The Breakup Expert ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Are you serious? I've been so distant to him lately. Do you think he'll say yes to the wedding?"

"Are you kidding me? In that dress, who would say no to you? Come on, we better go before the wedding starts. I'm sure your mom can make it on her own."

The nerves kicked in as we turned down Mitch's road, and I couldn't believe I was going to ask him on a date. I honestly barely could wrap my brain around Laurie driving me to do so.

"Go get 'em, girl." She parked in his driveway, honking like a mad woman before I could slap her hand away. Great, now I can't back out even if I wanted to.

I rushed to the front door, only to see the door had already been cracked open, Mitch standing there shirtless as he had been the first time I met him.

"You might want to put a shirt on for once. We have a wedding to attend to."

"Ours?" He was joking...I think. Hell, I wish he was talking about ours!

"Mitch, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I'm sorry I let you wait for me, but I'm here now. So that promise you made to stay away and be patient? Yeah, you can toss that one out if you'd like." I was on him like rice on water, smashing our lips together and slamming him against the edge of the door so hard it sounded as if bullets richocheted through the walls. I kissed him with persistence, a woman who was being saved from a hunger that had been buried under her bones for a century.

We finally parted, an array of cheers from the clash of joggers, and from Laurie.

"Do you forgive me?" I asked, biting my lip in anticipation.

"I think so, but kiss me again so I can make sure." And there we were, kissing again in the doorway of a thousand eyes upon us.

"I'm reckoning I better change if I'm getting you to that wedding on time." He said.

"Yes, it would be a shame if I had to go alone after proclaiming my utmost admiration for you; that would be quite the embarrassment." I teased.

Mitch's shadow trailed away in the distance and I paced myself back to the Laurie's car as well as my jiggly legs could make it.

She was leaning over her car with her hand busy on the keyboard, but her eyes reaching mine.

"Did you see everything?" I asked.

"How could I miss every dirty little detail? I haven't seen you go so wild over a guy before. Since I'm not getting much action, it's nice that I can live through you." She teased.

"Not enough action? I know someone who could change that, if you're willing to give him the light of day." I winked, nudging her on the arm with my elbow.

"Who? Please don't tell me you are talking about Brett." Ah, I figured she would guess correctly.

"Fine, I won't tell you I'm talking about Brett. I definitely won't tell you he likes you or that he has plenty of practice kissing girls on stage so he'd probably be a good kisser. I won't even bother telling you how big of a crush the both of you have on each other." I smirked, leaning against her car on the side of her.

"Thanks, Dani, I'm glad you're not telling me."

"You know, Brett isn't going to the wedding and neither are you. Maybe you should go meet up with him to keep him company." I urged.

"As if. Nice try, but I'm going home after this and replay that amazing kiss I just filmed of you and Mitch."

"You filmed us? Laurie!"

"What? Sorry, I could help it."

Moments later, Mitch and I left in his truck while Laurie went home, or so I hoped, to Brett's home.

"I see you and Laurie have made amends." Mitch said while driving, one hand on the wheel and one on my hand.

"Yes, she came to my house and convinced me of how stupid I was being. Since I've been back, you've been the best thing that's happened to me and I was going to throw it all away because my friend had dated you."

"I respect you even more since you were willing to suffer in order to save your friendship. But, I can't say I'm not glad you changed your mind in the long run. I was going crazy without you, and I don't think I, personally, could have stayed away for much longer."

"Yeah, I think I got the hint at the diner. I know it's a small town, but don't you think it's fate that we met up at the same time of day, at the same moment the both of us were going crazy without one another? It can't be just a coincidence."

"No, no I don't think it was a coincidence." He squeezed my hand before pulling into the church parking lot.

"It can't be."

"None of it is a coincidence, Dani. I had no idea that one girl could open my eyes in such a short amount of time. You're not only the reason I'm starting my own business, but you're also the reason my heart is beating for something real again."

"Awh, look at you. Do weddings get you sappy or something?" I kidded.

"Don't make fun of me. It might sound corny, but I mean every word. I know you feel it, too." He said.

"I feel it." I agreed.

Mitch shut off the headlights and ran to my side of the truck to open my door. I already had the door halfway open by the time he reached the door, but he offered me his hand nonetheless.

Mom wasn't parked far from us, and by her car was her gossipy group of friends.

I waved a hello, and her eyes perked up when she saw Mitch by my side. She excused herself from the group and quickly found us.

"Mrs. Cooper." Mitch shook my mother's hand, only to be thrown into a hug as if she hadn't seen him in a decade.

"It's so good to see you again."

"Yes, and hopefully it won't go so long next time." Mitch smiled to Mom and winked in my direction.

"Oh, we better find some available seats before the wedding starts. Come along." Mom took the lead, Mitch and I following behind like little ducklings into the church.

I was aware of all of the harmful glares by the community, as if they were waiting for me to confess my love for the next groom in line. Their faces softened as their gazes reached Mom, as she was a very respectable woman in town. Luckily she was with us or else I'd be tempted to ditch.

The only available pew was at the very back, far away from the couple's immediate family but too close to the speakers of pre-recorded wedding music. I'd still rather be in the back than at the front being stared at.

One of my mom's friend, Patrice, a stocky woman of age fifty, didn't mind sitting beside us, sticking her crying, infant grandchild in her lap.

"Are you two together?" Patrice asked Mitch and me, shaking her granddaughter on her lap.

I wanted to ask her why she wanted to know, because I knew she only wanted to tell everyone in her bridge club. To Patrice, there were no secrets that couldn't be shared with her.

Mitch smiled and nodded, and I almost screamed with excitement as he grabbed my hand to prove to Patrice we were together.

"You two are the last ones I'd expect to be together, but I won't tell a lie. I think the two of you look great together. I certainly approve of the fine man and woman you both have become."

"Thank you, Patrice." I appreciated her graciousness because I know how hard it was for a gossipy woman like herself to say the truth for once.

"Who knows? Maybe the next wedding will be yours, eh?"

Who knows?

We sat for the rest of the wedding in perfect silence as the bride walked down the aisle to meet her newly, awaiting husband. It was a perfect merriment, and this time, this Cinderella didn't have to run away in four inch heels.