“You’re going to need to give a speech at the reception,” Gage points out.
Ah, shit. I’m not big on giving speeches, but I hold my own when I have to. “No problem.”
“Marina’s going to ask Bryn to be her maid of honor.”
“So we’ll be a matched set.”
“Yep.” Gage nods. “You cool with this, bro? We’re having to change it all up at the last minute, and it’s not like you two are second choice but . . .”
“We’re second choice,” I finish for him. “And I’m not offended. I’m sure Bryn won’t be either.”
My cell dings at that very moment punctuating my sentence, and I pull it out to see it’s a text from Bryn.
Maid of honor now. Are you the best man?
Smiling, I type her a response.
You know it.
Nervous?
Not with you by my side, I answer.
And that’s the truth.
Chapter Two
* * *
Bryn
I’VE SEEN MATT in jeans and a T-shirt, a suit, shirtless in a pair of sweats, and I’ve seen him naked. A lot.
But I have never seen him in a tux before, and oh my God, he’s gorgeous. He only wore a suit to Ivy and Archer’s wedding, so I didn’t get to see him in his full tux glory. And he is just flat out glorious.
My heart is tripping over itself as I make my way toward him. I struggle to keep the giddy smile off my face, but it’s no use. I’m full-on grinning by the time we reach each other.
“You’re beautiful,” he says before I can even get a word out. His eyes practically smolder as he drinks me in.
My cheeks heat up. It’s so ridiculous, but I’m still not used to Matt’s praise; that a man like him would be interested in a woman like me. Silly but true.
“You look amazing.” I barely get the words out before Matt’s dipping his head, his mouth brushing against mine. We’re in a small building on the property that Matt’s assigned as wedding headquarters for the day. This is the first wedding we’ve held at the winery, and I told Matt if it’s a huge success, we should consider putting together some advertising and marketing plans so we can rent the winery out to the public for events. Aside from this wedding and happenings for the winery, so far, we’ve only put together small parties for people we know.
He said he wasn’t sure he’s ready to go big, but I’m excited at the thought. I could become a wedding planner. I love putting together events, and I’m always doing that sort of thing for the Matt’s winery business anyway, trying to draw attention to the DeLuca Vineyard.
“You’re pretty damn amazing yourself,” he says once we break apart. He grabs hold of my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Love that dress on you.”
I glance down. The dress is pale yellow and strapless, with a snug bodice and a flowing skirt that hits me just above the knee. I love it. “I like it too which surprises me. I’m not a fan of yellow.”
“I’m a fan of anything on you.” Matt tugs me close and drops another kiss on my lips, but I put my free hand on his chest, giving him a little push.
“Stop,” I say without much force—like I’d deny this man anything, especially affection. I love it when he kisses me. Touches me. I’d pretty much let him do whatever he wants to me.
I’m that far gone over him.
“We need to focus on our new tasks and keep the bride and groom calm,” I remind him. I sent him a text when I arrived along with the rest of the bridal party and he immediately asked me to meet with him for a few minutes. So here we are.
Figures he tried to cop a feel. Not that I stopped him.
“Gage is fine,” Matt says, still gripping my hand. “He’s more worried about Marina. How is our bride?”
“She’s better.” Once she’d calmed down about the whole Ivy going into labor situation, Marina seemed good. Calmer, which she needs to be in order to get through this day. She’s been amped with the wedding plans, but I know she’s waiting for it all to be said and done. Not that she won’t enjoy her wedding, but . . .
I think she’s really looking forward to their tropical honeymoon where she can relax. And get wrapped up in her husband.
“Wait until you see her. She’s a gorgeous bride,” I say dreamily. Marina is the quintessential bride all little girls dream of being. Her gown is something straight out of a fairytale, with the full skirt, a sparkly bodice, and feathers.
Yes, white feathers. The dress is hand beaded and ruched, made of tulle and silk, and the look is completed with a tiny tiara on her head. Marina will probably make everyone’s jaw hit the floor the moment they see her walk down the aisle. I could almost cry just thinking about it.
