will be a light lunch at one, so don’t worry about that.”
Renee smiled at Joylyn. “I had your dad check with your doctor, and you’re good to go with a massage. Moira, your masseuse, is very experienced with pregnant women.”
Joylyn was thrilled by the surprise, delighted for her friend and not sure she could even get on the table. “I’m pretty pregnant,” she said. “With my belly...”
Moira moved the sheet aside to show a cut-out in the table. “We like to think of everything,” she said with a smile.
Holly started to cry in earnest, and Joylyn couldn’t help joining in. People who didn’t know her or her friend had gone to so much trouble to make everything perfect.
“You’re being so nice to us,” she said, reaching for Renee. “I don’t know why, but thank you.”
Renee hugged her. “We want you to be happy. Both of you. Now go enjoy your spa afternoon. By the time everything is done, it will be time for the wedding.”
* * *
JOYLYN COULDN’T REMEMBER ever being pampered so much. The massage was perfect. The table took all the weight of the baby without mushing her, and she loved being able to stretch out on her front after so many months of having to wrestle with her stomach in the way.
After their mani-pedis, they got their hair and makeup done, then Wynn showed up to help get Holly into her dress.
“I did a quick walk-around,” Wynn said, steaming the hem of Holly’s dress. “Everything looks stunning. The cake came out so amazing. I love the simple design, and the white on white with the frosting makes the roses stand out.”
“I couldn’t be happier,” Holly told her, looking beautiful with her makeup done and her hair in curls, piled on her head.
Wynn and Joylyn helped her into her dress, then Wynn began the laborious process of fastening all the little buttons.
“Just remember, you need to give yourself an extra five minutes every time you need to pee,” Wynn teased. “Someone has to undo the buttons, then redo them. Unless you want a couple of us to come in with you and hold the dress.”
Holly winced. “I’m not really comfortable having my friends do that for me.”
Joylyn rubbed her belly. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do that, either,” she said. “But I think after going through childbirth where everyone is standing around looking at my girl parts, I’ll be a lot less modest.”
She moved to a chair and sat down. Her back was aching. She’d noticed it that morning. The massage had helped but now the dull but steady pain was back. No wonder, she thought. There was too much baby and not enough her.
The photographer came in and took pictures of Holly, and then a few of Holly and Joylyn together.
At almost four, Renee appeared, a tablet in her hand. She paused to smile at them both.
“So beautiful,” she said with a happy sigh. “All your guests are here, the caterer is busy with the food, Silver is getting ready for the postceremony drink rush and I have triple-checked everything. There are six handsome men waiting by the minister.” She smiled. “I assume you only want to marry Rex, but the other five are tempting, too. Ready to get married, Holly?”
“I am.”
Joylyn took her bouquet of flowers and started for the door. The pain in her back seemed to circle around to the front and squeeze.
Not now, she told her baby. She was a week from her due date and knew that false labor could happen at any time. Give me about three hours and then you can fake labor all you want.
Amazingly the pain went away.
“I have superpowers,” Joylyn murmured to herself as she walked toward the foyer.
Ninety minutes later, she stood with the five co–best men, talking about how beautiful the ceremony had been. The bride and groom made a wonderful couple, and by the time they exchanged rings nearly everyone had been fighting tears.
“I can’t believe how fast this wedding got pulled together,” Will said.
“It took a village,” Joylyn told her.
Servers circulated with trays of champagne and appetizers. The guys helped themselves. Peter got her a glass of juice, while the two Bens and John offered her food. Joylyn smiled at them and tried to participate in the conversation, but couldn’t seem to follow along. She’d been hungry before, but since the earlier cramping, she’d kind of lost her appetite. Plus the pain was back, but with a little more intensity. She was just