Her mouth falls open as she studies me from head to toe. “Uhh.”
I smooth my hands down my chest. “Do I look okay?”
Maddie swallows hard. “No words.” She walks toward me and wraps her arms around my waist. “You look like a hot CEO or something.”
“You’ve been watching way too much TV.”
“Mmm,” she says as a throat clears behind us and interrupts our moment. Thomas flashes a smile, then asks to take a look. He checks the hems and inseam of my pants, then the length of the arms. “Looks like it’s a good fit. Do you see anything you’d like changed?”
I shake my head, moving slightly. “No, feels great.”
“No complaints from me,” Maddie adds, interlocking her fingers with mine. I love that we can be like this publicly after hiding for so long.
“Awesome, I’ll just get you to sign some paperwork to finalize everything. Then you can pick it up three days before the event.”
“Perfect,” I say.
Thomas walks away, and I sneak a kiss from Maddie before going to change.
She’s all smiles when I walk away. As I’m putting on my jeans and T-shirt, I think about spending the weekend with her in a small little cabin I rented by the lake. It’s got the best view I could find. I plan to make all her gushy romantic dreams come true with an unlimited amount of chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne, and a crackling fireplace as the snow falls outside. Hallmark won’t have shit on me, but we may not leave the bed for days.
Chapter Fifteen
MADDIE
My winter recital went off without a hitch. Liam was there watching me along with my sisters, Mason, and Hunter. I worked hard all semester, and now I just have to study for finals before Christmas break.
Today is finally Sophie and Mason’s wedding day, and I’m overjoyed by all the excitement. I love weddings more than any of my sisters and can’t believe it’s actually here. It’s been a year since Mason proposed, and four months ago they picked a date. Since then, Sophie has busted her ass to get everything together to make sure the ceremony and reception are flawless.
Sophie made us meet in the dressing quarters early so we could start drinking champagne beforehand. Though my mother scolded us because she doesn’t approve of drinking, Sophie didn’t care, and I don’t blame her. This is her special day, and she should be allowed to do whatever the hell she wants, even if that means a slight buzz.
So we could all be picture-perfect, Sophie hired a hairdresser and makeup artist to pamper us. We’ve been sitting around goofing off and have nearly emptied the whole bottle of bubbly between the three of us, but she brought a backup.
“Are you nervous?” I ask Sophie as she looks out the window with her fluffy bride robe wrapped around her body.
“Hell no,” she says. “I’ve been dreaming of marrying Mason for way too long. I’m more than ready.”
Mom keeps coming in and out of the room, chatting with our family that arrived early, then returning to check on us. She’s running around like a chicken with her head cut off, but she lives for moments like this. We’re her baby girls, and she likes to feel needed. I’ll be the last one who’s not married, and while I’m not upset about it because I don’t want to rush anything, I hope I’m not waiting a decade for a proposal. Though it took Liam four years to admit he even liked me, I know he’s the only one I want to be with for the rest of my life.
Sophie wanted the wedding to be small and intimate and only invited close friends and family. Mom and Dad wanted to give an open invitation to the entire church, but Sophie put her foot down and refused. They had no choice but to agree.
An hour before the wedding starts, I decide to go out and see who’s all here. I slip on my dress and leave Lennon and Sophie as a few of our aunts and cousins walk in. The first person I want to find is Liam, but I’m stopped by Serena and the baby. I pull Marcus into my arms and want to capture the most adorable little boy in the world. “Oh my goodness, Serena. He’s getting so big, and he’s such a cutie.”
“Thank you.” She beams. “I’m so happy to be able to be here for Mason and Sophie. This place is beautiful.”
“Isn’t it?” I look up at the high ceilings that remind me of a cathedral. The space is what wedding dreams are made of.
Marcus grows fussy so I hand him back to Serena before he starts crying. He’s only five months and probably wants to eat or be changed, and I can’t help with either of those.
“You make mom life look easy,” I tell her, when he suddenly calms down in her arms.
She playfully rolls her eyes and laughs. “I kinda had to figure it all out, didn’t I?” Serena shrugs, but honestly, she’s an inspiration. Before she got pregnant, she was working a million hours a week as a lawyer, and even though that’s still her job, she now balances it with being a single mom.
“You’re doing a great job. Marcus looks healthy and happy.” I rub the pad of my finger along his chubby cheek as he sucks his fingers.
Serena looks like she’s going to cry as I give her a reassuring smile. She thanks me, then goes to the gigantic room where the ceremony will be held while pulling a bottle out of her shoulder bag. Knowing where the guys’ dressing area is, I walk down the hallway, and before I can knock, my hand is being grabbed, and I’m being tugged away. I turn to see Liam who plants a wet kiss on my lips. Funny enough, he tastes like whiskey and mints.
“Have you been drinking?” I giggle.
“Have you?” Liam grins wide. “You taste like champagne. And you look fucking gorgeous. Damn, how did I get so lucky?” He wraps my hands around his waist and pulls me in closer.
I lean forward. “That’s a very good question, and you just might get lucky later. Keep the tux on when we get back to the cabin so I can rip it off with my teeth.”
“It’s a rental, so no ripping.” He chuckles and narrows his eyes. “What did you tell your parents?”
“What you told me to tell them a few weeks ago. That I’d be fucking my boyfriend all weekend and staying with him.”
For a second, he stills and his mouth falls open. “You did not.”
I shrug and pretend to walk away, but he gently loops his arm around my waist and stops me.
“Mads, I haven’t seen your dad yet. He’ll strangle me with his bare hands, send me to hell, and then I won’t be able to be Mason’s best man.”
Grinning, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his scruffy jaw. “I told them I was staying with one of Sophie’s friends this weekend. Which technically, you are, so I didn’t even have to lie.”
“And they didn’t ask you which one?” He furrows his brows as if he doesn’t believe it’s this easy to get away with this.
“No. They know not to press me because I’ll tell them to mind their own business and stay out of mine. Plus, my sisters have done so many worse things, at this point, they wouldn’t be shocked by anything. I’ve basically got a Get Out of Jail Free card from the sister who got pregnant before she was married and the other who lived with her boyfriend before marriage. So I pretty much can do no evil.”