Page 43 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
For a moment, Carrie Anne studied her reflection. “Yeah, I’m not comfortable in it. I like it. The full skirt is pretty, but it’s doesn’t have the feeling of being the one.”
Mrs. West nodded. “Yeah, it was a good effort, though. But, no, that’s not it.”
The next two dresses went much like the first. They looked okay, but they could tell by the look on Carrie Anne’s face that they weren’t it. Then it was Gabby’s pick. She was pretty sure she’d done well when she heard a gasp come from the dressing room.
Carrie Anne stepped out, and her smile went all the way to her eyes. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s beautiful.” Stephanie looked at Gabby. “Well, you two aren’t best friends for no reason.”
Mrs. West joined Carrie Anne on the pedestal. “Oh, honey, it’s gorgeous.”
“This is it. It’s comfortable. I love the sleeves. I thought the lace would be itchy, but it’s so soft, and I can move my arms just fine. The skirt flows exactly how I pictured it would.” Carrie Anne faced Gabby. “This is the one.” Her eyes filled with tears, and her hands covered her mouth. “I’m getting married.”
Her mom hugged her. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re going to look stunning on your day.”
Gabby smiled. It was perfect. Well, beyond perfect. It fit Carrie Anne’s personality. As much as she schemed and plotted, Carrie Anne was sweet all the way to the core. She always wanted to see people happy.
“My friend is getting married.” Gabby approached her. “It really is perfect.”
Carrie Anne pulled her into a hug. “Thank you.”
Patting her on the back, Gabby took a deep breath. “I’m so happy for you.”
They released each other as the clerk approached. “Now for the real work. Let’s get this dress fitting like a glove for your big day.”
Gabby went back to her chair and sat down. Her mom sat in the chair beside her, leaving the clerk and Carrie Anne’s mom to talk fitting details.
“That’s going to be you one day.” Her mom patted her hand.
“Maybe.”
Her mom waved her off. “Oh, don’t give me that. There’s a young man out there who will come along, know he’s got one of the best girls on earth, and never let you go. He may not even be that far away.”
“What?” Gabby swallowed hard.
“You heard me.”
Did her mom know too? Geez, did she have a sign up or something?
“Of course I mean Bandit.” Her mom gave her a smile and a side-eye. It was the kind that said,If you buy that, I’ve got beachfront property in Arizona for sale. Then she winked. Great. With that, her mom stood and joined Mrs. West.
Gabby dropped her head against the back of the chair, squeezed her eyes closed, and sent up a silent prayer that…well, she didn’t know what to hope for. That had always been her problem. Hoping and then having the rug pulled from under her. Maybe what she needed most was the ability to acceptnoas an answer and then move on. Perhaps that’s what she needed to be hoping for. The ability to let it go. Better yet, to let Wyatt go.
Chapter 17
Glancing to his right, Wyatt tried to think of something to say to Gabby as they drove to Lubbock for the day. That hadn’t been the plan when they’d woken up, but Carrie Anne had mixed up her times, booking both her cake tasting in Lubbock and her final dress fitting appointment in Amarillo at the same time.
At first, Bandit was supposed to go with her to Lubbock, but something had come up, and he couldn’t. So, at the last minute, Carrie Anne had asked Wyatt so she didn’t have to go alone. With only a couple of weeks left and Christmas falling right in the middle of that, there was no time to reschedule things. Plus, as Carrie Anne had pointed out, Gabby was her best friend. If anyone could pick a cake flavor, it would be her.
Wyatt didn’t mind taking her, but ever since their…date, he’d felt a little weird around her. That feeling grew every time Wyatt saw her with Bandit over the past week. The two of them just didn’t fit together, and Wyatt couldn’t decide if that was because he really believed it or because Carrie Anne’s little speech was getting to him.
He turned his attention back to the road and tried to think of a topic that would be easy to discuss. Something that would make the weird feelings go away so she could get back to being family, the kind he didn’t want to hold and kiss. “Uh, you excited to taste cake?” It was lame, but it was all he could think of at the moment.
She shrugged. “I guess. I mean, it’s cake. How bad could it be? Her favorite thing is chocolate, so I suspect if it’s good, that’ll be the flavor to pick.”
“True.” He chuckled. If anything, his baby sister was rather predictable. “Have you ever wondered about your wedding? I have. Sort of. I’d want something simple.” Great. What line of questioning was this? Wedding equals a couple. Couple equals kissing. He was trying to put that out of his mind, not make it all he could think about.
She kept her gaze out the side window. “Yeah, I always pictured it in the spring. When it’s not too hot or cold. I’ve always thought an outdoor wedding would be nice. Yellow roses, family and friends, and strawberry shortcake.”
