Jade made her way downstairs after unpacking for her and Nic. She could hear the hubbub of commotion in the great room. The kids were hyper after the flight. Jade made a right turn at the bottom of the stairs and headed to the kitchen. It would be quieter there. She loved her nieces and nephews, but all of them together, hyper and amped about Christmas? Well, distance was her friend right now.

Two minutes after sitting down with a cup of hot apple cider that was simmering in the crockpot on the counter, Em walked in. She shut the door and put her back against it. "Jade, what color were the bridesmaids dresses supposed to be?"

"A dark red. Why?" A horrible sick feeling dropped over her.

Em pushed the door open and checked the hallway before she scurried over to the table and pulled out a piece of lurid yellow-greenish-brown material. "What the hell happened to this tie?" Jade lifted it and winced. "Fuck, did someone puke on it?"

"No, this is the color of everything." Em hissed.

Everything? What was everything? Her sister-in-law wasn't making sense. Ember pointed to the tie and whispered, "The dresses are this color."

"Oh for fuck's sake!"

"Shhhh...."

"No, this can't be happening." Jade started pacing. "Okay, okay. We can fix this."

"Fix what?"

Her mom's question spun her on a dime. "Oh… I forgot to pack a part of Joseph's gift from Ember." She slid her panicked gaze at her sister-in-law, silently begging for help.

"Yeah, I wanted her to swing by the..." Ember glanced back at Jade.

"Jewelers! For cufflinks." Jade wanted to slap her hand over her mouth. Like Joseph used cufflinks. The man lived in jeans. She'd seen him in a suit once, and that was at her dad's funeral.

Amanda's eyebrows lifted toward the ceiling. "Oh, well that's a nice gift, dear. Were you planning on going somewhere that he'll need to wear formal attire?"

"Well, actually it was for..."

"My wedding." Dani stood in the door of the kitchen. "We've decided on a formal affair in a lovely Tuscan vineyard, and when I told Ember, she worried that Joseph wouldn't feel comfortable, so she bought him a tailor-made suit, shoes, and cufflinks for Christmas. We were going to tell you at dinner tonight. We have three dates we are looking at in June so we can crunch calendars."

"Right!" Ember twirled to Amanda.

Jade swallowed down her looming panic. She was going to fucking hug the stuffings out of Dani. The woman just saved her ass and looked casual as fuck when she did it.

Amanda cocked her head and her gaze swept from woman to woman. "Oh, well, hopefully, it doesn't ruin the surprise." She turned and grabbed the crockpot full of apple cider. "Would one of you please bring those cups in?"

Jade watched the door swing shut behind her mom and deflated. "Fuck, that was close," she whispered as she snuck to the door and peeked down the hall.

"Dani, you saved our asses!" Ember gave the woman a high five.

"It wasn't a lie. We are having a formal wedding in a Tuscan vineyard. I just added two and two together. What was going on that I had to rescue you?"

"Girl, it’s a disaster." Jade retrieved the tie from silverware drawer where Em had shoved it when Amanda surprised them. "This is the color of the bridesmaids dresses.”

"Oh, dear God in heaven. That is atrocious." Dani placed her hand on her chest and cringed.

"What are we going to do?" Ember rolled up the tie and shoved it in her jeans pocket.

"The first thing I'm going to do is find something stronger than cider. Then we need to find a way to get over to Jasmine's. My dress is supposed to arrive today. If it looks anything like that tie, I'll… hell, barf for one, then who the fuck knows."

"What does she have planned for this afternoon?" Jade asked as she opened the door and peeked down the hall.

"Movie time for the kids. She's got princess and superhero movies." Ember followed her out the door.

Jade crooked her finger at Dani, "You're part of this, too."

"You know I've never had a sister. If this is what it is like, I'm not sure I was missing anything. What about the cups your mom wants?"

Jade laughed. "Fuck you. Not like you didn't know I was bossy. She'll send one of the kids in for them if we don't bring them." They tiptoed into Frank's study, and Jade shut the double doors. She made her way to the long bar and smiled. "Ahhh… the good hooch." Jade lifted a crystal decanter and waved it in the air. "Three?"

"Screw it. I'm in." Em sat down on the barstool.

Dani glanced at her watch and lifted an eyebrow. “It’s only a little past noon.”

Ember pulled out the tie and waved it at her.

The woman blanched. "Yeah, make it a double."

"My kind of sisters-in-law." Jade poured the amber liquid into the tumblers and downed hers first, promptly pouring herself another. "Okay, so we need us three, Tori, Faith and Jewell over at Jasmine’s this afternoon during movie time. Em, see if Keelee can run interference for us?

"I'll ask, but we will need backup. What about Nic and Justin?" She waggled her finger between Jade and Dani.

"I can tell Justin what we are doing. He'll stick around and help your mom. He likes kids." Dani downed her drink and gasped. "Shit, I thought you said that was the good stuff."

Jade laughed and splashed more into Dani's glass. "Nah, girl, I said I needed something stronger and that this was the good hooch. Frank and I like the throat burning stuff.” She glanced over at a small table with ornate bottles. "That's the good stuff. It would be lost on me." She lifted her glass of cheap whiskey and toasted her sisters-in-law. "Here's to enough alcohol to circumvent that shit-stain of a color."

Ember raised her glass. "I hate to tell you, but there isn't enough alcohol in the world for that."

"You look beautiful." Jasmine had never seen her sister look so happy. The white dress she'd chosen was perfect for her. Lace sleeves and neckline to a fitted silk bodice and a pencil skirt. A bright red sash tied in a bow at the back. "Beautiful."

