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“It says a lot about how he feels for you that he was willing to fly across the country to come to a wedding,” Reva insisted, keeping her arms held up so the seamstress could work. “Most men hate weddings.”
“Ryder isn’t most men.” So true. Just look at what she’d put him through so far and he’d not uttered one word of complaint.
Instead, he’d been...wonderful.
“It’s serious, then?”
If only.
Now where had that come from?
Getting involved with Ryder for real was not what she needed. Hadn’t the past taught her anything? Did she really want to get involved with him just so he could dump her down the line, too?
Sensing every woman in the bridal shop’s eyes focused on her, including little Casey’s, McKenzie hesitated. If she said yes, her family really would be pushing her and Ryder down the aisle. If she said no, then they’d either think she was crazy or that Ryder wasn’t that interested.
“It’s too early to say.” She didn’t meet any of their curious gazes as she went back to looking at herself in the mirror. “Do you think we should let the bust out just a little?”
The shop keeper gave a horrified look from where she worked on Reva’s dress. “Absolutely not. It’s a perfect fit. You want it a little snug to hold everything in place.”
There was that. McKenzie stifled a smile as the conversation turned back to the wedding.
That is, until after she was out of the bridesmaid dress and back into her own clothes and Reva tackled her.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so much.” Reva pulled her in for a hug. “And don’t even think you’ve been gone so long that I didn’t recognize what you did earlier. Some time before I say I do tomorrow, you and I are going to have a big talk about your new guy. I can’t wait to meet him tonight.”
McKenzie hugged her cousin. “I’ve missed you, too.”
She had. They’d been so close.
She could blame no one but herself that they no longer were, as she’d been the one to stay away.
Because she couldn’t stand the thought of being in an airplane? True, but had that been the main reason she’d not come home?
Was it possible she’d been a tad jealous of her cousin? That she’d jumped at the residency in Seattle to step out of her beautiful cousin’s shadow and the pity her family had been dishing out over McKenzie’s breakup with Clay?
“I wish you’d gotten to come home for my bridesmaid party last weekend.” Reva giggled at the memory. “We had so much fun peddling around Nashville.”
“Getting drunk on a bicycle bar is
n’t necessarily my idea of a good time.” Realizing she sounded condescending, she added, “You know I never liked riding a bicycle.”
“Come on.” One of the bridesmaids hurried them. “If we don’t get a move on, we’re going to be late for our manis and pedis.”
McKenzie glanced at her nails. Her cousin had a flair for gorgeous nails and was always posting a pic on social media of some fantastic manicure with elaborate designs. McKenzie did well to keep hers trimmed and had thought she’d done great with the French manicure she’d taken time for earlier that week. She cared nothing about having her nails redone, but this weekend wasn’t about her. So she smiled and went with the flow.
In the middle of their morning of pampering, everyone chitchatted about the wedding, about where Reva thought they’d go on their honeymoon as her husband-to-be had kept it a surprise.
On cue, a courier arrived and presented Reva with a jeweler’s box.
“Oh, my goodness!” Reva exclaimed, reading the card out loud, then pulling out a gorgeous diamond bracelet.
“He’s so romantic,” one of the bridesmaids cooed.
“You’re so lucky,” another said.
Reva was lucky. Lucky in love. Lucky in life. Always had been. Not once had her cousin ever been dumped.
Reva was wonderful. Why would any man dump her?
