Page 155 of Lemon Crush

Since Retta rules didn’t apply to weddings, I could and did accept help from all comers, including Chick. And, of course, Lucy, the romantic who had flash-mobbed his wife and recently read all my books in preparation for the final one’s release next year.

The event that evolved from that was what might happen if Lemons, The Renaissance Festival and my fictional fantasy world got together and had a baby. Every wild dream Lucy had? Chick had the props to bring it to fruition and Wade had the local connections to make it happen. Including having the block cordoned off by the police chief for our wedding and reception.

It was over the top and ridiculous.

I kind of loved it. So did the publicist my agent had sent to start scheduling my promotional comeback tour. She was putting pics of the décor on my new Instagram account at this very moment.

I knew that because my phone kept pinging.

They’d loved my book so much that the long wait had been all but forgiven. And they’d somehow discovered my pen name when my self-published, a-little-too-spicy, close proximity romcom started climbing the bestsellers list and decided to stay there for a while. My agent told me they were offering a ridiculous sum for it and the next two books in the series that hadn’t been written yet.

I’d already been working on book two before she talked to me,but not in any kind of hurry. Not because I was struggling with writer’s block anymore. That was no longer my problem.

You could say I was a little busy now having something called a life.

Wade had taken me to Maine for a long weekend. We rented a house on the water and spent most of the time, when we weren’t sightseeing or eating, in bed. It was as romantic and beautiful as I’d always imagined.

Then we returned home and got back to work. We spoiled the dogs, started having date nights and hosting family dinners—I bought an outdoor table and Wade put up a pergola exactly for that reason—and just took some time to find out how it felt to live together day to day.

Not a lot of time, mind you. When he proposed on Thanksgiving and asked for a wedding before New Year’s, I said yes right away, because Bernie was right about this being decades in the making. We weren’t crazy kids. We were adults who’d finally found our way to each other. It seemed like a waste of time to put our future on hold when we knew what we wanted.

After that, when Lucy and Chick wanted to co-plan the wedding? I said yes again, especially since that meant Chick would extend his stay in the apartment indefinitely, calling it a “much-needed sabbatical” while he rethought his career path.

Now that I wasn’t such a hot mess, I really needed to figure out what was going on with my best friends. Both of them.

“We’ve lost her again.” Bernie was snapping her fingers in front of me. “What’s this face about? Are you writing another book in there or do you need a doctor?”

“If she asks for a getaway car, I’ve still got Pedro on standby.”

“She doesn’t need a getaway car, and I thought you two broke up.”

“We were spending time together, not dating. He’s still a nice guy who likes my money.”

I blinked in surprise. “When did Chick get here?”

“Whew,” Morgan said, handing me a bottle of water. “You’re blinking and talking. Those are good signs. Chick’s been here a while now, August. And we sent Phoebe out with the dogs, and to make sure everything’s set up for your moment.”

Chick reached for my hands and got me standing up straight, smiling as he took in my dress, hair and makeup. “Iris does good work.”

He’d given me a stylist as a wedding present.

I’d decided I was too old to wear white, so we’d found the perfect silver dress for my figure. It was a little classic curvy Hollywood, a little Fae queen reigning supreme and, since it ended at my ankles so I wouldn’t trip and embarrass myself in front of everyone I knew, it was also exactly right for me.

I had a few strategically placed roses in my hair, which I’d worn down at Wade’s request. In my ears were a pair of my mother’s favorite earrings, silver trinity knots—to represent our family trio. They were my only jewelry apart from my engagement ring. And the last time I’d looked at my makeup before I started hyperventilating, I could safely say I looked better than I ever had in my life. If I had the money, Iris would live with me and do this every morning. And Tony too, because he’d made the trip to help with my hair.

“You’re stunning, sunshine,” Chick confirmed with a slight catch in his voice. “You have nothing to be nervous about. The big lug is already losing his mind out there waiting for you. You’re going to blow him away.”

They didn’t understand. “I’m not freaking out about marrying Wade. Or the fact that the street is currently decorated like the magical wildwoods of my dreams.” I squeezed his hand. “Thank you for that, by the way.”

“Between your mother’s friends and mine, we know some talented set designers,” he said easily. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

It was a huge deal. “I love it. I love you. All of you.”

“Then do you mind telling us what you’ve been freaking out about, if it isn’t marrying my brother?” Bernie asked, sounding irritated.

“Everything.” That was honestly the best I could do at the moment. Everything I felt. Everything that had happened these last five months. Everything I knew was coming. It was all so much more than I thought I would have. For a moment, it had simply overwhelmed me.

“That makes sense,” my sister said sarcastically, but her smile was soft with understanding.

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