Page 63 of Mack's Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town
As long as I didn’t have to think about ghosts or clearing out a town possibly harboring a demon, I was perfectly willing to engage. I turned to my side so I could see him better. “Future Mack is willing to discuss. I think a micro-wedding appeals very strongly.”
“Yeah?” His mouth curved up a little at my answer.
Oh, we might be on the same page. “For one thing, I don’t have a ton of people I would want to invite, and half of them are work colleagues who may or may not be able to make it.”
“A good point.”
“For another, I liked thefunof their wedding. Y’know? They didn’t do a lot of decorations, so it was easy to put up and take down, they had a casual vibe so people could just party and enjoy. It was the best of all worlds.”
“I really agree. For one thing, I don’t want to try and plan some big, formal event because our schedules are insane.”
“There’s that.”
“Plus, planning for a wedding, even with a wedding planner, is beyond stressful. More stress on top of an already stressful career is a big no thank you in my book.”
“Again, agreed.”
“So, micro-wedding, huh?” Brandon pondered this. “How about, say, March of next year?”
“That’ll give us about five months to plan.” I liked the concept of it, and surely in five months, we could throw something together. I’d have to figure out a venue, too. “Let’s tentatively say March, check with nearest and dearest to see if it works.”
“Okay.” Brandon pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed this query into the family chat. “Any thoughts on venue?”
“I got nada.” I pulled my phone out and did a quick Google search for micro-weddings in the Nashville area, then wenthuhas several possibilities pulled up. “Oooh, Brandon, they’ve got outdoor shindigs like this one. See this great outdoor patio space?”
“That’d be great for Jon,” Brandon agreed immediately. “Not to mention Abby. I know she’s not as electric, but still.”
“The two of them combined could take down a power grid, for sure.” I nodded. “Huh. There’s several older chapels or barns, or—oh wait. This place is in Murfreesboro. Great outdoor space for sure.”
“March might be too chilly for outdoors,” Brandon mused. “April might be better.”
“April is rainy season, though.”
“I know, but if we wait until June, then we’re sweating outside.”
“Ah. Point.”
This was trickier than I’d expected. No wonder people went a little crazy when it came to planning a wedding. There was a lot to consider.
I started making a list of guests on my notes app. Brandon leaned his head against my shoulder, snuggling in with me as we both looked at the screen and added names. It was lovely, a simple sort of connection I basked in. It reminded me of another moment I’d experienced with him when we first started dating. Looking back at the memory, I snorted in amusement at my past self.
Brandon tilted his head back to ask, “What?”
“Sorry, memory just popped up. We were cuddled in kinda like this on our first real case together, when we were trying to track down that ghost at my cousin’s.”
“Ah, right, I remember.”
“One morning, I woke up a little ahead of you, and you were just so cute cuddled against me. For a moment, it let me just be. Y’know? Enjoy you, not worry about the future, justbe. I washalf terrified at the time that you’d change your mind about us and walk, so those moments were something I clung to.”
His thumb brushed my cheekbone, amber eyes searching mine. “Were you really that scared?”
“When even family routinely rejects you, it’s very hard to believe in the love of someone who has no call to love you. Eventually, you overrode every fear. You stayed true to every promise you made me.” I leaned in to kiss him softly. Because sometimes I just had to kiss him. “I heard the analogy once that trust is like putting a drop in a cup. Over and over, until the cup is full. My cup was overflowing with you. Still is.”
“I admit to being frustrated with you sometimes”—his eyes were rueful—“but never to that extent. I’m glad I won your trust.”
“I realize now I was being a little silly sometimes. I was just very, very desperate to keep you, and conversely, it scared me at moments.”
“Makes sense. I felt just as desperate sometimes to keep you. I’m glad we figured out how to reach each other.”