“You’ll be a gorgeous bride someday too, you know.” Matt lifts our linked hands to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.
Panic rises within me, but I bat it down. He’s been talking so seriously lately. We’ve been together for only a short time, but I know what he wants. Me. Us. Together.
Forever.
Am I ready for that sort of commitment? I know I can’t do much better than Matthew DeLuca. That sounds cold, but it’s true. We’re madly in love with each other. Not only does he treat me like the woman he worships and loves, but he also respects my mind and work ethic. He values my opinion. We work well together at the winery. We have an amazing relationship. I’m a lucky girl.
It all still feels unreal, us being together. And this scares the crap out of me.
Marina
I SIT IN front of the mirror and take a deep breath, shrugging off Mom as she tries to hug me. Again. She’s been a regular waterworks the entire morning, but now that I’m in full makeup, I refuse to shed another tear until the actual ceremony.
“You look so beautiful,” Mom says on a wistful sigh. “I can’t believe my baby girl is getting married.”
She’s said that multiple times this morning too. I understand she’s feeling nostalgic, but her tears and trembling voice are doing me in. I’m an emotional, exhausted wreck. Wedding planning is hard, and I’ve been such a control freak, I hardly let the planner Mom and Dad hired for the wedding make a move without consulting me first.
The room Matt provided for the bridal party to wait in right before the ceremony is perfect. Bryn had a hand in putting it all together, and I can tell. I really love that girl. So glad we’ve become such good friends.
“I hope everything goes smoothly,” I murmur to myself, but the way Mom just straightened, I know she heard me.
“It will be perfect. I just know it. You’ve already had your one flub for the day. Everything else will be fine,” Mom says with a steely voice that tells me she’s not in the mood for contradictions.
Now it’s my turn to straighten. I meet her gaze in the mirror. “What do you mean, ‘your one flub’?”
“Ivy and Archer having to back out.” Mom waves a hand, dismissing our friends just like that. “I understand we can’t predict when a baby will decide when he or she is ready to make their way into the world. It threw us off a little, but Matt and Bryn have stepped in and everything’s going to be just fine.”
As if she heard her name mentioned, Bryn glided into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Her lipstick is completely smudged, so that means she must’ve snuck off and met with Matt.
A spark of jealousy lights inside of me. I wish I could secretly meet Gage and let him kiss my lipstick off.
But I can’t. We’re getting married in a matter of minutes. I’m going to be Mrs. Marina Emerson. I’m excited. More than ready to be Gage’s wife. After all—the stress from planning will fade away like a bad dream.
“Hey.”
I blink and shake my head, realizing that it’s Bryn standing behind me now instead of Mom. She has her hands on my shoulders, a reassuring smile on her face. If she wasn’t such a good friend, I could almost hate Bryn for how beautiful she is. She’s gorgeous—her face and body such flawless perfection, she could be a movie star.
The bridesmaid’s
dress looks amazing on her. It’s going to be a beautiful wedding. Everything has been planned, down to the finest detail. So why do I feel like such a wreck inside?
“What’s up?” I say, offering Bryn a quick smile. “You snuck off and met Matt, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. How could you tell?” Bryn looks embarrassed which is cute.
“You walked out with lipstick and came back with none. That’s a dead giveaway,” I say.
She rolls her eyes, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. “I think he wants to ask me to marry him soon.”
“Wow. Really?” I’m surprised, yet not. If any of those guys were a not-so-secret romantic, it’d be Matt. He’s never tried to hide it either, but his worshipful side has come out big time since Bryn came into his life. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes.” Bryn shrugs, her expression turning miserable. “It is.”
I stand up and peer at her, noting the way she tilts her head so her gaze is cast downward. Like she doesn’t want to look me in the eye. “What’s wrong?”
Bryn shakes her head. “Nothing. Let’s focus on you. It’s your wedding day. You don’t need to worry about my insecurities.”
