I twirl the mini bouquet between my fingers, a warm glow spreading through my chest. “Thanks,” I say softly.
And when we leave the store, I stop him in the street. His brows knit in confusion, but I rise on my toes, planting a full kiss on his mouth. He goes still for a second, and then he reciprocates, his hands finding my lower back, pulling me to him.
“I love them,” I say. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He leans down, brushing his lips against mine again, and then he takes my hand, interlacing our fingers. “I ordered a second one too. I thought you could pin it on your dress. For the wedding. Not quite a bouquet, but—”
“It’s perfect.”
We walk for a long while, no destination in mind.
“I don’t know what I’ll be wearing for the wedding, though.” I glance at him. “Do you? Are you going to be bagpiping again?”
A wry smile plays at his mouth. “Why? Are you trying to get me back in that kilt?”
I bump him with my shoulder. “I should never have told you about the kilt.”
“Well, we’re on an even playing field.” The pitch of his voicelowers. “Because you know exactly how I feel about your dress.” He pauses. “Why don’t you just wear that one?”
“Again? I mean, I could. I’ve just worn it so much since I’ve been here. It’d be nice to get something new.”
“Should we go look for one? Maybe something purple? To match the flowers?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Let’s do it. But we’re going to find something for you too.”
We duck into the first department store we see and take our time wandering around. I find a dress in pale lavender, lighter than the color of the heather, but it’s beautiful and silky, and I can’t resist the feel of it.
“That’s pretty,” Jacob says.
“Yeah? I think I’m going to try it on.” I hang it over my arm and head to the fitting rooms. “So, you didn’t tell me whether you’ll be bagpiping or not.”
He shakes his head. “I asked Maggie, and she said no. I’m fine either way, but I get the sense that she wants this time to feel really different. Quieter.”
I catch sight of a table covered in ties. There are a bunch in blue, but only one in purple. It’s a darker shade than my dress, but I pull it out anyway. “What do you think?” I ask him, looping it around his neck. “Would you wear it?”
“For the wedding?”
He looks down at the dress in my hands. He opens his mouth, then closes it quickly.
“What?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says. “Are you worried at all that it’ll look like we’re matching? That we coordinated this or something?”
Oh. I hadn’t really thought about that, what my father and Maggie might think. I don’t want them to know about Jacob and me,mostly because the two of us haven’t really talked about what we’re doing, what we are. And I don’t think I’m ready to have that conversation. Not yet.
“Up to you,” I tell him. “I don’t think they’ll really notice, but if they do, we’re the closest thing they have to a best man and maid of honor. It’s normal for the wedding party to color-coordinate that way.”
He’s quiet for a beat. “Okay,” he says, taking the tie from me. “I’ll get it, then.”
He follows me to the fitting room, and I twist over my shoulder to look at him. “You can wait out here. I’ll just be a second.”
“No,” he says, the corner of his mouth lifting. “What if you need help with a zipper?”
I laugh, but that laughter gives way to something else when I notice the dressing room is completely empty.
“You know, now that you mention it, I think I will need help with this dress.”
I reach for his hand, tugging him into the fitting room with me.
