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Chapter 27
If you don’t drink beer, then how will your friends know you love them at 2 a.m.?
“Idon’t understand why we have to do a rehearsal. I’m pretty sure all of us know how to walk down an aisle.”
I might sound a teensy-weensy bit grumpy. I’m not exactly grumpy. No, I’m scared. I’m seeing Grayson tonight for the first time in nearly a week. And I still don’t know what to do. My walls are crumbling down, and it scares the absolute shit out of me.
Phoebe smacks me. Or at least I think it’s a smack. The woman needs to learn to put a bit of oomph behind her smacking. “Stop being a Debbie Downer. This is Hailey’s big day.”
“Isn’t tomorrow the big day?” I ask to be contrary. Scared Suzie is apparently no fun.
“Shush you or I’ll laugh when you trip and fall walking down the aisle.”
My mouth drops open and I press my hands to my chest in mock outrage. “How dare you assume I’ll trip.”
She giggles but before she has a chance to respond, Hailey comes rushing out of the dressing room. Her hair makes it abundantly clear exactly what she’s been up to.
“Did you pet the magic dragon in a church?” I clasp my non-existent pearls and feign shock.
Aiden hears the word ‘magic’ as he walks by and smirks. He swaggers past to stand with the men who are gathering on the other side of the vestibule.
“I can’t believe you … you know … in a church before your wedding rehearsal,” Phoebe hisses.
“It was my last chance to have sex as a single lady. I wasn’t passing it up.”
In the tradition of not allowing the groom to see the bride on the wedding day before she walks down the aisle, Hailey is kicking Aiden out of the house for the night.
“I didn’t peg you for a traditionalist.” Ms. Breaks Into my Brew Shack Without a Second Thought wants to follow tradition?
“I read an article in Cosmopolitan—”
I gasp. “You read Cosmo?” Cosmo is way too girly girl for my Hailey.
Her cheeks darken and she points to Phoebe. “This one leaves them laying around everywhere.”
Phoebe holds up her hands and takes a step back. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not getting in between you two and one of your ‘arguments’.”
The preacher arrives and claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. Despite my teasing of Hailey, I snap to and pay attention. I’m not risking getting smote for misbehaving in a church. I do enough misbehaving as it is.
The rehearsal goes off without a hitch. Okay, there was a tiny hitch when I tripped walking down the aisle, but it wasn’t my fault! I can’t help it Hailey paired me with a mountain of a man. I had to run to keep up with his stride and running never was my strong suit. I didn’t fall on my face, though, so there.
We walk from the church to the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner is happening. I don’t open my mouth and complain about the rehearsal dinner and its lack of purpose although I really, really want to. I don’t know why it’s called a wedding ‘day’ when it’s obviously a wedding weekend. There’s even a brunch planned on Sunday. Told you scared Suzie is no fun.
I study the seating chart and grunt when I notice who’s sitting next to me. Phoebe takes my hand and practically skips to our table.
“This is your fault, isn’t it?” There’s no possible reason he’s sitting at our table unless Phoebe and Hailey decided to play matchmaker.
“It’s called karma,” she practically sings.
“You’re enjoying this entirely too much.”
“Enjoying watching you squirm while denying you’re falling in love with Grayson you mean?” I narrow my eyes at her. I am not falling in love. I’m not! She giggles. “It’s almost more fun than getting a fifty-percent off coupon for the fall sale at Chanel.”
Grayson stands as we arrive at the table. He leans forward and kisses my cheek. Tingles erupt from where his lips touch my skin, and I can’t help but remember other places his lips have touched. The memories cause fire to erupt across my cheeks. Great. Blushing and red hair do not go together. Not that I want to look good for Grayson. Liar.
“You look lovely,” Grayson whispers as he pulls out my chair for me.
I narrow my eyes on him. “No jokes about me wearing a dress.”
