Page 19 of The Engagement
“The sooner the better,” she says as she smiles at me. “But we’ll need enough time to arrange for the cake, the catering, and of course outfits for the wedding parties.”
“I’ve already spoken to Gina Capelli about the catering and the cake,” Shane says. “The food and cake are a gift from me and Beth. You’ll just need to meet with Gina to tell her what you want. So, really, it boils down to how long you need to order the dresses. The tuxes won’t be a problem.”
“I can probably wear something right off the rack,” Erin muses. “And as for the bridal party, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy.” She glances toward Beth. “Will you be my matron of honor?”
Beth smiles. “Of course. I would love to.”
“And I’ll ask Haley to be my maid-of-honor,” Erin continues. “And hopefully Layla and Jasmine will be my bridesmaids.” She nods to me. “How about you?”
I tip my head to Shane. “I was hoping this guy would be my best man. After all, it’s because of him that I met Erin in the first place.” I lean close and brush a kiss to her temple.
Shane finishes chewing, nods, and swallows. “It would be my pleasure, Mack.”
“As for my groomsmen,” I say, “I plan to ask Jason, Liam, and Philip.”
Erin beams at me. “That’s so perfect. Philip will be honored that you asked him, and Haley will be thrilled.”
I glance at the redhead seated beside Beth. He’s not just her bodyguard; he’s family. And he, Beth, and Erin are thick as thieves. “And as for you, Sam….” I glance at Erin. “Would you like to ask him?”
She nods. “Sam, as you know, I don’t have any family. And you’re my best guy friend. I was wondering if you would walk me down the aisle.”
Sam sits frozen for a moment, his eyes wide. Then he sets his food down, gets up, and walks around the coffee table to Erin. He motions for her to stand. “I need a hug, girlfriend.”
She stands, and Sam wraps his arms around her.
“Does this mean you’ll do it?” she asks.
“Of course, it means yes! I can’t promise I won’t get choked up, though.”
After we finish eating our lunches and polish off the brownies, Shane heads back to work. Erin and I head back downstairs to check on the chaos. Fortunately, everything’s under control.
* * *
It’s not until late afternoon that I finally have a chance to get Erin to myself. The preorders have mostly been picked up by now, and the crowds are down to a manageable level. Erin’s still busy trying to keep up with customer demands for not one, but two, new releases. She’s been flitting around the store all afternoon like a bee in a flower shop.
I find her in the storage room stacking copies of the new books onto a cart so she can replenish the New Releases displays.
She grins up at me. “Counting all the preorders and purchases, we’re bound to break a record for most books sold in one day!”
Her smile lights up her sweet face, her blue eyes crinkle at the corners, and her cheeks flush a pretty pink. Her hair is clipped back with gold barrettes today, reminding me of the first time I met her right here at Clancy’s.
Shane hired me to be in charge of store security, mostly to make sure no one bothered Beth. She’d been in the newspapers a lot recently at that time. Shane buying the bookstore as a gift for his girlfriend made the news. The articles had attracted theattention of an old boyfriend, who showed up here and made a nuisance of himself. Plus there was the matter of Beth’s stalker, Howard Kline. So, Shane installed me here for added security.
And that’s how I met Erin, who was the assistant store manager at the time. She was just twenty-two years old then. So young, all wide-eyed innocence. And I was a thirty-five-year-old jaded former soldier fresh out of military service. When Erin started showing interest in me, I didn’t know how to respond. Yes, I was attracted to her, but she was way too young for me. Hell, she was only six years older than my daughter.
Too young.
Way too young.
So, I did my best to discourage her.
And then there was that fateful day when she asked me to go to a New Year’s Eve party with her, and I said no. When she—the most reliable person on the planet—didn’t show up for work the next morning, I knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
As it turned out, I was right.
“Stop it, Mack,” she scolds.
I glance down at her. “Stop what?”
