I’m surprised to hear the last gurgles of the coffee brewing as I enter the kitchen. I make my way to the pot where I spy a mug and a note next to the pot.
Piper,
My brother insisted I have the coffee ready for you this morning. Seriously, you have him trained well. Share all the secrets! Oh, and HAPPY WEDDING DAY! Don’t wake me up, I need my sleep. I’ve set an alarm. Enjoy the peaceful morning alone. Reflect and do all that other shit you do.
I love you, bestie sister to be!
Ash
Yes, those are tears. Bitch. She knows how I get blotchy and puffy when I cry. Laughing, I smile through the few tears I allow to spill before sucking it up. Not today. I will not be a crying mess today. I love how well Ashton and Ben both know me. I suppose that’s the benefit of marrying your best friend’s brother. If two people are going to know you best, it’d be them. Pouring a little creamer in my cup before filling it with the nectar of the gods, I glance at the clock to confirm the time. We still have a few hours before both my mom and Patty, my future mother-in-law, will be here for breakfast. I quickly tick off a short list of things I must do this morning: shower; not cry; go over my to-do list; not argue with my mother; not cry again; encourage Ashton about singing; text Laurel, my friend and wedding coordinator, oh, and Ben’s ex-girlfriend, to make sure she’s on track for today; and most of all eat.
But before any of the to-do list can be tackled, I do as instructed. With coffee in hand, I make my way to the back deck, snuggling into one of the lounge chairs. The morning is crisp but clear. It’s going to be a beautiful day. If the clouds open and drop a record amount of water on my wedding, it will still be beautiful. It will still be the day I marry my best friend, my soul mate, and the man who makes me believe not only in myself but also that good guys exist.
A good guy he is. I’ve been a hot mess the last month. Off and on with the flu and an overwhelming bout of nausea, I’ve been awful to live with. I am even sick of myself. But not Ben. Nope, as usual he’s been amazing. Of course, he doesn’t understand why I’ve also been crying non-stop. I have hardly eaten anything, and there is more than a possibility that my amazing wedding dress won’t fit. There’s the distinct possibility that the thing will just fall right off when I put it on. Patty and my mom have promised that won’t happen. When Patty brought me soup the other day after yet another bout of vomiting, she promised to bring her sewing machine with her this morning. She wants me to put the dress on so we can confirm everything is fine. I won’t do it. I only want to put the dress on once, the final moments before I leave for the ceremony. So, they’ll just have to sew me right into it by hand.
I drift off in thought for a bit before I hear the sliding door open and close. I know it’s not Ashton because that girl will sleep for another four hours if we let her. Which, we won’t.
“Morning,” Minnie says as she settles onto the lounge chair next to me.
“Good morning. How’d you sleep?” I ask before taking another drink of my now lukewarm coffee and turn to face Minnie. She’s wrapped herself in a blanket with a cup of coffee in her hands, too.
“Like a rock. I’ve been so damn tired lately.”
“Girl, I know. Me, too.” I sigh.
“How are you feeling? Nervous?”
“Nope. Not at all. I’m excited. I want this day to speed up so I can be at the ceremony. But, I also want it to slow down because I don’t want the day to end.”
“That’s understandable,” Minnie agrees.
We sit and chat for a few minutes and enjoy the peaceful morning. Minnie is new to our town and our group, but she fits in perfectly. Her kind heart and sweet spirit is evident in everything she does. I’m grateful Owen found her. I love Owen Butler like a brother, but he’s been kind of lost most of his life and knowing he found someone like Minnie to love and be loved by has been a blessing.
“Do you think we should wake Ashton?” I scoff at the suggestion and Minnie laughs. “You’re right. How about we start on breakfast and you hop in the shower. The bride is first with the makeup artist and hair stylist.”
I agree, and we return to the kitchen, each intent on filling our mugs with more coffee, only to find Ashton in the kitchen.
“What are you doing up?” I ask.
“You know I have the worst case of FOMO. I couldn’t take the chance of you two bonding or some shit.”
