Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 118733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“I like it too,” she said.
Kent helped her into the car, stowed the blanket, and then got behind the wheel. He handed Palmer his phone and told her what to look up. “I think we should stay at the Paris,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “All the hotels have wedding packages, so if they don’t have a room, we’ll go to another hotel.”
“What do we need a package for?”
“The package is one of those all-inclusive things. They’ll give us the flowers, photography, the venue, and champagne. Remember how I said the New York–New York has a roller coaster?” Palmer nodded. “Well, the Paris has the Eiffel Tower. We can get married at the top.”
“And make it seem like we went to France.”
“Or there are other hotels. Look around on my phone and find one you like.”
“What if they’re booked?”
Kent laughed. “Then Elvis it is.”
Palmer put her glasses on and started scrolling. Every so often she would ask Kent a question, but he left the details up to her. His mind raced with how he was going to find her a ring and a dress. He wanted her to have and wear both. Getting married in the clothes they’d traveled in for weeks on end didn’t sit well with him. They didn’t need anything fancy. Call him old fashioned—he wanted a ring on Palmer’s left hand, and he wanted to see her in a wedding dress.
Each time she called someone, Kent smiled. After every phone call, she’d tell him what they’d discussed and then leave a voice memo on his phone.
“The lady I spoke to says we need a marriage license from the licensing bureau before we can get married. What time will we be there?”
“Two hours, so that’ll be our first stop,” Kent said. He’d picked up speed after the rest stop, eager to get to Las Vegas. He wanted this. He wanted to be her husband, and the sooner they could get it done, the happier he would be.
Palmer made a couple more phone calls and then finally had a plan. She excitedly told Kent, “The only opening the Little White Chapel has is tonight at ten p.m. I booked it.”
Kent fist pumped. He now had time to get the provisions he needed. “Did you find us a room?” He had heard her say a couple of times that they were coming to Vegas to get married and wondered if the person on the other end had given Palmer any special treatment or accommodations.
“Yes, at the Paris. I asked for a room with a view of the fountains. I’ve always wanted to see them.”
“You’ll have front-row viewing,” he told her. “We’ll go there tonight.”
Palmer put the phone down and looked at Kent. He smiled and struggled to keep his eyes on the road. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked. Kent kept his head on a swivel when all he wanted to do was stare at Palmer.
“For being this kind, generous person.”
Kent took Palmer’s hand and kissed it, and then kissed her ring finger. Soon enough, he’d put a ring there, giving her something to look at and remember until the end of her days. He held her hand in his lap and continued to drive.
“I forgot to tell you something.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“That I love you.”
Kent’s smile turned into an ear-to-ear grin. As much as he wanted to pull over and kiss her, he couldn’t. They had important plans, and time was of the essence. “Best damn words I’ve ever heard,” he told her as he once again kissed her ring finger.
Before I’m Gone
Sit in the front seat of a roller coaster and feel the wind in my hair
Eat tacos or tortillas from a roadside stand in New Mexico
Shop at a large farmers market
Meet Lana Del Rey and see her in concert
Take a picture of the most-painted shed in the US
Sit in the sand and watch the sunrise in Cape Cod
Take the steps to the Lincoln Memorial
Do yoga in Sedona
Tour and feed animals in a wildlife sanctuary
Stand under a waterfall
See Elvis on the street corner in Las Vegas
Hug an elephant
Find my family
Step on grapes and make wine
Run through a wheat field
Drive Route 66
See the marquees on Broadway
Ring the Liberty Bell
Buy a quilt from an Amish stand
See the northern lights in Minnesota
Visit Plymouth Rock
Touch Babe Ruth’s bat
Travel the Loneliest Road
Visit the Muhammad Ali Center
Dance in the rain with someone I love
Take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty
Check out the Grand Canyon
Take every picture I can of Palmer
Make Palmer smile
Eat chowdah in Boston, per Palmer
Eat pizza in Chicago
Try frozen custard in New York City
Get coffee in each city
Get married in Las Vegas!!!!!!!!!!!
THIRTY-SEVEN
As soon as they arrived in Las Vegas, they went straight to the licensing bureau. Palmer had read online that the lines could be long, depending on how many people were trying to “pull off a quickie”—the website’s words, not hers.