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Tears sprang to my eyes. “That means a lot.”
She pulled me into a hug. My heart was so full it felt like it could burst.
BACON SIZZLED IN ONE pan while I stirred eggs in another. The smell of fresh brewed coffee filled the kitchen as it dripped in the large coffee maker. Sid had a regular brew coffee machine and one of those fast brew pod ones. I liked to brew an entire pot when I had the time, so I chose that one.
“Smells divine in here,” Rebecca said, padding into the room. She took a seat at the small table and looked out the window. “Shiloh is eating something out there.”
“Shit,” I said, running to the window. “Is that an animal?”
“Kat, the bacon.”
“Damn it.” I ran back to the skillet, flipped the bacon, and stirred the eggs. “Slap on the window or something.”
“I’ll let her in,” Rebecca said, going to the back door. She called for Shiloh and then screamed. “She has it in her mouth!”
Shiloh ran around the kitchen with something furry hanging from her jaws. I screamed and lifted my leg as she darted past me. I turned off both burners, not wanting to burn our food, and then ran over to one of the kitchen chairs. Rebecca and I each jumped onto a chair and stood there screaming.
“What do we do?” I asked frantically.
“I don’t know. Maybe let her back out?”
“You do it,” I said.
“No way. I let her in.”
“Yeah, and she brought that thing in here. What is it anyway?”
“I don’t know.”
One of us had to do something. I huffed and then jumped off the chair and ran for the back door. Shiloh followed. I opened the screen door quickly, and she ran out. I slammed the back door shut behind her and sighed in relief, sagging against the door.
“What the hell was that?” Rebecca asked.
“I have no idea, but I’m sure Sid wouldn’t want her eating it.”
“Are you going to take it from her?”
“Hell no. I’ll let her in when I know she’s done with it.”
Rebecca and I laughed.
The coffee was done, and thankfully, the eggs and bacon weren’t burned. I plated our food and poured us each a mug of coffee, then we dug in. The food was delicious, and the coffee was perfect. By the time we finished eating, Shiloh had abandoned her furry prize, and we let her back inside.
An hour later, Rebecca headed home to shower and change. My anxiety intensified as I got ready. I was going to try on wedding dresses today. For a wedding that wasn’t really going to happen.
The last time I’d worn a wedding gown, shit hit the fan. I had almost made the biggest mistake of my life. Yet as I stared at myself in the mirror while I dried my hair, it didn’t feel like I was making a mistake at all. It felt right.
The doorbell rang as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup, and I ran down the stairs to answer it. A horde of women spilled into the house, chattering loudly. The excitement from my friends and Beth was magnetic, and I smiled.
My smile slipped when my eyes met my mom’s cold ones.
“Are you ready?” Mindy asked. She had one twin strapped to her chest and an enormous coffee in her hand.
“Who do you have there?” I asked.
“Ugh. Ava. She’s needy, just like her daddy.”
“I heard that,” Frank said, walking in with Adeline in his arms. “Here, give her to me.”
