Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,73

wedding dress had had to be let out twice, and now I was worried it didn’t look all that good.

“You look totally sexy,” Susie said as she entered the room. “A pregnant bride is hot.”

“Really?” I asked as I once again inspected my round belly in the mirror.

“Yes. You’re in the perfect phase for this. You’re pregnant enough to still be cute. You just wait. By nine months, you won’t be feeling so hot, especially since you’re having twins,” Susie replied.

Hannah came into the room at that point and swatted Susie on the shoulder. “Really? No need to make her worry about it. Let her enjoy having an easy pregnancy.”

Susie rolled her eyes dramatically and brushed a curl off her forehead. “She’s already had an easy pregnancy. She’s not even having morning sickness.”

Emma came in. “Out,” she ordered. “It’s time for the ceremony.”

Emma was the best kind of friend. She was always a soothing presence just when I started to work myself into anxiety. In this case, I wasn’t anxious about marrying Elias, it was more of the enormity of the moment because for a while, I hadn’t thought I would find my person. I thought I might have to let go of my dream of having a family.

Only moments later, I was standing in front of Elias. We weren’t in a church. We were in the cathedral of nature. Although my parents weren’t here to see the ceremony, we were having it in a field on their old property, which I’d been able to purchase with Elias only weeks after he moved in. Along with friends and family, we even invited the doctor who’d mistakenly thought I was Elias’s girlfriend back when he was in the hospital. It seemed fitting.

The weather had cooperated beautifully. The sun was bright on this cool summer day, and there was only a little bit of an ocean breeze gusting through our small wedding party.

It honestly completely slipped my notice that anyone else was there. The moment Elias held my eyes and said “I do”, I was lost in the moment and in his ebullient gaze.

Elias

Nora caught the bouquet of peonies, Cammi’s favorite flower. The petals had fallen all over the place, because peonies were fragrant and a little messy, a lot like Cammi.

“What am I gonna do with these?” Nora said as she eyed them in her hand.

My sister, Faith, laughed. “I guess you’re gonna fall in love.”

Nora narrowed her eyes. “Fat chance of that. I don’t believe in love.” She and Gabriel’s sort of secret on-again, off-again thing had been decidedly off lately.

Diego happened to be approaching at that moment and pressed his fist over his heart. “How can you say that? Love is a real thing. Do you believe in Elias and Cammi?”

Nora stared, kind of hard, at Diego. “Of course, I believe in Elias and Cammi. It’s just love isn’t for me. I don’t think I have the right personality.”

Diego rested his palm on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “You’ll know when it’s right.”

Nora glared at him, but I didn’t dwell. It was my wedding day, and I had a girl to celebrate.

I sought Cammi out in the small crowd. We had our reception up at Last Frontier Lodge. There was enough space, and they refused to charge us, if only because we gave them so much business.

Cammi was chatting with my mother and Marley. I slipped my arm around her waist, unable to resist sliding my palm over the side of her round belly. She was fucking sexy as hell pregnant. Who knew I had a thing for pregnant women? To clarify, I didn’t have a thing for anyone but Cammi. Cammi pregnant? Holy smokes. My body thought she was made of fire.

My mother smiled between us. Her health was doing better, and she had actually quit her job, which was a huge relief to me and my sisters. “I’m so happy for you two.” She leaned up, cupping my cheek with her hand. “My boy was a little too cynical for a few years there.” Her eyes shifted to Cammi when she dropped her hand. “You took him out of that place. I’m so grateful for you.”

I felt Cammi’s arm curl around my waist, and she squeezed lightly. “I consider myself the lucky one.”

Two years later

A loud scream pierced the air. I was just coming through the front door, and my arms were laden with grocery bags. I braced myself. Sure enough, another scream followed and