The Wedding Date

The Wedding Date Plot Summary

Introduction

The elevator lurched to a halt between floors, its lights flickering before settling into an amber glow. Alexa Monroe clutched her purse containing champagne and cheese crackers meant for celebrating her sister's partnership, while across from her stood a stranger she hadn't noticed enter. Drew Nichols, disheveled in his gray t-shirt, had been dreading this weekend—his ex-girlfriend's wedding where he'd serve as groomsman, dateless and humiliated. What began as an inconvenient mechanical failure became an unexpected lifeline when Drew, desperate for a wedding companion, proposed an outrageous bargain to the sharp-tongued political operative trapped beside him. Neither could have predicted that their elevator encounter would spiral into something far more dangerous than a simple arrangement. From the wedding's pretense to stolen weekends across California, what started as mutual convenience evolved into a connection that challenged everything they thought they wanted from life. Sometimes the best things happen when you're stuck between floors, waiting for the doors to open.

Chapter 1: Trapped Together: An Elevator Meeting and a Desperate Proposal

The power outage hit the Fairmont just as Alexa stepped into the elevator, champagne bottle weighing down her purse. She was rushing to celebrate with Olivia, her older sister who'd just made partner at a prestigious New York law firm. The elevator's sudden stop and dim emergency lighting revealed an unexpected companion—a tall, rumpled man with dark hair and day-old stubble who'd somehow entered without her noticing. Drew Nichols was having the worst possible week. His carefully planned exit strategy had crumbled when his casual date Emma bailed due to her father's surgery, leaving him to face his ex-girlfriend Molly's wedding alone. Not just attend—he was a groomsman in the ceremony where Molly would marry Josh, one of his closest friends from medical school. The humiliation promised to be spectacular, made worse by the empty seat at the head table that would advertise his pathetic single status to everyone he'd known in med school. Their initial banter over Alexa's hoarded snacks—cheese, crackers, and champagne meant for Olivia—revealed quick wits and unexpected chemistry. Drew's desperation grew as he catalogued his weekend of torture: ex-girlfriend's wedding, best friend groom, groomsman duties, and no date to serve as social armor. When Alexa mentioned working in politics, something clicked. Politicians were professional performers, skilled at managing hostile crowds and projecting confidence under pressure. The elevator shuddered back to life just as Drew made his move. In a moment of pure panic-driven audacity, he asked this stranger to be his wedding date. Not just any date—he needed someone who could play his girlfriend convincingly enough to fool people who'd known him for years. The proposal was insane, impulsive, and exactly desperate enough to work. Alexa, caught off guard by his earnest plea and perhaps charmed by his obvious vulnerability, found herself saying yes to accompanying a man she'd known for twenty minutes to what promised to be the most awkward wedding in California. As the elevator doors opened on the sixteenth floor, Drew's relief was palpable. He'd found his social shield, his buffer against the weekend's emotional minefield. Neither of them suspected that their arrangement would prove far more complicated than a simple performance. The real question wasn't whether Alexa could convincingly play his girlfriend—it was whether either of them could resist the possibility that their pretense might become something genuine.

Chapter 2: Weekend Charade: Playing Lovers at the Ex's Wedding

The rehearsal dinner at Beretta tested every political skill Alexa possessed. Drew's charm campaign had worked—she'd agreed to this insane weekend—but now faced the reality of performing intimacy with a virtual stranger. The wedding party's barely concealed hostility toward Drew created an atmosphere thick with unspoken tensions. Molly, the bride, maintained aggressive sweetness while her sister Amy circled like a predator, her touches lingering too long on Drew's arm, her comments edged with malice. Drew proved surprisingly good at boyfriend theater. His hand found the small of her back with practiced ease, his touches confident enough to convince observers while remaining respectful. When Bill, Josh's obnoxious cousin, cornered Alexa with invasive questions about her ethnicity and unwelcome advances, Drew materialized instantly, his protective instincts genuine despite their arrangement being fake. The incident revealed something unexpected—Drew's anger at disrespect toward her seemed real, not performed. The wedding itself was a masterclass in social navigation. Alexa endured the bridesmaids' interrogation with political aplomb, deflecting their probing questions about her relationship timeline with Drew while mentally cataloging their obvious assumption that she was temporary. The bouquet toss became an exercise in strategic retreat, she and the other smart women backing away while desperate singles lunged forward. But it was on the dance floor that their performance became dangerously convincing. Dancing with Drew felt natural in a way that worried her. His hands guided her confidently, his body moving in sync with hers as if they'd done this hundreds of times before. When he pulled her close during slow songs, whispering jokes in her ear that made her laugh genuinely, the lines between performance and reality began to blur. The wedding guests weren't the only ones being convinced by their act. The night's crescendo came when Drew kissed her at the bar, not for show but from genuine desire that had been building all evening. His mouth on hers was hungry, desperate, completely authentic. Around them the wedding reception swirled on, but they were lost in each other, the pretense finally giving way to something raw and honest. When they broke apart, both breathless, Alexa realized their arrangement had just become infinitely more complicated. What started as a performance was becoming real, whether either of them was ready for it or not.

