Chapter twelve
“First question, when’s the date?”
It’s Saturday morning and I’d much rather be out with Aiden and Lexi doing fun things. Instead, I’m here with the wedding planner, Ava. She’s a serious, straight to business, no bullshit kind of woman. I like her.
“April 29.”
She stares at me and blinks. I bite the inside of my cheek, second-guessing my date. “I know it’s far away, but I don’t want to get married in the winter,” I say, defending my date. She snickers at my response.
“Far away?” she replies. “I was thinking that it was too soon.”
My eyes widen. “It’s almost seven months away.”
“Exactly.” She flips open her laptop and starts typing. She looks over my head and says, “Most women start planning their wedding at least a year in advance. Especially if they expect to get the venue they want.”
“A year?” my voice breaks. Holy shit. Why would I want to spend a year of my life planning a wedding?
“It’ll be okay. I think I can make do with seven months. Especially if Ryker Dallas will be there.” My eyebrow quirks. Why the hell would that make a difference? We had to give her the names of our party when we filled out our initial questionnaire. She obviously went over that.
She waves her hand in the air. “Venues always love when celebrities attend because it gives them free advertising. Have you thought about where you want to get married?” I guess that makes sense.
I tap my fingers on the table as I think about it. “Hmm…” I can’t think of anything. “We don’t need to get married in a church.” I’m happy giving her a specific detail, but she crushes it when she replies.
“Addison, have you thought about any of the details for your wedding?” I thought I just gave you one.
“No,” I sigh. “That’s why I hired you.”
She stares at me for a beat and then nods like she’s answering her own question. I’m getting the feeling I’m not her typical bride.
“Okay,” she says slowly. “I just need to ask this before we proceed. Do you want to get married?” Her voice turns serious as she sits back in her seat and crosses her arms.
I laugh out loud and lean forward on the table. “That is the only thing I’m sure of. Listen, I just need my wedding to go off without anyone ruining it. The details aren’t the most important thing. As long as we’re married in the end, that’s what matters most to me.”
“That I can do.” She smiles.
“I’m warning you, that might sound easy, but you don’t know how much Fate likes to screw with me.”
She sits up tall and her smirk tells me she’s up to the challenge. “Addison, I promise you that you and Aiden will be married on April 29.” Yep, I like her.
The next couple hours are spent going over detail after detail. I’m blown away by some of them. What the hell is a groom’s cake for anyway? I tell her I want simple. Classy, but simple. I don’t need over-the-top decorations. I don’t even care if my girls’ dresses match.
“There’s a website that you pick the color of the dress and the girls can choose between over a hundred designs,” Ava says, writing down the website for me.
“Sydney will love that.” I take the paper from her and put it in my pile of things to do. She pulls up the website and turns her laptop around so I can see. We go through the colors, and I finally decide on burgundy.
“What will the guys be wearing?”
I hold up my hands and shake my head. “That’s a question for Aiden.” He can make some of these damn decisions, too. If I knew I’d have to make this many decisions, I would have had him here with me. My head hurts. I get up and grab a water for us as she clicks on her keyboard, hopefully writing out a list for Aiden. I twist the cap off and take a long drink. My mouth is dry from talking so much.
When we return to the subject of venues, I have no freaking clue. She goes over some of the popular ones around New York City. When she talks about the Central Park Boathouse, I stop her.
“I want it there,” I say quickly. Central Park is one of my favorite places ever.
She twists her lips, tapping her pen against them. “It usually books up fast, but I’ll check it out. I need a couple other options just in case it isn’t available.” I nod and we continue to pick a couple more places.
By the time she leaves, I feel like I’ve drained every cell in my brain. I mindlessly go through my to-do list, which needs immediate attention.
Tell bridesmaids and groomsmen they are in the wedding.
Find a dress.
I drop my head onto the kitchen table. I’ve officially been thrown into wedding planning hell. Time to get the girls together for a dinner.
***
“I’m so glad you set this up,” Macie says, sitting across from me. Her smile reaches her eyes. “I needed a girls’ night out. And I have news.”
We all stare at her expectantly. She waits for the waiter to put all our waters in front of us before she continues.
