practically the same time. The big house went from quiet to crazy in a matter of minutes. He stuck around until after Trudy served a buffet supper of lasagna, hot rolls, and salad, and then he packed a bag and headed off to the bunkhouse to join Lucas and the guys.
Alana walked him out the back door, gave him a hug, and said, “Don’t you want to stick around for the bachelorette party? You’ve been right up in the middle of all the plans. You might want to see all the filmy, see-through nightwear the girls will give me for the honeymoon.”
“Honey, I’m going to leave you in charge of that. My face is getting hot thinkin’ about what’s in those gift bags that are sitting on the credenza out in the foyer. Y’all have fun.” He kissed her on the cheek and disappeared into the darkness.
She called Lucas on the way back into the house. “Hey, Daddy has left the house to us tonight. Give me a call when he gets there.”
“We surely will,” Lucas chuckled. “We’ve invited Pax and the guys over here for a little party of our own. We’re going to play some poker and see how many bottles of Jack we can put away. Don’t worry, darlin’, I’ll be sure Pax gets home all right, and that he’s sober for the weddin’ on Saturday.”
“If he’s not, I’m going to feed you to the coyotes,” Alana threatened.
Lucas laughed out loud. “You’ll have to catch me first, and, honey, I’ve got lots of old women who’d love to hide me out. Here’s your dad comin’ in the door right now. You go on and enjoy your party and don’t worry about him no more.”
“Thanks, Lucas,” she said.
“Anytime,” Lucas said and ended the call.
Nothing about the universe had changed. The phases of the moon were so predictable that there were charts telling when it would be full or when it would be nothing but a sliver. Stars still twinkled in the sky. The sun still came up in the east and went down in the west. But after the wedding on Saturday, nothing in Alana’s world would ever be the same. With a long sigh, she pasted on a smile and went back into the house.
Trudy was busy putting dollops of cream cheese frosting in the middles of thumbprint cookies that were lined up on the countertop. “I thought you girls might want something a little fancy this evening, so I made these this afternoon.”
Alana pressed her cheek against Trudy’s and gave her a side hug. “Thank you, Trudy, for everything.”
“Honey, I’d do anything for you. Your mama was my best friend all through school. You’ve got good friends in there in the living room waiting for you. Enjoy your time with them, and I hope your marriage works out to be as good as what your folks had. Now, go enjoy your time with the girls.” Trudy stepped away and went back to squirting perfect little globs of icing on each cookie.
“When you finish up here, come on in and join us,” Alana said.
“Are you sure about that?” Trudy beamed.
“Positive,” Alana told her. “Can I help you, so you’ll be done faster?”
“Oh, no.” Trudy shook her head. “All I have to do is put these on plates and set them on the table. I made your favorite punch, so we’ll have that and the cookies as a little dessert for after you open your presents. I’ll join y’all in five minutes. Now go!” Trudy gave her a gentle little shove toward the living room.
“Here comes our bride.” Emily smiled when Alana came into the room. “We would have planned a bigger party, but with everything happening so fast and so much distance between us, we couldn’t get it all together.”
Alana patted her friend on the shoulder and sat down beside her. “I’m glad you’re all here, and to tell the truth, I like this intimate little gathering much better than something huge. That you came all this way and are staying with me until after the wedding is a big deal to me. It’s been a whirlwind around here this past month…and…” she stammered, “…and I only found out a few days ago that I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations!” Emily squealed.
Alana looked around the room, her eyes landing on each of the women by turn, and she felt more love and appreciation for these wonderful friends than she ever had before.
Emily had been her friend the longest of any of