Chapter 3: Coast to Coast: Building Bridges Across California

Their post-wedding euphoria carried them through a night of urgent, athletic sex that left Alexa's bedroom wall creaking and both of them wondering what they'd stumbled into. Drew's decision to extend his trip meant trading their original arrangement for something undefined but undeniably powerful. Sunday morning brought lazy intimacy—his arms around her, coffee shared in her sunny kitchen, the comfortable silence of people who'd surprised themselves by fitting together so perfectly. The cross-state courtship that followed defied logistics and common sense. Drew used frequent flier miles like currency, flying from Los Angeles to Berkeley or vice versa nearly every weekend. Their text conversations sustained them through the workweek, growing more intimate and essential as they learned each other's daily rhythms. Drew sent photos of his young patients' artwork; Alexa shared her political victories and frustrations. The distance that should have killed their connection instead intensified it. Drew's LA weekends showcased his world—beach runs, rooftop dinners, the Santa Monica pier where they rode roller coasters and ate cotton candy like teenagers. He was relaxed on his home turf, confident in his element as a successful pediatric surgeon. Carlos, his best friend, approved immediately, recognizing something in Drew he'd never seen before. The way Drew looked at Alexa wasn't his usual casual interest—it was hunger mixed with tenderness, possession tempered by genuine care. Berkeley weekends were different, more domestic. Alexa worked constantly, her laptop perpetually open as she navigated the complex politics of her teen arts program proposal. Drew adapted, content to exist in her orbit while she fought battles over policy and funding. He learned to distinguish between her work voice and her real voice, to read the tension in her shoulders after difficult meetings, to provide the right combination of support and distraction when city council politics frustrated her. Their physical chemistry remained explosive, but deeper intimacy was developing alongside the sexual connection. Drew held her during her stress-induced insomnia, his presence calming her racing mind. Alexa listened when he grieved over young patients facing terrible diagnoses, her empathy genuine and healing. They were building something substantial, brick by brick, weekend by weekend, despite the miles between them.

Chapter 4: Unspoken Fears: The Patterns We Hide From

The first crack appeared when Alexa asked the question she'd been avoiding: "Are you sleeping with anyone else?" The text came during Drew's workday, blindsiding him when he was already stressed about a young patient's cancer diagnosis. His flip response—"Not at the moment, I'm at work"—was meant as humor but landed like a slap. The follow-up jokes only made it worse, revealing how little he understood what she was really asking. Alexa's fury was swift and decisive. She didn't want games or casual cruelty disguised as wit. Her text ending their relationship was cold, professional, final. Drew stared at his phone in his hospital office, finally understanding how his usual emotional distance felt from the receiving end. This wasn't like his previous casual arrangements where women drifted away disappointed but not devastated. This was destruction of something valuable, and he'd caused it through thoughtless self-protection. Carlos found Drew that evening, sulking and angry, denying the obvious. "She's not my girl," Drew insisted, but his best friend saw through the defensive posturing. The man who'd never let women get close enough to hurt him was devastated by Alexa's departure. Carlos pushed relentlessly—why had Drew sabotaged something good? Why was he so determined to prove he didn't care when obviously he cared desperately? Meanwhile, Alexa was discovering that ending things with Drew hurt far more than she'd expected. Maddie arrived with wine and pizza, ready to provide comfort for what should have been a simple breakup. Instead, she found her best friend genuinely heartbroken, mourning not just the loss of great sex but the loss of partnership, understanding, daily communication with someone who'd become essential to her happiness. The realization terrified her—when had she become so invested in someone who'd never promised her anything? Both of them spent the following week miserable, checking their phones compulsively for messages that never came. Drew's patients and colleagues noticed his irritability; Alexa's staff tiptoed around her sharp edges. They'd discovered the difference between casual dating and falling in love, and neither was handling the education gracefully. Pride kept them from reaching out, but pride was cold comfort when they lay awake missing each other's warmth.

