Chapter 1

"You've never seena woman look this good in a suit, have you, Jake?"

Jess strutted around my dressing room, stopping to pose in the mirror. She was serving as my best man today, so she went out and bought a suit that was perfectly tailored to her. While it was cute, it was too tight for my liking, much like the rest of her clothing. That was just the older brother in me.

"You look nice, Jess," I said, fumbling with my tie.

She looked back at me in the mirror and sighed. I'd been fumbling with this damn tie for ten minutes. She came over and slapped my hand away.

"Just let me do it," she said.

There was silence between us for a moment. She looked up at me curiously.

"You nervous?"

"Ain't it obvious?"

She chuckled. "Not Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected. You travel the world selling books. You meet people you don't know every day, and you're nervous about a little wedding between strangers?"

Her tone was laced with humor and sarcasm.

"Shut up, Jess."

She laughed out loud as she finished up my tie and grabbed my suit jacket.

"I'm just saying. If you weren't nervous, I'd be worried."

"What if she doesn't like me? The woman might think I'm ugly."

"Boy, bye! You're a Mitchell. Ugly ain't in our genes… well, at least not on Daddy's side of the family. You know Mama has some questionable creatures on her side."

I couldn't help but to laugh as I slipped on the jacket.

"Seriously though, Jake. My brother is handsome as hell. Anybody that doesn't think so can go kiss the crack of my ass. She's lucky to be marrying you." She poked her finger in my chest. "You're a prize. Don't you forget that."

I smiled. "When did you become the big sister?"

She giggled. "I'm growing." She pulled me into a hug. "I love you, Jacob. I just want you to be happy. If this strange woman ends up making you happy… I'm all for it."

She kissed my cheek as she pulled away.

"Thanks, Jess."

She smirked. "Oh, don't thank me yet. There is a vetting process. I'm on her ass. As soon as I get a name, I'm looking up social media, work history, and every public record I can find. I'm even looking up Only Fans. You need to know if your wife was out here doing something strange for a little piece of change. You know that's how these hoes come up these days, right?"

I waved her off. "Bye, Jessa."

She laughed, but I knew she was serious about doing her research. She was in school studying Criminal Justice, and she used every opportunity to use what she learned in a practical setting.

I busied myself with buttoning my jacket just as a knock came to the door.

"Come in!" I called.

The door opened, and Chance stepped in followed by another woman, both of them with a smile.

"Oooo, damn, he's fine," Jessa mumbled.

I shot a glare at her, causing her to grin.

"How are you feeling?" Chance asked, extending his hand.

"I'm nervous man."

"You should have seen him pacing the floor earlier," Jessa said in her flirty voice. "The man couldn't get his tie on either."

Chance chuckled, and extended his hand to her. "It's like that sometimes. Chance Palmer. You are?"

"Jessa Mitchell, Jacob's sister."

"Ah! The pocket runner."

Jess slapped my arm. "Stop telling people I run your pockets!"

I laughed. "You want me to lie?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Chance shook his head. "This is Kelcy, the woman responsible for helping me match you."

"It's nice to meet you, Kelcy. Thank you for your hard work."

"Actually, you two were one of the easier matches once I got to you. You're looking sharp! You ready to get this underway?"

"As ready as I can be."

Jessa butted in. "So, have you seen the bride?" she asked.

"I'll be heading there when I leave here."

"Is she pretty?" Jessa questioned.

Kelcy laughed. "She's beautiful. Don't worry, we did your brother right. We are confident the attraction will be mutual, as will the chemistry."

"Alright now. I'd hate to come to y'all's office and show my ass if she isn't on the up and up."

I groaned. "Jess, please go find you something to do. I'm sorry about her mouth. She has no chill."

Chance and Kelcy laughed. They didn't seem bothered, leading me to believe that they were used to people like her. There was always that one family member that couldn't act right to save their damn life. That was Jessa Mitchell.

Chance cleared his throat, breaking me from my thoughts.

"We just wanted to come by and check on you. The ceremony will be starting shortly. When I leave here, I'll be going to check with the minister and the sound crew to make sure everything is set. Your guests have begun to arrive."

"Ooooo!" Jessa said, grabbing her phone. "I'm gonna go sneak a peek. Maybe I can see what her family looks like. I'll be back!"

She hurried toward the door.

"Take your time!" I called after her.

She shot me the middle finger as she exited the room.

"Kelcy?" I said softly.

"Yes."

"Will you tell my wife I can't wait to meet her?"

She smiled. "I sure can. Maybe that will put her mind at ease. I'm sure she's just as nervous as you are. That's a good sign. It means both of you want this, and you're willing to work at it. Remember what we said. It works if you do the work."

I nodded. "I remember. I've been telling myself that since I met with Chance. It's become this mantra of sorts."

Chance nodded. "That's exactly what it is. In the hard times, remember that. Marriage is a full-time job. There are no breaks, no holidays, no paid time off. You wake up every day and choose to put forth your best. Work as hard to build your relationship as you do to sell those books. By the way, my wife asked for an autograph from you. She loves your books as much as my baby girl."

I chuckled. "Sure thing. Tell her to find me at the reception."

"I'll do that. Well, let's get out of here, Kelcy. I'm sure Mr. Mitchell would appreciate a few moments alone. We'll see you shortly."

"Thank you."

They left me with smiles. Once they were gone, I took a seat on the couch and allowed my body to fully relax into the cushions. Today was my fucking wedding day. It wasn't how I imagined this day going, but here we were. I really was excited to meet the woman who was set to be my wife. Even though I didn't know what she looked like, I thought of her often the last five months.

I wondered what she looked like or sounded like. I wondered what she smelled like. What was her favorite food? Favorite color? What was the one thing I could bring her to make her happy? What was the quickest way to piss her off? I thought about that and so much other shit.

The woman lived rent-free in my mind and I didn't even know her name.

I dreamed of her last night… well, my idea of her. In it, we met at the altar, and I immediately fell for her. I knew it wasn't realistic. I knew that it was my mind trying to justify what would be an awkward situation. I didn't know what she would think of me or what I would think of her.

I just hoped the attraction was mutual.