She’s about to protest, but my phone pings, and everyone quiets while I dig out my phone, and with one tap, I’m greeted with a selfie of Lola sitting in her highchair, eating a cut-up waffle and fruit, and Hayes is standing behind her, bent down, while he holds his arm up to use the phone.She has a wide smile.
Hayes:
They were out of blueberry bagels at the bakery. I negotiated her down to waffles with fruit.
I feel everything inside of me burst into complete elation. They’re doing fine and seem happy. My cheeks rise from the smile that keeps pulling on my mouth. Both ladies on my side lean in to peek.
“See? All is well.” Aunt Bea squeezes my arm and smiles, too.
“It is. I think he’s kind of a natural at this,” I say, because it’s becoming obvious.
Then my mind slips into another tunnel in my mind. The one where I wonder what he could be like, as a boyfriend or a man who maybe one day finds me here trying on dresses, too. The curiosity is a little more overbearing today than it has been in recent weeks. Wedding dresses are confronting apparently.
Savannah clears her throat to bring all of our attention back to her. “You can calm down. It’s not like he’s insisted you both get married for the sake of tradition. He’s taking his time, which, if he works at Haven Crossroads and is a friend of Julian’s, then it normally equates to that he’s plotting something, but hey, we have champagne, and I need to pick a dress. So, shall we?”
Chuckling to myself, I agree with her plan. “Is this the one?”
She repositions her body in the mirror to gain a new angle. “I mean, it’s a snug fit but feels comfortable.”
“Really? We can see almost everything under the lace,” Sutton deadpans.
I wince because that was brutal, though a true review. The dress is lace from the waist up, with nothing underneath; her breasts are barely covered. Still, the details make it classy, and it's long-sleeved.
“Maybe we can check just one more,” her aunt suggests, and it’s clear she hates the dress.
Setting my champagne flute onto the side table, I quickly grab a throat lozenge from my purse pocket. I’ve been feeling a sore throat coming on all day. I watch as Savannah spins around and heads back into the dressing room with the attendant holding the train of the dress.
She’s having a big wedding. I never pictured her wanting that, but marriage is a compromise. Her fiancé owns a billion-dollar company; everyone wants an invite. He already bought a house in Everhope for Savannah so they can have their quiet weekends. I try to recall my own wedding dreams but draw a blank. Maybe they vanished when I had Lola. My life has reversed. Now a man has entered my life, and with him, possibilities.
But first, we would need to date.
And to date, I would need to agree.
To agree, I would have to give a sign.
A sign that I’m debating whether I want to make.
Yet, every day, I’m getting closer to throwing in the towel and saying okay.
10
ELODIE
Entering my apartment, I hear the television softly on with a hockey game. Slowly, I place my purse on the side table and remove my coat. It’s past seven, and I wanted to see Lola, but I think I missed her.
When I reach the living room, Hayes gives me a smile that is far too sexy for sitting comfortably on the sofa.
“She’s asleep?”
He scoots over to make room for me on the couch. “Yeah, went down about 15 minutes ago. I’m not sure who’s more exhausted, her or me. That hour between morning nap and lunchtime was brutal. Does she always have that much energy then?”
I laugh as I grab a throw pillow and sit down. “Yeah. But we’re moving toward one nap a day and also potty training.”
“Okay, remind me to study all of that.”
“A shame the weather wasn’t great, otherwise you could have gone to the playground.”
“It’s okay, we went to that coffee place around the corner next to the bakery. They have a kids' corner and a shit load of caffeine for me.”
