The church bells hadn’t even finished echoing down the quiet streets before my parents showed up at the reception hall, looking exactly like they had been waiting in ambush. My father’s face was a storm cloud, my mother’s expression a mixture of disappointment and disbelief. I had known they’d be upset, but seeing them now, standing tall and fuming in their Sunday-best suits, made my stomach twist.
“Cody,” my father said, voice sharp like glass cutting through the soft jazz playing over the speakers. “A shotgun wedding? Really? You’ve been seeing Marjorie for what… three months?”
I shifted awkwardly beside Marjorie, who was radiant in her ivory dress, pearls glinting softly against her collarbone. She squeezed my hand, grounding me, but even that didn’t make me feel brave enough to answ
