Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
She stroked her hand down the side of her purple dress. “Only because you didn’t turn into a bridezilla and force us all to wear horrendous gowns with yards of tulle, sequins, and lace.”
Sebastian had only been willing to give me a month to pull together the wedding of my dreams, but that had been long enough for me to go way overboard. If my mother was still part of my life, she would have been happy with my choice to have four bridesmaids. But that was about the only decision that would’ve earned her stamp of approval. She and my dad would’ve hated everything else from my hair to my gown, including my groom.
Instead of needing to worry about what my parents thought, I got to enjoy my big day surrounded by people who loved me for me. “The dress you picked out is perfect for you.”
My only rule for my bridesmaids was that they chose dresses that were the same shade of purple and wore silver shoes. My friends all had wildly different taste, and I didn’t want them to feel uncomfortable while I was marrying the love of my life. Wendy had gone with a form-fitting gown that showed a decent amount of cleavage and ended just above her knees, and the style did amazing things for her figure.
“Thanks.” The grin she flashed at me was full of mischief. “My brother is going to hate it so much.”
A mental image of Scout’s over-the-top reaction when he first saw his sister in that dress as she walked down the aisle popped into my head and made me giggle. “We should give the photographer a heads-up so we get a good picture of him during the procession.”
She giggled and nodded. “I just might do that.”
Michelle, Sally, and Sara strutted back into the room. Sally was carrying two bottles—one was champagne and the other was sparkling juice—and my other two friends were holding champagne glasses. Sally handed the juice to Wendy and asked, “Open this one for me? We have just enough time for a quick toast before we need to line up.”
“Nope.” I shook my head, grabbed the bottle, and set it on the table. “The baby is only as big as a kidney bean, but even looking at a drink somehow makes me need to go to the bathroom.”
“Well, damn,” Sally sighed as she put the champagne next to the juice. “I guess we’ll skip the toast since your groom would probably strangle me if the ceremony had to be delayed. Even for a pregnant bride potty break.”
“It’s probably for the best anyway.” Wendy lifted her foot and rotated her ankle to show off the strappy shoes she was wearing. “I never should’ve let Sally talk me into going with four-inch heels. Add in some alcohol, and I’d probably trip on my way down the aisle.”
“You only have yourself to blame.” Sally shrugged. “Anything less wouldn’t live up to the killer dress you picked.”
Sara nodded. “Sorry, Wendy. I’ve gotta agree with my girl on this one.”
“It’s too bad you couldn’t make it to the rehearsal last night. You could’ve broken them in,” Sally added, jerking her chin toward the shoes in question.
Wendy’s shoulders drooped as she heaved a deep sigh. “Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. The bartender I was supposed to trade shifts with flaked out on me, so I was stuck going to McClaren’s to work instead.”
I waved off her concern. “I already told you not to worry about it. Being a bridesmaid isn’t that hard. Just follow Sara’s lead, and you’ll be fine.”
Michelle grabbed the bouquets off the couch and handed them out to each of us. “C’mon, we can gossip later. It’s time to line up now.”
Things moved quickly from there, and it wasn’t long before we were filing into the marriage hall. As one of the groomsmen, Rider was standing near the altar and was so obviously staring at Wendy with a possessive gleam in his eyes that I couldn’t help but notice, even though my focus was on Sebastian. When she flashed him a big grin, Cat had to tug on Scout’s arm to keep him in his seat. I was super curious to know what was going on between them and wished that I’d been able to see them together last night. Asking her about their story was going to have to wait until after I said my I Dos.
When my gaze returned to Sebastian, I got teary-eyed and weak in the knees over how gorgeous he looked in his tuxedo. I didn’t let that slow me down, though. Not when it seemed as though he was ready to march down the aisle and hurry me all the way up there. I already had his engagement ring on my finger, wore his property patch whenever he wanted, and was carrying his baby. But none of that dimmed Sebastian’s impatience to make me his wife. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.