Page 14 of Where Sea Meets Sky

CHAPTER SEVEN

Julia pulled open the front door of Seaside Sweets Bakery and grinned when she saw her sisters waiting for her by the window.

“Hey!” She scampered over to them and the three of them wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug. “Thanks for being here, you guys.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Alexis, who had dressed up for the occasion. She was wearing gold jewelry and a flowing green summer dress under a cardigan, and she’d pinned her reddish-brown hair up into an elaborate up-do. “I would never pass up an opportunity to help you plan your wedding and eat cake at the same time.”

Julia herself was wearing a dress with a fluttery skirt. It was white, hinting at her status as the bride, and she’d paired it with a light blue leather jacket and matching belt.

“I second that,” Hazel said, grinning. Hazel was also wearing a summer dress, a violet one. She’d done her makeup with more flair than usual as well, and Julia felt special knowing her sisters had dressed up for her cake tasting. It seemed to make the outing even more special.

“What are we tasting today?” Alexis asked eagerly. “I know you said lemon with raspberry icing and chocolate.”

“Oh, amazing,” Hazel said appreciatively.

“Yes!” Julia pursed her lips. “And also butterscotch bourbon, honey lavender, red velvet, and vanilla.”

“Wow.” Hazel loved to bake, and it was clear that she was excited about trying so many different cake flavors. “I’ve never heard of some of those. Butterscotch bourbon sounds incredible.”

“Did you hear my stomach growl?” Alexis laughed. “I just had a teeny salad for lunch to make sure I would have room for cake.”

“I couldn’t hear it over the sound of my own stomach growling,” Hazel said, laughing. “Where’s Cooper? I want to get started here.”

“He’s coming.” Julia grinned and pulled her phone out of her purse to see if she’d gotten any texts from Cooper. She had, a brief message that ended in lots of emoji hearts. “Ah, yup. He’s running a few minutes late. I guess Macey decided to throw her Jell-O at the wall in the kitchen and he didn’t want the babysitter to have to clean it up.”

“Oh,” Hazel said sympathetically. She’d been a parent to a toddler herself once, and she knew that it was a time filled with both joy and a fair amount of trouble.

Julia chuckled. Macey was sometimes a little too mischievous, and she had her meltdowns like every kid, but overall, Julia considered her to be a darling little angel. She brought so much joy to her and Cooper’s lives.

“You feeling ready to be a parent?” Alexis asked, grinning slyly.

“Hey, stop looking so smug there, pregnant lady,” Julia teased. “And yes, I am. I haven’t been nervous about helping to raise Macey since we first started dating. Back then, I felt like kids were an alien species and I was worried I would have no idea what I was doing when it came to interacting with her.But now we’re besties.” She laughed, thinking fondly of the way Macey would hurry to greet her at the door or hold her hand on outings with Cooper.

She was looking forward to becoming Macey’s mother, officially. She knew that things had been hard for Cooper since his wife passed away, and that raising a toddler by himself had been no easy feat. She’d already been able to offer him a lot of assistance as his girlfriend, but she knew that once they were married, things would become even easier. She was looking forward to merging lives with him, even though the prospect still made her a little nervous. She knew that the two of them would be great at supporting and taking care of each other, and that they’d be able to build a wonderful marriage off of that.

I’m so excited to get married,she thought.Cooper and I will be able to handle the ups and downs, I know it. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

She thought about the first time she and Cooper had met. It was right before her father’s funeral, and she’d just returned to Rosewood Beach after getting fired from her job in New York. She’d tripped in her heels in the rain, and he’d caught her just before she’d tumbled into a patch of mud. She smiled at the memory, thinking about how kind and gallant he’d been, even though she’d been a little rude about the white paint he’d gotten on her favorite black raincoat.

She’d changed since she’d moved back home to Rosewood Beach. She’d become more relaxed and carefree, feeling more supported by her family and the loving community around her. She’d stopped feeling as though she needed to be perfect all the time, and Cooper’s patient, down-to-earth love had been a major part of her personal growth journey.

“What else do you have to plan still?” Hazel asked, sitting down at one of the tables placed by the front windows. “Did you get the photographer worked out?”

Julia sat down next to her sister. “Yes! One of my friends from college who’s coming in for the wedding anyway offered to do it. She’s amazing.”

“What about the most important question?” Alexis said, grinning. “What kind of dress do you think you want?”

Julia groaned. “I don’t know. I’ve been looking at pictures online a lot—almost every night before I go to sleep.” She laughed. “But I keep vacillating back and forth about what style I want. I can’t seem to decide if I want a full skirt or not—and I love the strapless look, but I also think it would be so elegant to have those tight lacey sleeves.”

“Mm, I love that look,” Hazel agreed. “Especially for you.”

Julia beamed at her. Ever since she was a teenager, she’d liked to dress on the more elegant side, and her sisters had often told her she had an almost royal aura to her sometimes.

“I think you should stop thinking about it and just go try some on,” Alexis said, her eyes gleaming. “Once you see your options, you’ll know what you want. You’ve got to have that magic moment of actually seeing the dress on your body.”

“That’s a good point.” Julia smiled. “We should plan a time for us all to go wedding dress shopping. I definitely want you guys and Mom there to help me decide.”

“We definitely want to be there,” Hazel assured her.

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