My Fiancé Was Doing Laundry for His Girl Best Friend on Our Wedding Day, So I Changed Grooms

I have a fear of people. Yet on my wedding day, my boyfriend was still busy washing his girl buddy's underwear.

I stood there looking at the crowded wedding hall, holding down the panic in my chest, and called Elliot Abbott to hurry him along. His voice came back impatient.

"Naomi Dickerson's always been careless about that kind of thing, ever since we were kids. I've always washed her underwear for her. It's just a few minutes. Can't you even wait that long?"

"Or is it that no one but me would ever marry you?"

I swallowed the hurt and got the words out. "On a normal day, fine. But today is our wedding. Can you at least tell what matters more?"

But right away his girl buddy Naomi's voice came through the phone.

"Come on, big miss, don't be jealous. This is the last time Elliot's going to wash for me."

"Once he's married I won't bother him anymore. Do me this one favor, don't make it hard for him, okay?"

I wanted to say more, but the call cut off. Clinging to one last hope, I called Elliot's mother, who'd remarried and moved to France.

"Mrs. Abbott, Elliot, he's still washing Naomi's underwear, at his own wedding. Could you talk to him, get him to come back and go through with the ceremony first?"

She didn't think anything of it. "What's the big deal? Elliot's even given her baths. The two of them grew up together, he's used to washing for her. Just wait a little."

I couldn't hold back the panic anymore, my hands starting to shake, the symptoms right on the edge of taking over, when my brother suddenly pulled me in against him.

"Little Serena Winfield, what if I have Caleb Abbott marry you instead? Elliot likes washing underwear so much, so I'll find you a man who'll wash yours just for you."

1

I stared at my brother in disbelief. The man he meant was Elliot's older cousin, the one who had taken Elliot in and raised him.

The man whose smile went gentle all the way through.

While I stood frozen, my brother leaned close to my ear again and asked softly,

"Is that all right, Little Serena?"

I came back to myself and nodded, nervous.

Because besides Elliot, Caleb was the only person who didn't make me afraid.

The moment he had my answer, my brother pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Hey, Caleb. Here's your chance to marry my sister. Get over here, fast."

In the end the wedding went ahead as planned, and Caleb held my hand the whole way through the ceremony.

Not only did his parents take the outcome in stride, they gave us their blessing.

The ceremony had barely ended when I found the string of calls Elliot had made, every one of them missed.

I thought about it and called him back anyway. I wanted to tell him not to come.

But the second it connected, Elliot didn't give me a chance to say a word.

"I called you so many times and you didn't pick up. Now you finally remember I exist?"

"Now you see nobody but me would marry you. You couldn't even wait a few minutes."

"Naomi and I were already in the car, on our way, and you had to pick a fight over a few minutes."

"Fine. You cool off first. The wedding's postponed."

By then I was already sitting in the wedding car, tears spilling down my face, big drops I couldn't stop.

Caleb gently smoothed my hair, soothing me the way you'd calm a child.

With him talking me through it, Elliot's words stopped hurting the way they had.

The line of cars kept moving toward the Prescott villa.

Halfway there, we ran into Elliot. He was driving a convertible sports car, Naomi in the passenger seat.

The lead car was Caleb's, and once Elliot recognized it, he cut in front of us with a showy little maneuver and forced us to stop.

He rapped on the window, knock knock, like he was saying, "Bro, what are you doing? How could you get married and not tell me?"

He lounged against the car door with that grinning, careless look, clearly ready to stay put until someone paid him attention.

I was sitting alone in the back with my veil down. Caleb turned from the passenger seat to look at me and said gently,

"Don't be scared. I'll handle him."

I nodded, and Caleb rolled down the window and looked at Elliot coldly. "What do you want?"

"Bro, that's cold. How could you get married, something this big, and not tell your own little brother?"

Naomi squeezed in too, laughing. "Right, Caleb, we want a little of that good luck to rub off on us."

Then she reached a hand toward the car and stuck out her tongue. "Caleb, we want our gift money."