Stella

“Do you think we should call someone to perform an exorcism?” Mia asked half-serious as we watched Charlotte have her tenth bridezilla moment for the afternoon. I was late for our trip, thanks to Booth’s luscious cock, which had sparked her first fit, and it had gone that way since we arrived at the dress shop. This current one was about her choice of sash colour that wrapped around her waist. She first chose a bluish-pink, but once she saw it on, she wasn’t sure, so now she was thinking about a champagne colour.

And she wanted to get married soon so she wasn’t showing for the photos. I just hoped if Booth ever proposed, he and I could just elope together. I had no desire to put myself through this madness on purpose.

“We should call Deck. The bastard dropped us off and left like a scalded cat,” I replied. When the big, muscled, former soldier left us at the store, the tyres on his truck screeched. He’d made sure we got in safe, of course, and left a prospect with us, but he’d cut and run like buggery with a laughing Shiloh waving madly from her huge car seat in the back. Cowards. We all loved Charlotte. She was a wonderful person and my best friend along with Mia, but I couldn’t wait for this wedding to be over. Pregnant and planning a wedding wasn’t the best idea. Although I had jokingly called her a bridezilla, I think a bridecryer would be more apt.

“You know what we should do?” Rainn said. She was sitting on the comfy chairs in the formal fitting room of the bridal boutique. The chairs and chaise lounges were set in a semi-circle so when the bride-to-be came out from the changing rooms, she was the centre of attention.

“No, Rainn. We can’t do anything at all. I am still trying to get over the sex party,” Mia grumbled good-naturedly, but down deep, I had to agree. Although I got plastered that night and got a bit too involved in the items on display for sale, it was one of the nights when Ingrid went to Booth’s room. And even though I knew now what went on, at the time, my heart was shattered, and it was a feeling I couldn’t seem to forget, even with him declaring his love and loyalty to me. I felt that hurt down deep. Mia, I was sure, also felt her humiliation of Steel throwing Callie over his shoulder that night and taking off for his room.

Rainn poked her tongue out at us, a grin on her face. “Seriously, why don’t we put on our lingerie that we will be wearing under our dresses, and send them a group photo of all of us in a line, with each of us blowing our men a kiss. They will go nuts.” She jumped up and down excitedly. It was all right for her. Mannix wasn’t all alpha about her, and their relationship was open and casual since he held no claim on her. But for Charlotte, Vegas, and me, our men were a mite territorial.

Charlotte was attacking her bottom lip much like I was doing, but her eyes had a naughty sparkle to them. Oh, shit, no, Charlotte, no.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Oh, Lord, where had the shy, quiet day-care teacher gone?

“Yay,” Rainn squealed as she clapped her hands together. This woman really was a troublemaker but in the nicest and funniest way, and I did owe her after everything she did for me after Bradley assaulted me.

Reluctantly, I nodded my approval. As the president’s girlfriend, I felt I had to take some kind of leadership role amongst the women. I shrugged helplessly at Mia, who just looked sad.

“Why not, it’s not like anyone is going to go all gaga over me in lingerie,” she said, resigned.

Last night, Steel disappeared with Callie, leaving Mia to stare off after them, but I did notice that Creed stared at Mia with a little more than just interest in a friend. I wasn’t sure how I felt about those two being together. I was afraid this might be a situation of unrequited love all around.

“Come on, Mia. I am sure Creed will appreciate your goods, and who knows, maybe Steel will see the light and dump that idiot sister of yours,” Vegas added. Even though Darth hadn’t claimed her officially, everyone at the club knew she was off limits to anyone but him.

So twenty minutes later, I found myself dressed in the peach corset bra and matching panties that Charlotte had picked out for us to wear under our dresses. We were all dressed the same, but Rainn had on her usual high heels, which made her legs look amazing. We all looked the same but different, but it was Mia who had us all speechless. Who knew that under those funny T-shirts, she had the body of a sex goddess?

“Why are we sending it from my phone?” Charlotte cried after the poor sales lady snapped a shot of us and handed the phone to Rainn so she could send a group photo message to all the guys.

“Because you’re the bride,” Rainn answered like it made all the sense in the world.

I didn’t want to wear my new bra set before the wedding, so I went back into the dressing room and went about taking it off. Under the cups, I saw the marks Booth left on me this morning, and I blushed at the memory as I let my finger graze over one perfect mark. I rubbed my finger over it and started to giggle when I suddenly felt something odd.

What was that?

Did Booth suck too hard and cause some sort of lump? My hands were shaking as I felt around the strange lump that was hard and just off to the side of my nipple.

Oh, my God. My body went into involuntary shakes. My mum died of cancer. She had the more serious ovarian cancer, which I’d had tests for and had come back clear, but what if I had the breast cancer gene? Quickly, I moved closer to the mirror and looked at my breast. There was definitely a lump. Oh, God, I was going to die. Booth had just claimed me and declared his love, and now I was going to wreck it all by dying. Oh, Lord, I couldn’t breathe. My chest was aching, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

I didn’t know when I started crying, but I looked at myself in the mirror again and saw the tears streaming down my cheeks. Racking sobs heaved from my body as I dropped to the floor. I still didn’t have on a bra, but my arms were crossed over them. I needed Booth. He would know what to do. Booth would get rid of it. He protected everyone he loved.

I needed Booth.

“Stella, are you crying in there, honey?” I heard Charlotte and Mia at the curtain of the dressing room, but there was no chance I could answer them. My tears were falling so fast I was sure I was going to be sick.

“Oh, my God, Stella. What is wrong sweetie?” Mia cried as she came through the curtain and saw me on the ground naked except for my panties.

I tried to get myself under control to say something, but I couldn’t seem to stop crying. The painful memories of seeing my mother go through cancer and the treatment flooded my mind.

Oh, God, I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t put Booth through months and months of treatments, of being sick and putting life on hold, waiting, and praying for a miracle.

Vegas and Rainn joined us in the room. Vegas got down on her haunches and tipped my head up with her finger.

“Stells, what is it?” Her soft but firm voice penetrated my overwhelmed brain.

I looked at her and then around to each of my friends. My best friends.

“I found a lump,” I whispered. My hands were still wrapped tightly around my chest. Protecting it? I had no idea, but I couldn’t seem to take them away.

“Fuck, no way,” Rainn muttered from the curtain. I could hear Mia and Vegas gasp in shock together, but Charlotte understood what I needed most.

“Call Booth.”