Toxic: Logan's Story (Torn #4)(17)

“Now that we’re all here, let me explain everything,” Amber called from behind me.

We all turned toward her, waiting on instructions. She glanced around nervously as she realized that everyone was giving her their undivided attention.

“Okay, so…yeah, Drake said Chloe wanted a low-key wedding, which is why we are the only ones here. He wants the ceremony to take place over there”—she pointed to a spot overlooking Cheat Lake—“with Eric as best man. Obviously, I’ll be Chloe’s maid of honor. The rest of you just have to stand around and look pretty. Drake texted me when they landed, so they should be here any minute. Any questions?”

We shook our heads. This was probably the easiest wedding in the history of the universe. I just hoped that it wouldn’t turn out to be a joke in a few months. As much as I hated the thought of Chloe and Drake being together, I didn’t think I could handle seeing Chloe get devastated by him yet again. It would crush her.

I felt my stomach knot up when I heard a car approaching. I looked up to see Drake and Chloe pulling into the clearing. As soon as she stepped out of the car, the confused look on her face made it obvious that she had no idea what was going on. She looked beautiful in a white sundress. Her blonde hair had been straightened, and was hanging over her shoulders. I couldn’t help but grin at the purple streaks running through it. They were so Chloe.

“What’s going on?” Chloe asked as she approached us.

“I thought you would have figured it out by now.” Drake grinned down at her.

“I have no clue what you guys are up to.”

“You’re an idiot, Chloe. You’re about to get married,” Amber said as she handed her a bouquet of flowers.

Chloe’s mouth dropped open as she looked from Amber to Drake to where everyone else was standing. “No way.”

“Way,” Amber said matter-of-factly. “Come on, let’s get started.”

“Did you plan this by yourself?” Chloe asked Drake.

“Nope. Amber helped. I called and explained to her that you were freaking out about planning a wedding, so I wanted to have the most non-wedding possible. I told her about this spot, and she arranged for everyone to meet here. The only thing that makes this a wedding is the preacher, who is hiding behind Adam and the flowers.”

Her eyes filled with happy tears, and I felt like I was getting a swift kick to the balls.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“All you need to say is, I do. I think you can handle that.” Drake took her hand and led her to where everyone else was standing.

Chloe smiled and hugged everyone, obviously shocked that we had all been in on the plan. When her eyes landed on me, they softened.

“I’m so happy for you, Chloe,” I whispered. I kissed her cheek and hugged her. “You deserve to be happy.”

“Thank you,” she whispered back.

I felt like a dirty bastard when I saw the relief fill her eyes. She’d been worried about whether or not I was okay with this, and I’d lied right to her face. I wasn’t okay, and I wasn’t sure I would ever be okay.

I released her, and Adam quickly took my spot. After giving him a quick hug, she and Drake walked hand in hand toward where the preacher was standing. The rest of us lined up behind them as Amber and Eric stepped forward.

“Chloe and Drake, are you ready to begin?” the preacher asked.

“I am,” Drake said.

Chloe nodded.

“Good. Let’s begin.” The preacher looked around at everyone. “This is where I would normally welcome you all and ask Chloe and Drake to repeat after me, but I was informed that this is going to be the most casual wedding ever planned.”

There were several chuckles from our group.

“Anyway, I’ll let Drake and Chloe say what they need to say. Drake, care to go first?” the preacher asked.

“Sure.” Drake turned to Chloe. “Chloe, there’s not much left to say since I’ve already said it all to you. Someone like you comes around once in a lifetime, and I’m lucky to have found you. From the moment I saw you when you sat down next to me in class, I knew you were mine. I’ve never wanted or cared about another person the way I do with you. Neither of us is perfect, but you come pretty damn close. No matter how long I live, I’ll never be able to tell you that I love you enough times. Life will throw shit at us because it always does, but we’ll make it through. There is nothing in this world that could tear me away from you. I love you.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her.

“Oh, and I think I was supposed to say, I do.”

The preacher smiled. “Not yet. Chloe needs to make her speech first.”

“My bad. Go ahead and tell everyone how much you like me, Chloe.”

Chloe laughed. “I’ll try.” She took a deep breath. “You were an * when we met. I wasn’t sure if I liked you or hated you. From the first time you looked at me, you threw my entire world into chaos. Once I really got to know you, I realized you weren’t an * at all. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met. No matter how bad things got, you never gave up on us even though I did. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I’m grateful for every day I’ve spent with you and for every day that I will spend with you. I will never give up on us. I will never hurt you. We’re in this until the end. I love you, Drake Allen.”