“Genius.”
“What should we do until the makeup artist gets here?” Liv asked.
“What about a tarot reading?” Min suggested.
“I don’t know. Isn’t that bad luck, like tempting fate or something to get a reading on your wedding day? What if it says something awful?” Liv asked, moving to the small grouping of sofas in the corner of the bridal suite and taking a seat opposite Callie.
“First off, it wouldn’t say anything awful. The cards have been giving nothing but green lights since before you were even dating,” Callie said, ticking her points off on her fingers as she went. “Second of all, even if for some insane reason they did say something not great, do you really think I’d tell you? On your wedding day?”
Liv gasped theatrically. “You’d lie to me about what the cards say?”
“A maid of honor does what she has to do. But third of all, I don’t think you need the cards today. You know Daemon is your guy.”
“I do.”
“And you want to live happily ever after and have lots of hot sex and adorable babies.”
“I do want that. At least the first part. Not one hundred percent sold on the tiny humans part yet.”
Callie smiled. “Then you don’t need a reading. You make your own fate, babe.”
Liv grinned, a twinkle of mischief in her eye. “Then we’re agreed. No reading for me. Just one for you.”
“Why would I need a reading?”
“Because something’s different.” Liv cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as she examined Callie. “Shit. My brother didn’t propose last night, did he?”
Callie nearly choked on her own tongue. “No!”
“Oh my God, he did!” Liv sat up on her knees, her eyes wide. “I guess at least he didn’t do it at the reception.”
Min glanced between the two of them, like she was watching a train go off the tracks and wasn’t sure how to help. “I don’t think Noah would do that.”
“He didn’t. He absolutely did not propose.”
Liv sank back down onto the couch. “Then what is it? Is it a sex thing?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. “I know we tell each other everything, but if my brother does some weird sex thing, I do not want to know.”
“There’s no weird sex thing!” She should have had a mimosa after all.
“Maybe Callie doesn’t want to talk about it,” Min offered.
“If he fucked it up already, I’ll kill him.” Liv pounded a fist into her hand in a way that Callie was sure her friend had meant to appear threatening but was really just comical.
Callie laughed. “Will you let me talk? He didn’t fuck anything up.”
“Then what is it?” Min asked.
Callie looked between her friends. If she could find a way to talk about the tangle of dread and elation in her gut, would she be able to make sense of it all? “It’s…complicated.”
“Men always are,” Min said as she deftly swapped Liv’s mimosa for a champagne flute of plain orange juice.
“I guess I’m just nervous.”
“About?” Liv prompted.
“What if he goes on the road with this documentary and…forgets about me?” She winced, hating how needy she sounded.
Liv held out her arms to Callie, gesturing for her to sit next to her on the couch. Callie joined her best friend and let Liv pull her against her side into a hug, Liv’s head resting on top of Callie’s. “He’s not going to forget about you. He’s finally gotten his head out of his own ass long enough to realize how much he cares about you. That doesn’t go away because of a little distance. Trust me.”
