by Staci Hart
“Cam did it all, didn’t she?”
“Yup, sure did.”
I chuckled. “Honestly, as long as it gets done, I couldn’t care less how.”
“Exactly. So why not have a pro handle it? Intelligent delegation is the key to success. She’s got a full-blown itinerary for deliveries, and she’s meeting the caterers, florist, and DJ there to make sure everything is on track. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a headset and printed out, highlighted lists for us to abide by when we get there.”
“Give that girl a raise.”
“Psh, she almost makes as much as I do. Of course, she works twice as hard, so I probably shouldn’t complain.” She snapped her little book closed as her phone buzzed. She scanned her screen. “Okay, everyone’s there except us. Maggie’s got coffee and donuts.”
“Bless her.”
“Only one. You don’t have any Spanx, and your dress fits you like a glove.”
I raised one brow. “Says the girl who ordered tacos for lunch.”
“For your information, sassy, I ordered you a bowl instead of tacos.”
“Ugh, what a tease.”
“You’ll thank me when you don’t have a little tortilla baby in that dress.”
I laughed. “You really are the literal best friend ever.”
“I know,” she said with a sideways smile that stretched genuinely. “So are you. And I am so happy for you.”
Tears pricked my eyes again, and I wondered how many times I was going to cry today. “I love you, you big old schmoop.”
“Don’t let it get out. I’ve got a rep to maintain.”
And with that, we laughed our way downtown to my sister’s place. She lived in a gorgeous apartment in Greenwich Village, afforded by her status as a well-known model. And by well-known, I meant her face was on a billboard in Times Square and in at least three magazines at the checkout at the grocery store. Four, if you included Star.
We floated out of the cab and up the stairs to knock on Astrid’s door, which she answered with a mimosa in her hand and a smile on her face.
“Oh, good. You’re here.” She grabbed me by the arm and yanked me in. “We’ve got to get started.”
I eyed the box of donuts longingly as I passed them. “Hang on, let me get a—”
“I’ll bring you a donut. The pink one with cream cheese frosting inside.”
I relaxed. “You’re a good sister, Astrid.”
“I really am,” she said over her shoulder at me with that aloof smile of hers still on her lips.
Maggie lit up from a chair in the kitchen, next to the empty one where Astrid deposited me. “Lily! Mornin’! Did you get a donut?”
“She did,” Astrid answered, displaying one in front of me. “And a mimosa.” She offered one as well.
“How did you—”
“It’s like you don’t know me at all. I have a tray prepped. Or Alfonso prepped a tray, and I took one to give to you. Same thing.”
I laughed and shoved the donut in my mouth. Five bites, and it was gone.
Astrid looked unamused. Maggie stared at my mouth, trying not to gape. Rose was unaffected—my donut annihilation was nothing compared to what I could do to a bacon cheeseburger.
“What?” I asked with my mouth full.
“Nothin’,” Maggie said cheerfully. The hairstylist behind her was working through her curly blonde locks, which had grown to halfway down her back, and it looked like he was prepping for an elaborate braid. “Oh, we should toast!”
“On it,” Astrid said, turning for the kitchen island and placing a mimosa in Rose’s and Maggie’s hand. Graciously, she slammed her own mimosa and filled up a fresh one.
“Rosie, you do it,” Maggie beamed. “Yours are always the best.”
She laughed and raised her glass, her face pinching in amused thought. “Hmm … okay, okay.” Her glass lifted an inch higher. “To happily ever afters, babies and mortgages, tax deductions and someone to grow old with. But most importantly—here’s to steady dick.”
With a roar of laughter louder than four girls, a hairdresser, a makeup artist, and a houseboy named Alfonso should have been able to supply, our glasses touched rims with a sweet tink, and we drank to my future.
2
Screw It
West
Cooper wore an expectant expression on his face, as if he were waiting for an answer to a question I hadn’t heard. My mind was on Lily, who was in the bridal suite down the hall. Which was where I’d rather be.
