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When I looked up, the photo op was finished, or had at least stopped, because Mrs. Winston was frowning down at the buttons. “I’ve been telling you to restrict calories all week, but did you listen to me? No, of course you didn’t. And now we can barely button your gown.” She shook her head, her tight lips pursed.
“Here, why don’t I try?” Olivia took over working on the long line of buttons up the back of the dress as Charlie’s alarmed eyes flashed toward me.
The pregnancy really wasn’t showing but I guessed looking at her now, I could see some changes. Her breasts were more full and overall she just looked really healthy—far better than the starved-looking waif who’d first showed up on the ranch eight months ago.
“Reece is going to be grouchy about all these buttons tonight,” Olivia joked, breaking the tension.
Mrs. Winston made a disgruntled noise like such things were not to be talked about in civilized company, but Charlie just giggled and glanced over her shoulder. “Right?”
And I grinned harder thinking about how I’d just reminded my own Walker twin that patience was a virtue.
I went over to Charlie and clapped my hands excitedly. “You’re perfect. Reece is gonna shit himself when he sees you.” I ignored Mrs. Winston’s noise of dismay at my curse. I was done tiptoeing around her. I’d done my job. This was Charlie’s moment now, and she was one of my best friends.
I threw my arms around her, careful not to smudge any of her makeup or to disturb her hair. “I’m so proud and happy for you,” I whispered to her. “You deserve happiness more than anyone else I know.”
When I pulled back, her eyes were shining and she swatted at me before fanning her face. “Don’t make me cry, bitch. We just finished my makeup.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” the makeup artist said from the corner where she was packing up. “I do weddings all the time. That’s why I put so much fixative on at the end. That makeup is waterproof and tear-proof. So make sure to use the makeup remover I gave you at the end of the night to get it all off.”
Charlie laughed and nodded gratefully, gently dabbing at her eyes with a cloth Olivia magically produced.
The photographer jumped in and snapped several more pics of all of us.
With Charlie finally buttoned into her dress, there was only a little bit more waiting until it was time.
“Let me go make sure all the groomsmen are where they ought to be,” I said and Charlie nodded.
But when I stepped outside, Jeremiah was there, and he had Mike with him. Mike and Reece had gotten close over the past six months, far closer than he ever had with Buck, who either stuck to himself, or was out with various girlfriends, or who knew where the rest of the time he wasn’t working. He’d been invited to the wedding but I hadn’t seen him around all day. The other good friends Reece had back at Xavier and Mel’s couldn’t get away since they’d had to stay back at Mel’s ranch to run it.
Reece had sworn he didn’t mind who all was there, as long as he was walking away with Charlie at the end of the day.
“Ready?” Jeremiah asked me, and just seeing him, being near him, once again had that stupid grin busting out across my face. I nodded, not quite trusting my voice. Then I cleared my throat because, Jesus, I wasn’t some stupid teenager.
Though he made me feel like one when he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Goddamn, you’re beautiful. I want to rip that dress right off you. It’s gonna be torture making it through this ceremony.”
I pulled away, my face flushed, and I was glad that Mike was absorbed in his phone. I mean, God, the intimate way Jeremiah had just pulled me into him, if Mike glanced this way, he’d be an idiot not to guess that we were—
But then again, if we were going to get married, we’d be telling everybody soon enough. It would only be a secret a little longer. We just needed to make it through the day. Another giddy thrill ran through me and I allowed my hand to drop to Jeremiah’s for a quick squeeze before letting go.
“Let me just go get Olivia. Poor Charlie. She’s had nerves all day. Her mom’s not helping, naturally. And oh my God,” I leaned into Jeremiah confidentially, “I swear I almost had a heart attack when her mom was buttoning up the dress and started in on Charlie about gaining weight! We’ve managed to keep the baby secret this whole time and then right before the wedding she almost—”
“Baby?” Jeremiah jerked away from me and I realized my huge faux pas a second too late.
