They Caught Her Flower for Someone Else, So I Kept the Groom Fate Gave Me Chapter 02

They Caught Her Flower for Someone Else, So I Kept the Groom Fate Gave Me Chapter 02

At dinner, my brother Hunter started in.

“So, Parker Payne actually showed up to the Maypole Choosing? I mean, even if a girl got struck off the Registry, she’d still think twice before marrying that guy, right?”

Landon leaned in.

“Right? That guy’s been in Holly Hills less than three months. Doesn’t even have Residency Status. And they say he’s got a jinx—three wives buried already—”

My father Harold took a sip of his coffee.

“Town charter says whoever catches the ribbon gets the bride. Today was messy, but Ethan—you and Calla are locked in. No rejecting the match.”

“Calla and her mother have had it hard enough. They can’t afford to be struck from the Registry. What’s done is done.”

My mother Holly’s voice went tight. “But what about our Haven—”

“Whose fault is that?” Harold cut her off, voice flat. “Nobody wanted this to happen. But we follow the town charter. Ethan and Haven can just file their marriage license in the city later. What happens here doesn’t have to count.”

My mother’s eyes went red. She looked down at her plate and pushed her food around.

I was about to tell her not to worry about it when Ethan reached over and took my hand. His voice was patient—practiced.

“Haven, nobody planned for this. Three ribbons dropped at once. It was chaos. I didn’t exactly aim for Calla’s ribbon—it just happened.”

“Once we get back to the city, we’ll file the license. Nobody in town will even remember the whole Maypole thing. Okay?”

I took a sip of my soup and nodded. “Okay.”

He blinked.

I usually put up more of a fight.

Made him work for it, made him coax me back. But he recovered fast—and let go of my hand almost immediately. Like a weight had just rolled off his shoulders.

“What about you, Calla?”

Calla’s cheeks went pink. “My mom made me sign up for the Choosing. I didn’t have a choice, honestly. At least Ethan caught it—I mean, he’s familiar. It’s not some stranger.”

“I’ll go with whatever you guys decide.”

…

They started planning right there. How big the wedding should be. Which bluegrass band to hire. Like they’d been waiting for this all along.

I finished my meal quietly and set my fork down. “You guys keep talking. I’m done.”

My chair scraped against the floor. The table went quiet for a second.

As I walked out, I heard Calla’s soft voice behind me.

“Is Haven upset?”

Ethan’s voice came low and soothing. “Don’t overthink it. She’s not the sensitive type. Probably just tired from all the ceremony stuff today.”

My steps slowed.

Tired. Funny how that word worked.

It could explain away anything. Shut down every question. Let everyone off the hook.

I stepped into the yard. The moon wasn’t up yet.

Just a cold spill of stars across the sky.

“Haven.”

Ethan followed me out. A cigarette dangled from his fingers—the tip glowing orange in the dark, then fading.

“You barely ate. You mad?”

“Yeah.”

No point lying.

He let out a short laugh and stubbed the cigarette out.

“Don’t be dramatic. It’s your town’s stupid tradition that caused this. Three ribbons falling at once—who could tell which was which?”

“I already told you. Holly Hills is Holly Hills. The city is the city. Once we file the license—”

“Ethan.” I cut him off.

He stopped.

I looked up and met his eyes.

“I told you from the start. I didn’t want to do the Maypole Choosing.”

It was the town’s custom—the Maypole Goddess choosing a husband for each woman.

Whoever caught her ribbon, that was her match.

The town had believed it for generations. I respected that.

I didn’t want to participate because I’d already picked my own man. I didn’t want to cheapen what the Goddess offered.

But he’d gone behind my back and had Hunter put my name on the Match Registry anyway.

By the time I found out, it was already too late—my name was locked in.

And back then, I had no idea Calla was participating too.