I’m in love with Ian Nolan.
Head over heels, dizzyingly, stupidly, blindly in love with my best friend.
Dammit.
I swear I blink once and the wedding day arrives.
Not mine, of course.
Cassie and Simon’s. Less than a week goes by after that starry night in Ian’s mom’s field, and suddenly I’m sitting at a fancy dressing table wearing champagne-colored silk and gripping the most beautiful bouquet I’ve ever held in my nervously sweating palms.
This is the day. The deadline Ian and I agreed on to be certain about moving forward with this marriage. I’m certain, but not about the marriage of convenience.
I’m more positive than ever I’m in love with Ian. I haven’t told him, and I’m not sure I should.
“You look amazing.”
I turn toward the dressing table where Cassie’s sisters are putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. Lisa adjusts Cassie’s veil and leans down so their faces are framed together in the mirror. “You’re seriously the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen,” Lisa says as a photographer clicks off the heartwarming shot of the two sisters.
“Hey!” Happily married Missy gives Lisa a stern look, but I can tell she’s not really mad. She’s smiling like a proud mother hen and wearing a dress that’s nearly identical to mine, except for the ruched bodice and sweetheart neckline.
“I can’t argue, actually,” Missy adds as she straightens the pearl choker at her sister’s throat. “You do look perfect, Cassie.”
Cassie smiles and pokes at her left eye. “Thanks. I feel like I have hunks of grass glued to my eyelids. Are these things really necessary?”
“You’ll thank us later,” Missy assures her. “False eyelashes will make your eyes pop in photos.”
Cassie frowns at herself in the mirror. “I’m not sure I like the sound of eyeball popping.”
Lisa straightens and glances over at me. I grip the eyeliner pencil I’m holding and concentrate very hard on not feeling wistful. On not thinking about how much Simon loves Cassie and Cassie loves Simon and how that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be.
Regardless of what happens between Ian and me, we’re going to be married in the coming months. That’s the end goal, right? Long-term companionship, family, the white picket fence. This is what I’ve wanted since I was a little girl.
“Let me help you with that.” Lisa marches over and snags the eyeliner from my hand before settling daintily on the bench beside me. Her dress is champagne silk, too, but strapless to show off her flawless shoulders. “I can’t believe we’ll all be married soon,” she says as she applies the liner with expert hands. “It’s a big year for all of us.”
“That’s for sure.”
I swallow hard and wonder why I’m so nervous. I don’t think it’s bridesmaid jitters. It’s the fact that I’m about to walk down the aisle for a wedding I’ve anticipated for months. Out there in the audience is Ian, the man I’m pledged to marry, the man I’m pretty sure I’m in love with.
I never would have expected this back when Cassie sent her save-the-date cards.
“There,” Lisa says, tracing a thin line at the edge of my right eyelid. “All set.”
Over at her dressing table, Cassie stands up and smooths down the front of her dress. “Enough primping,” she says. “If we keep fussing with our faces, they’re going to fall off.”
She picks up her bouquet and holds it up for us to admire. “These are all native flowers and shrubs,” she says. “Bracken, maidenhair, several species of fern, some salmonberries and Oregon grape. All things that grow well in soils that are native to Oregon.”
Missy snorts. “Leave it to the soil scientist to have a geek-tastic bouquet.”
“But it’s amazing.” I stand and walk to her side to give her a careful hug designed to avoid wrinkling our dresses. “The whole wedding is amazing. The way you’ve made it yours.”
“To hell with the wedding.” Cassie grins. “The flowers, the dresses—it’s all meaningless. I’m getting to marry the best guy in the world, so that’s all I care about.”
God. That’s how I feel, too. Ian’s the best guy I know, and I’m going to marry him. I’m marrying the man I love, and isn’t that the definition of happily ever after?
I have to tell him.
I swallow down the lump in my throat, hoping Cassie hasn’t noticed any shift in my expression. This is her day, not mine, and I’m grateful the three sisters have gone back to fussing with Cassie’s veil.
