The Honeymoon Incident (out June 19 on Amazon)

The wedding day is the dreamiest and the happiest day for every bride. The glow that a bride has is special, but then why did I have this feeling in my gut that I couldn’t quite name on my own wedding day? It wasn’t butterflies—it felt more like a fight of angry birds.

I dragged myself to the bathroom and glanced at the mirror. My hair was a tangled mess, looking dull and dry even after hours of salon treatment I had gotten yesterday. I stared at my blue eyes—usually the color of the clear blue sky, but today they looked like water from a dirty pond. The girl staring back at me in the mirror looked like she was heading to a funeral rather than her own wedding.

“Get a grip, Taylor,” I whispered to my reflection, my voice cracking. “It’s just jitters; it’s normal. Every bride goes through this. I love Alex. This is fine. Everything is just fine.”

I looked for my phone, desperate to hear my best friend’s voice. I needed Lisa. She was probably still recovering from her hangover from the rave she’d gone to last night, but she was the only one who could talk me out of all of this.

Now, before we go any further, you need to know about Lisa Lane, my best friend. We didn’t grow up together. In high school, I was a total nerd—the kind of girl who was invisible to everyone but the teachers. I hated my school and had zero friends. But then came the fateful Science Convention trip to New York.

Lisa was there from a different school. She was the “it-girl”—the kind of popular girl we see in teen movies. She was effortlessly charming, the life of every room she entered. While I was hiding in my oversized hoodie, she was full of energy and in a bright cropped top, her dark eyes scanning the hall like she owned it.

I remember the day clearly. I’d snuck away from the resort to a nearby convenience store, hoping to buy some snacks in peace. I saw Lisa at the counter, and she actually waved at me. “Are you here for the convention too?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, my inner introvert screaming at me to look at the floor.

But then, I saw it. A guy’s hand reached into Lisa’s open bag and snatched her wallet. He didn’t even look fast, just confident.

“Thief!” I screamed. “THIEF! THIEF!”

He bolted. Lisa screamed and tried to run, but she was in heels. I don’t know what came over me—maybe it was years of the nerd-rage inside me—but I took off like a heat-seeking missile. I tackled him right into a display of snacks, sat on his chest, and didn’t move until the cops arrived. I even made him apologize to her while he was pinned to the floor.

I saved her wallet, and I gained a sister for life. We spent the rest of high school on video calls and every summer vacation at each other’s houses.

And today, that girl is my Maid of Honor. I just can’t believe I’m actually getting married.

***

I was a total badass that day, so why do I feel like the same silent nerd I used to be? Why don’t I feel confident like the girl who runs her own bakery?

As I sat there, lost in my own feelings, I heard a soft knock at the door. My mother pushed the door open. She was dressed in a beige dress that screamed “perfection.” Her blonde hair was tied into a tight bun that didn’t have a single strand out of place. She looked neat and classy, the kind of woman who cared more about how things looked on the outside than how she actually felt.

“Honey, start packing,” she said gently. “We have to leave for the venue in an hour.”

“Yes, Mom,” I replied. My voice cracked a little, sounding like a small child who just wanted to run into her mother’s lap and cry. “I’m... I’m just about to start.”

She paused, her eyes searching my face. “Tay? Is everything okay? You look overwhelmed.”

I knew I couldn’t lie to her, but I wasn’t ready to admit the truth—not yet. “I’m just feeling weird,” I whispered. “Wedding jitters, I guess.”

She stepped inside and wrapped me in a warm, tight hug.

“Tay, it’s normal. You know it is. Alex is the one.” She pulled back, holding my hands. “I know you didn’t always believe in love. I know the idea used to scare you because I know you didn’t want to end up with someone like your father.” Mom’s voice dropped lower.

She didn’t look at me; she stared at the wall, and for a second, I saw her hand shaking. “He used to think he was the boss of this house, like he owned us.”

She continued, her voice loud in my room. “He’d provide for us, and in his words, he was looking out for us, and would drown the stress with his alcohol until the man we knew disappeared and the fighting started.”

“But Alex is different, Tay,” she whispered, holding my hands. “He’s the peace we never had. Don’t keep him waiting,” she said, placing her hand on my cheek before she walked away.

After she left, the silence felt even heavier. I dialed Lisa again. Nothing. Straight to voicemail. I was starting to get angry. It was my wedding day—she should be answering the goddamn phone.

