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I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’ll discuss this with Jasper after the wedding. I hear movement, and when the door pushes open, I’m hidden behind it. Through the crack between the door and door jam, I see Cora leave the room. A beat later, Jasper pokes his head out.
When he steps through the doorway, he starts to walk away, so I grab his coattail. “Hey Jas, what’s happening?” Jasper whips around, eyes wide, and lets out a yelp. “Shhhh…Parker, what the heck? You scared me,” he says. I thought about handling this in one of two ways but decided to go easy on Jasper. Cora and Jasper are adults. “You okay? Cora?” I ask, keeping it simple.
Jasper straightens, “Yeah, good…all good.”
I give him a long, hard stare. He never flinches. He’s good. A great guy. A trustworthy friend. “Okay, just want to be sure. Let’s go find Drew and get our brother hitched.” I turn and start walking back in the direction of the groom’s room. The ceremony is set to start in the next twenty minutes.
I only make it three steps before Jasper says my name, stopping me in my tracks, “Parks?” Stopping, I turn and glance back at Jasper.
“Yeah, little brother.”
He swallows then says, “I’ve seen the way you look at Abbey. You love her. How’d you know she loves you back?”
His question stuns me a bit. Abbey, do I love her? Her face flashes in my mind. Yeah, I do. Slapping him on the shoulder, I answer him honestly, “The thing is, Jasper, I don’t know if she loves me back yet. But I mean to find out as soon as I can. And if she says she loves me back, I will spend every day proving I’m worthy of her love. Love, it’s a risk.”
Jasper doesn’t smile. He has no expression at all. He doesn’t even say a word. He just nods, and together we make our way to where Drew and Tyler are waiting for us. I’m anxious to watch Drew get his happily ever after so I can find out if I will get mine.
ABBEY
I can’t think of a single day before this one where I felt as much hope as I do today. Looking over at Rosie while she gets the finishing touches of her makeup done, a grin spreads across my face so wide it hurts. This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way today. From the moment I opened my eyes, I only felt love. Love. Ha. There was a time not very long ago that the mere mention of the word made me cringe. I avoided it at every turn.
Today, I feel different. Rosie will marry Drew and live happily ever after. I believe this with every fiber of my being.
“That’s a big grin you’re wearing,” Kelsea’s voice comes from behind me. When I look back at her, her gaze is focused solely on me. My smile widens, if that’s even possible. “I can’t help it. Rosie’s happy, so I’m happy. I don’t know…I just feel different today,” I tell her. She gives me a half-smile then looks at me very intently.
“Abbey, do you mind if I ask you something?” she sounds so serious that I’m not sure I want to say yes, but I do anyway.
“No, of course you can ask me anything.”
Kelsea looks down at her feet, then back at me. “Are you going to hurt my brother?” My smile drops from my face instantly. I wasn’t expecting this question at all, especially today. She rushes to explain herself. “I’m sorry. He was an absolute ass the other night, but I also know he wouldn’t have lashed out if he wasn’t head over heels for you. I also know you don’t…well, you’ve said as much when we’ve been together. And Parker is so…so…”
I interrupt her by finishing her sentence for her. “He’s just so wonderful and kind and honest.” Her mouth falls open a little. “Kels, Parker was right in some ways and wrong in so many other ways the other night. Am I going to hurt him?” I ask, then shaking my head, I answer the question. “I don’t intend to hurt him. I see him, and the best part is he’s taught me that we’ll both have to take a chance on one another.” I smile at her again, and this time one spreads its way across her lips, too.
“Does he know?” she asks.
“Know what?” I reply.
Kelsea quickly says, “Does he know you love him?”
“Not yet, but as soon as I get the chance, he will,” I tell her.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
So many questions, but for some reason, I still feel at ease. “You know, Kels, I’m more scared of not telling him and losing this chance between us than I am of it not working out.”
“Well, I never thought I would see the day,” Rosie says from behind me. When I spin around, I come face-to-face with my friend. I’ve never seen her look more beautiful than she does at this moment. Her hair is tied back in a simple updo. Her makeup is perfection and gives her that wedding day glow. The dress is simply captivating in how it curves her figure. My awkward, naïve best friend, who puts love first and fashion last, has completely conquered this beautiful bride thing.
A tear slips down my cheek. “Rose, you’re stunning. You’re going to take Drew’s breath away the moment he sees you.”
Kelsea steps next to me, nodding her head. “Rosie, my brother is one smart man. You’ve got it all: brains, kindness, and beauty. Abbey is right—you’re breathtaking.”
Tilting her head back, Rosie starts flapping her hand over her face. “You guys, you’re going to make me cry, and I can’t ruin my makeup. My mom and dad already made me cry, hence the reason I had to have them reapply my makeup.” She looks back at us once she composes herself. “You really think so?” Rosie asks as she turns to look in the full-length mirror. “It’s not too much?”
“Not at all,” I tell her. “It’s perfect.”
There is a knock at the door, and Rosie’s dad pops his head in the room. “Ladies, it’s time. Are you ready?”
Rosie answers right away without hesitation. “I’ve been ready for this my entire life, Daddy.”
