“No.” I stop her with the point of my finger. “First, we will all sit down and have breakfast. Only once Aubrey has eaten will you be free to go.”
“I love how he only cares that she eats but not us.” Cecilia sighs with a smile, like making sure my girl eats is out of the ordinary.
We all sit down as the chatter picks up while the food gets passed around to everyone. Hailey sits down beside Aubrey as they talk about her upcoming wedding and how much Aubrey’s belly has grown since they last saw each other. Phoebe asks Morgan about the twins, Leah chitchats with Cecilia, and Eden talks crazy with Emma and Veronica, while the boys all talk together about summer plans.
It’s nice to see my family and Aubrey’s getting along. I didn’t expect them to fit in so well together, but they have. Ever since Aubrey walked into my life, it’s only changed for the greater, and it keeps getting better with every day that passes. I love our little family, but I also love the family we’ve created by bringing our worlds together.
I lean in toward Aubrey and kiss her on the cheek when she’s not expecting it. “I love you, Angel.”
She gasps softly, then smiles and presses her lips to mine. “I love you too, Shane.”
Chapter thirty
Aubrey
Squashed Chinese food and baked goods.
“At what time is your flight?” I ask as we finish up dinner with Shane’s sisters.
Today was fun, but very exhausting. We went to get our nails done, which isn’t something I do often, but since I’ve only been doing office work at the bakery, I’ve indulged myself a little. Then we had lunch at some fancy restaurant, followed by a few hours of expensive shopping. After that, everyone was dropped back at their houses, ending with me and Shane’s sisters at our home.
“At a quarter to nine, we’ll need to get a car soon.” Phoebe smiles at me.
“We can drive you if you’d like,” I offer.
“Oh, no need for that. One of the perks of being wealthy is that you can pay people to drive you around.” Eden laughs. She reminds me a lot of Em and Ronnie. A bit of a wildcard.
“So, have you two thought about when you’d like to get married?” Leah asks with an excited grin.
“I’m not sure, we haven’t really discussed it yet, but it will most likely have to wait until next summer. With the baby coming soon and the season starting back up at the same time, that doesn’t really give us time to plan a wedding.” I smile with a bit of disappointment. I wish we didn’t have to wait a whole year to be married.
“When are you due again?” Phoebe questions, looking from me to Shane.
“September 14th,” Shane answers before I can. I smile at the fact that he has the date memorized. He even has it highlighted in every calendar we own, including the ones in his phone and tablet.
“Okay, so there’s still time.” Leah’s smile widens.
“What do you mean?” I frown, confused.
“We could do it before. Wouldn’t you want to be married before your daughter comes into the world?” she clarifies.
“I mean, yes. Of course, I’d love to be married before.” I look at Shane, unsure what exactly they’re trying to say. “I just don’t see how having the wedding before would be possible.”
“We could do it say, end of August? There are a lot of beautiful venues out here around New York, I’m sure we can find one that you’ll like.” Eden pulls out her phone, most likely researching places to have a wedding.
“Wait, you want us to have the wedding at the end of August? That’s like, what, two and a half months away. We can’t plan an entire wedding in so little time,” I say incredulously, looking at Shane for support but all he does is shrug.
“I mean, we did plan an entire wedding in a few hours,” he says, smiling, but I can feel my stress levels rising.
“Yes, but that wasn’t the same. That was a simple, intimate backyard wedding. Not a huge, expensive Jefferson wedding. Because I’ve seen pictures of your weddings.” I point out to my future sisters-in-law. “I know how extravagant they were.”
Phoebe places her hand on mine reassuringly. “Exactly, Aubrey. It will be a Jefferson wedding. You might not realize it yet, but that name will open doors for you everywhere you go. It will make people move mountains for you.”
Leah nods. “She’s right. Our brother likes to hide from his family name, but it truly is a big deal. And soon, you’ll be wearing it too, so use it. If anyone can make a spectacular wedding happen in under three months, it’s us.”
“I… I don’t know if I can do that. We have so much going on already, with the renovations starting tomorrow. We still don’t have anything ready for the baby. I’m still working… I don’t know how I’ll manage it all on top of a wedding.” I feel my heart rate picking up in a way it hasn’t done since my blood pressure has returned to normal. I take calming breaths, trying to settle it.
“Angel, relax. It’s okay, no one is making you do anything. You don’t need to stress over this. We can wait until next summer.” Shane takes my free hand and kisses the back of my palm with a worried look in his eyes.
