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Gaby must have sensed my worry, because she put her arm around me. “You’ve been through so much. How in the heck are you not stark raving mad by now, girl?” She barely paused to take a breath. “Color? You want us in a shade of purple or lavender?”
“That is a very good question. One I’ve got no answer for.” I shrugged. “I was referring to the stark raving mad inquiry,” I told her with a sigh, “and I would love you in purple if you find something that strikes your fancy. I want you and Elaina to feel good in whatever you choose, Gab. And your dresses don’t have to be the same at all, or even the exact same shade or material. I want you guys to wear what you love. You’ll be beautiful in anything—”
“Okay, enough useless prattle, ladies. We have to find a wedding dress, and time is slipping by,” Ben announced imperiously with a theatrical look down at his watch. “Can you tell me what your requirements are in a gown, darling? If I know what you’re looking for, I can do this.” He snapped his fingers on both hands with a flourish.
Gaby rolled her eyes at Ben’s announcement. “That’s a little bold, Ben. You are a guy. What makes you think you can locate Bree’s wedding dress out of the million shops in London?”
Ben looked at Gaby and clucked at her. “I’m gay. ’Nuff said, woman. When have I ever steered you wrong?” Ben gave Gaby a thorough long look up and down. It was no secret he picked out her clothes all the time, and that she always took his suggestions to heart. Ben was good with fashion and design. God, I loved them both so much.
“I like your earlier suggestion, Benny. Something vintage-inspired, simple—lace is pretty, and I want sleeves. They can be short, but no sleeveless gown for me.” I gestured with my hands over my stomach. “Maybe a higher waistline would be best, in case I start to explode. A little splash of purple, maybe?”
Ben rolled his eyes. “You don’t look up the duff at all, darling.” He cocked his head curiously. “Will you have a bump by August the twenty-fourth?”
“I don’t know and don’t start, please. All the guests know I’m pregnant so it’s not like we’re trying to hide the fact. Trust me, I’ve heard all about it from my mother already. Like she thinks pretending we aren’t having a baby will be more respectable somehow. Ugh, I loathe the drama she creates. Why can’t she just be happy for me? She’s going to have a grandchild, for Christ’s sake!”
Gaby placed a hand on my shoulder. “Bump or no bump, you’ll be beautiful, and your mom will just have to get over it. We’ll wow her with such a gorgeous wedding and you such a lovely bride, she won’t have a choice but to love the whole thing.”
They were sweet for telling me so, but I didn’t have high hopes about turning my mom around. She didn’t want to hear about Ethan and our relationship. She had actually had the gall to tell me I was throwing my life away on Ethan and our baby. She asked what the last four years was for if all I was going to do was get pregnant again. That hurt. She really thought so little of me. The first time was not my fault, and this time . . . well, I didn’t intend to get pregnant. I know Ethan and I acted irresponsibly, but I wouldn’t regret this outcome. I couldn’t regret it. I touched my belly and rubbed over the area back and forth. Conceiving our baby had been done in love no matter what my mom said, or what I thought of myself. That much I knew was true. I loved Ethan and he loved me. There was no other choice I could make, whether my mom understood the concept or not; there was no other choice in this world for me.
“Thanks, you guys. Really . . . I don’t know how I’d pull this together without you two in such a short time,” I said with a sigh. “Even Elaina and Hannah are hard at work. I hope we can actually pull this off.”
“As if we couldn’t,” Ben scoffed. “You’d have to hold me at gunpoint to keep me away from helping you with this posh, A-list celebrity, country-manor wedding that Her Majesty has been invited to!”
“Yeah, well, let’s pray she doesn’t come. Thank God for Elaina turning me on to that little wedding planner—Victoria something.
I’ve been assured she will take care of anything having to do with queens and princes. I wouldn’t know the first thing about the protocol involved with having royalty at one’s wedding.” I looked at Ben and Gaby and threw my hands up in the air and swallowed hard as the realization hit me. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Nope. No more sick, my darling girl,” Ben said determinedly, hanging his long arm over my shoulders. “We’re going to sit down for a nice lunch and get fortified first, then it’s back to work finding the perfect dress for your posh country celebrity wedding. Which is happening in seven short weeks.” Ben looked upward and crossed himself. “We can do this.”
? I couldn’t resist texting Ethan over lunch. He seemed to enjoy our banter and usually replied if he wasn’t in a meeting, and sometimes even when he was. Naughty texts too. I grinned as I typed: I might hav to go naked 2 marry u. No dress luck yet. Havin lunch now ? ? U
I didn’t have long to wait before my phone vibrated.
No baby. U have it wrong. OK 2 B Naked for honeymoon ONLY! Dress essential 4 wedding.
xx
I laughed out loud and gained the unwanted attention of my friends. I tried to cover my mistake by delving into my salad. Didn’t have a chance of working, though.
“Sexting again?” Ben asked with a smirk.
“Sorry. It happens spontaneously.” I tilted my head and shrugged. “Blame the hormones?” It was worth a shot to use the hormones at least once in my defense.
“Gotcha, darling,” Ben said with a grin, his nosey radar on full alert. I swear he could charm a nun out of her panties if he wanted to. Some scary shit, the way he figured things out.
“They just have to look at each other and the people in the room could spontaneously combust by merely watching them.” Gaby’s voice was laced with sarcasm again as she took a big swig of her wine.
I pouted that I couldn’t join her in a glass, deciding it was okay to be insanely jealous of her right now. “Don’t be a bitch, Gab, you’re already pushing it by teasing me with wine. I can’t help it if Ethan gets me to spontaneously combust.”
Gaby laughed and refilled her glass of Chardonnay. “It’s no surprise Ethan got you pregnant. I imagine it was hard for the two of you to take in enough food and drink to keep yourselves going in the early days. All you did was have at it like rabbits.”
I gave her my best stone face. It lasted all of ten seconds before I started giggling. “It really, really was.”
We were goofing around, being idiots when my phone went off. Mom? At this hour? She never called me at her mornings.
“Shit! It’s my mom calling. Do you think she could sense me talking smack about her?” I decided to let it go to voice mail.
“The theme music from Psycho is the ringtone for your mother?” Gaby asked, her French fry stopped in midair.