I snuffed, making a sound ambiguous enough that it could be taken for either a yes or no before taking a sip of my scotch.
“Thought so. Told you he wasn’t listening,” he said to Patrick, who sighed.
“All right, well, when it’s your turn,” I said, eyeing them, “I’ll be sure to take notes.”
Cooper’s smile drew up on one side. “Who says I’m getting married?”
I laid a look on him that could defrost an icebox. “You’ll make an honest woman out of my sister, or I’ll break your nose again.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. You didn’t break anything but some capillaries.”
My eyes narrowed to slits, and his smile broadened.
“If you think I’m letting Maggie go, you don’t know me at all.”
I relaxed by only the smallest degree. “You’d better fucking not.” I took another drink, nearly emptying the crystal glass in my hand.
Cooper started talking again. It was one of his gifts—keeping conversations going. Bastard was the most charismatic man I knew. But my mind wandered away almost immediately. My eyes scanned our suite, which looked like some old boys’ club with wood-paneled walls the color of deep cherry, leather furniture the color of a saddle with brass tacks, bookshelves stacked with classics and first editions.
But I couldn’t hold still. I brushed a fleck of lint off the thigh of my deep cobalt pants. Inspected the intentional weathering on my new rusty-brown leather shoes. Smoothed my tie. Checked the big watch on my wrist for the time. Again. And all the while, my mind was on her.
I wondered what she’d been doing. We’d texted a bit off and on, but she was busy. I knew that—I did, and I tried to respect it—but I was very much not busy. Cooper, Tricky, and I had been killing time all morning, and I hadn’t seen much of anybody but the two of them. It seemed like everyone else had something to do except me. Which was maddening.
I needed something to do worse than anyone.
The most I could eek out of the day was the three of us going to a swanky barbershop Cooper frequented on the Upper West, where we had been shaved and styled for a price Cooper wouldn’t let me in on, saying while he paid the bill that I didn’t want to know.
I imagined her standing in front of the mirror with my sister and Rose, my mom and hers behind her, all of them misty-eyed and smiling. I wondered if her hair would be up or down, if the long locks would be twisted and piled up or free for my fingers to slip into the strands. I wondered about her dress. Would it be modest or revealing? Would it hug the curves of her body, curves I knew better than I knew my own reflection, or would it have a shape and bell like a princess, hiding her body from me until I could take that dress off her tonight?
Tonight. It seemed so far away—too far away. I wished I knew what she looked like so I could imagine her exactly how she was instead of not knowing. I hated not knowing.
But she’d kept it all a secret anyway. Hidden the dress and whatever she’d be wearing underneath it—because, yes, I’d looked for that, too—and kicked me out last night when all I’d wanted to do was stay. I got what she was saying about anticipation—I really did—but I wanted to see her.
In truth, I needed to see her. If the first time I saw her was when she was walking down that aisle toward me, I might not be able to compose myself in front of all those people. Not that they’d be looking at me anyway. Not when she entered the room.
I shifted in my seat again, checking my cuff links, then my wa
tch again, huffing when I noted that four minutes and thirty … six seconds had passed since I checked it last.
Patrick laughed. “Man, you look like you’ve got snakes in your pants.”
I gave him a look, frustrated and annoyed. “Well, what the hell? I don’t understand why I can’t see her for just a minute.”
“Because she said you couldn’t.”
“Well, she also said I couldn’t get the cow-skin rug, but I got it anyway.”
Cooper snorted. “She made you put it in your office.”
I shrugged. “Still won. I’m just saying, she’s wrong this time.”
Patrick gave me a sympathetic look. “I get it, man, but this isn’t just a Lily thing. It’s a thing, thing.”