Chapter 5: Breaking Point: Fourth of July Fireworks and Aftermath

Their reunion at the San Francisco bar was accidental but felt inevitable. Drew was escaping a medical conference dinner when he heard Alexa's distinctive laughter across the crowded room. She was with Theo, her work husband, celebrating his birthday with friends. The weeks of separation vanished the moment their eyes met—his relief was naked, her smile genuine and wide. Whatever anger had driven them apart seemed suddenly petty compared to the joy of being in the same room again. The attraction was undimmed, intensified by their time apart. Drew pulled her into a corner where they could talk privately, his hands immediately finding familiar places on her body. Their apology was mutual and breathless, punctuated by kisses that tasted like longing and second chances. He explained about not sleeping with anyone else; she admitted she'd overreacted. Within minutes they were leaving the bar together, abandoning both their separate friend groups for the privacy of his hotel room. Their reunion sex was desperate and necessary, erasing weeks of separation with urgent intimacy. But the morning brought complications Drew hadn't anticipated. Jack, one of his young patients, needed emergency surgery, cutting short their weekend before it had really begun. Worse, Alexa seemed different—more guarded, less spontaneous. The easy intimacy they'd built was shadowed by new wariness on both sides. Drew's Fourth of July party at his friend Heather's house became a minefield of past relationships and social politics. Alexa found herself surrounded by Drew's romantic history—Heather, Emma, Robin, all exes who'd received his signature breakup speech after two months of dating. Their stories were remarkably similar, told with the fond resignation of women who'd recognized a pattern they couldn't break. The flowers Drew sent Emma after ending things, the identical "let's stay friends" conversations—it was a rehearsed performance he'd perfected through repetition. The revelation shattered Alexa's confidence in their relationship's uniqueness. She saw her future written in their experiences: another two months of intensive romance followed by Drew's gentle but firm dismissal when things got too real. His inability to introduce her as his girlfriend, his casual references to their arrangement as temporary, suddenly made perfect sense. She was just another name on a list, distinguished only by geographic inconvenience. Their fight was vicious and public, fueled by sangria and hurt feelings. Drew's accusation about her and Carlos was wildly off-base but revealed his own insecurities. Alexa's response about him shopping for her replacement cut deep because it wasn't entirely wrong. They retreated to his hotel room for one last night of desperate lovemaking, both knowing it was goodbye even as they clung to each other with desperate intensity.

Chapter 6: Second Chances: A Council Meeting and a Declaration

Alexa's morning escape from Drew's hotel bed was cowardly but self-preserving. She couldn't bear to see pity in his eyes when he delivered the breakup speech she'd heard described so many times the night before. Her text was professional, distant, designed to save them both from an awkward conversation where he'd have to pretend their relationship had meant more than it did. Two weeks of misery followed—work became her refuge while Drew haunted her thoughts. Drew's unexpected appearance at her city council meeting was the last thing she'd expected. He'd flown up specifically to see her night of triumph, the teen arts program she'd fought for finally coming to a vote. His presence in the back of the chamber, sitting unknowingly next to Olivia, felt like a gift and a torture simultaneously. He'd remembered what mattered to her, had come to support her professionally even after their personal relationship had imploded. Olivia's surprise testimony was devastating and perfect, a personal story that made Alexa's policy proposal human and urgent. Her sister had traveled across the country to publicly support the program that had grown from their shared teenage trauma, healing old wounds while advocating for current at-risk youth. The council's unanimous approval felt like vindication not just professionally but personally—proof that some fights were worth having regardless of the personal cost. After the meeting, Drew waited while the chambers emptied, his nervousness obvious. His confession came in a rush: he'd changed his flight after their first weekend together, had been falling for her since the elevator, had taken a job in Berkeley specifically to be near her. The pediatric position at Children's Hospital of Oakland was perfect professionally but that wasn't why he'd pursued it. He'd moved across the state for love, abandoning his Los Angeles life for a chance at something real with her. His "I love you" hung in the air between them, vulnerable and terrifying and absolutely sincere. Alexa's response was immediate and tearful—she loved him too, had been fighting the feeling for months, had been terrified of admitting how much he meant to her. They kissed in the empty council chambers like teenagers, desperate and joyful, finally honest about feelings they'd been hiding behind geographic distance and emotional walls. The future suddenly looked possible, mapped out in weekend flights and eventual cohabitation, built on a foundation of genuine love rather than convenient arrangement.