Everyone else breathed relieved sighs and compliments when Jade entered the room. She made her way to the full-length mirror and smiled at the reflection. "So, one problem down." She spun and looked at the wall of what they'd affectionately started calling diarrhea green material.

"I found out what happened.” Jewell lifted the tablet from her seat. “You told us the number was JB78K5. The color you wanted was JV78K5." She tapped the screen and brought up a color chart. "Right?"

Jade took the pad and nodded. "Yeah, but what are we going to do about," She waved her arm at the visual assault to everyone's senses. "That."

Tori passed the bottle of single malt they'd commandeered from Chad's stash. Jasmine held out her glass for a refill as it passed by.

"Burn them in effigy?" Em's comment started a round of laughter.

"Did everyone bring a dress to wear to church for Christmas services?" Tori asked when the giggles subsided.

Jasmine watched as everyone nodded. "Then I say we wear our own dresses, let the guys where the suits they brought. It will be casual, but the idea is getting you two married and making beautiful memories, not..."

"Shit-stained ones." Jade finished her sentence, sending everyone into a fit of laughter again.

"Right, that." Tori acknowledged.

"Perfect. That problem is solved." Jasmine lifted off the couch. "Jade, go change out of that, so it doesn't get dirty or wrinkled."

Jade downed her alcohol. "I will, in a minute. First, we need to figure out how to get Mom to the church tomorrow afternoon."

"I've got that one covered." Jasmine raised her hand. She tiptoed through the women sitting on the floor to her desk. She grabbed an envelope and pulled out an elegant white card.

"I did this online. Tonight before dinner, I'm going to deliver it to everyone staying at the ranch during the holidays. I figured you wouldn't mind the extended family coming to the wedding." She handed it to Jade.

"You are cordially invited to an event honoring Christmas, love, and joy, hosted by the King Family." Jade read the words and paused. "It has the time, date and location." She closed the card and hugged Jasmine tightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It also says Christmas casual for the dress." Jasmine sat on her desk and swung her legs.

"Oh my God, that is perfect. We can give one to Frank and Amanda at dinner. That will explain the mystery she no doubt has picked up on." Tori smiled from ear to ear. "Jasmine, we really miss you at Guardian. Are you sure we couldn't lure you back?"

"Never in a million years." Jasmine loved her new life as mother, wife, and chief of Chad's security when he toured. His touring was rare and controlled, with limited venues and only during the summer so when Chloe started school they'd all be home.

"Okay, so we have fixed the Vogue vomit issue. Who is decorating the church in the morning?" Jasmine watched as Jade spun around looking for… oh, the alcohol decanter. She shook her head. "I can't. We have all the kids and the husbands coming here tomorrow morning. Amanda thought wearing them out would help take the edge off the Christmas Eve excitement. We are going to give prizes out and have hot cocoa."

"What time?" Faith asked from the couch where she'd been sitting quietly.

"Nine, so we will be done in time to get everyone back, cleaned up, and ready for the ceremony at noon." Jasmine knew sledding for an hour to an hour and a half would wear out the kids, and the men, too.

"Oh, God, please do not let my fiancé break his ass before we get married." Jade extended her tumbler to Dani who'd ended up with the bottle.

Ember threw one of the barf colored ties towards Faith. The woman laughed and ducked out of the way. Jasmine noted the amount of alcohol remaining in the tumbler Faith held in her hand. She hadn't touched it. Interesting. She lifted her eyebrows at Faith who blushed and glanced away. Bingo. Instead of calling her out on it, Jasmine asked, "How many do we need at the church to decorate? It is just flowers on the pews, our bouquets, and the altarpiece, right? I think Keelee, Sky, and Lyric are getting the food, drinks and wedding cake ready to move before they head to the church for the event."

"Wait, who's Lyric?" Jade pounced on the new name. "Does she know about the secret? Seriously, guys, who doesn't know what's happening tomorrow?"

The women exchanged looks. Ember shrugged, "Amanda and Frank don't know. Oh, and Aunt Betty."

"Reece doesn't." Faith added quietly.

Jade pointed at Faith while she took another drink of liquor. When she finished, she said, "That's a good thing. Love that little boy to death, but he doesn't keep secrets well."

"Truth." Tori laughed, "My boys don't know either. They are too primed for Christmas to wonder what's going on with the adults."

"Right." Jade nodded. Her face pulled, and she glanced at Jasmine. "Again, who is Lyric?"

"Isaac's woman." Jewell glanced up at Jade.

"Who the fuck is Isaac?" Jade glanced at Tori. The woman stood up and whispered in Jade's ear. Jade blinked, leaned away from Tori and asked, "Really?"

"Yes." Tori acknowledged.

"Oh. Well, shit. Okay. I'd like to meet that woman."

Jewell levered herself off the floor. "I suggest we have a Christmas Day bonfire with these." She fluffed one of the taffeta dresses as she passed by. "They are butt ugly."

"I don't care what happens to them." Jade shook her head. "Right, now back to the plan. Flowers tomorrow morning. Who?"

"Tori and I can do it." Em looked at her sister-in-law for confirmation.

Tori nodded. "No problem. Jacob will be busy with the boys. I can take Tristan with us if he doesn't want to sled."

"Joey can watch Tristan and Blake." Jasmine chuckled at the way Em offered her husband up without consulting him. Joseph would do anything for Ember, so it was a safe bet she didn't need to ask if the man had other plans.

"Okay. Then what we need is everyone in the wedding party to be at the church by eleven. We can do some quick pictures and then I'll hide out until everyone arrives." Jade's hand ran down the lace of one sleeve. She looked up and gazed around the room. A radiant smile split her face. "Y'all, I'm getting married tomorrow. How fucking unbelievable is that shit!"