“You’re stubborn.”
“No, I’m an idiot.”
“No, you’re not. You were scared, that’sunderstandable. Besides, you just needed someone to hold your hand. And I meancome on, any other person and this would have been a tedious, stressfulundertaking. With me, it was an adventure.”
“You are so right on that one. ThanksKate.” Laura pulls me into a hug.
“You’re welcome. We better go before Lukecomes looking for us,again.” I open the door to the bathroom.
“Yeah, wouldn’t that be fun? So when areyou going to tell everyone you’ve got a bun in the oven?” Laura hooks her armthrough mine and we walk down the hall.
“Oh, you know—I.”
“Kate.”
Both Laura and I swing around to findLuke staring us down. “Luke. Hey. I thought you were going to wait in the car.”
“Apparently not.”
Oh, I think Luke is irritated with me.Jeez buddy, the door swings both ways, but whatever. I need to remind myselfagain that he’s just doing his job, however inconvenient that makes my life.“Well, thanks for checking on us. We can head back to the hotel now.”
In the Escalade, my grandma is asleep,resting her head against the door. Laura puts the partition up. “Kate, do youthink he heard what I said? I’m so sorry.”
“Oh—OH. Um—nah, I think we’re good.” Ihope to hell we’re good. I’m not going to worry about it, it will drive mebonkers. “Besides, I’m not pregnant—so no big deal,” I whisper, eyeing mygrandma for any movement.
When the rest of my family gets back tothe Upper House, the villa becomes a madhouse with everyone trying to get readyfor dinner. Jill’s drying her hair in the kitchen, Laura’s doing hers in thebedroom, and Annie and my mom are arguing over who gets to shower next.
“Katie.”
“Yes, Mom.” I guess Annie won, since mymom’s standing over the sofa staring at me.
“I thought tomorrow we could spend theday looking for your wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. Which reminds me,you need to pick a maid of honor and everyone you want to be bridesmaids. Ihave three down, but if there’s anyone else you want, you need to let me andthem know.”
“You have three?”
“Yes. Annie, Laura, and Jill, of course.”
Great, Jill a bridesmaid, just what Ialways dreamed. I need to remember this wedding is for my mother and not me.“Nope, those are the three I thought of.”
“Oh great, but here’s the thing. I don’tknow where to even start looking for a dress here in Vegas, do you?”
Ugh—this means more shopping. It alsomeans me trying on dress after dress after dress. “Um—actually, I don’t, but Iknow a lady who does. She’s helped me find some dresses for events over thepast week. I will call her. She’ll be able to help us.”
“Great.” She looks me over. “You’d betterget ready.”
“I will.” I call Becca Howard, She tellsme she’ll take care of it and we can meet her tomorrow at a bridal shop atnoon. Then I text Cole to see if he’s going to make it home before we leave. Iwait about twenty minutes, but he doesn’t answer.
My mom come out of the bathroom aftershowering. She doesn’t say anything to me, she just gives me her mom look; theone that implies ‘get going,now.’So I retreat into my bedroom. Colemust be busy because he usually texts me back. I peel off my clothes, leaving atrail to the shower. I let the shower fill with steam, then step under the hotwater, letting it pelt down on my head. I feel like I’ve lived ten, hardlaborious days in one. With my family’s surprise, my mother’s ideals, andLaura’s near—miss with the stork … oh yes and I can’t forget my small meltdown,my day isn’t complete without one of those.
I rest my head against the tile wall,suddenly tired from everything that’s happened. I hear the click of the showerdoor and Cole’s firm hands wrap around my stomach. “Mmm, just the man I wasdreaming of.”
Cole closes the distance between us,pressing our wet bodies together, kissing the top of my head. “You never leftmy mind today, Cookie. Sorry I didn’t text you back. I was in a meeting and weshut our phones off for security.”
“That’s okay,” I turn in his arms kissinghis chin.
After we shower, I stand in the closetlooking through my clothes with no idea of what I want or should wear with mymom here. Cole has his slacks and a dress shirt on, his tie hanging over hisneck, just sitting in the chair. “What are you doing?”
“Watching you.”