That boiling frustration spilled over. “Well, it’s bullshit,” I shot, my face pinching in agitation. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday, and this is the biggest day of our lives. We’ve been waiting for this day for over a year. Hell, we’ve been waiting for this day our whole lives, and the first time I see her is gonna be in front of everybody. I can’t … I don’t know how to keep it together. I can’t let that be the moment, man. I can’t! I need to see her and hold her and tell her I love her before she appears at the end of that aisle on her father’s arm.” I clamped my mouth shut and drew a noisy breath through my nose to try to temper my outburst. It didn’t work. So I finished my scotch and stood instead. “I need another fucking drink.”
Cooper and Patrick exchanged a look, but I barely noticed, moving instead for the crystal decanter on the sideboard.
“All right,” Cooper said, resigned with a side of determination. “We’ll help you.”
I turned, still holding my empty glass. “Do not fuck with me,” I warned. “I am in no mood.”
Patrick stood, smoothing his tie. “We mean it. We’ll get you in there.”
“But we’re blaming you for all this when Lily asks. You, she’ll forgive. We, on the other hand, will never live it down,” Cooper said.
I set my glass down, beaming. “I accept full and complete responsibility. What do we do?”
Patrick was on his phone, shaking his head. “Rose is pissed, but she’s on board.”
I frowned. “I thought we were keeping secrets.”
“If you think we can pull this off without Rose and Maggie’s help, you’re dumber than I thought.” Patrick’s fingers flew as he typed out a message. “Okay, Rose is clearing out the room.”
I shook my head. “How the hell did you manage that in a couple of texts?”
“Easy. I just told her if we didn’t, you’d cry in front of God and everybody. No one wants to see the fabric of the universe torn today.”
My face flattened. “You’re a real pal, Tricky.”
“I’m here for you, man.” His eyes were on his phone. “Okay. Come on.”
Cooper opened the door a crack and scanned the hall, holding his hand up at us behind the door like a SWAT team leader. “All clear.”
“Thanks, Batman,” I muttered.
He shot me a look over his shoulder. “Want our help or not?”
I put my hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. This sneaking around pisses me off.”
“I know you prefer a good smash-and-grab, but this requires a little more finesse. Now quit bitching, and let’s go.”
I followed them through a series of hallways, ignoring Patrick’s amusement at my discomfort. We paused at each juncture, and when we reached a wide hall where guests passed through to the bar and holding area, Cooper turned to me, his face serious.
“Okay, here’s the deal. We’re moving for that door,” he said, pointing. “Do not make eye contact with anyone. Look like you’re on official business, not like you’re sneaking around.” He paused, assessing me. “I mean, stand up straighter and stop looking annoyed.”
“Well, I am fucking annoyed.”
He rolled his eyes. “No shit? Just stop looking annoyed.”
I tried to smooth my face.
“I guess that’s passable. You lead.”
I took a breath and locked my eyes on the door before stepping into the open.
Three steps, and I heard my name.
“It’s your aunt. Act like you didn’t hear her. Hurry,” Cooper managed to somehow bark from under his breath.
I did as he’d said, reaching the door after hearing my name again. Twice. I whipped the door open and darted inside.
Rose was waiting, looking nervous and mildly annoyed. “She’s gonna kill me,” she said flatly.
But then she saw Patrick, and they locked eyes like a couple of lovesick fools. Not that I was anyone to judge.
He stepped into her, his face shining as he took hers in his hands. “You’re beautiful.”
And she was. Her dress swept the floor, a blush chiffon affair that made her look like an angel.
It only made me want to see Lily more. If Rose looked like that, Lily was going to give me a heart attack.
I stepped around them with single-minded focus.
“Hang on,” she said, snapping out of her Tricky-in-a-suit-induced haze. “Let me get Mags and Astrid. There were a hundred people in there ten minutes ago. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get rid of everyone?” she asked no one as she typed away.
I waited, my nerves and impatience rippling under my skin. I grunted. “How long?”
“They’re coming. God, West. You’re a mess.” It was a joke and an observation, but she didn’t wait for me to pop off like I started to—she turned and waved us on. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
I followed her around, meeting Astrid and my sister, Maggie, who whispered and smiled and slipped into Cooper’s arms. Rose pointed to the door and squeezed my tricep, smiling her encouragement.
