“I hope she spends the rest of her life behind prison bars,” I muttered. “It’s what she deserves.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Peyton removed her jacket as we stepped into the restaurant, and I took it from her, resting it over my arm. “You know, maybe Mom is right,” she continued as we followed the server to the table. “Maybe we do just need to move on from this. The more we dwell, the more she’s living rent-free in our heads. She doesn’t belong there.”
“I agree entirely.” I took Peyton’s hands in mine across the table and held them securely, then raised the back of her hand to my lips to kiss it. “I love you,” I said, and Peyton giggled. God, I loved that sound.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter42
Peyton
“Okay,” Paisley said, dropping the bag at her feet as she plopped down on the couch beside me, practically beaming. “Are you ready for this?”
It was two days later, and while Korbin had decided to check in with his chief at the department, Paisley had figured this was a great time to start talking about the wedding.
“Wedding planning?” I asked, raising the glass of wine to my lips. “Not really, no.”
Paisley chuckled, reaching for the bottle of wine to fill her own glass. “It’ll be fun, I promise,” she said, corking the bottle. “Every woman should be thrilled to be able to plan their own wedding.”
“I’m not big on details,” I admitted, wondering if the second bottle of wine in the refrigerator would be enough to get us through this night. Paisley glared at me, tucking her bare feet under herself on the couch.
“Don’t ruin this for me,” she insisted. “I spend every waking minute with a bunch of men at the firehouse. All I’m asking for is some girl time with a woman I hoped could be a friend. I need more of those.”
Feeling like an asshole, I reached out and took Paisley’s hand, squeezing it. “You’re right,” I told her. “This is something I’ve always wanted since I met Korbin Butler. I should enjoy this.”
“Yeah, you should.”
“And thank you, Paisley. I treasure you because I think you’re wonderful, and Korbin thinks you are too. Thank you for being so good to him.” With a sigh, I set my wine glass down and ran my fingers through my hair, shaking my head.
“Eh,” Paisley said with a teasing shrug. “He’s all right.”
I giggled, feeling lighter suddenly. She was correct; I was lucky to have the opportunity to plan one of the best days of my life. I was ecstatic to marry Korbin and would be happy to celebrate it. It was a moment I didn’t want to slip by, one I would someday regret avoiding.
“First things first,” Paisley said, reaching into the shopping bag she’d brought to pull out a lovely bottle of cabernet sauvignon. “I’ve been saving this.”
“Wow.” Taking the bottle from her, my eyes scanned the label, impressed. “You sure do know your wines.”
“Not really,” Paisley admitted with a shrug. “I never wanted to drink it alone, and Hansen hates wine.”
I laughed, handing the bottle back to her. “Well, I’m honored that only now did you decide to break it out. Thank you.”
Paisley nodded, setting the bottle aside, then reached into her bag for what looked outside like a massive scrapbooking album filled to the brim with colorful paper.
“What--?” I started, then stopped before taking it one step too far and offending her.
“This,” Paisley said proudly, opening up the enormous binder. “Is my wedding planner book.”
“You have a—a wedding planner book?”
She looked at me like I was some sort of idiot for even asking such a question and then handed it over to me, plopping it onto my lap with a thud.
“Yes,” she said. “And it’s awesome.”
With a slow whistle between my teeth, I flipped through Paisley’s planner. A scrapbook had been correct, but it was also so much more. Color samples lined the pages, their soft ribbons drawing me in with the beautiful colors. Cake recipes and examples of serving entrees were clipped back behind the recipes section; many magazine cut-out wedding dresses and photos of handsome men in tuxedos completed the book's pages.
“This is—actually really cool,” I said in awe, flipping through the pages. Seeing the colors and the beautiful options got me excited all over again, and for the millionth time since I’d met her, I felt eternally grateful for my new friend.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said. “I’ve been adding to it since I was a little girl, picking out my favorite things and adding them to the book. It really helped me when I married because I already knew what I liked and loved. Maybe it will help you, too.”
