“That too, but to be fair, I can fix your screwups. None of you have mentioned the most important rule of them all.”
“Don’t tell Milo a fucking thing,” I said firmly.
“Bingo!” Vanessa said. “Those drag queens kept a tight lip about what they painted in Milo and Andy’s future nursery, and so will you.”
“Will there be a big reveal where we vote on the winner?” April asked.
“There are only winners in this situation,” Vanessa said. “First, it’s my artwork so we can’t go wrong. Second, their visions are… Never mind. You’ll know when they reveal the murals.”
Was she going to say different or similar? It could go either way because we were very alike in some things and complete opposites in others. If anyone thought it was odd that the Miracle twins were painting nurseries prior to weddings, or even engagements, they didn’t remark on it. They were used to us marching to our own beats. We knew what we wanted and didn’t wait for approval or permission.
“Does it matter where we start?” Violet asked. “Do you want us all to complete one wall before moving onto the next?”
“It’s up to Maegan.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” I told them. “Pick whatever you’d like to work on, and we’ll see how far we get to day. This is a big undertaking.” It took Vanessa weeks to draw it on the walls.
“I’ll take the treehouse if you don’t mind,” Van said to me. “It’s where most of the detail and shading is needed to give it a life-like appearance.”
April chose the woodland critters, Violet started painting picket fences, Candace decided to work on fluffy clouds and blue skies, and I decided to go with the whimsical tree swing suspended from flower vines. Vanessa had created the design on her computer then showed it to me so I could make changes to the color scheme.
“I’m reporting for duty too,” Elijah said from the doorway. He walked up behind me and slid his arm around my waist then lowered his mouth to my ear. “Where do you want me?”
“Wherever you’re most comfortable.”
“Freckles, mind your manners in front of our friends.” I loved how he referred to the ladies as his friends also. They all adored him too, but who wouldn’t?
“I meant pick the section that appeals to you the most. Just make sure you—”
“Pay attention to matching the numbers on the wall to the ones on the paint can and don’t blab to Milo,” Elijah said.
I took a rare Saturday off from Books and Brew so we could get as much done in one day as possible. Elijah and I would chip away at what was left over, and Van planned to come in at the very end to add shading and highlights or to fix our fuckups. We decided to order sandwiches and pizza for our friends to thank them for giving up their free day also. When the doorbell rang in the middle of the afternoon, Elijah assumed it as the pizza delivery boy and went down to answer the door while the rest of us took turns washing our hands in the Jack and Jill bathroom between the nursery and the bedroom beside it.
April and Violet went first while Candace, Vanessa, and I huddled up to shamelessly talk about our friends.
“They’re keeping it close to the vest,” Candace said, looking over her shoulder to make certain the door was shut. “Those two have waited so long for one another, and I expected a big announcement by now.”
A sweet smile spread over Vanessa’s face. “I think their old-fashioned dating is adorable.”
Over the past six weeks, the ladies had insisted on experiencing all the things they wanted to do together in high school but didn’t because neither of them was out. “It’s the most beautiful love story I’ve ever witnessed,” I said wistfully. I was humbled and awed to be a part of some of their special moments and surprises they’d planned for one another.
“Is it safe to come back in the room now?” April asked through the closed door.
Violet giggled then asked, “Or do you need more time to whisper about us and speculate about the state of our relationship?”
“It’s safe,” Vanessa called out. “We’ve already placed our bets.” The door slowly opened to reveal our friends standing in the doorway wearing bemused expressions.
“For how long we’ll last?” April asked then scowled.
“I may be cynical about love and happily ever after, but I’m not blind,” Candace replied dryly. “Ifwe were placing bets, it would be which of us you’ll choose as your maid of honor at your wedding.”
Violet blushed prettily while April looked embarrassed that she’d assumed the worst.
“Oh, um…” April stammered.
Violet leaned over and kissed her cheek, easing her jitters. “We’ll get there when we get there and not a minute before we’re ready, ladies.” She looked at her watch. “Speaking of which, we have big plans tonight, so we better grab a quick bite to eat and get back to work.”
April leaned over and kissed Violet’s forehead before they linked hands and left us standing there in the center of the room exchanging sappy grins. “You heard the lady,” I said, gesturing to the door they just exited.