We laugh. And that’s why Ashton Sullivan is my best friend. She’s full of sass, but her heart is huge. I watch as she whisks eggs in a bowl, adding spices and sautéed vegetables from a pan. While Minnie and I were outside talking she started breakfast.
“Don’t make a big deal about this. It’s my kitchen, and if I want to start breakfast, I will. But you, Minnesota Walker, you’re doing the dishes.” Ashton points her finger toward Minnie, causing me to snicker. “The mothers will be here in about an hour so you two better get moving,” Ashton orders.
I salute her and take my mug with me to the shower. This is going to be a great day.
Waking up alone in our bed on our wedding day seems like a form of unnecessary punishment. I’d love to blame my little sister for this, but alas, it was my bride’s idea. She insisted we follow tradition. Traditions are stupid. I’m also horny as hell. Piper also said a night apart would make our wedding night more electric. I don’t need a night apart for our sex to be electric. Hell, just thinking about her and I’m hard as a fucking rock. But I promised to not rub one out today. She had me making vows long before the ceremony. Sneaky girl.
“Yo, are you coming down to get this day started or what, asshole?”
I ignore Owen as he shouts up the stairs. I’ve been awake, I’m just lying on our bed thinking. Actually, I’m trying to write my vows. Yep, the vows I have to exchange with the love of my life before our closest friends and family in a few hours. Everyone assumed I would have these done months ago. Shit, they probably expected me to have them done when I proposed last fall. They’d be disappointed.
It’s not that I don’t know what I want to say. It’s mostly that I sound like a pussy-whipped baby. It’s not too far from reality. I’m completely enamored and in love with Piper. She is everything I didn’t know I wanted and was sure didn’t exist. Her kindness, passion, sense of humor, and undeniable commitment to everyone she loves is only part of what makes her amazing. I’ve watched her at work, giving her undivided attention to each of her kindergarten students, making each one feel as if they are the most important person in the room.
Piper gives more than one hundred percent to her friends, sacrificing and supporting each of them unconditionally. It was that level of love to Ashton that almost cost us our relationship. Piper and Ashton are closer than most best friends, sisters from the heart is what they’ve called each other. When we were sneaking around, the stress and fear of losing Ashton as her best friend was too much for her. It wasn’t a relationship she was willing to sacrifice for a romance that had only a possibility of love and forever. Thank goodness I had enough faith for both of us and believed that, eventually, Ashton’s love of both myself and Piper would override any anger she had.
A true testament to Piper’s unfaltering love is her unfailing support of her mother. Tessa Lawrence has never been a stereotypical mother. A single mom from almost day one, she spent more time looking for a new husband than nurturing and encouraging Piper. When we were growing up, her focus always seemed to be on appearances and molding herself into a version of the woman she thought the man she was with wanted. A chameleon of sorts. I didn’t know her well but it’s evident that her behavior effected not only Piper; it impacted everyone in Piper’s life. Piper’s insecurities, feeling of unworthiness, and horrible choice in boyfriends, before me of course, were a direct result of her mother’s parenting.
As adults we see things differently. I see how young Tessa was when she had Piper. How lost and confused she was, facing parenthood alone. Does that excuse her choices or the simplistic and unworthy characteristics she made Pi
per believe a good man should have? No. It has, however, helped heal their relationship. Tessa has spent the last year trying to make up for her mistakes, and I think she’s done a good job of that. Plus, she and I have had a few private conversations. We came to an understanding of how I expect Piper to be treated and loved. She cried, I fought tears, and she thanked me. Thanked me for loving Piper and being a good man. She also apologized. She was under the mistaken impression that being a Sullivan made me a better person than Piper. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Piper is the epitome of goodness, and for that, she’ll always be the better person.
I made sure Tessa understood that, to me, Piper is the ultimate package, and she created that. She may have stumbled along the way, but in the end, she has an amazing daughter who everyone loves, and she should be proud of that. She was grateful for the compliment, and I’m grateful for her stumbles along the way, because without them, Piper wouldn’t be the woman she is today.
All this thinking has me wishing she was the one making all the noise downstairs. Then I could swoop down the stairs and scoop her up in my arms and kiss the hell out of her. I hesitate for a minute, knowing what I’m about to do is going to piss my sister off, and my mom will likely lecture me the moment she steps foot on my property.
