New York.
Hudson Riverfront.
Vansmoot Hotel.
Groom's Dressing Room.
"Pfft!"
Adam dealt with the troublemaker Scooter and pushed open the door. One look inside, and he couldn't hold back a laugh. "Matthew, what's going on with you?" 😂
"I'd love to know what's going on with me!"
Matthew—whose hair was now split down the middle with a bald streak shaved right through it—yelled in a total meltdown.
"What happened?"
Adam bit back his grin, trying to sound serious.
"Lily's cousin is in beauty school. Lily didn't want her messing with her hair, so she sent her over to torture me instead," Matthew ranted. "And now I've got this hideous haircut…"
"She just grabbed a clipper and did that to you?"
Adam's jaw dropped.
"Nope," said Ted, the best man, rubbing his hands awkwardly. "We were debating how bad the haircut was when Matthew flipped out, grabbed the clipper, and did this to himself. I couldn't stop him in time!"
"So what do I do now?!"
Matthew screeched, still freaking out.
"Chill out," Adam said, calming him down. "Maybe your love with Lily is just too sweet and perfect. Even God's like, 'Nah, I gotta mess with them at the wedding.' Think of it as a little test.
But don't worry—I've got your back.
It's just a half-bald head.
Slap on a wig or a hat, and we're golden!"
"Really?"
Matthew squinted, skeptical.
"Trust me, it's fine," Adam grinned. "Lily's marrying you, not your hair."
"Yeah," Ted chimed in. "You two are so lovey-dovey you've even had farting contests. This is nothing!"
"That was your idea!" Matthew snapped at Ted. "If I hadn't gotten carried away with you, I never would've started that with Lily!"
"Hey, we're bros—farting contests are fair game," Ted said, half-laughing, half-crying. "I'm not the one marrying you!"
"So you're saying I can't marry Lily now?"
Matthew shot back.
Clearly, even the super-nice Matthew had caught a bad case of pre-wedding jitters.
"Of course you can!"
Adam was fighting hard not to burst out laughing. He forced a smile and said, "You two are the sweetest couple ever, soon-to-be the sweetest husband and wife. A little farting contest? That's just your quirky charm! …Though, uh, maybe keep it behind closed doors."
Hmm… and crack a window.
Ted kept dropping not-so-subtle hints about a wig, pointing to Matthew's half-bald uncle who'd rocked a fake hairpiece for years. After staring at the uncle's head way too long, the guy finally gave up his wig—though it wasn't much help. Adam grabbed a hat instead.
In the end, Matthew went with the hat. The uncle's wig was a disaster—covering only the front half, leaving the back totally exposed. What was the guy thinking? It was like he cared about his head but forgot his… well, you get it. 😅
Once Matthew was sorted, Adam slipped out. He couldn't stick around—if another weird thing happened, he'd lose it laughing, and that'd be way too rude when the groom was already stressing.
"How's Lily holding up?"
He ran into Juno outside.
"Don't even ask," Juno chuckled. "Lily's having the worst luck today. First the veil got dirty, then she lost her custom wedding panties."
"Custom wedding panties?"
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Juno grinned. "The ones that say 'Property of Matthew Erickson's Exclusive Butt.' How else will people know if she doesn't wear them?"
"…"
Adam's mouth twitched.
With a white wedding dress that's prone to flashing, those panties would definitely scream "Matthew's territory" loud and clear. But, uh… isn't that a bit much? 😳
"She didn't toss them on purpose, did she?"
Adam figured he'd cracked the case.
"Nope," Juno shook her head. "Lily's totally into the idea. You should've seen her freaking out to find them—those emotions don't lie."
"Then just make another pair," Adam shrugged. "I know Matthew's handwriting. Grab some new wedding panties, and I'll write it."
"Good call!"
Juno's eyes lit up.
Adam followed her to the bride's dressing room, calmed a frazzled Lily down, and asked her to describe the design, size, and color. He pictured it in his head, then scribbled it onto a fresh pair of wedding panties.
"That's it! Wow, it's identical!"
Lily snatched them up, squealing with joy. "Adam, you're amazing!"
"Heh," Adam laughed. "So, Lily, don't stress. Whatever goes wrong, just holler. You and Matthew's wedding? It's gonna go off without a hitch."
"Mm-hmm!"
Lily nodded like a bobblehead.
"You should do a sweep," Juno suggested. "Check if anything else needs fixing before the ceremony starts. Better to catch it now than deal with a mess later."
"Smart idea," Adam agreed.
Seriously, how long had it been, and the bride and groom were already drowning in chaos? Maybe their love was too smooth and sweet—even single God upstairs was jealous and throwing curveballs.
If Adam didn't step in to squash these hiccups, Matthew and Lily might end up with regrets on their big day.
He left the bride's room and checked out the main hall. The wedding was about to kick off, and all the guests had arrived.
Lily's dream of a cozy 20-30 person affair? Yeah, that ballooned to over a hundred thanks to both families' networks.
Barney, the best man who was supposed to be helping Matthew, was instead cruising around with a drink, hitting on the ladies. "Can I get your number?" he'd ask. When they said no, he'd add, "It's for the bride!" and smirk as some eagerly handed over their digits.
Adam locked eyes with him—cold, unimpressed, and a little judgy. Barney quickly looked away and slinked off. After getting tossed out of bars a few times, he knew Adam wasn't messing around.
"Ahh!"
A woman's pained cry cut through the chatter.
"God, Gretchen, what happened?" someone asked, concerned.
Adam hurried over. A woman—Gretchen—was clutching her hand in agony. A shattered cup lay on the floor, hot water pooling around it. He parted the crowd. "I'm a doctor. Let me take a look."
"It hurts so much!" Gretchen groaned. "God, the bar exam's in a few weeks—I was totally ready, and now this?!"
"It's okay," Adam said after checking her hand. "The burn's not too bad. I patched it up a bit, and it'll heal fast. Won't mess up your exam."
"It won't?"
Gretchen blinked, stunned.
Adam felt a spark of intuition and gave her a deep look. "Nope. I'm Adam Duncan, Matthew and Lily's friend. You are…?"
"Gretchen Hans," she said with a forced smile. "Matthew's senior from school."
Adam glanced around—yep, a bunch of Columbia Law folks. He nodded. "It's Matthew and Lily's wedding, so I can't step away. Your burn needs attention now, though. Should I call you a car?"
"I can tough it out. I'd rather stay for the wedding," Gretchen said, forcing another smile.
"Better not," Adam said with a half-smile. "You don't want a scar, right? And if it gets worse later, you really won't be taking that bar exam.
You've worked too hard for this—career first. Matthew and Lily will get it. They'd feel awful if you stuck around and got hurt worse. You don't want them carrying that guilt, do you?"
"Fine," Gretchen muttered, dropping her gaze, avoiding his eyes.
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