Beautiful Bryn has insecurities? “You’re worried about your relationship with Matt and whether he loves you or not? I don’t think you should be concerned. That man is so gaga over you it’s sort of disgusting.” Matt is always shooting Bryn moony looks, like he can’t believe she’s with him. “He’s madly in love with you.”
“And I’m madly in love with him but . . . I’m scared.” Bryn whispers the last two words and lifts her head so I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. “So stupid. I know we have a great relationship, but it’s moving so fast. We haven’t been together that long but all of a sudden he wants to marry me? How can he be sure? Does he even know the real me? Do I even know the real him?”
“Oh Bryn.” I give her an awkward hug because I don’t want to wrinkle our dresses or mess up our hair. “Don’t worry about the what-ifs or how fast your relationship has moved. You love Matt. He loves you. Be happy that he’s so willing to commit to you.”
“I know. You’re right. I should be happy.” Bryn fans her hands in front of her eyes, like that’s going to stop her from crying. I can feel my own eyes answering the call to cry with her, but I try my best to ignore it. I do not want to ruin my makeup. “And it’s your wedding day which means I need to shut the hell up and quit whining.”
I start to laugh and shake my head. “I think weddings make everyone emotional. You’re not the first person to fall apart on me. Still”—I wag my finger at her, my voice turning stern—“you need to stop crying before you ruin your makeup. The ceremony is going to start soon and the only one allowed to hold it up is me.”
“Okay. Right. You’re so right.” Bryn sniffs and wipes delicately beneath her eyes with the tips of her fingers. “I’ll touch it up and pretend we never had this conversation.”
“No.” I shake my head and take her hands, squeezing them gently. “We’ll resume this conversation later, all right? I’m here for you. You’ve been such a support to me through all of this. I’m not about to ignore you during your time of need.”
Bryn smiles. “You and Ivy are the best friends ever, you know that?”
I smile in return. “Right back at you, sweetie.” My smile fades. “I miss Ivy though. We need to call her. I hope she’s okay.”
Ivy
“GET IT OUT! Oh, my God.” I let my head fall back against the pillows. My entire body aches, especially my back. My water broke about twenty minutes ago and the nurse said I’m transitioning, whatever the hell that means. I can’t pay attention; that’s Archer’s job. I’m too busy birthing his baby.
“Babe. You need to calm down. Reserve your energy.” He’s right by my side, smoothing my hair away from my forehead, offering me water or ice chips from a little paper cup the nurse brought by earlier. What I’d really like is a sandwich but they’re not giving me anything to eat until after the baby comes.
Ugh. I’m starving.
Shivers move through me to the point where I can’t seem to stop shaking, and I have no idea what’s wrong with me. “Y-you’re r-right,” I say through chattering teeth. Archer slips his arm around my shoulders, and I lean against him, my forehead pressing into his jaw as he comforts me. He’s been sitting on the edge of the hospital bed since we arrived, always with an encouraging word or a kiss on the forehead.
I really, really love this man. And I would really, really love to have this baby. Now.
“You cold?” He rubs my shoulder and tugs me even closer which makes me wince. I don’t want to protest since I love nothing more than being in my husband’s arms, but I am incredibly uncomfortable. In pain. I feel like I’m about to drop a two ton brick from my vagina—not that I would ever repeat that to Archer—and I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well last night, and now I think I know why.
I was in labor. Duh.
“No.” I shake my head, my teeth chattering so bad I clamp them shut and try to get myself under control. “I’m actually pretty hot.”
“Yeah, you are,” he murmurs with a soft laugh. I laugh too because he’s always saying things like that.
“Considering that I feel the farthest thing from hot and sexy, I appreciate the compliment,” I say as the door opens and we both glance toward it.
A nurse comes in, a pleasant smile on her face. She takes one look at me and the smile fades as she rushes toward the bed. “Ooh, I think we should check you.”
“Why?” Archer asks as he stands. Worry radiates off him, and I love that he’s always my knight, standing up for me no matter what. “Is she okay?”