Oh well, you only live once I think, smiling to myself as I tap the contacts icon on my phone.
“Your sister is going to kill you.” Piper is laughing as she answers.
“I don’t care, I miss you.”
I hear her sigh on the other end of the line before she responds. “I know. We’re pathetic. You know that, right? Like completely co-dependent. This is unhealthy. We should call the whole day off.”
“No, we should have eloped so we’d be lying on a sandy beach right now.”
“Then you’d have our mothers on us. Hush your mouth.”
We laugh and talk for a few minutes and suddenly my vows come to me in a flash. Every memory of the past year with Piper, snippets of our childhood with her toothless grin and relentless questioning. The way she would blush and giggle when I’d say hi in the halls at school. And mostly how she looked the day I told her how much I loved her in front my parents and our friends.
“Babe, I . . .” I pause. I can’t tell her I need to write my vows, she’ll kill me. “I have to go. The guys are being dicks and shouting up the stairs to me.
“Oh, don’t lie. I know you haven’t written your vows.”
“I . . . I . . . okay, fine. Sorry?” Piper giggles and then I hear a rustling before another voice comes across the line.
“Bentley James, this is your mother. You are supposed to let this woman be today. You will see her soon enough. Go do something useful and leave her to us for the day.”
“Yes, Mother. May I please tell my bride goodbye?”
“Fine, but that’s it. The stylist arrived, and Minnesota has poured mimosas!” My mom starts laughing, no giggling, and I assume she’s already tapped into the mimosas. She shouts goodbye, and Piper returns to the phone.
“I guess we’ve been put in our place. It’s really disconcerting how well everyone knows us,” Piper says. I hear the faucet run for a minute and then the telltale signs of her brushing her teeth fill the line.
“I know, but she’s right. Also, that mimosa is going to taste awful if you just brushed your teeth.”
“Ben, I have been vomiting for weeks. I’m going to pass on the mimosas and pray my breakfast lasts another few hours. If that happens, I’ll make sure to save my first sip of champagne so it’s with you. How’s that?”
“Sounds fair. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I was worried.” My concern has been more than I’m letting on. She had until tomorrow to stop being sick before I was forcing her to the doctor. Piper insisted the stress of the wedding and Ashton’s awful sushi were the culprits. I’ve allowed her that excuse but I don’t buy it. “Pipe?” I ask before saying goodbye.
“Yeah, babe?” The tenderness in her voice makes me smile.
“I really am sorry I didn’t have my vows done. I feel like such a chick sometimes and wanted to be poetic but not crazy sappy. This is a lot harder than I thought. I can’t believe you finished yours months ago.”
“What? Oh, I didn’t write mine,” Piper teases.
“Excuse me? You said you were covered.”
“I am. I’m speaking from the heart in the moment. Ben, you are my world and everyone knows that. I’ve been waiting for this day most of my life. There isn’t anything I will say today that you don’t already know. And there isn’t anything you will say that I don’t already know. You love me, Bentley James Sullivan. I know that as well as I know your sister is downstairs quoting Dolly Parton songs.”
“Damn, you really are perfect.”
“Duh, way to get on board. Now I have to go because I want to look amazing for you today, and I can’t do that on my own. I love you to the moon, and I’ll meet you at the altar; I’ll be the one in the white dress!”
Before I’m able to respond, the lines goes dead, and I’m left sitting on my bed, staring at the wall. Damn. My dad always said I’d find a woman who challenges me, and I sure did that. She not only knows me better than I know myself, she’s a hell of a lot smarter than me.
Eyeing the suit hanging on the back of my closet door, I rise from the bed and adjust the jacket on the hanger. Speak from the heart. I can do that. But before I do that, I need to go downstairs and make sure Laurel has everything she needs and the guys aren’t already taking shots. We planned on taking the early part of today to fish and drink a few beers before getting ready. I suppose that’s the upside of having a wedding coordinator, even if she is your ex-girlfriend.
