Instead, he cupped my cheek, leaning forward to rest his head against mine, and an enormous smile lit up his face.“I thought you’d never ask.”Happiness like I’d never felt before flowed through my veins as Tristan kissed me before pulling away, and adding,“Yes, baby. I’ll marry you.”
Tristan
Tears glittered in my mom’s eyes as she straightened my bowtie, a happy grin on her face.“Oh, Tris, I’m so proud of you,”she said, stepping back to check out my outfit.
I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to hold back my own tears. If I made it through the day without crying, it wouldbe a miracle. Not only was it my favorite day of the year, but it was also my wedding day.
“Thanks, Mom,”I replied, kissing her cheek.“You look beautiful.”
She was walking me down the aisle, and had opted to wear a silver dressthathad swirls of white silk sewn into the material, reminding me of icicles. It was the perfect dress to keep with the winter theme of our wedding.
Ben and I hadn’t wanted a big day, but my mom and Bella had other ideas. The two of them had nagged Ben and me to let them organize the wedding, and we’d reluctantly agreed, with two stipulationsthatwere non-negotiable: the wedding was to be held on Christmas Day—a daythatmeant so much to us—and the wedding was to be held at Snowscape Lodge.
The mountainside resort had become an instant favorite of ours when Ben took me there for a surprise birthday treat. Surrounded by snow and miles from civilization, it was the perfect location for where we wanted our intimate wedding.
But what had started as small and intimate had resulted in half the town of Henderson being invited, thanks to my mom and Bella getting carried away. Still, we were getting what we wanted. We were getting married.
“What about us?”Ivy asked, fluttering her lashes at her reflection in the mirror.
She and Holly were bridesmaids, along with Bella, who was currently having the final touches of her makeup done in another room.
“You both look gorgeous, but you need to wear your jackets,”I replied, scowling.
They were wearing matching silk silver dressesthatshowed off their figures a little too much for my liking. NotthatI needed to worry about Holly; she was only fourteen, but she had a sensible head on her shoulders.
Unlike Ivy, who had recently discoveredthatboys existed andseemedto have a different boyfriend each week. No wonder Dad had started losing his hair.
“Thanks, Tris,”Holly beamed, snapping a selfie to no doubt send to her girlfriend, Carly, who was with her parents somewhere in the lodge, waiting for the wedding to start.
I couldn’t help but grin fondly at my sisters. Holly’s confidence had come on leaps and bounds in the last two years, and I knew Ben was responsible for a lot ofthat. He’d helped her tell our parentsthatshe liked girls, something she’d been worried about for longer than she let on.
As for Ivy, she wasjustas sassy as she’d always been, but since Holly had admitted to liking girls, Ivy had become her fierce protector. If anyone upset Holly, they’d have hell to pay in the form of a fiery Ivy.
A soft knock tapped against the door, and Mom answered. My brows lifted when my dad stepped inside, looking smart in his black suit, but his brows furrowed in worry. He was Ben’s best man and was supposed to be helping Ben get ready for today.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”I asked, a pang of worry shooting through me.
The worried expression fell from his features, replaced with a look of affection as he took in my black tux.“Tris, you look-”he broke off, thick emotion creeping into his voice.“You look great, Son.”
“Thanks, Dad,”I replied, taking several steps to stop in front of him as a knot twisted my stomach.“What’s going on? Is Ben okay?”
He shot a nervous glance at my mom before looking back at me.“Ben’s okay. Well, no, he’s not. That’s why I’m here. He’s a nervous wreck.”
I blinked at him, unsure whether to laugh or run to Ben’s room.“What do you mean he’s a nervous wreck?”
His eyes darted to my mom again.“Tris, he’s a mess. He’s convinced you aren’t going to turn up today. He hardly slept last night, and I think the only way to get him to calm down is if you go and see him.”
Now I knew why he kept looking at my mom. Neither Ben nor I had wanted to spend the night apart, but my mom had yet again insisted we followed tradition and slept separately. Why I had agreed, I didn’t know. I hated sleeping without him next to me.
“Give me your room key,”I replied, holding my hand out to my dad.
“Wait!”Mom said, attempting to block Dad from handing his keycard over.“The bride can’t see the groom before the wedding.”
I scowled at her.“Neither of us are brides, Mom.”
“But still! It might be bad luck.”
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the card and avoided her attempt to grab my arm.“I’ll takethatchance,”I threw over my shoulder as I slammed the door behind me and marched to the elevator.
