Page 60 of Never Let Go

She nodded, but the slight narrowing of her eyes told me that she knew there was more to it. Around us, girls started squealing and pointing at one of the other bridesmaids, and the girl blushed bright red as she drank the rest of the punch.

“Okay, so our first player is out,” Alice announced. “Maryann lasted all of three minutes before she said the word. Let’s go, ladies. I wonder who’s going to be next.”

The conversation started up again, with everyone trying to lead each other to saying the forbidden word. It was hilarious watching them trying to dodge it, but even though I knew exactly what they were doing, I was so distracted that I still ended up slipping as soon as Alice turned to me.

“Shelby, tell my mom about those sashes we’re going to be wearing on the day,” she said. “What do they say again?”

I frowned. “Team Bride?”

Her blue eyes widened and she cheered, laughing. The girls started squealing and pointing at me this time. My cheeks caught fire and I chugged the rest of my punch in an attempt to get them to stop looking at me.

“You walked right into that one,” Ashley murmured at my side, her expression puzzled and curious. She turned to face me while the others kept playing the game. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.” I shrugged, but she arched a steep brow at me and shook her head.

“You need to get your head in the game, my friend. There are a lot more games coming up and you’re going to lose all of them if you can’t stay focused. Is this about the reveal date with Tyler?”

I hesitated for a moment before I nodded. “I’m nervous, but we don’t have to talk about it right now. Let’s just enjoy today. Your day. We’ll worry about me again tomorrow.”

She chuckled. “I am enjoying today, but that doesn’t mean I’m the only person I want to talk about. It’s exhausting when no one wants to talk to you about anything else, so tell me what’s up. What are you so nervous about?”

“Meeting him,” I admitted. “He made me feel a lot better about it during our last date, but now the time is finally approaching, and I’m all jittery about it.”

“Don’t be,” she said firmly. “Some nerves are natural, but you need to remember that he loves you exactly the way you are. He’s not going to be disappointed and he’s not going to turn around and walk away.”

“Love is a strong word.” I stared back at her, wondering if she was right. “I know he likes me, but I’m not sure about love.”

She snorted. “You wouldn’t have gotten this far into the process if he wasn’t at least a little bit in love with you. That’s just how it works. By the time you get to the reveal, your feelings for each other have evolved to the point where it’s no longer just mild interest or like. It’s love, even if it’s not such a deep love that you can’t live without each other just yet.”

As she finished, her mom called her name, grabbing her attention as the food was served. We’d opted for grilled chicken and avocado wraps with a side salad, and her mom wanted her to make a speech while the plates were being carried in.

Ashley stood up, made a few jokes, and thanked everyone for coming, and I retreated back into my brain, still thinking about Tyler and wondering if he was a little bit in love with me. In the end, I decided to trust Ashley.

I didn’t know if he was in love with me, but I did know that he really liked me, and that was enough. I smiled, determined to put him out of my head for the rest of the shower. One by one, the girls fell out of the game while we ate, and by the time our plates were collected, Alice had been declared the winner and she announced the next game.

I lasted a bit longer in that one, then blushed profusely when a lady peddling adult toys came to visit. Thankfully, her demonstration of vibrators against people’s hands and making the women taste different flavors of lube went down well.

Ashley loved it, and there was lots of laughter to go around. Once the sex lady left, we wrapped the toilet paper and foil around our bride, took a ton of pictures, played another game, and then watched as she opened her gifts.

I helped her mom and sister carry them to her mom’s car after, and by the time we went home, I was pooped. Ashley hugged me tight before we climbed into our cars, murmuring against my hair as she squeezed me.

“Thanks for everything today, Shel. Stop stressing about Tyler, okay? He’s going to love you if he doesn’t already because you’re the best.”

I hugged her back. “You’re welcome. I hope it was everything you wanted it to be and that your mom isn’t too traumatized by all those toys.”

She chuckled. “Traumatized? I doubt it. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s going to put in an order with her tonight. I sure am.”

I laughed, cringing a little as I imagined what it’d be like to put in an order and then have to accept delivery. “Better you than me.”

She smacked my shoulder, still chuckling as she let go of me. “You should order something for yourself too. It’ll take the edge off your nerves.”

“So will preparing myself and knowing I have something to wear.”

Ashley sighed but nodded and gave me one last hug. “Call me if you need help.”

With that, she released me again and got into her mom’s car. I waved until they were out of the parking lot before heading home myself. When I got there, I didn’t waste any time getting to my closet and surveying my options.

I was exhausted, but I knew I’d keep being too nervous to really relax if I couldn’t figure out what I was going to wear. All my life, I’d done better if I’d felt properly prepared, and this was no exception.