Wedding Haters (Event to Remember Series-Book 2)

by Melissa Baldwin

  I laugh. “Stop! She doesn’t think that, and you know she adores you,” I say as I put my arm around him.

  “Whatever. Maybe she did before, but the cupcakes have pushed her over the edge. I’m worried because you never know, she may stand up and object at the ceremony.” Of course, he knows that will never happen.

  We finally leave Bev's a little while later, and thankfully there’s no more mention about the wedding cake or Luke Price. After Sienna and I arrive home, we sit down and work out a few more wedding details. I decide to not bring up her secret phone calls because I’m pretty sure she has had enough emotional trauma for one day. We spend the rest of the night talking about my wedding shower and our upcoming girl’s weekend along with enjoying the emergency cookie stash. I usually never eat my cookies, but I think I’ve earned it tonight.

  I wake up the next morning with a major sugar hangover. Is there such a thing? I feel horrible! When I stumble out of my room, I find a note from Sienna’s personalized stationary collection on the kitchen counter.

  M-

  Officially 4 weeks to go! YAY

  BTW-Ellie called me; I’m on my way to meet her and Stephanie at Alexa’s to look at bridesmaid dresses. Apparently, it is life or death. Is she always this high maintenance?

  Call u later!

  -S

  Oh no! As if I’m not feeling bad enough, I wake up and I’m greeted by a message about my cousins. I’m really surprised at how involved they are becoming. I was convinced they would just show up for the event and have nothing to do with any planning, but clearly, I was wrong. The question is, should I head over to Alexa’s or just let Sienna handle it? I did plan on spending the day packing. Maybe I should ask Sienna. I find my phone still in my bag from the day before. It barely has any battery power left, so I plug it in and send Sienna a text.

  Do you want me to meet you or stay here and pack?

  I make a protein shake while I wait for her response. I had a plan to get a lot accomplished today. My life is about to get really busy and now I have to stop everything to go do damage control. I reread Sienna’s note. Four weeks, wow. I’m getting married four weeks from today. I send Cole a text.

  Four weeks from today you are marrying me. UR so lucky!!

  Up until now, it seemed like time was dragging on, and now I feel like time is flying. I drag a few folded boxes from the hall closet and tape them together. I manage to get two boxes started before Sienna finally texts me back.

  Need to figure something out. They are insisting on matching dresses. Had to text Abby.

  Crap! I better get dressed and head to Alexa’s. I can’t leave Sienna to deal with this all by herself.

  When I arrive at Alexa’s I find Sienna, Ellie, and Stephy in a sea of gowns. There is every color and every style you could ever imagine. I can tell by the looks on Sienna’s and Jennie’s faces that they are frustrated. Very frustrated.

  “Hi, ladies. What’s going on?” I ask when I walk in.

  “Madie! I’m so glad you are here,” Stephy yells. “Which dress?” She holds up two very pretty dresses. “We’ve been trying to tell Sienna that it’s imperative that we all match. Think about it, your wedding is at the Four Seasons. If we don’t match it will look tacky and thrown together, and we just can’t have that.”

  “You’re the first of us to get married. You need to make this perfect for Grandmother,” adds Ellie.

  I glance at Sienna, and she raises her eyebrows.

  “Whatever you guys want,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “The dresses are beautiful, and if you girls want to wear them, I have no problem with that. I did tell Sienna and Abby that they could pick out their own gowns, so that is up to them.”

  I think my answer could not be more perfect.

  “Well, I already spoke to Abby and sent her a picture and she is fine with it so . . .” She looks at Sienna. Obviously, she is the holdout. I really don’t think she cares what she wears other than the fact that she doesn’t want to give in to Ellie’s demands. However, I know her well enough to know that she too would be wearing one of these dresses in the end.

  “Fine,” she reluctantly agrees.

  “Fantastic!” exclaims Stephy. “Jennie, let’s get these measurements, and we will have to rush them. We are down to four weeks.” She hurries off with Jennie talking a mile a minute.