For a brief, inexplicable moment, I was afraid, locked to the spot now that I had the freedom to go.
But I was nothing if not determined. So I gathered myself up. Stepped to the door. Grasped the doorknob. Opened the door.
Lily stood on a platform in front of a triptych of mirrors, the sunshine pouring into the room in a wedge of light that touched the hem and train of her dress, the white glow blinding and brilliant. I cataloged a series of details in the span of a few seconds. The deep cut exposed her back in a sweeping curve that ended at the small, right where my hand loved to rest. The dress itself highlighted the shape of her, the bend of her waist, the swell of her hips, the curves of her breasts without being tight or blatant, the shimmering fabric falling to the ground from her hips. The light caught bits of the fabric that I realized were embellished with beads or pearls or jewels. I couldn’t tell from where I stood just inside the doorway, not remembering closing the door behind me.
And my questions were answered. Her hair was up, exposing her long, beautiful neck, earrings swinging like pendulums. Her dress was exquisite, reminiscent of the twenties or thirties without being old-fashioned at all. It was timeless. It was sensual, from the whispering fabric to the span of her naked back, offset by fluttering, beaded sleeves that brushed her arms a handful of inches below her shoulders, giving a feel of modesty in an otherwise revealing dress.
Our eyes met in the mirror for a moment of absolute relief and awe and overwhelming emotion, one that squeezed my throat closed, stung my eyes and nose, stopped my heart and lungs and time.
And then her face shot open, and she flew off the platform. For a split second, I thought she was running for me, and I braced myself to catch her, but she cut off to the side to dart behind an elaborate, French-looking room divider.
“Oh my God, West! What are you doing in here?” she squealed.
I found myself smirking. “I thought that was obvious, Lil.”
“Ugh, you are impossible!” she said, exasperated. “I’d say I can’t believe you, but I can absolutely believe that you finagled your way in here after I explicitly asked you to stay away.”
My smirk fell, dragging my lips into a frown. “I know, but—”
“No buts!
You are not allowed to see me for another—” A pause. “—hour!”
“I know, Lily,” I started, all kidding aside, all joking done and through. “I had to see you. I—”
“One thing! I asked you to do one thing! That’s all you had to do today other than, per your schedule, shower and put on your damn suit. But you didn’t!”
I stepped toward the screen. “I know, but I had to see you.”
“Ah-ah! You stop right there, Weston.”
I didn’t. “Or what?”
“Do not test me right now!”
I reached the screen but didn’t make a move to look behind it. “Lily,” I said gently, listening to her breathing on the other side, “I needed this moment—seeing you—to be just mine. Not with a hundred forty-three people as witnesses. You and me. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it before so we could have planned it out better. I thought I could handle it.”
“I shoulda known better,” she said to herself, though the bite in her tone was gone.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve technically already seen you.”
She groaned. “Oh God. Everything is ruined.”
“Come on, you don’t really believe in all that, do you?”
“Well, kinda!” she argued.
I paused before coaxing her out. “Come here, babe.”
Silence. Then a sigh, a shuffling of skirts. Half of her face peeked out from behind the screen, her long fingers clutching the edge.
“You really wanted to see me that bad?” she asked hopefully.
I smiled, lips together, eyes thirsty for the rest of her as I stepped toward her. “I’ve been losing my mind. I haven’t had a goddamn thing to do but think about you. I mean it when I say I had to see you. Now, come here.”
Her cheeks flushed, her eyes holding mine as she stepped out.
Up close, she was even more beautiful. Her makeup was soft, her lips dusky rose, her lashes long and ebony, contrasting the cornflower blue of her eyes. They were so blue in fact, the color so deep and rich, they nearly looked violet.
But the best part was the way she looked at me, her face full of the love and adoration and possession and hope I felt in my own heart for her. And for a long moment, we stood there and soaked in the sight of the other, the vision heightened by the depth of emotion.