“I’ll be right back with your drinks, ladies,” our waiter says before walking away. We politely thank him and turn back to Macie.
“I’m pregnant,” she beams without hesitation, clapping her hands together.
“That’s awesome news,” I say, standing and running around the table to hug her. Aiden told me she and Ryan have been trying for a while, so I know how much this means to her. Bryn, Sydney, and Harper congratulate her, and we do a toast when we get our drinks. Of course, Macie toasts with a Shirley Temple. Now I know why she didn’t order an alcoholic drink.
“Oh, no. Can you eat something here?” I ask, concern in my voice. Had I known, I wouldn’t have picked a sushi restaurant.
She waves her hand. “Yes, it’s fine. I’ll just get a roll with shrimp in it.”
Syd bounces in her seat. “I’m so excited for you, Mace. Has Ryan told the guys?”
“He’s going to tonight. You guys couldn’t have planned this night any better! We were so excited that we could tell everyone in person.”
Aiden and I each planned a dinner out with our friends to check off the first thing on our to-do list. Hannah took Lexi to a new Disney movie so it worked out perfectly. Oh, shit. I start counting months in my head. My fingers move as I count each month.
“We’re due at the end of May, first of June,” Macie says, finishing my calculation for me. I wonder how she’s going to feel being eight months pregnant in the wedding. I hold off asking so we can enjoy her excitement for a little bit.
The waiters place our food in front of us. My mouth waters just looking at it. My rolls are filled with shrimp, crab, and tuna with a creamy wasabi sauce on top. My nose tickles in anticipation of the wasabi. I break apart my chopsticks and pick a slice up. Dipping it in soy sauce, I bring the roll to my mouth and savor the flavors in each bite. My nose burns and my eyes water from the heat; that short burst of burning is why I love wasabi.
We chat about everything while we eat with lots of laughs in between. By the time dinner is done, I’m rubbing my sore cheeks. I take a quick drink of my wine before talking.
“Okay, ladies. There is a reason I asked y’all to come to dinner.” Syd flashes a knowing smile. She already knows what I’m about to say. I hate that Katie isn’t here, but I talked to her right before dinner. She screamed through the phone in excitement. I’m surprised I can hear out of that ear.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. I clasp my hands together and say, “We set a date, April 29.”
“Finally,” cheers Harper. I roll my eyes, but laugh. I know I’ve been avoiding the planning stage, but it hasn’t been that long.
“And I’d like it if you all would be my bridesmaids,” I say shyly. My heart beats fast, and I can feel my face flush. My feelings catch me off guard. I don’t know if I’m afraid they’re going to say no or I just don’t like being in the spotlight.
Cheers and yesses are repeated around the table. I let out a soft breath and fan myself. Syd looks at me, shaking her head. I stick my tongue out at her. She’s always been the social butterfly out of the two of us. She craves the spotlight, while I try to keep out of it.
I glance at Macie who’s biting her lip. “I know you’ll be eight months pregnant, but that’s okay, right?” Aiden won’t let Ryan back out, so if Macie doesn’t want to be in the wedding I’m going to have to find someone else. And I don’t have anyone else, so I’m hoping she says yes.
“If you don’t mind a huge whale in your wedding.” She scrunches up her nose.
I slam my hand down on the table, glasses clink together. Crap. I grasp the round table, steadying it. “What! You worked hard for the baby, you better be showing that belly off loud and proud. And you’ll be adorable pregnant.”
She smiles and her eyes well up with tears. I blink back the tears threatening to form.
“Y’all are making me cry,” Sydney says.
“Sorry. These damn hormones. Yes, I’d be honored to be in your wedding,” she says, blotting the tears with her napkin.
“Yay!” I clap, looking around the table. “Thank y’all for being such good friends. You’ve been there for me for so much, and I love y’all.”
“This isn’t helping me,” Macie cries and laughs at the same time.
“Dessert, ladies?” the waiter says.
“Yes,” everyone replies at once.