I looked at the suitcase. Was I really going to do this?

My father’s male ego was bigger than his own family; he was never a good husband. He used to treat my mother like a shiny object he had placed in his house, and my mom—she used to live in a delusion that with time, everything would get better. But it didn’t.

My mother never taught me love because she didn’t know herself what real love feels like. She used to teach me other things—she taught me how to bake, to ride a bike; she even taught me how to be kind and forgiving. She taught me real love is all about sacrifice, even at the cost of your own happiness.

Maybe she was right. This is real love; that’s how I know it, I thought as I looked at the mess I had created on my bed, reflecting the mess of my own life.

***

Mom was right; Alex wasn’t like my father. He was a sweet guy. He was a banker who worked across the street from my bakery. I remembered the day he walked into my shop. He looked like he’d stepped straight out of a bank advertisement in a magazine—tall, with neatly combed ash-brown hair and a jawline that was almost too perfect.

He wore a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up just enough to be “casual.” He smelled like expensive cologne, and his breath was minty. When he looked at me, his ocean-blue eyes were so blue that they almost felt unreal.

A customer had been screaming at me, claiming I’d given him a cupcake with nuts even though he was allergic. I knew I hadn’t; I’m a nerd about my recipes. I was standing my ground, telling him to find another bakery to cause a scene in, when I noticed him standing next to the rude customer and watching us with a curious smirk.

“Hey, Taylor!” Alex had called out, interrupting the jerk. “Thanks for remembering my mom’s peanut allergy. Those cupcakes were amazing.”

I’d looked at him, completely confused, but I played along. “Of course! Glad she liked them.”

The rude customer turned red, embarrassed, and stormed out.

“How did you know my name?” I asked him once we were alone. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you before.”

He grinned and pointed at my chest. “The name tag, Taylor Hayes.” Of course!

“I am Alex… Alex West,” he said, his voice low. He looked confident, like a guy who knows his way with girls.

I giggled, feeling the tension melt away. For a week after that, he came in every single day for a cupcake. By day seven, I finally teased him. “Aren’t you worried about cavities—eating sugar every day?”

“My doctor says ‘sweet’ is good for my health,” he joked.

I leaned over the counter, feeling a spark in the moment. “So, when are you actually going to ask me out on a date?”

He laughed, his blue eyes crinkling. “I was going to ask you for coffee today, but you beat me to it. Tomorrow?”

“Only if you promise not to order anything sweet for yourself. Then yes, I would love to go on a date with you,” I replied.

He smiled at me and said, “Well, I won’t be needing anything sweet when I am on a date with you.”

***

We had been together for almost three years. I was insanely in love with him—or at least, I thought I was.

So what changed today? I asked my reflection, but the girl in the mirror didn’t have an answer.

Forcing myself to move, I pushed the overthinking into the back of my mind. I had to do this. I packed my essentials and carefully laid my wedding gown on top. Then, I grabbed my second suitcase—the “honeymoon suitcase.” Alex and I were supposed to head straight to the airport after the reception.

I looked at the honeymoon bag. Alex had planned the whole trip—five days at a luxury resort in Hawaii. I’d mentioned once, almost a year ago, that I’d always dreamed of seeing the green mountains in Italy, but he’d laughed and said Hawaii was the honeymoon destination everyone goes to.

He always cared about what everyone else thought or did. He was a man of five-year plans, as organized as a document folder. He didn’t want a partner to explore the world with; he wanted a passenger princess who would follow his directions without asking questions.

Just as I zipped the last bag, my phone finally buzzed. It was Lisa.

“Where are you?!” I screamed into the phone the second I picked up. “Are you even coming? I need my Maid of Honor, and you’re out there having your own fun while I’m losing my mind!”

“Babe, babe! Calm down,” Lisa’s voice was breathless. “I am so sorry. I’m literally heading to the airport right now. I’ll be there soon, I promise! I’ll meet you straight at the venue.”

“Lisa—”

“One last thing!” she interrupted. “My phone is at 1% and about to die, so please don’t be mad if I don’t text back. I’ll see you super soon. Love you, bye!”

The line went dead before I could even get another word out. I stood there looking at the black screen, my breathing fast and heavy.

I couldn’t scream—not with my mom right outside the door—so I threw myself face-down on the bed and buried my face in a pillow. I let out a long, muffled scream into the pillow until my lungs started to burn.