The Groom Is Optional

Synopsis

The night before my wedding, my fiancé, Liam Vance, ends his twenty-four-hour vanishing act with a single text message. [Sorry. Olivia's dad passed. Have to be there for her.] I stared at the screen, the words blurring as a cold fury began to eclipse the panic. My fingers typed back: [Seven days until the wedding. Don't forget.] Before the checkmark even turns blue, I am on Instagram. And that's when my world collapses. Liam wraps his arm possessively around Olivia Miller, his supposedly grief-stricken childhood friend, who is posing in a custom-made wedding gown, complete with a veil that cascades to the floor. This is a blatant declaration of war on my last nerve. I double-tap the picture to let him know I see everything. My phone rings instantly. "Her father just died!" Liam whisper-yells, skipping a hello entirely. "This was his dying wish, to see her in a wedding dress! For God's sake, can you stop being so dramatic for one second?" The line goes dead before he can say another word. I hang up. I grab the heavy fabric shears from my sewing kit and cut the midnight-blue tuxedo Liam is supposed to wear as he watches me walk down the aisle. Then, I pick up my phone and call my sister. "Hey," I say. "Change of plans. The wedding's still on tomorrow. The groom, however, is no longer on the guest list. You know anyone hot who's free tomorrow?"