  “Sorry,” I whisper to Sienna.

  “It’s fine; Abby made a good point. The gowns are really pretty, and we want to make your day as perfect as possible even if that means giving in to the stepsisters’ demands.”

  “OK. Now that we have that worked out.” Ellie rushes back. “Let’s talk about the shower. Do you have a date?”

  “Um, yes we do,” Sienna says cautiously. “It’s in two weeks, and we are having it at the Korral House. Everything is pretty much done and invites are going out this week,” she adds. Just then, her phone rings, and she picks it up on the first ring. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so excited to take a phone call.

  “Oh. Well, what about the bachelorette party? I think a trip to Vegas is necessary, don’t you think? I have a friend at the Bellagio.” Ellie grabs her phone and starts looking through her contacts. “I can call him right now and get it scheduled.”

  I really was hoping this subject wouldn’t come up. Sienna, Abby, and I were planning a quiet spa weekend before I asked the stepsisters, and now I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this.

  “That’s really sweet, Ellie, but we haven’t really planned anything just yet other than the possibility of a spa weekend somewhere. Honestly, I’m not sure if I will even have the time for a trip; the big day will be here before we know it.”

  “What?” she exclaims. “That’s insane. You need to have a girls’ weekend before your wedding. One last weekend before you’ll be the little wife.”

  “That’s funny, but I don’t think anyone would think of me as a little wife.”

  “You know, Madie, your fiancé travels quite a lot. Aren’t you ever concerned about that? He’s gone a lot,” she says innocently.

  I can’t believe that she would actually imply that Cole would cheat; she hardly knows him.

  “Ellie, if you are implying that Cole would cheat, you couldn’t be more wrong. He travels because that’s his career and he loves it. He has begged me to travel with him for some time, but I have my own career.” Ugh, I stop myself because I realize I don’t need to give her an explanation and I refuse to let her get to me again.

  “Whoa, Madie. Why are you getting so defensive? That’s not what I was saying at all,” she says innocently. “I was actually saying that because he is always traveling, what’s wrong with you taking a few days to travel with your best friends.”

  She’s so full of it and that was exactly what she was referring to.

  “Please let me do this for you. My friend Frankie can hook us up.” I admit I’m torn because there is a small part of me that really wants to take her up on the offer. I mean, a hook up at the Bellagio? That would be so awesome even if it means spending a weekend with them.

  “Let me just run things by Sienna and Abby, and I will let you know,” I say finally.

  “Well, hurry!” she says firmly. “It’s really short notice, so I will go ahead and call Frankie to give him a heads up.” I sigh because I know she has no intentions of giving up.

  I can see through the front store window that Sienna is still on the phone. She is slowly pacing back and forth. I wish I could somehow eavesdrop on her conversation because I’m dying to know whom she is talking to. My attention is suddenly pulled away from Sienna and her mysterious call when Stephy returns to the fitting area still talking a mile a minute, and I can see that poor Jennie is probably on the verge of quitting her job just to escape. I don’t blame her one bit, although I’m sure Stephy is not the first obnoxious woman she has dealt with.

  Sienna’s return interrupts my thoughts.

  “So, are we done here?” she asks. “I have to go
in to the office to take care of a few things.” I’m about to ask her who was on the phone when Ellie interrupts us.

  “Oh good, Sienna. I was just talking to Madison about the bachelorette party. I put a call in to my friend at the Bellagio. We’re going to Vegas!” She starts clapping.

  “Really? We—as in all of us.” Sienna raises her eyebrows as she points to each one of us.

  “Of course! We are Madie’s bridal party and her best friends. Seriously, you’re a wedding planner you should know this. It’s our responsibility to do this for our Madie.”

  Ugh! She’s so fake! Is there a trash can nearby? I wonder what Ellie would say if I started vomiting in the middle of Alexa’s Bridal and her $10,000 dresses? I have never thrown up in a public place. Well, except that one time I almost got sick on the Ferris wheel at Disneyland, but I think that’s a regular occurrence for a theme park, not a bridal shop. I can see that Sienna is patiently waiting for an explanation from me. Maybe it would be easier to just throw up because that would change the subject for sure.