“She’s probably close.” By my side, the nurse’s voice is gentle as she asks me to lie back. I spread my legs, and she peeks under my gown, a little sound escaping her before she pops her head back up. “I think we’re ready to call the doctor in. Do you feel the urge to push?”
“Sorta,” I say just as another contraction grips me. My voice fades, but a groan escapes as I hold my belly with one hand. Since monitors are attached to my belly, the steady thump of our baby’s heartbeat fills the room, and I concentrate on the sound which reassures me that he or she is trying to get out.
“Let me go fetch the doctor. I’ll be right back.” The nurse hurries out of the room, leaving Archer and me alone once more. He takes my hand the moment she’s gone, interlacing his fingers with mine.
“You ready?” he asks. “Feeling okay?”
“I’m . . . f-fine.” I’m overcome with shivers again, and I press my lips together, trying to keep it all under control. I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience, I swear. Like this isn’t really happening to me, though it so totally is. “D-do you think Marina and G-gage are mad at us?”
Archer’s jaw sets in that way it does when he’s being stubborn. “I don’t care if they’re mad or not. You’re about to give birth, Ivy. It’s not like we said, ‘hey, let’s fuck up Gage and Marina’s wedding day on purpose.’”
“I know, I know.” I sigh and lean my head against the pillow. I stare up at the pale green ceiling and wonder how many other women have been in this very room doing the same thing I’m about to do. “I can’t help the twinge of guilt I’m feeling though.”
“Hey, they understand. I know they do. Gage told me to tell you that they’re thinking of you and can’t wait to meet the baby.”
“I hope they can stop by before they leave for their honeymoon. If the baby will even be born by then,” I say with an exasperated sigh.
“The baby will be here by then,” Archer says assuredly, leaning over so he’s looking me directly in the eyes. “Have faith, babe. It’s all going to come together. Trust me.”
As I stare into my husband’s eyes, I know I trust him one hundred percent. I’m just tired and scared and eager. Eager for all of this to be over with, so I can hold my child in my arms and welcome him or her into this world.
“Hel
lo.” The obstetrician strides into the room, the tails of his white coat flying behind him as he approaches the bed. “I hear you’re about to have a baby. You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I answer, offering a smile in Archer’s direction.
He smiles in return, handsome despite the circles ringing his eyes and his messy hair. “Me too, babe,” he says, not even looking at the doctor. No, my husband’s gaze is only for me. “Me too.”
Chapter Three
* * *
Gage
I’M NERVOUS. I didn’t think this would happen. I’ve been the cool, easygoing eye of the storm that has been my poor stressed-out fiancée. But now that the moment has come, and I’m standing with Matt by my side, in front of our guests, as we all wait for Marina to make her appearance, I feel like I might faint.
Yeah. Not good.
Locking my knees, I swallow hard and try not to fidget as the music plays. A crisp breeze washes over us, cooling my sweat-dampened forehead, and I give it a subtle swipe, noting that my palms are clammy.
I’m a freaking mess.
“Calm down, dude,” Matt whispers out of the side of his mouth. We’re standing so close our shoulders are practically touching. Wonder if he’d catch me if I fall. “You look like you’re gonna drop.”
“I feel like I’m gonna drop,” I tell him, feeling like an idiot but not really caring. He’s my new best man, so I need him to step it up. If I pass out, it’s on him.
“Your girl is going to make her appearance at any minute.” Matt nods toward the beginning of the aisle where no one stands. Where are the girls? We already made our walk down the aisle, Matt walking Marina’s mom to her seat, me walking my mother.
“Hope she shows up soon,” I mutter, meaning it. I feel antsy. My suit is too tight. My throat is dry. I’m dying for a drink. Preferably booze.
Probably not a good idea.
The flower girl suddenly struts down the aisle, cute as can be in a white lacy gown. Louisa is one of Marina’s cousins. She has about a bazillion of them.
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