“Are you ready to put your dress on, sweetie?” My mom is standing on the other side of the door, concern evident in her voice. I’ve been sitting here on the toilet in Ashton’s master bathroom for almost . . . yep, twenty minutes. My hair is perfectly coifed and styled, piled high and stiff as a board. I glance to the mirror and sigh relief when I take in my makeup. It’s perfect. Natural with a smoky eye that will really stand out in our pictures. Ugh, but this hair. Who thought this was what I wanted? Loose waves pulled back so my long hair cascades down my back. That’s what I asked for. Tight nineties prom curls piled on top of my head with babies breath stuck in between ringlets doesn’t exactly scream “cascading.”
I won’t cry. I won’t. If I do, that beautiful smoky eye will be for naught. I should have said something. I should have put my foot down. My friends should have said something. Nobody did. They just sat there with their mouths open, jaws practically lying on the floor. Bitches.
“Sweetie?”
“I’m here. Uh, can you get Ash and Minnie for me, Mom? I won’t be long, just need a little girl pow wow.” I don’t bother getting up from my perch, I simply shout through the closed door. Everyone saw the monstrosity, so I’m not quite sure why I’m hiding but here I sit. Seconds later, there’s a shallow knock on the door and I rise to unlock the door. I turn and walk back to my shrine of shame and sit.
“You’re both fired. From best friend status and bridesmaids. This is bullshit.” I glare at both Ashton and Minnie and watch as they both try to fight smiles. They look beautiful in their gowns. The tops of the dresses are different, Ashton’s is strapless but gathers in an intricate design while Minnie’s has straps that crisscross low on her back. Both have a thick waistband and flowing skirt. They look amazing.
Neither is sporting a horrible hair style either. Ashton is wearing her long brunette hair loosely curled with one side pulled back exposing her collarbone and shoulder. Jameson is going to lose his mind when he sees her. Minnie is wearing her blonde hair in a side chignon, giving her a classy yet simple look. Both are wearing the antique style hair combs I gifted them. I was lucky enough to come across the combs in a small shop on a trip to see my mom in Chicago.
“Wow, you both look beautiful.” I sigh.
“Thanks,” they say in unison.
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br /> “I can’t get married like this. It’s like a really bad rerun of the Beverly Hills 90210 prom episode.” Minnie gathers the skirt of her dress before kneeling in front of me. Kindness greets me when I look in her eyes. I love Minnie. She’s kind and caring, always. We are always able to depend on her to come up with a resolution to any situation and still keep it positive.
“It really is, Piper. I’m sorry, but it’s awful. We need to fix it,” Minnie says. Wait, what?
“Huh? You’re the kind one, Min! You’re supposed to tell me it’s not bad.”
“Sweetie, it’s dreadful. Let’s get the plants out of your hair, and we’ll fix it. We may be running a few minutes late, but we can’t let you get married like this. Right, Ash?”
Both of our gazes shoot to Ashton who is standing at the sink with a wet washcloth on her neck. Oh no.
“Oh no. What’s wrong? Did you catch my flu?” I ask, rushing to Ashton’s side.
“What? Oh, no. I just . . . it’s nothing. I just felt hot. Probably the Spanx. Let’s get this hair situation handled and you married. I’m sure my brother is having a meltdown, thinking I’ll talk you out of marrying his sorry ass.”
“Are you sure? You look . . . well, kind of off.” Ashton waves me off with disinterest, and I resign to allowing them to fix my hair.
Twenty minutes later, a lot of finger combing, an attack by the blow dryer, and I finally have the simple waves I wanted. Ashton takes my hair and pulls it from my face, fastening it with a few pins but still leaving loose tendrils to frame my face. Minnie smiles at me in the mirror, and I simply nod before we turn toward the door. The minute the door opens, we find my mom and Patty, Ben and Ashton’s mom, sitting on the bed drinking mimosas.
“Oh, Piper. You look beautiful,” Patty sniffles while my mom stands next to her, hand covering her mouth.
I look them both in the eyes before replying, “You both need to suck it up. If you make me cry, and I ruin this makeup, I will kick your butts. Now, who is helping me get in that dress? I have a groom waiting.”
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