“Oh, stop!” Sydney laughed before trying to get a glimpse of her butt. “I know I’m in good shape, but…definitely not Pippa shape!”
“You’re beautiful and perfect,” Mia countered.
Sydney waved her off. “As much as I’d love to keep this on because I love it that much, I should go change. I’d hate to spill tea on myself and ruin it.” With that, she turned and walked back into the bedroom.
While she was changing, Mia went up to her office, grabbed her laptop, and brought it back down. Maybe they could look at wedding gowns online so they could have some ideas for the appointment this weekend. One of the owners had called her and asked her to fill out a questionnaire about her must-haves for a gown so they could have several pulled for her. Unfortunately, there were so many beautiful styles that she had no idea which ones were her favorite. Since she would have to buy something off the rack, that was going to limit her options. So maybe, with Sydney’s help, she could narrow down her choices.
A few minutes later, they sat side by side, discussing the pros and cons of the different silhouette styles–mermaid versus ballgown and A-line versus sheath. It was enough to make her head spin.
“Do you want my honest opinion?” Sydney asked before taking a sip of her tea.
“I don’t know. Do I?”
That made Sydney laugh. “You look good in everything. You’re petite with a good figure so I don’t think there’s a wrong style for you.”
“Thanks, but…that doesn’t really help me narrow things down.”
“I know, I know.” She huffed and twisted in her seat. “Here’s the thing, I know you. I know your likes and dislikes. Every girl dreams of being a princess on her wedding day.” She paused. “Or maybe I should say, a lot of girls dream of being a princess on their wedding day. You, my dear friend, are not the one who has ever liked all the fluff and frills. You’re more practical. So maybe we take ballgowns off the table.”
She nodded. “That does make sense.”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.” And that’s how it went for the next hour until Mia could fill out the form for Enchanted Bridal and email it back to them. It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Now that that’s done, I’m hoping we won’t spend the entire day trying on dresses.”
“We?” Sydney said with a laugh. “I’m done, baby girl. This is all you! I’m hoping this is the kind of shop that serves champagne and cookies to those who have to sit and watch.” She winked. “Kyle’s promised me he can handle being home with Jax all day and that he’d only call if there’s an emergency.” Then she paused. “But I’ve got Violet and Courtney and Scarlett all on alert that they may have to go over and check on things.”
“You’re lucky to have such wonderful sisters-in-law.”
“And you will too, soon enough. You know it’s only a matter of time before Garrett and Emma get married. You like her, right?”
“Oh, I adore her. She’s amazing. It still feels…I don’t know…weird to me.”
“What does?”
“You know me, Syd. I’m an only child who grew up surrounded by adults. I have no cousins or relatives my own age. Now I’m surrounded by people who are about to become family. The Coleman-Westbrook-Bishop family is huge, and sometimes it still feels a bit…overwhelming.”
“Plus you got the rest of the Jones family and me through marriage, so…yeah. We make quite the large group when we’re all together.”
Mia nodded. “Everyone’s been calling and asking what they can do to help with the wedding and I don’t know what to say because I can’t wrap my brain around why they’d want to help.”
Fortunately, she and Sydney had known each other long enough that she felt comfortable talking about things like this.
“I’m getting better about being around all of them without shutting down or wanting to hide in a corner, but it’s still hard to get used to having this many people to call my family.”
“Believe me, I know what you’re saying, and one day you’re going to find that you’ve embraced it without even realizing it. Don’t stress yourself out about it right now. Everyone’s twitchy because of the holidays, so that adds to the chaos. Just focus on you and Austin and everything else will fall into place.”
“I know you’re right, but…”
“Nope,” Sydney quickly interrupted. “No buts. Not allowed. Focus on you and Austin. That’s it. Trust me. Have I ever let you down?”
She hadn’t. Sydney had been the best best friend anyone could ever ask for. Reaching out, she took one of Sydney’s hands in hers and squeezed it. “Thank you. You have no idea how much simply talking with you puts my mind at ease.”
“It’s the same for me.” After a quick hug, Sydney stood and moved to the kitchen to put her mug in the sink. “So what time should we leave Saturday morning?”
Austin paced and glanced at the clock again. It was after nine on Saturday night and Mia had texted him at 5:30 to tell him that she and Sydney were on their way back from Raleigh. She was excited because she found her gown and it only needed minimal alterations and she couldn’t wait to get home to celebrate with him.
They’d been celebrating a lot lately.
Like bunnies, actually.
Not that he was complaining.
If there was one thing he loved about his relationship with Mia, it was how perfectly compatible they were in bed. He still remembered the day they met and how he was struck by how beautiful she was and how he thought about flirting with her. Unfortunately, he had almost killed her with a flying sink, so she felt less than friendly toward him.
Hell, she had been barely civil.
Still, even when she gave him the cold shoulder, he remembered how she had become his fantasy. The first time he’d kissed her, she’d rocked him to his core. And the first time they’d made love? Yeah, it didn’t seem possible for them to be so damn good together. They were polar opposites in so many ways, and yet…they fit. They made sense. And for a man who never really gave much thought to getting married and his future, he couldn’t wait to marry Mia and start a family.
Seventeen-year-old me is probably shuddering with disgust right about now…
Looking around, he saw how he set things up to give the place a romantic vibe–a fire was roaring in the fireplace, music was playing softly on the sound system, he had a bottle of wine breathing next to two crystal glasses, and the lights were dimmed. All he needed was Mia.
Walking over to the kitchen island, he picked up his phone. If she didn’t walk through the door in the next ten minutes, he was going to have to…
“Hey! Sorry I’m late,” Mia said breathlessly as she walked in the door. His heart kicked hard in his chest because she was all flushed and smiling and so damn beautiful that he couldn’t stop himself from walking right over to her, cupping her face in his hands, and kissing her. She melted against him and it was the most incredible feeling in the world.
“Oh my goodness,” she panted minutes later when they broke apart. “That was quite a greeting.”