Chapter 6
Would it be horrible of her to down the coffee and excuse herself?
Breakfast was on its way and Tallia looked over at Lillian…then banished the thought. This week was for Lillian. The three of them were here to support their friend as she approached her wedding day. It was a special week and she couldn’t abandon her friend just because she wanted to spend time with Stephen.
Over the past few days, they’d spent every available moment together and she’d slept in his arms, either in his suite or in hers. At night, they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other and she wanted to get a whole lifetime of loving out of him in just one short week.
“Okay, today isn’t going to be nearly as fun since we need to get all of you to the final fitting for your dresses,” Lillian explained.
Tallia stifled a groan of frustration. Fittings. Ugh! Who cared if her bridesmaid dress was pinched in perfectly at the waist or if the hemline was exact? She certainly couldn’t give a fig! She wanted to hurry through the day so she could be with Stephen.
At that exact moment, she saw him walking through the lobby, their eyes met, time stood still, and she held her breath until he disappeared again. The message was clear, he wanted her.
She missed him too and they’d only been apart for a half hour. Her alarm had gone off this morning and he’d rolled over, both of them groaning since he’d kept her up so late last night. But she didn’t blame him. Sex with Stephen was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. He loved the way she moved against him, as well as her amazement every time he showed her something new. With his encouragement, she’d become the sexually adventurous woman she’d always dreamed of becoming.
Even now, after just a glimpse of the man walking through the lobby as she sat in the hotel restaurant sipping orange juice and coffee, she could feel her body coming alive, needing him again. Last night, he’d made love to her twice and then again in the shower this morning. So, why was she so desperate to have him again?
Because she knew that their time was limited. She didn’t want to waste it doing silly things like dress fittings and salon days. The last part was Lillian’s way of thanking them for being here, but that was silly since her family was paying for their hotel stay and all of their expenses. Good grief, Lillian’s parents had even paid for their plane tickets! Who did that?! Normally, the bridesmaids cursed and fretted, trying to pay for all of the expenses the bride demanded. This was so out of the norm as to be crazy!
Not that Tallia was complaining, she thought, as she half-heartedly listened to Lillian talk about…
Tallia perked up again. Looking at Jane and Becca, they’d noticed the reference as well.
Realizing that something was very off, she sat up straighter in the plush, cushioned chair. “Wait. Hold up, Lilly. What’s going on? This is the third time we’ve heard about this George guy. Who is he?”
Lillian’s startled expression caught the attention of everyone. All three bridesmaids leaned forward, looking at the bride. “Lilly? What’s with George?”
Lillian looked down at her coffee cup. “George is the man who helps me run the hedge fund I inherited.” Looking up, she leaned back, trying to be casual. “He’s brilliant, but no more so than Phillip.”
Tallia wasn’t convinced. And as she looked at Jane and Becca, she knew that they were suspicious as well.
Turning back to Lillian, she put her hand over Lilly’s. “Honey, what’s going on?”
Lillian stared back at them and Tallia knew that her friend wanted to admit something horrible. But Lillian was nothing if not an old-style southern belle, always doing the right thing, and never rocking the boat. “Nothing,” she muttered, letting out the breath she’d been holding. “Just wedding jitters. Phillip and I got into a fight yesterday about…” she waved her hand in the air and shook her head. “Nothing. It was silly, actually.”
Jane’s eyes watched her friend carefully. “You said last month that you and Phillip have never fought about anything.”
She laughed, nervously twirling the delicate china cup in the matching saucer. “Exactly. We’ve never fought about anything. We agree on almost everything. Which is why I was so upset about our argument earlier. It just…” she sighed and rubbed her forehead. “It upset me. Especially since the wedding is so close.”
“It’s good to fight,” Becca pointed out. “It gets out a lot of issues.”
Tallia nodded. “I agree. It’s only bad if you don’t make up, talk about things. Don’t let this argument fester, Lil. Talk to him. Work things out. You don’t want your wedding day to be marred by angry words.”
Lillian looked at her friends and nodded. “You’re right. You’re all right. I should talk to him but…” she sighed and looked at the chandelier over their heads. “Well, he’s just very busy lately, trying to finish up all the work that has to happen so that we can go on our honeymoon.”
Tallia lifted her coffee cup to her lips and took a long sip, watching Lillian carefully. When the other woman’s eyes fluttered, Tallia knew that something else was wrong.
“What else?” she asked.
The three of them waited, Lillian opening and closing her mouth as she obviously tried to come up with an answer. “Nothing,” she finally said. “Nothing at all.”
“You said that before and then you admitted to fighting with Phillip.”
Becca leaned forward. “Lil, we’ve known each other for too long. We know when something is bothering you. What’s going on? Is something wrong with the wedding? Something you aren’t happy with? We can fix it. We still have several days to…”
“Why does everyone think that my world revolves around this stupid wedding?” Lillian snapped. “I didn’t plan any of this! My mother and Phillip’s mother have organized everything! I had no say in any of it and I don’t want to! This is their show! Phillip and I are supposed to just show up and smile for the pictures! The stupid, ridiculous pictures that my mother will send out to everyone, including the newspapers. As if the rest of the world really cares how many pearls were sewn onto my wedding dress or the insane number of diamonds placed in my tiara!” She groaned, rolling her eyes. “A tiara! Can you believe it? No matter how much I argued that a tiara was ridiculous, she was emphatic that I wear it! Like I’m some sort of princess, ready to be married off to Prince Charming!”
The three of them stared at Lillian as if she’d just grown a second, third, and fourth head. Lillian never got angry. She never yelled and, as long as they’d known her, she’d never said anything negative about her mother. It was as if she’d just come out of her shell.
Slowly, the three of them started clapping. Becca started and Tallia joined in, quickly followed by Jane. They laughed too, a giggle at first, then another and another, until the four of them were holding their stomachs as they let loose with their shock and laughter.
When their laughter died down a bit, they each stared at Lillian, waiting for another outburst. There were a few snorts, but they finally got their laughter under control.
“Should we head out to that dress fitting now?” she offered. That only started up the laughter again, but from the dirty looks they were receiving from the other diners, they all decide to head on out. They had to lean against each other as they laughed their way out of the restaurant and into the waiting limousine.
“To Phillip and arguments!” Lillian announced, lifting up a bottle of champagne that had been chilling in the limousine. She poured the bubbly into the four champagne flutes and off they went, ready to take on the seamstresses and laugh about the ridiculous wedding that was to take place in only a few more days.