Chapter 7: Full Circle: Returning to Where It All Began

One year later, Drew orchestrated the perfect proposal in their original elevator at the Fairmont. The space was transformed with flowers, champagne, and the fancy cheese and crackers that had marked their first meeting. His planning was meticulous but his nervousness was genuine as he knelt among the blooms, offering her a ring Maddie had secretly helped him choose. Alexa's yes came through tears of joy, completing their circle from strangers to lovers to partners for life. Their relationship had survived the transition from long-distance romance to daily reality. Drew's move to Berkeley brought new challenges—learning each other's domestic habits, negotiating two demanding medical and political careers, figuring out how to be together consistently rather than just on magical weekends. They discovered that love was as much about mundane Tuesday mornings as passionate Saturday nights. The teen arts program Alexa had fought for was thriving, providing the second chances for at-risk youth that had inspired her advocacy. Her relationship with Olivia had healed completely, their adult friendship finally overcoming teenage trauma. Drew's work at Children's Hospital Oakland fulfilled him professionally while keeping him close to the woman who'd become his anchor. Carlos approved wholeheartedly, claiming credit for pushing Drew to pursue real love instead of casual arrangements. Their wedding was planned for the following spring at the Fairmont, the hotel where their story began. The guest list would include Alexa's political colleagues, Drew's medical friends, and all the people who'd witnessed their unlikely romance develop from elevator encounter to genuine partnership. Maddie would design Alexa's dress while Carlos served as Drew's best man, both friends having shepherded the relationship through its early complications.

Summary

What began as a desperate arrangement between strangers trapped in an elevator evolved into something neither Alexa nor Drew had believed possible—a love that transcended convenience, distance, and their own carefully constructed emotional defenses. Their relationship survived because both were willing to risk vulnerability, to choose honesty over self-protection, to fight for something rare and valuable rather than settling for safe but hollow alternatives. The elevator where they met became a symbol of possibility, of how life's unexpected interruptions can redirect us toward happiness we hadn't known to seek. Sometimes the best destinations aren't the ones we planned to reach, but the ones we discover when we're brave enough to open doors we hadn't expected to find. Love, they learned, often arrives disguised as inconvenience, asking us to trust in feelings that logic cannot explain but the heart knows to be true.

About Author

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Jasmine Guillory

Guillory investigates the complexities of modern romance through narratives that challenge traditional tropes. Her novels, including the celebrated The Wedding Date and the Reese's Book Club pick The Proposal, weave together themes of love, identity, and empowerment. By situating her characters in relatable yet transformative situations, Guillory builds a world where personal growth and romantic connection are intertwined. This approach not only offers fresh perspectives on relationships but also invites readers to reconsider the dynamics of love in contemporary society.\n\nThrough her engaging storytelling methods, Guillory reaches a diverse audience seeking both entertainment and introspection. Her work, frequently featured in notable publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Cosmopolitan, captures a broad spectrum of experiences and resonates with those looking for narratives that reflect their own lives and aspirations. Meanwhile, Guillory's contributions to The Today Show underscore her influence in the literary field, positioning her as a pivotal voice in contemporary fiction.\n\nReaders benefit from Guillory's ability to merge humor with heartfelt emotion, creating books that are both uplifting and thought-provoking. Her narratives are not just escapist but also educational, offering insights into the intricacies of human relationships. This makes her bio an essential touchstone for anyone interested in exploring the evolving landscape of romance novels, as her stories provide a lens through which to view both personal and societal change.

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