Page 73 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

“So I have a question,” Mariah said, making me look up from my computer.

“I have an answer,” I replied.

She smiled. “Tess has a wedding dress fitting later today, and she wanted to know if you’d come with us?”

My eyes widened slightly. “She wants me to come? Are you sure?” Going to a wedding dress fitting felt like a big deal. The only people at Birdie’s fitting had been really close friends and family.

Mariah nodded, and her scarred skin was taut against her smile. “We know it hasn’t been long, but you’re already like family. And we can see the way you feel about Jonas. It’s in your eyes.”

I suddenly felt just as vulnerable as I’d been the night before. “Jonas is... not like anyone else I’ve ever met.”

“I’m sure he’d say the same about you,” she replied.

I chuckled. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

“You know it is.” She tapped her chin, deep in thought. “He needs someone in his life who will add a spark. Pull him away from that office of his.”

The thought of Jonas needing a spark brought a smile to my face. Hadn’t I insinuated the same thing when I’d judged him as a boring accountant? And to be fair, he was kind of boring, but not in the dull way I’d expected.

He wasdependable.Stable. Someone I could count on.

“So,” Mariah said. “Will you come?”

I took a few seconds to think it over. Going to this fitting wasn’t just another appointment. It was a commitment. That I’d be there for the wedding. That I’d be there after. “I’d be honored to.”

Mariah told me when the fitting was. She said instead of me going off to work, I could hang out at the house while she went on a walk with Oaklynn and grabbed lunch for us and Cade.

So, when she finished her treatment, that’s exactly what we did. Riah left the house with Oaklynn dancing happily on the leash. I sat in Cade’s recliner with the footrest up while I typed away on my story.

Jonas had acted nervous to have me at the house, around his parents’ walls covered in photos and floor space stacked with books, but I felt more at home here than I had almost anywhere else. I loved that Mariah’s fingers had touched the pages on each of the books. Loved that Cade’s hard-earned money had gone to filling their home with photos of their life together. It was beautiful in the subtlest of ways.

Within an hour, Mariah was back from her walk. She let Oaklynn off the leash, who quickly ran and made a furry puddle on my legs. Giggling, I shooed Oaklynn off my lap, flipped the footrest down, and helped Mariah carry the bags to the table.

“Flanagans is our favorite deli,” she said. “Have you ever eaten there?”

“Not yet,” I said.

“You’re in for a treat.”

The front door opened, and Oaklynn went wild, running toward Cade. He held out his hand like Jonas had done that first time I visited, and when she sat down, Cade rubbed behind her ears. He smiled at me and said, “Looks like we have an extra treat for lunch.”

Mariah grinned. “I practically begged her to stay. She’s going to Tess’s dress fitting with us!”

I nodded with a smile. “I still can’t believe you want me there.”

“Nonsense,” Cade said. “You’re a ball to have around. Frankly, I’d love for you to come to the car shop sometime and keep me company.”

“I wouldn’t be much help, but I can definitely bullshit with the best of them,” I said with a laugh.

“Just the ticket,” he replied, then sat at the table.

The three of us ate together, talking about the food, work, and nothing in particular. It was the most at home I’d felt in ages. And I couldn’t help but feel grateful that my big mouth and Jonas’s saving graces had brought all this to me.

After lunch, Cade went to work and Mariah and I got into the car, driving to a bridal shop in Brentwood. Tess was already waiting outside, along with Derek’s sister, Lottie, and a girl named Tracey she introduced as her best friend.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Tess said as we walked inside. “I know it’s a little too late to ask you to be one of my bridesmaids, but I still want you to feel like a part of the family!”

I barely managed a smile before she told the saleswoman who she was, and they began walking us toward the back of the store. My brain was still fumbling over her words and what they meant.

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