s relatives and friends, including Ava and Daniel, who had had them over for dinner just
last week, and Lori’s college crew.

  Then she noticed an old man in a classic blue suit hobbling down the driveway, leaning on his cane. “You invited Mr. Taylor!”

  Hannah joined her, linking her arm through Lori’s. “Sebastian told me to make a list of people who mean the most to you. I included a couple of your old neighbors.” Her friend looked at her, her eyes concerned. “I know you would have wanted to have your grandma here, so I thought her friends—oof!”

  Lori crushed Hannah in a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. Her friend knew her so well. These people were her family, much more than her own parents ever had been.

  This reminded her… “How about my mother and father?”

  Hannah winced. “Well, your mom is coming, though she was too busy to help with the wedding.”

  Lori rolled her eyes, resigned. Expecting Claudia Hirsch to put someone else’s needs in front of hers was futile, but she never missed a party.

  “But your dad’s not coming.” Hannah looked down at her hands. “Sebastian even sent him a plane ticket. But he never RSVP’d.”

  Lori stamped down on her disappointment, though she wasn’t exactly crushed by this. “If he hasn’t shown his face in more than thirty years of birthday parties and Christmases, why should a wedding be any different?”

  She was surrounded by people she loved—by people who loved her—and she wouldn’t let this bring down her spirits. Surveying the arriving crowd, she realized there had to be more than a hundred people gathered, and she wondered where Sebastian would put them all. The greenhouse in the garden was huge, but was it enough?

  Then she reminded herself not to worry. So far, everything Sebastian had planned had gone without a hitch, and she didn’t doubt that the event would be perfect.

  “There,” Mira exclaimed, tying off the last of her stitching.

  Lori beamed at the photographer who was unobtrusively taking photos of the preparation process. She wanted many, many photos of this day, so she could cherish them in the years to come.

  Sebastian’s mother hurried out, saying she needed to take the boutonnières to Sebastian and Evan. Then Sophie appeared, carrying a beautiful wedding bouquet, and handed it to Lori.

  It was timeless and fragrant, made of blush pink roses and white peonies nestled among silvery eucalyptus leaves and tied with a pastel pink ribbon. Lori gasped, bringing it to her nose to inhale its sweet scent and trying to keep herself from crying.

  “Nooo,” Hannah wailed, reaching into her clutch for a tissue. “Stop looking at us like that! We’ll ruin our makeup.”

  Sophie sniffled. “She’s right. You don’t want to look like a raccoon in your wedding photos.”

  “I used waterproof mascara,” Mira’s assistant chimed in.

  “I’m not crying,” Lori lied and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue that Hannah passed her, taking care not to dislodge her contacts. “But you thought of everything. I’m not even married yet but I can tell this wedding will be spectacular.” She hugged her best friend and future sister-in-law. “Thank you.”

  “It’s time to go,” Sebastian’s mother announced from the door. Her eyes were also suspiciously shiny. “They’re all waiting for us.”

  Lori squeezed Mira’s hand, thanking her for her help, then gripped her bouquet with both hands. “Let’s go, then.”

  Twenty-Three

  Lori

  The large greenhouse that Sebastian had had built was filled with tropical plants, trees, and ferns, all hung with garlands of lights that created a magical atmosphere. The sun had yet to set, and the autumn light was golden against the guests’ faces.

  Lori waited for Hannah and Sophie to take their places on the right side of the small altar, opposite Sebastian and Evan, who were magnificent in their sharp tuxedos. Then she walked herself down the aisle. The floor was strewn with white rose petals, reminding her of breadcrumbs leading her right to the man she loved with all her heart.

  She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He was grinning at her, his eyes shimmering, and took her hand the moment she stopped by his side. Gripping his fingers, she let out a shaky laugh, only then glancing back at their audience.

  The guests, dressed in their finery, sat in rows of dark-green chairs that blended with the plants; the entire scene could have come from a fairy tale book, a magical wedding of Fae creatures. Lori spied her mother in the front row, looking put together and genuinely touched. She smiled at her, and her mom gave her a little wave in return.

  Then the priest asked for their attention, leading them through a short but beautiful ceremony in which he spoke of building a life together, leaving behind insecurities, and creating a successful future. It was the perfect service for them. Sebastian promised to cherish and love her until the day he died and got choked up for a second, so Lori was crying happily by the time her turn came. She dashed away her tears and told Sebastian she’d lost her heart to him the moment they’d first met. He grinned at that, and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her while she clung to his neck. The priest shouted over the applause to pronounce them husband and wife, and the greenhouse exploded with cheers.