A few minutes later, we’re all staring at the decadent chocolate cake in front of us. “Holy mother of chocolate,” Syd says. The cake’s icing looks like hot fudge, smooth and silky. Strawberries line one side of the cake, laying in melted chocolate. The other side has a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled in the chocolate. My taste buds are already buzzing, telling me to hurry the hell up and take a bite. I bring a forkful to my mouth and as soon as the rich, warm chocolate hits my tongue, I close my eyes and drown in chocolate-induced euphoria.
Bryn clears her throat. I open my eyes and glare at her. She’s ruining the moment. This better be good. She laughs at me. “So…” She pauses and looks around the table. “Who am I going to be paired with?”
“After you just interrupted my chocolate orgasm, who do you think?” I say, jokingly. She is with Ryker but that decision was already decided.
“Really? Can’t I be with Max?” she whines.
Harper figures out what’s going on and jumps in. “I don’t mind being with Ryker,” she boasts as she brings a forkful of chocolate cake to her mouth. She lets out a moan when she pulls the fork out. “This cake is amazeballs,” she mumbles.
“Max is the best man so he’ll be with Syd.” I shove a piece of cake in my mouth before I have to talk again.
“Then I’ll be with Damon.”
I sigh. “Bryn, he’ll still be there whether you walk down the aisle with him or walk in front of him.” She rolls her eyes over the brim of her wine glass.
“Bryndle,” Syd says slowly with a mischievous grin. “Is there something you need to share with the group?” I glance at Syd. Is that even her name?
Bryn scrunches her nose at Syd. “No, Sydney, there isn’t anything to tell.” She picks up her glass of wine again and downs the rest of it, filling it right back up with the bottle on the table. “I just don’t want to be the one with the ‘famous football player’.” She uses air quotes.
“For the wedding or ever?” Harper asks, eyeing Bryn.
“You guys! Nothing is going on with us. We’ve talked a couple times on the phone.” She glares at me as I start to say something. I snap my mouth shut and grab my wine. I still don’t believe it was just talking.
“The lady doth protest too much.” Syd laughs.
“Fine,” she huffs, surrendering. “I’ll be with him. At the wedding,” she clarifies.
“Ryker really is a good guy,” Macie says, putting her hand on top of Bryn’s.
Bryn lets out a heavy sigh. “Yes, he is. That’s the problem. Why can’t I meet a normal, boring guy? My life is boring. I’m a freaking accountant, for God’s sake. I just don’t want to be in the spotlight.” I certainly understand that.
I start to wonder if there is more to her story. I’ve only known Bryn for a little over a year, but she’s never talked about her past. I’ve never noticed until now. She has a strong personality, but she’s struggling with this. She could easily tell Ryker no, but it’s obvious she likes him. What’s holding her back? I know we all have skeletons, but I hope hers don’t have a tight hold on her. She picks up her wine and takes another drink.
I softly smile at her. She’s clearly flustered. I don’t want her to be uncomfortable at my wedding. “I can put Ryker with Harper,” I say, hoping it’ll help her calm down. With her elbow on the table and her glass in the air, she closes her eyes briefly and lets out a heavy sigh.
“No. I’m sorry,” she says. “It’s fine. I’ll be with Ryker.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Now let’s talk about what you have to do next.”
I mentally file away that I need to talk to Bryn more, make sure she’s okay with this. She clearly wants to move on, so I tell them about the website they need to go to and what color the dress should be. They’re excited they don’t all have to wear the same dress. They all have different body types so they start discussing what they like and don’t like in a dress. I’m excited hearing them talk about their dresses. I tell them a few details that Ava and I discussed and where we’re trying to book for the ceremony and reception.
“That sounds amazing,” Macie says. The last few days, I’ve imagined my wedding at the Boathouse and I’m hoping we get it. Regret bubbles up inside of me, thinking I should have started planning it sooner. Aiden is getting a kick out of this.
“My next to-do is to go wedding dress shopping. I have an appointment in two weeks, so if you can be there, I’d love it because I’m going to need all the help I can get picking out a dress.”
I’m relieved when everyone agrees to come and help me. They all start throwing out descriptions of dresses, what I might like or not like. Holy shit, I’m scared. Can’t I just say a white dress and be done with it?