They weren’t typical, wedding-like floral arrangements. They had Nora’s flair all over them. There were at least ten different flowers in there, not all the colors matching, kind of like her earrings, and there were pieces of student artwork paired in them. My own eyes stung a bit, and Grace reached over to squeeze my hand.
This was happening. Gilly would become a Callahan.
Grace sniffed, and Brock immediately handed her a tissue and wrapped his arm around her. “Are your feet feeling okay? Do you want me to carry you?”
“Brock, I swear to God, I’m fine.”
I snorted, earning a death glare from Brock. Ah, I was so glad we were all sharing a table the whole night. Just think of all the ways I could annoy him.
We made our way toward the bridal suite where Gilly and our mom fidgeted with her dress. Seeing my sister stand on the pedestal in her dress, my breath lodged in my throat, and fuck, my eyes stung even more.
“Today is the day!” Gilly said, doing a weird wiggle. She spun around and held out her arms. “How do I look? Fabulous, right?”
“Honey, you’regorgeous.” Mom beamed at her.
Grace started crying, Gilly frowned, and Brock groaned. It was all too much, and I burst out laughing. “It feels like a sitcom right now.”
“It’s just…Gilly, I love you so much, and you look amazing, and I’m so happy for you,” Grace said between hiccups. She waddled up to Gilly, and they hugged. Not one to be left out, I joined their hug and glanced at Brock over my shoulder.
“Care to join, big guy?”
“I’m good.”
“Brock! Get over here now and hug us, goddamn it!” Grace said, the tension and emotions easing around us.
Brock took his sweet time joining the hug, and my mom snapped a million photos on her phone. It felt like the end of a really good era.
That was how Nora found us when she walked in with two bouquets and one small arrangement for me. “Oh, oh my,” she said, the laughter evident in her voice. “This cuddle puddle looks fun.”
“Feel free to join and touch my ass if you want,” I said, winking at her.
She grinned right back and did just that. Nora joining the group hug was the final piece of the puzzle to my heart and soul.
The wedding planner snapped her fingers from the hallway, not at all moved by our very open displays of affection, and told us to get a move on.
I had a tux to put on. “Can I steal you away for five minutes?” I asked Nora, letting my gaze run from head to toe. She’d changed since the greenhouse. I was so used to seeing her in baggy shirts and either her weird shorts or jeans and boots. But this dress…shit. It was a soft pink with purples and yellows blended into it, and it huggedeverycurve. Her collarbones peeked out at the top, and I trailed a finger over one, enjoying how goose bumps broke out down her arm. “Please?”
She sucked in a breath. “You know I can’t say no to when you use that tone.”
“Hope that never changes.”
I took her hand and grabbed the bag with my tux as we went into a small changing room. She unzipped the bag as I undressed. “What did you think of the arrangements out front? Do you think she’ll like them? I had some of her and Christopher’s students make artwork for them.”
“They are amazing. My eyes got watery when I saw them.” I took off my shirt and undershirt, my belt, and my pants. Nora’s eyes flared. “Oh, you admiring the view?”
“I missed you last night, and this morning.” She licked her bottom lip and ran her hands over my bare chest. “You don’t have any unforeseen best bride man duties, right? I get you all to myself tonight?”
“Sure do,” I said, cupping her chin and pulling her toward me. I kissed her. Soft then hard, but slowly. I was in no hurry and just wanted to feel her lips on mine, taste the sweetness of her mouth, and enjoy her. “Hey, I love you,” I whispered, watching her open her eyes and sigh.
“I love you, too,” she said back, the blush on her cheeks matching her dress. We stared at each other for a beat, her hands on my chest, mine on her face, and she took a shaky breath. “Would you ever want to get married in a church?”
“Are you proposing to me, Nora Atwood?” I asked, my heart tumbling down a mountain in my chest. “I’m not emotionally prepared for this and would feel better with clothes on.”
“No, I’m not,” she said, swatting my chest and handing me the first part of the tux to put on. We had the same routine of getting dressed in the morning. We did need to figure out if we wanted to rent one of the units or not since we lived together, but those were small details.
“Then why do you ask?”
“I love your family, your friends,you,and I know you said it didn’t matter if we ever got married, as long as we were together…I wondered how you saw it going if we ever were to.” She glanced at the ground, her face even redder than before.
