Autumn's Embrace: The Wedding Season (WRITING IN PROGRESS)

Chapter 16: Unexpected Guests

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and clear, with the soft autumn sunlight streaming through the windows of the farmhouse. Lily had woken up with a flutter of excitement in her chest, the reality of her wedding day finally sinking in. But as she sipped her coffee and looked over the final details of the day, a message on her phone made her heart sink.

It was from Elliot's mom, Diana, and it wasn't the kind of message Lily had hoped to wake up to on the morning of her wedding.

Hey, sweetheart! Just wanted to let you know that my cousin Margaret and her daughter were able to make it after all. They're driving in this morning and will be there in time for the ceremony! I know it's last minute, but I'm sure we can find a spot for them. Thanks!

Lily stared at the message, her mind racing. Margaret and her daughter hadn't been on the final guest list. In fact, Lily hadn't even known they were invited at all. The guest list had been carefully curated to keep the wedding small and intimate, and any last-minute additions threatened to throw everything off—the seating arrangements, the catering, and the overall flow of the day.

Taking a deep breath, Lily set her phone down and walked into the kitchen, where Elliot was making breakfast. He turned to her with a smile, but it quickly faded when he saw the worry etched on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

Lily handed him her phone. "We've got a problem. Your mom just texted me to say that her cousin Margaret and her daughter are coming to the wedding. They weren't on the guest list, and I have no idea where we're going to fit them."

Elliot read the message, his brow furrowing as he processed the news. "Margaret? I didn't even know she was invited."

Lily ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep her frustration in check. "Apparently she was, and now she's coming. It's going to mess with the seating, the food, and—honestly—it's just stressing me out."

Elliot sighed, setting the phone down on the counter. "I get it. This isn't what we planned, and it's really bad timing. But we'll figure it out. Let's take a minute to breathe and think through our options."

Lily nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to steady her nerves. She didn't want to let this last-minute issue ruin the day, but the thought of having to make adjustments to everything they had so carefully planned made her stomach churn.

"I know it's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things," Lily said, her voice soft but tense. "But I just wanted everything to be perfect. We worked so hard to plan this day, and now we've got to deal with unexpected guests."

Elliot stepped closer, gently taking her hands in his. "I know, and I'm sorry this is happening. But we can handle this, okay? We'll talk to the caterer and see if we can add a couple more plates, and I'll see if we can rearrange the seating to make room for them. It's not ideal, but we've been through worse."

Lily smiled despite herself, grateful for Elliot's calm presence. "You're right. We can handle this."

They sat down together at the kitchen table, pulling out their seating chart and reviewing the layout. After some deliberation, they decided to shift a few guests around to accommodate Margaret and her daughter without too much disruption. It wasn't perfect, but it was manageable. They would need to notify the caterer and make sure there was enough food, but the solution, while stressful, wasn't as bad as it had first seemed.

"I'll call the caterer and explain the situation," Elliot said, reaching for his phone. "It's last minute, but they've been pretty flexible so far. Hopefully, they can swing a couple of extra plates."