“Ten minutes. And don’t think I don’t know you can’t shield me from anything.”
His grin was full and shameless.
“I knew I could tempt you.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The light streamingthrough the lace curtains cast a soft, golden glow across the room where Ashley stood, her wedding gown cascading around her like a shimmering cloud. Maddie was at her side, fastening the last delicate button at the back of the dress, Sera nitpicking with her hair, while Charlene lazed cross-legged on the plush ottoman, a mischievous glint in her eye while her friends did all the work.
“So you’ll marry the man that sneezed on you,” Charlene piped up. “What did she call him again? The Earl of Glowering?”
Maddie laughed and tilted her head to warn Charlene. “Behave! Would you, please?”
Sera arched a brow in the mirror, her fingers still deft in Ashley’s hair. “Well, she’s not wrong.”
“So shall I call your husband to remove you?” Maddie said in jest. “I doubt he’ll have a problem with that. I shallcrossyou from this wedding.”
Sera laughed.
“Oh, please! Yes, his name is Adam Cross and there isn’t a pun you’ve missed to tease me with.”
“And you are the Duchess ofRotheworth, then? Verycrosseven for you!” Ashley chuckled. “But I don’t think we’ll need this anymore.”
On the vanity before them rested the small, weathered handbook,its edges frayed from countless moments spent in their hands, guiding them through the seasons of their lives. Charlene picked it up, her fingers brushing over the cover as though it carried a weight far beyond its size. The handbook.
Ashley looked toward the reflection of her friends in the mirror, her lips curving into a tender smile. “Do you remember when we first opened that silly little book? I thought it would solve everything.”
Maddie chuckled softly, smoothing a soft fold in Ashley’s sleeve. “It did solve some things. Other times, it only reminded us how clueless we were.”
“Agreed,” Sera said. “I was perhaps the most clueless of us all!”
“Hah! Speak for yourselves,” Charlene quipped, but her teasing was soft, her smile a little uneven. “It wasn’t all bad advice, you know. It got us here, didn’t it?”
Ashley turned to face them, her eyes already glistening. She reached for the handbook, wrapping her hands around Charlene’s as they both held it. “It didn’t just get us here. Its awful advice carried us. Through every mistake, every victory, every plan that went so wonderfully, miserably awry.”
Maddie stepped closer, resting a hand on Ashley’s arm, her expression one of quiet reflection. “Season by season,” she said, her voice lighter than her brimming emotion, “we made it through. We found love, and yes, we caught the wedding fever.”
“But only Maddie thought there’d be an ointment to cure it, didn’t she?” Ashley laughed, putting her hand on her stomach. It was still flat, but not for much longer, Maddie reckoned.
“Well…” Maddie said. Her concoction, not so much ointment, had gotten Ashley in a spot of trouble in the past.
“I, for one, enjoy a good ointment,” Sera said.
Ashley laughed tearfully, shaking her head. “Imagine that. Us—notorious cynics about happily-ever-afters, reduced to wedding squabbles and banter aboutgiving away our flowers.”
“And look at you now,” Charlene added, her grin a little wobbly. “Marrying the love of your life in a dress that looks like it came from a storybook. Honestly, Ashley, you’ve gone full fever and passed it on to all of us. There’s no hope for you now.”
They all burst into laughter, though the sound trembled with the weight of the moment. Ashley drew them all into her arms, her voice soft with love. “I don’t think we need this little book anymore, do we? Awful or not. We’ve made it through, just the four of us.” She looked to Maddie, Sera, then Charlene, holding their gazes. “And we’re just fine.”
Maddie nodded, her voice thick as she added, “Better than fine.”
Charlene held the handbook up, glancing at it one last time before setting it on the vanity. “We wrote our own rules in the end. And besides, if we’ve caught the wedding fever, well… I can’t think of anyone better to catch it with.” She brushed a tear from her cheek, her wink breaking the sentiment even as her heart vied to hold onto it.
“To us,” Ashley said, raising her hand in a pretend toast.
Maddie smiled, pressing her hand over Ashley’s. “And to love.”
Charlene joined in, her voice warm, her eyes shining. “And steamy bedchambers.”
