Chapter Seven
Hailey woke the next morning, her wedding day, with a lingering sense of despair. She’d dreamt she was walking down the aisle, and right before she got to Josh, the floor opened up and she landed in the sea. Gee, wonder what inspired that dream. She reached blindly for Josh and felt only blanket. Then she reached some more. Still no Josh. She opened her eyes and propped up on her elbows. He wasn’t in bed. Rose and Max were curled up at the foot of the bed.
“Josh?” she called.
Silence.
She sat up and grabbed her phone from her purse, powering it on. There was a text from Josh. It’s bad luck to see the bride on our wedding day before the vows. I’m helping Jake with Owen and hanging with my brothers. I already fed the dogs and took them for a walk. See you at the chapel. Love, Josh
She tossed the phone on the bed. Sure, now he paid attention to wedding traditions. Now when she was wallowing in the pit of despair. She grabbed her phone again and sent out a group text to her friends. Anyone around for breakfast? Lunch? Anything?
The excuses started rolling in, all of them boiling down to: Busy with my own thing. See you at four for getting-ready time.
First Josh and then her friends ditched her. Fine. The pregnant cursed bride would spend her wedding day alone. No, not alone. She’d spend it with her fur babies. Only they understood her. She shifted to the end of the bed and stroked them both. Rose’s ears perked, but they both kept right on napping. She sighed and headed to the bathroom to get ready. She really couldn’t handle being alone today. And she couldn’t handle even one more thing wedding related. She needed a break from all that.
That was when she remembered Anna, the nice woman who’d brought her fruit salad and ice water before. She picked up the room phone and called the kitchen, hoping to find Anna, and was transferred directly to her. “Hi, Anna, it’s Hailey. Could you pack a picnic for the beach today?”
“Of course.”
“Great! If you can find a beach umbrella and a couple of chairs too, that would be perfect. I’d love for you to join me.”
“You would?”
“Yes. Everyone needs a day at the beach once in a while.” In fact, she’d been sure she wouldn’t have time to enjoy the beaches here with all the wedding stuff, but here she was with a wide-open schedule. “I’d be honored. Just give me an hour to get ready.”
She could hear the smile in Anna’s voice. “I’ll meet you in the front hall.”
“Excellent.”
And that was how Hailey went from freak-out to chill out. It was a wonderfully relaxing day at the beach. Max and Rose frolicked in the waves, dipping their paws in and running all around. Hailey read a romance by one of her favorite authors, and Anna paged through a celebrity gossip magazine. Hailey even got a little nap in.
She walked back into the palace through a side entrance, carrying her fur babies cuddled against her chest, and ran into Jake wearing a tuxedo with the white silk handkerchief she’d ordered special for Josh peeking out of the breast pocket. Why was Jake wearing his twin’s tuxedo jacket?
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, walking over to her at a slow pace.
She was immediately suspicious. Jake never called her sweetheart. He also never moved slowly. “Do not even try to pull a twin switcheroo on our wedding day. No, sir! I know Josh like the back of my hand and you are not him.”
Jake grinned and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad you got the right twin to marry. I’m on furry duty. My job is to impersonate the irate groom and kick the furry party out of the ballroom on schedule. Your groom is getting ready with the guys, enjoying his last hours of freedom.”
“Ha-ha and thank you.”
He glanced at her stomach. “I hear congratulations are due.”
She blushed. “Claire told you.”
“Everyone knows. Women talk; men listen.” They do?
She leaned close. “We wanted to keep it secret until after the wedding. Was Josh mad that I told?” She figured the twins had talked about it already. She hadn’t seen or talked to Josh since before the bachelorette party.
Jake grimaced. “Actually, Claire called me last night after she got you to bed and told me what happened. I filled him in, and all he cared about was you going overboard. He was furious like I’ve never seen him before. I had to talk him down.”
“Would’ve been nice if he’d checked on me.”
Jake gave her hair a tug just like his twin. “He did. He went back to your room and you were already sleeping. He checked your forehead for fever and took your pulse.”
Her eyes widened. “He did?” She’d slept right through it.
Jake grinned. “Yeah, and then he texted to let me know you were okay, so Mad could live. He got up early this morning because he’s planning something for you.”
Her heart squeezed. “He’s so wonderful, isn’t he?”
He shifted his head side to side. “Sure.”
“He is!”
“All right, all right.” He winked. “Claire’s checking in with the hairdresser and makeup artist right now. Enjoy your bride time.”
“I will.”
She headed up to her suite, feeling very Zen after her beach day relaxing. She set her exhausted fur babies on the bed and took another shower before heading to the dressing area at the end of the hallway to meet with her friends.
The moment she opened the door, conversation stopped. She spoke into the silence. “Hello, everyone! Have a good day? It seemed you were all quite busy.”
The women all chimed in at once, assuring her they were great. A little too great.
She narrowed her eyes. “Is there something I should know about?”
Mad shook her head. “Not a damn thing. Come in and take a seat.” She gestured to a deep-red cushioned high-back chair. “We have something for you before the styling stuff.”
