Page 44 of Sheltering Lawson
“No, not yet,” I said my voice breathless. “But we are out of condoms,again.”
Sky nudged me, laughed suggestively and smiled. “Okay, we’ll get more before we leave. It should be safe here, but it won’t be long anyway until everyone knows that you’re getting it on. Curse of a small town.”
I covered my face. “Oh Lord.”
“Yeah, completely.” Samantha started going through the unmentionables. “Let’s get you something sexy to wear.”
I giggled, totally in love with these girls.
“I love doing Jake. He’s so…imaginative. We should all get them something to…take off.”
“Oh God. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing Chase is in bed. He loves it when I…” She told us in low tones what she did to her husband and even though I was blushing like a little girl, I was taking notes. I wanted to give Ethan that kind of pleasure and make him almost pass out from it. It was so good to connect with female friends again. Finally, exhausted and laden with bags, we plopped down in the food court for lunch.
“That was so much fun.”
“Okay,” Sky said, pulling out her wedding planner. “Time to make the final decisions.”
We poured over her choices and the final decisions were made. “Roses on the pews and in the bouquets.”
“For your bouquet, why don’t you have all red ones with a white heart in the middle made from white roses? You can have the bridesmaids’ ones be the opposite.”
“That is such a great idea. Done.” She consulted her list again. “Horse-drawn carriage, rose appliqued wedding dress already bought, decided on a pair of amazing white cowboy boots, and a boho wired hair vine to weave through a messy, loosely styled braid.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Samantha said, “Rhinestone flowers, pearl and crystal beads on easy to mold metal wire that goes on the crown of the head.”
Sky continued. “The reception will be at the country club with Brax catering. Sam’s making the cake—so yummy. Jake’s taking care of the rings and the church. There are all the minor details to work out, too, like favors and centerpieces for the reception but that’s all the big things. Did I miss anything?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “But I do have an idea for the centerpieces. How about a Beauty and Beast inspired single rose under a domed glass, add a little fairytale to the celebration?”
“You are freaking inspired, lady,” Sky said, one-arm hugging me around the neck.
“What about the honeymoon?”
“Oh, Jake is handling that. He wanted it to be a surprise. He’s like a little boy at Christmas, he’s so adorable. I’m letting him have his fun. All I want to do is sink into him for seven straight days. We’ve been so darn busy, and I’m sick of sharing him with everyday life!”
We all laughed. Samantha nodded. “I should suggest a vacation to Chase. We could benefit from time together for a bit. Just as busy, but summer is crazy for him.” She looked vulnerable for a second.
I reached out and clasped her hand. “What is it?”
“We’ve decided to start a family and I’m…a little emotional.”
“Oh, Sam,” Sky said, “that is so wonderful.”
She nodded, then squeezed my hand back, tears sliding down her cheeks. I teared up a bit, too, and Sky sniffed. She brushed away her tears. I’m sure she was thinking about her little boy and the tragedy of losing both him and her husband to a crazed killer, but she also had such hope shining in her eyes. Both of them had experienced such loss, and I guess we were all in the same boat. I’d lost my father and my life.
But with the kind of hope that was currently filling me up, I wanted what they had. The happily-ever-after kind of love every woman dreams of. “I’m sure Ethan can help out. He speaks so highly of Chase,” I said, feeling the warmth of these personal connections. Something that had been missing in my life for so long. “I hate to break this up, but I’ve got to get back. I need to see Verity today and there’s the cake tasting party this afternoon.”
We left the mall and headed back to Suttontowne. I changed into one of my new outfits, a cute little number with straps; pink, aqua, black and yellow tropical color and design. I felt so pretty in it.
In the late afternoon, I arrived at Verity’s and knocked. She came to the door with a baby on her hip, one crying in the playpen, two others looking lost, and her phone to her ear.
Without saying a word, I took the baby, shooed her into her office and shut the door. The thankful relief on her face was almost comical. “What do we have here,” I said, smiling down at little Nola, who had stopped crying, studying my face. I set Morgan back in just as Henry said, “They’re cranky,” in a very serious voice.
I smiled and ruffled his blond hair. “Is that so, well, let’s see if we can entertain them? Can you act like a monkey?”
He gave me a dubious look like what was I thinking?Of course,he could act like a monkey. He and Duel, who mimicked him, started dancing around making monkey noises. The twins were transfixed. Then Henry transformed into an elephant, then a whale, proceeding to tell me every species, what they ate, and where they were located in the world.
By the time Verity came out of her office, she was looking more relaxed. “You are a lifesaver…what is this? A party? I want to play.” Then we both stood up and started acting like howling wolves.