  “Thanks, Ellie, that’s sweet. I told you that we would talk about it and see if we can swing it,” I say with a swift glance at Sienna.

  “What’s there to talk about?”

  “Ellie, you’re so right. I’m in!” Sienna exclaims. I have to admit my mouth drops open because I’m surprised by her excitement, especially without discussing it.

  “Perfect!” she says excitedly.

  I wait until my cousins finally leave to ask Sienna what she was thinking and why she just agreed to go on this weekend away with them. We must have been thinking the same thing because a hookup at the Bellagio is way too good to pass up. So I guess we are going to Vegas with the evil stepsisters. Now if only we can figure out a way to ditch them?

  Chapter 5

  I love date nights. I hope that even when Cole and I are old with grandkids that we will still go on dates. After the stressful week that included the matching bridesmaids’ dresses and the planning of an unwanted Vegas trip, I’m ready for a night out with my man. I tell Cole all about my morning, and he thinks it’s hilarious.

  “I’m so glad you find all of this so funny,” I say with a scowl. “Honestly, though, do you think I should be worried about this? These girls are becoming immersed in our wedding. It’s stressing me out.”

  “Well, we could always get married on the beach in Hawaii.” He gives me a wink. “I would hate to see you so stressed out.”

  I never would have considered that before, but maybe that’s not such a bad idea. I don’t say anything though. I don’t want to give him the impression that I like the idea because then he would never drop it.

  “Honey, it’s not happening, so give it up.” I lean over the table and kiss him. For a few seconds I think we forget where we are. Ew. I don’t want to be one of those people who makes out in a restaurant. I quickly excuse myself to use the restroom. As I make my way through the restaurant, I see a very familiar face seated nearby. I’d know that face anywhere, it’s Ace Eckelund and he is not alone. He has a girl with him?

  “Madison! How wonderful to see you!” He practically jumps out of his seat and kisses me on both cheeks. I’m slightly taken aback by his accent even though I’ve heard him speak hundreds of times. I mean, really, how hot is that?

  “Hi, Ace, when did you get back in town?” I ask while glancing in the direction of his dinner companion (date?). I’m about to go into overprotective bitch best friend mode but Ace answers the burning question before I have a chance.

  “Madison please meet Allyson; she is from our Scotland division, and we’ve just moved her to the States.” Allyson says hello and shakes my hand while she continues to size me up.

  “Welcome to California.” I give her a warm smile even though I already know what this girl is up to. She seemed extremely interested in who I was, and once she found out I was off the market she seemed more at ease. Just then, the lightbulb goes off in my head and now is my chance to ask Ace about the wedding.

  “Ace, can I talk to you about something really quick? I promise,” I say, looking at Allyson who is clearly becoming more and more annoyed at my interruption. I wave at Cole who is on the phone; he shakes his finger at me because he knows what I’m up to.

  “Does Sienna know you’re back?” I ask when we walk away from Allyson’s eye rolling.

  “She does. We spoke earlier today. I suppose she hasn’t told you?” he says with a smile. He knows that I’m notorious for sticking my nose in their business.

  “Noooo, but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. Long story short, I asked my cousins to be in our wedding party so our numbers are uneven. My grandmother will probably throw herself down the stairs if I don’t correct this. Sooo, Cole and I would love to have you in our wedding. Please! You will probably save Grandmother’s life.” I stop and give him an innocent smile.

  “Oh.” He looks surprised. “I am honored you would think of me. You know I have to ask, does Sienna know about this? I’m really trying to be careful; I promised her we would take things slow.”

  “She doesn’t yet, but I will tell her. She won’t care. So what do you say?” I’m practically begging, although I’m sure I’m not the first woman to beg Ace Eckelund for something.

  “Mr. Eckelund, you aren’t trying to move in on my girl are you?” Cole joins us and slaps Ace on the back.