“Oh-kay,” she said slowly, taking the offered seat. Her friends gathered in a semicircle around her. “What’s this about?”
Mad wrung her hands together. “We all felt really bad the way your bachelorette party ended last night. Hailey, I’m so sorry I knocked you overboard. It was an accident. And I’m sorry I laughed. It’s the kind of thing me and my brothers would laugh about, seeing someone get knocked on their ass, but it was inappropriate. I’m really, really sorry.”
Hailey shook her head. “Mad, it’s okay. I’m fine now. And I know how you and your brothers are. All is forgiven.”
Claire spoke up. “We wanted last night’s party to show just how much you mean to all of us and it didn’t quite get the message across like we hoped, so we got you this to wish you all the best on your happy ending after you helped all of us to find ours.” She handed Hailey a leather journal.
Hailey took it, beaming at her friends. It was true. She’d made sure every one of her friends found their happy ending, nudging and supporting them all the way. It was the whole reason she’d formed the Happy Endings Book Club in the first place, to bring people together. That and the wonderful joy of dishing on romance novels and the delicious book boyfriends they loved.
Hailey ran her fingers reverently over the leather embossed with the royal crest—a lion wearing a crown with the sea and a fish beneath.
“It’s a special kind of journal used only by the royal family,” Mad pointed out. “Phillip offered it as a keepsake, and we all got in on it too.”
Hailey hugged it to her chest. “This is so nice.”
“Open it!” Mad exclaimed.
She did. The pages were a beautiful cream, unlined, with a gorgeous thick texture. And right on the first page Phillip had taken the time to sign it.
Hailey,
Thank you for being our guinea pig. I know you’ll emerge a swan.
Much appreciation,
Phillip
She looked up at her friends, smiling. “Thank you so much. I’ll definitely treasure this.”
“Keep going,” Mad said.
She turned the page. Another note, this time from Claire.
Hailey,
You brought me a sisterhood of real friends at a time when I felt alone in a crowd. And you gave me a nudge (Ha! More like a shove!) to go on a blind date with Josh, who turned out to be Jake, the love of my life. I joined your Happy Endings Book Club and truly found my happy ending. Sisters forever. Long live romance and the happy ending!
Love,
Claire
Hailey’s throat tightened. Claire had been at the peak of her movie star popularity when they’d first met her. They’d all been a little starstruck, actually, but she’d turned out to be so down-to-earth and fun. “Claire, thank you. I’m not sure how much credit I can take for the twin switcheroo. I had no idea they were going to do that.”
Claire smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling with good humor. “The only reason they pulled a twin switch was because Josh wanted to go on the date with you. So it all comes back to you.” She gave Hailey a hug. “I love you, lady. Now keep reading.”
Hailey wiped at the wetness in her eyes. “You ladies are going to make me cry.”
Mad gestured to a mini-fridge. “We got you covered with cold compresses and sliced cucumbers. You cry as much as you want as long as they’re happy tears.”
Hailey laughed. “Thanks, Mad. You’re a great matron of honor.”
Mad smoothed her hair self-consciously, blushing. “Thanks,” she mumbled.
Hailey turned the page to Mad’s scrawl of a note.
Hailey,
You’re my first close woman friend and I know all the credit goes to you. You pushed to get to know me and welcomed me with open arms into the Happy Endings Book Club when others might have found me surly. Shocker, right? You made me feel comfortable for the first time with a group of women and that is a miracle all by itself, but then you also helped and encouraged me every step of the way to open Parker’s eyes and show him I was a full-grown woman who could handle him, and not the fifteen-year-old mouthy twerp he remembered. Now we’re married and I’ve never been happier.
You taught me to believe in myself and to believe in love. I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and now I don’t have to since you’re marrying my brother. You’re stuck with me for life! Welcome to the family.
Love,
Mad
The tears fell in earnest now. “Oh, Mad, you’ve done so much for me too. Get over here.” Mad was the first friend who saw the person Hailey was on the inside. Never catty or judgmental, Mad had helped Hailey claim her own strength as a woman. She’d also taught her self-defense and had treated Hailey like part of her close-knit family from the beginning. Hailey sniffled and opened her arms to Mad, who gave her a fierce hug.
Mad pulled away, tears in her eyes too. “I’ll get the tissues.” She rushed over to the vanity table in the corner of the room, pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes.
“Hello?” Hailey called. “Pregnant bride tears over here!”
Mad grabbed the box and offered it to Hailey, looking at the ceiling to hold back her tears. They fell anyway. Hailey snagged a tissue and delicately wiped under her eyes.
She turned the page for the next message. This one was from Charlotte, a personal trainer who had once been terribly jaded about men. She was married to Josh’s younger brother Ty.
Hailey,
I may have been the worst candidate for matchmaking, but once you put the idea of Ty in my head, he barreled right into my heart. Your unwavering faith in love and constant support gave me the strength to open up to Ty, you, and our friends.