  Hours later, after the photo session in the backyard against the gorgeous fall colors of Sebastian’s garden—of her garden, now that she was his wife—Lori sighed and leaned against Sebastian’s chest as they slowly twirled around the dance floor. While they’d been outside, enjoying champagne and appetizers, the team Sebastian had hired had transformed the greenhouse. Now, small tables were scattered among the greenery, lit by candles in pretty jars and Christmas lights, while the center of the large room was reserved for dancing. A lovely band played covers of their favorite songs, including Billie Holliday, and people migrated from the tables to the dance floor and back, clearly enjoying the fantastic food and even better music.

  Lori had had a chat with her mother after the ceremony, and her mom had apologized for keeping her distance for so long. “After a while, it’s harder to come back than to stay away,” she’d said, clutching Lori’s arm as though she was afraid her daughter would disappear.

  Lori couldn’t say she understood the sentiment, but she’d made arrangements with her mom so they’d be seeing each other more frequently. She wanted her future kids to have two grandmas to dote on them—her own grandma had been the best influence on her life.

  “How long do we have to stay before we can disappear?” Sebastian murmured into her ear.

  Lori shivered, tightening her grip on him. “You tell me. You’re the one who put this all together.” She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. “Thank you for giving me the best wedding I could have imagined.”

  His grin warmed her insides. “I was afraid the cake would come out all squished.”

  “It survived the plane ride quite well.” Lori had had two large pieces already and intended on scavenging for leftovers. Baked fresh in Vienna, the cake had traversed the Atlantic in the early morning hours to make its way to DC. Sebastian had told her he wanted that exact one, since she’d loved it so much.

  “So, you’re saying that you would escape with me if I told you to run now?”

  Lori glanced longingly at the cake stand, then back at Sebastian, and nodded. “Lead the way.”

  Epilogue

  Sebastian

  Their small private jet landed on the Saint Barthélemy island in the West Indies on a spectacularly sunny afternoon two days after their wedding.

  “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch,” their driver said, opening the doors of their car.

  Lorelei grinned at Sebastian, whispering, “I’m still not used to being called that. I wonder when it will lose its charm.”

  “Never, I hope,” he muttered in her ear and was pleased to feel her shiver under his touch.

  They’d spent the past two days mostly in bed, until they’d had to pack for their two-week honeymoon.

  “I can’t believe Hannah organized all this without telling me,” Lorelei now said, peering through the car window at the lush greener
y and whitewashed houses they passed on their short ride.

  Their private villa came into view at the same time he glimpsed the gorgeous blue water of the bay. The house stood on a private stretch of sandy beach and included a full staff who would be seeing to their food, transport, and comfort for the extent of their stay.

  Lorelei gasped, throwing the car door open the moment they rolled to a stop in the driveway. “Sebastian, this is… Ohhh,” she exclaimed, spotting a red-breasted bird in one of the trees. “Did you see that?”

  Sebastian laughed, taking her hand. “Come on, we’ll admire the wildlife later. Right now, I want to show you the inside.”

  He’d seen the photos of the place but he was still surprised by the clean, simple luxury of the villa—the large shaded veranda where a light snack of native fruit and pastries waited for them, the large four-poster bed with gauzy white curtains that billowed in the warm sea breeze.

  “I love it here,” Lorelei said. “And I love you.”

  Sebastian dragged her closer for a hug. “I’m glad you approve. And I love you, too.”

  Lorelei glanced at the food, then went on her tiptoes, pressing her soft lips to his throat. Sebastian groaned.

  She giggled, then murmured, “I vote for bed first, food second. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Sebastian said, pulling her into the bedroom. They had all the time in the world to explore the island. All the time in the world to enjoy every culinary delight their cooks had to offer. All the time to fill their lives—and photo albums—with beautiful memories. But right then, he couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the afternoon than making love to his wife, the woman who’d crashed into his life and changed it for the better.

  Thank you so much for reading Give Me a Day. I hope you enjoyed it! If you want a short bonus scene I wrote—a second epilogue in which Sebastian and Lorelei celebrate their very first Christmas together, go to this page (or type https://dl.bookfunnel.com/57eqfcsmql into your browser).