People assumed Wren would want to postpone the wedding after her ‘accident.’
They were wrong. If anything, she doubled her efforts to finish all the preparations in time.
Life was short. When good things came into your life you had to grab them and hang on tight. The wedding was the next good thing coming up and she wasn’t about to let go of it. Because then she’d have to let go of the next good thing after that, which was a honeymoon to Hawaii. Besides, Barbie would be super-pissed that her wedding gift went to waste.
Even if she said she wouldn’t be, under the circumstances.
“It’s not a big deal, Wren. People return wedding gifts all the time,” Barbie said. “Like when you get two of something.”
“Believe it or not, I did not receive two honeymoons to Hawaii. And even if I did, you know I’d return the other one and keep yours, right?”
“You’d better keep mine instead or we aren’t friends anymore,” she answered as she poured aqua-blue M&Ms into another organza bag. Wren never understood why people did Jordan almonds at weddings. They didn’t taste that great and they broke teeth. But chocolate M&Ms tasted better and didn’tbreak teeth so she, Barbie, Ellie, and Rochelle were now sitting around Ellie’s table filling little mesh bags for the reception tables.
Well, at least Wren and Barbie were filling them. Ellie and Rochelle kept stopping because they were laughing too hard every time Barbie or Wren opened their mouths. Now, however, Barbie was getting all serious, which annoyed Wren.
“I promise. I’m fine.” She looked at Ellie and Rochelle. “Tell her for the hundredth time that I am fine, please?”
“She really is,” Rochelle said as she reached for another bag. “Ellie and I have subjected her to non-stop cooked meals, flowers, and homemade talk-therapy and she survived it just fine.”
“Yes. The talk-therapy,” Wren said. “I’m being serious when I say it really did help, especially coming from you guys.”
“Voices of experience,” Ellie said. She set the big bag of M&Ms down as the color drained out of her face.
Wren reached across the table and grabbed Ellie’s hand. “Oh, Ellie, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
Ellie pulled her hand away quickly and stood up. “No, it’s not that.” Then she dashed down the back hall and they heard a door slam. The other three women looked at each other, confused.
“I upset her, I totally upset her.”
Barbie shook her head. “She said it’s not that, Wrenbird.”
“No, it is. She’s too sweet to admit it, that’s all. I need to go apologize to her again.”
Wren pushed her chair back and stood. She hoped Ellie wouldn’t tell her to go away.
The door at the end of the hall opened and Ellie came back down the hall.
“Sorry,” she said, still looking pale. “Almost didn’t make it to the bathroom that time.”
“Stomach bug?” Wren walked around the table to get to Ellie. “I can run get some ginger ale. We have it stockpiled for the wedding.”
“There’s already some in the fridge. Bear stockpiled it, too, because I’m gonna need it.”
“Are you unwell? Oh no, not something serious, please.”
Ellie gave her a sheepish smile. “Well, serious for nine months or so.”
“Oh my God, I’m an idiot. You’re pregnant!” Wren pulled her into a hug as Barbie and Rochelle clapped and cheered.
“We wanted to wait until after the wedding to say anything. Didn’t want to steal the show.”
Wren pulled back and looked into her friend’s eyes. “It’s not stealing the show, it’s one more good thing adding to the joy.”
Wren couldn’t helpbut sing along with every song that came on the radio on the way home from Ellie’s. Her friend absolutely glowed once she started talking about all the plans she and Bear were making. He was even building her a rocking chair and a cradle for the baby. Ellie had caught him quietly singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to himself in his woodworking shop.
Such a softie under all the grump.
Wren sighed. She’d had her own grump for most of the week. No, that wasn’t fair, not at all. Elias hadn’t acted grumpy, especially toward her. He let her win all the laugh points. She couldn’t even finish a knock-knock joke without him already laughing and saying, ‘Another point for you.’
