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Hale chuckled at my sarcasm and turned his attention back to Quinn. “I’ll want to make sure his wife, Avery, is included in any plans as well.”
Now we were adding an Avery? “You mean as a bridesmaid?” I asked, both reluctant and confused. I really didn’t want a big wedding party.
“No, just as Noah’s plus one so she doesn’t have to sit by herself. It’s perfectly fine to add her onto the head table, right, Quinn?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh.” How did he know what was right and what wasn’t when this was his first wedding too? Maybe this was the kind of propriety stuff wealthy guys learned while escorting debutants about the town during their adolescence.
Elara began to fuss, so I preoccupied myself with finding her a binkie while Hale went over some other details with Quinn.
“Do you have a date selected for the engagement party?”
My attention returned to wedding-gate. “We’re having an engagement party?”
“It’s pretty standard for a wedding of this size, especially with so many people traveling from around the country. An engagement party establishes the tone of the event and allows guests plenty of time to plan. Plus, you, the bride and groom, get one more reason to celebrate this momentous milestone.”
I felt my mouth form a smile but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Great. Are we inviting all the wedding guests, or is this just a small, family affair?” Please say family only…
“Oh, no, you’ll want to invite everyone who you plan to include in your big day. And, just an FYI, etiquette states that you should never invite someone to the engagement party who isn’t also invited to the wedding, but you can always add last-minute guests as the wedding gets closer.
Great, so we could add guests but not subtract. This party was turning into one of those creatures in Greek mythology that grew three heads every time it lost one.
I looked at Hale who seemed completely at ease with all of these compiling plans. “Um, we haven’t really talked about a guest list yet.”
Hale squeezed my hand lovingly. “Miles emailed my dad’s list this morning and I’m waiting on my mom's but she promises to have it to me by the end of the week.”
Wasn’t he just the star student of the class?
I had yet to ask my mom for a list, but I was pretty sure it would include her, myself, and my Uncle Rob. Then there was Tyler and Elle, a few past co-workers and that was a wrap.
“We should probably ask Phina to make a list, too, just to make sure no one is left out.”
“Wouldn’t want that to happen,” I mumbled and Hale gave me a sidelong glance that turned into a reassuring smile.
“Rayne will also have a list of family and friends.”
Yes, my three people would require the best seating and views of all the ice sculptures and gods.
“Great,” Quinn said, making more notes. “Since you’re planning a destination wedding, we’ll want to start vetting vendors now. It’s wise to lock in any photographers, bands, videographers, special entertainment, etcetera, as soon as you settle on a date.”
My palms started to sweat and my stomach cramped. I reached for my coffee only to realize I’d left it in the other room. “Can I get anyone something to drink?”
“Water would be great. Thank you.”
Hale watched me as I escaped what felt like an interrogation holding. Just as I refilled my coffee cup his hands landed on my shoulders, startling me.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine. Everything seems to be coming together perfectly.”
“Rayne, look at me.” He turned my body until I faced him, his towering form trapping me against the counter. Lifting my chin with a gentle finger, he forced me to meet his gaze. “This is still what you want, right?”
There was no doubt in my mind I wanted to marry Hale, but this wedding was growing more overwhelming by the minute. Looking up into those familiar silver eyes, the storm of panic in my stomach calmed and the tension in my back unraveled. This was Hale. My safe person. My anchor in a choppy sea. My everything. My partner. As long as he was by my side, anything was possible.
“I’m okay,” I whispered. “Just overwhelmed.”
“That’s why we have Quinn. She’s going to take care of everything.”
