“I’d say I’m sorry I let him stay, but . . . I’d be lying.”
“I know you would. I walked up on the end of that and heard enough to know I didn’t want to stand too close to the door. I backed up and kept everyone else away. You can thank me later for saving your mother the horror of hearing you get off.”
My face flushed and Willow laughed. “Girl, it is too late for blushing now.” She turned and got my dress, which I had taken off after pictures so I could use the restroom and touch up my makeup. “Time to get this back on you. It’s almost time for you to marry Sea Breeze’s very own reformed playboy.”
Oh, he was still a playboy. He was just my playboy.
I lifted my arms and let Willow drop the dress over my body.
“Sadie, Eva, Trisha, and Jess are all ready to go line up. I made sure before I left them to come back and check on you.
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure how I would have done all this without Willow. My mother had her hands full with my little sister, Larissa. The idea of that just made me happy.
Willow had stepped up and been the best matron of honor on the planet. My maid of honor was Sadie, but Willow had left Sadie to take care of the bridesmaids while she took care of me.
“You’re welcome. I loved being a part of this,” she said, smiling at me in the mirror. “Let’s go do this thing.”
Larissa met me in a dress full of white tulle as I opened the door. “You look like a princess,” I told her as she spun around for me.
“Daisy May has a dress just like mine. Just like you said.” She beamed at me.
“I’m sure you both will be the prettiest princesses these people have ever seen.”
Larissa held up her basket. “It’s empty. Daisy May is keeping my petals until it’s time. I kept spilling ’em on accident. She didn’t want me to lose them, so she said she’d keep ’em for me.”
“Come with me. I’ll get you and Daisy May ready to walk down the aisle, and you can toss those petals all you want then. Just wait until it’s time,” Willow said, grinning at me as she moved Larissa back to the lineup.
The bridesmaids had already started to head inside as the music played. Sadie smiled at me. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
Her eyes flashed with humor and she leaned close to me. “Is it true you had a little pre-wedding activity?”
I blushed again. Apparently, they all knew what had happened.
“Figured it was. You are marrying Preston Drake, after all,” she said, then turned to walk through the doors.
“Girls, you two go once you see me get to the front,” Willow told them, and they both nodded.
“I got this,” Daisy May informed her.
I bit back a laugh. She really did know what she was doing. She’d done this a few times already.
Daisy May nudged Larissa. “Your turn. I’ll be behind you.”
Larissa shot me a toothless grin and headed down the aisle too fast, and she tossed all her flowers out before she got halfway there. But she was happy and adorable.
My dad walked up beside me and held out his arm.
“He makes you happy, right?” he said, staring down at me.
“Yes, Daddy. More than anything in the world.”
He nodded. “Then it’s time I gave you away.”
I patted his arm and held on as we walked toward the man of my dreams waiting on me.
Jason and Jess from Misbehaving