I will always be grateful for your part in getting me through the harrowing time when I was on bed rest with T.J. Your daily texts and phone calls reminded me I was not alone in this. I had you and my sisters to back me up. Moving the Happy Endings Book Club meetings to my bedroom kept me part of the group I needed more than ever. I’m thrilled to call you sister. I love you with all my heart. No, you’re crying. God, I’m already bawling just writing this. I wish you the happiest of happy endings with Josh. You deserve it.
Love,
Charlotte
Hailey looked up. “Char—” Her voice choked. It had been a difficult time for all of them when Charlotte was on bed rest. Both Charlotte and the baby had been in a high-risk situation. Luckily, they’d both pulled through. T.J. was a healthy toddler now.
Charlotte kissed her cheek and then hugged her. “Love you, girl.”
“Love you too,” she managed.
Charlotte pulled away with a smile. “I’m so happy for you and Josh, both for the wedding and the baby.”
The women chorused their agreement, swooping in to hug her. She stood, surrounded by her sisterhood. “Thank you,” Hailey choked out. She looked around at her friends, every one of them looking at her with love in their eyes. To think she’d tried to keep her pregnancy from them. She was so glad they were a part of it now. She smiled through her tears. “Look what you did, turning me into a blubbering mess! At least I won’t be a blubbering bride. I think I’ll be out of tears by then.”
“Yeah, right!” Claire exclaimed.
“I will, I swear,” Hailey said. She sat down and blew her nose. Claire ran to get a small wastebasket, offering it to her. She tossed her tissue in. “Going back in for the next beautiful note.”
Hailey read on, wiping away tears to take in Lauren’s sweet note. She’d married Josh’s younger brother Alex. The next note was from Carrie, a sweet nurse who had gone way past what Hailey would’ve suggested in finding a man. And then Ally, her partner in Love Junkies, who apparently knew Hailey was pregnant this whole time since they shared an office. Guess her frequent bathroom breaks and constant nibbling of saltine crackers had given her away.
She looked up at Ally with a smile. “Good job keeping my secret.”
Ally hugged her. “Congratulations, baby mama! We all knew you and Josh were meant to be, even though you gave each other hell getting there.”
The women murmured in agreement.
Hailey laughed. “Josh was just playing with me. Little did I know at the time. You remember how mad I’d get at him?”
“Tiny banana rings a bell,” Carrie said with a grin.
Everyone laughed. That had been a good move, hinting Josh had a tiny banana. He had been beside himself trying to deny it without being obscene. Ha-ha-ha. Luckily, it wasn’t true at all.
Hailey bit back a smile and kept reading. Missy was next. She was probably the most guarded of her friends after a difficult childhood and an abusive ex. Now that she was married to Ben, a total sweetheart, she’d become more expressive. Oh, wow, Missy wanted to form a mom club too!
“Yes!” Hailey exclaimed, opening her arms to Missy. “I would love a mom club. I was already thinking that.”
Missy laughed and hugged her. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Hailey looked to all of their friends. “Of course, you’re all welcome to mom events. You don’t have to be a mom just mom friendly.”
“We’re definitely that,” Ally said. “You know we all want kids. It’s just a matter of time.”
Hailey nodded and turned the page. This one was from Sabrina, the relationship counselor. She’d married Josh’s youngest brother, Logan. Hailey braced herself. Sabrina was really good at emotional stuff and was sure to make her cry.
Hailey,
You nut! You’re the one who insisted I do the whole fake-fiancé thing and look what happened! Now I’m married to my best friend, Logan Campbell, the best husband in the entire world, and it’s all your fault! Seriously, though, I love you for being the eternal optimist and staunch supporter of love. I’m thrilled you and Josh finally opened up to each other to find the love that was waiting there all along. I hoped so much you would. We all did. I’m thrilled we’ll be sisters for life.
Love,
Sabrina
Hailey looked up, a lump in her throat, and Sabrina was already there, smiling at her. She hugged her tight.
“Last one, best one,” Lexi quipped. “Think you can hold off on the tears long enough to read mine?” Lexi was the most jaded against men of all of them. Boy, had she fallen hard for Marcus.
Hailey smiled and turned to Lexi’s sweet note, finally closing the journal with a satisfied sigh. She stood, placed the precious journal on the chair, and opened her arms without a word. She was quickly swallowed up by a group hug with her friends for life. She blinked to clear her vision from the tears and looked around at the faces of the women she loved. Not a dry eye in the place. Their journey together would continue through the next stage of marriage and motherhood. And, of course, they’d always have their love of romance binding them together.
Hailey smiled through her tears. “I was really freaking out before—”
“No, really?” Mad said with a smile.
Hailey laughed. “I was so caught up in the details. The flowers, the gown, the food, blah, blah, blah. You ladies reminded me the most important thing is love.” Her voice choked. “And I have an abundance of that from all of you and from Josh. I can’t wait to marry him.”
“We know!” the women chorused.
Everyone laughed.
“Let’s get this pregnant bride ready,” Mad said.
“Yes,” Hailey said, proud to own her pregnancy. She was thrilled about it and so was Josh. Soon they’d be married, and she couldn’t wait to see what Josh had planned for the honeymoon. It was the one thing she’d asked him to do.