Eight
The alarm blaredin the hotel room bright and early. Yawning, I reached over Mags to smack the clock. She rolled over and hit my elbow, making me crash down onto her.
“Oh, crap!” Her eyes shot open and I tried to push myself off of her.
I giggled. “Sorry, I was trying to hit the snooze button.”
She stretched and sat up against the headboard. “It’s better if we get up and get some breakfast before the hair and makeup people get here. Liz and my mom should be showing up in about an hour.”
Rolling out of bed, I pulled the curtains open. “I am really proud of you for letting your mom take part in this stuff.”
Mags grabbed the room service menu. “It’s better this way. I don’t want it to affect the wedding and I never want to look back on this day with any regrets. If I didn’t have her here, I know later on that would bother me a lot.”
“Fair enough.”
We ordered eggs, bacon, and coffee. We brushed our teeth, washed our faces, and got into our bride and bridesmaid silk robes that we’d had embroidered with our names on the back. Everyone showed up a little early, which was perfect, and the pampering commenced.
Sipping on mimosas and getting our hair and makeup done was the perfect way to relax and get excited for the day’s festivities. Even Elena was on her best behavior, making sure to get tons of great shots of Mags getting all dolled up.
“Oh, baby, you look stunning.” Mags was getting the final touch of lip stain put on.
“Thanks Mom.”
I grabbed the camera and got the classic shots of Elena putting Mags’ necklace on and them hugging.
“I cannot wait to see this dress on you!” Liz was steaming the hems of our dresses, making sure they were perfect.
Before we knew it, it was time to get into our dresses and get in the limo.
With a deep breath, I looked into my best friend’s eyes. “Are you ready?”
Mags squeezed my hands and nodded. “More ready than ever!” She glanced over to Liz, tears starting to well up in both of their eyes. “Thank you for raising the man of my dreams.”
The four of us shared one drawn-out, sniffle-ridden hug.
I climbed into my stunning plum dress that felt like butter and then cinched up Mags’ corset. “How bad is it?”
She sucked in a deep, sharp breath. “I can barely breathe.”
“That’s the point, honey.” Elena laughed a little, pulling Mags’ white dress off its hanger.
It took two of us to get the heavy lace and crinoline dress on Mags. “I don’t remember it being this hard in the fitting room.” I huffed, zipping up the back.
“I think it’s because you’re nervous this time.” Liz took a few final pictures and then it was time to head to the ceremony.
Once we were tucked safely inside Jim and Liz’s master bedroom, we heard guests start to funnel in. Walker’s drawl came in loud through the door.
“Mags, can I come in?” I opened the door for him, making sure there weren’t any peering eyes trying to get a sneak peek of the bride.
“Randy wanted me to give you this.” He handed her a small box then turned to hand me one too.
“I get something too?”
Walker nodded. “You know how Randy is, no one can be left out. You two look stunning.”
Mags gave him a quick hug. “Thanks. Tell Randy I can’t wait to see him. And here.” She handed Walker a gift for her groom.
Once Walker left, we opened our gifts. A lump formed in my throat as I pulled out a pair of beautiful purple earrings that matched my dress perfectly. Mags sat on the bed staring at her gift, speechless. I peeked over her shoulder and saw a bracelet that had a charm on it that read:Of all our walks, this one is my favorite.
