“When Harvin and I split, I remember Mom asked me one day what I wanted her to do with our wedding photos and there was just—there was something in her voice and I know she didn’t mean it, but it made me feel like she was so disappointed me. Like I had it all and I somehow blew it. I know I didn’t. That was all Harvin’sfault—”
“Darn tootin’!” Keira said and they both started laughing. Shae pulled back and wiped her face. “Harvin...messed up a good thing. He messed it up realbad.”
“When I got on MATCHED, all I was thinking about was just getting back out there. Test the waters, try some guys out. See what I even like in a guy who isn’t Harvin. I wasn’t expecting Aidan. I mean, I may have prayed to Santa and Frosty and Mrs. Claus for a good guy, but I didn’t expect them to deliver someone so right on the nose, wrapped up in a perfect ginger bow. God, he’shot.”
“Did he doanything—”
“Nope.” Another massive lump lodged in Shae’s throat. It forced even more tears to stream down her face. “He was great. Sweet, attentive, patient. Fantastic in bed. He loves my baking. His coworker pumps a quarter of a million dollars into Sweet Creams weekly. I just—I freaked out. When Erica took that picture of us last night all I could think about was how it was all going to end and I was going to have to get rid of more pictures of yet another guy that I couldn’t hold onto.”
“So you pulled the old ‘dump him before he can dump you’move.”
“Oh god. I reallydid.”
Keira reached out and took Shae’s hand. “Listen, you can’t stop someone from being a jerk. But it doesn’t sound like Aidan’s a jerk. He sounds pretty great and like he likes you a whole lot. I mean, we only hung out with him last night, but he looks at you like he’s caught each and every feeling for you. And he is pretty darn nice. Daniel and I both really likedhim.”
“I like him so much, Keira. I think about him all the time. I want to text him all the time and that makes me so anxious. There’s no way he likes me that much. No way. I just can’t pictureit.”
“Shae. You’ve met me. You’ve met Daniel. Sometimes really sweet, hot guys just like weird girls like us. They can’t help it. We’re socute.”
“We are prettycute.”
“What do you want to do? Do you want another chance withhim?”
“Yeah, I think I do. I’ll take a few days and maybe after the wedding I’ll text him and pray he doesn’t hate me. I just—I have to get this Harvin baggage out of my head. It’s like weeds growing oneverything. ”
“I’ll help you in any way I can. Bring my emotional weed wacker andeverything.”
Shae finally smiled. “Thankyou.”
“Can we stay up here for at least anotherhour?”
“Um,yeah.”
“Good. If one more person gives me one more suggestion about what I should do about a wedding that is literally six days away, I’m going toelope.”
“It’s always anoption.”
“Yeah and have my and Daniel’s moms lose their minds? No thank you. Maybe after the wedding we’ll both find somepeace.”
“Seriously. Dear Santa, make itso.”
?
Shae was exhausted. Finally, Keira and Daniel were married. Vows and rings exchanged, toasts raised, dinner served, cake cut and now the dance floor was packed to the brim with family and friends moving to the latest pop and R&B hits. Everything had gone off without a hitch. Everyone was on time, the food was delicious and Keira looked amazing in her custom wedding gown. Most importantly, Daniel and Keira were husband andwife.
Shae was exhausted, but she was finally starting to feel a little bit like herself again. Shae didn’t realize how much residual anxiety she’d been carrying about the wedding. The only girls of the Kenney bunch, she and Keira had been best friends since they could walk. She knew that Daniel was the perfect guy for her cousin, but she wanted everything about their day to be perfect too. It was a lot to carry around that kind of emotion for weeks on end. They’d reached the finish line and everyone could finally relax. And tomorrow Shae could finally face the one thing she’d been putting off all week.Tomorrow.
Shae stood off to the side of the dance floor, champagne glass in her hand, swaying to the music. She didn’t realize she’d been thinking about Aidan again, wondering what he was doing at that exact moment until she saw him coming down the stone steps of the venue, Erica by his side. He looked amazing in a fresh navy blue suit and dark tan dress shoes. His hair was combed back from his face and those damn glasses finished off his red-headed Clark Kent look. Erica motioned toward Shae and even after Aidan looked right at her and their eyes met, she still didn’t want to believe he was actuallythere.
Their eyes held as he made his way around the outside of the tent over to where shestood.
“Hi,” she said, her voice barely above awhisper.
“Wow—just wow. You look amazing, Shae.” She looked down at herself. She forgot her hair and makeup were professionally done and that her curvaceous body was covered wrist to thigh in silversequins.
“Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself. What are you doinghere?”
“If you want me to go, I’ll leave right now. Keira invited me and Erica was my contact on the ground. She still had my number in herphone.”