  “Of course not, mate. It’s great to see you.” Ace gives Cole a man hug. Or that thing guys do that’s a combination of a handshake, chest bump, back pat, and hug. Does anyone know what that is called? I just call it the man hug.

  “Good thing because I would never be able to compete with the accent and the abs. Seriously, I can see your six pack through your sweater.”

  Ace laughs and shakes his head. I take a look and I don’t believe it, you really can.

  “Babe, I just asked Ace to be in the wedding. I’m waiting on the answer,” I say, giving Ace a look.

  “Very well, I will do it IF you tell Sienna right away. I don’t want her to feel like this was planned behind her back and I wouldn’t want to upset her.”

  “I promise! Thank you!” I give him a hug.

  “Whoa, whoa. No hugging this guy, he’s a magnet for women.” Cole pulls me away from Ace and smiles.

  “Fantastic. I’m sorry, but I must get back to my meeting.”

  Oh yeah, poor Allyson. I almost forgot about her. I look over to see her fidgeting with her hair and her dress. Hmmm . . . Sienna better watch out for that one.

  “Who’s Allyson?” Cole asks when we get in the car.

  “Trouble.” That’s the best answer I can think of.

  When I get home, Sienna is on her laptop busily typing. Hopefully she’s in a good mood. I tell her all about my date night, including the almost full-blown make out session, and then I tell her about running into Ace. That grabs her attention immediately.

  “I need to tell you something but promise me you won’t get mad at me.” I beg her as I grab her hand. She quickly pulls away because, let’s face it, it’s never good when anyone says that.

  “You know, since Ellie and Stephy have joined our party, we needed a few other groomsmen, so we asked Ace. Cole thinks he’s a great guy, and we thought he would be a great addition.” When I finish talking, I wait for Sienna to react or not react or do something.

  “Why would you do that?” she shouts at me. I can tell she is pissed, really pissed. ”I know what you are trying to do. I told you things are going fine with us.”

  “I’m not trying to do anything,” I yell back. “There’s nothing wrong with asking him, and I didn’t do it just because of you.” This is partly true because we all really like Ace. “You know I love you, but you are being really stupid about this. Ace really wants to be with you; he is an amazing guy, and you better get off your butt before you lose him.” Yikes. That was harsh; I’m going to regret that later.

  “Stop! Just stop! You have your own life, so stay out of mine.” Sienna pick
s up her laptop and runs to her room. She’s careful not to slam the door because one time she did and I teased her for acting like a teenager. We laughed about it later.

  So, that didn’t go well at all, which of course I expected. Hopefully she gets over it in time for my shower. It’s probably not ideal to be fighting with your wedding planner. Maybe I should Google it? What to do when fighting with your wedding planner/best friend? Rule #1—Stay out of their love life.

  The next morning I wake up in a bad mood, and I’m tired. Sure enough, at two o’clock in the morning, I was regretting what I said to Sienna, and then at three o’clock I realized that I forgot to tell her about Allyson from Scotland. She’s already gone when I get up, and that’s probably a good thing because even though I feel bad, I’m much too stubborn to admit it just yet.

  When I get to the salon my co-worker Caycee is busy telling everyone about her nightmare client from the morning. I really like Caycee; she’s a newbie, as in right out of school. I love her enthusiasm, and it’s refreshing because many of the other stylists I work with are completely jaded.

  I’m getting ready for my first client of the day when Caycee comes over and sits in my chair.

  “Madie, have you ever just hooked up with a client after their appointment?” she asks with a mischievous grin.

  “What do you mean? Like a regular client or a walk-in?” I ask. Of course, I already know the answer because she’s new and has no regular clients.

  “Does it matter? It’s just that he was so cute. Is that bad?” Hmm . . . I’m not sure if I should say anything since I haven’t had the best of luck giving love advice in the last twenty-four hours.

  “Why are you asking me?”

  “I was just wondering if you ever have?” she says innocently.

  “Caycee, do you know how long I have been in this industry?”