Chapter 1
On my wedding day, I was just about to take my boyfriend's arm and walk down the aisle when my best friend Vivian came rushing over, dragging her wedding gown behind her. "Anna, my fiancé bailed on the wedding—I need to borrow your husband for a sec. Don't worry, my ceremony's right next door. I'll give him back the second it's over!"
The room went dead silent.
I was about to say no when Zach had already taken Vivian's hand. "I'll go help her get through her ceremony and be right back."
Something in my chest twisted as I looked at him. "Zach, our wedding starts in ten minutes. You're really going?"
Before I could finish, he shook my hand off. "Anna, don't be so selfish. Tell the guests we're pushing it back half an hour. I'll be back as soon as I help Vivian out."
Watching my boyfriend and my best friend walk off together, I was suddenly just tired.
Three years of dating, and every time Vivian fought with her boyfriend, Zach was the one who came running to comfort her. And I was the one who had to swallow it and wait. All at once, the whole thing felt pointless.
Quietly, I sent a text to my childhood friend—the one who'd been after me for ten years.
Anna: My wedding's at noon. Short one groom. You in?
He wrote back instantly.
Chris: Wait for me. I'll be there, right on time.
*****
"Stop right there!" My mom blocked their way. "Zach! Do you have any idea how long Anna's been waiting for this wedding? And you're walking out on her for another woman?"
Zach frowned. "Mom, I'm just covering for her. Vivian's side'll be done in two minutes." Light, like it was nothing.
My mom took a deep breath and turned to Vivian, her voice heavy. "Vivian, Anna's waited so long for this wedding." As she spoke, the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled over. "I'm not heartless—your groom running off breaks my heart too. But today is Anna's wedding."
Vivian took my mom's hand. "Auntie, this is the only wedding I'll ever get. A ceremony is so sacred—I can't just grab some random guy to fill in, can I? I've always thought of you as my own mother, and Anna's my best friend. Can't you help me out this once?"
My mom's tears came faster.
Vivian turned to me. "Anna, we're so close. You wouldn't make me lose face like this, would you?"
So her wedding couldn't go on without a groom, but mine could.
A warmth landed on my head—Zach's big hand. "Anna, Vivian's your best friend. Weren't you the one who told me to look out for her?"
I remembered a winter when Vivian called, saying she'd fought with her boyfriend on the highway and gotten left at a rest stop. I'd told Zach to go pick her up, no hesitation. Afterward Vivian latched onto me and wouldn't let go. "Anna, you're so lucky, your boyfriend's such a gentleman. I'm attaching myself to you two for life—your permanent third wheel, and you don't get to complain!"
That was the day the two most important people in my life first met.
After that, every time Vivian fought with her boyfriend, Zach was the first one over. When her boyfriend cheated, Zach went and beat him up and came home covered in bruises. I only heard about any of it from mutual friends.
Zach stroked my hair, gentle. "Our Anna's the kindest one there is." He said it every time he went to bat for another woman, and every time, I swallowed it all down.
Not this time. I turned my head and ducked out from under his hand.
Something I couldn't read flickered across Zach's face. Then, the next moment, he was gone, Vivian pulling him away.
The door shut. The hall went quiet. But soon the whispers started. They kept their voices low, but the words still found their way to me.
"Why'd the groom leave with the other bride? They actually look pretty good together."
"Right? Standing side by side, they look like the real couple."
My mom looked away, holding herself together, and told the officiant to push the wedding back.
I grabbed the mic and turned to the guests. "No delay. We go ahead as planned. Starts at noon, sharp."
