Page 55 of The Wedding Planner's Manny
“Hey, you, did you have a fun week?” I asked, tapping his nose.
“Gramma and I built a snowman!” he started, and he didn't stop talking again for a whole ten minutes, not until he was absolutely sure I knew everything he'd done with his Grandma. It was quite the change from the quiet boy I'd met when I'd first come here. A fantastic change. Nathan was right; Caleb shouldn't have to deal with switching caretakers anymore. He deserved having steady, reliable guardians. I wanted to be that for him, along with Ethan. I wanted to join this family, along with my child.
I would do anything to make that happen.
Or so I thought at the time, anyway.
As it turned out, though, life was just as I'd described it to Nathan—too complex for absolute statements like that.
1 9
R H Y S
I n the middle of February, when the days were at their coldest, my brother insisted on dragging me out of the house with him to help him pick out a suit for his wedding. Kade was coming too—
apparently he hadn't organized a suit yet either. He was also bringing Conner—who was about to be his stepson—to help him pick. Together, the four of us took Kade's car to the next city where they had a great boutique for wedding suits and dresses. I drove, because Kade and Nick wanted to indulge in the sparkling wine the boutique served their customers to loosen their wallets.
Kade had called ahead to let them know we were coming, and when we got there, there weren't any other customers. I figured he was paying a little extra for the privacy and to avoid pictures of his wedding suit featuring in gossip mags before the man he was about to marry had even seen it. For the most part, the media had figured out that Kade's life in Oceanport wasn't super interesting, but every now and then, they could still be annoying. Nick told me a few months ago the paparazzi had stalked Kade and Shane for all of Omega Day, not even stopping when they decided to visit the cemetery.
I used to want to be a journalist, but never one likethat.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Nick and Kade were joking about what color suits they should be wearing as I sat down in one of the armchairs placed in front of the changing rooms. “Why not white?” I asked.
It was the traditional color for omegas to be married in. I'd worn white on my wedding day.
“That's so old-fashioned,” Nick shot me down.
Kade hesitated with his response for a moment before saying, “I wore white my first wedding. I never had a say in the matter, so I'm enjoying my freedom now.”
“Oh.” I looked at my shoes, regretting that I'd said anything. For a second there, I'd forgotten that Kade had been married to a Vinist too. At sixteen. He was one of the unfortunate souls who'd never had a choice. Unconsciously, I rested a hand on my belly. I'd left Crystal Bay so my child wouldn't suffer the same fate.
“I think you should wear plaid,” Nick said, jokingly. “Since you're marrying an Irishman and all.”
Kade snorted. “Good thing he's not a Scot or you'd force me into a kilt, wouldn't you?”
“You know I would,” Nick agreed. And then one of the store's sales assistants entered the room with a selection of suits in all colors of the rainbow on a rack. I leaned back in my chair. This was going to take a more than a couple of minutes. While Nick and Kade were still browsing through the suits, the assistant rolled out another rack, this one with an assortment of smaller suits for Conner to look at. He approached it cautiously, as if he wasn't really sure he was allowed to touch the expensive fabric.
I rose from my chair to help him. “What's your style?” I asked the boy. “You want something flashy or something elegant and sophisticated?”
Conner's brows furrowed. “I don't know. I'm not really into fashion.”
“Yeah, me neither. I'm not sure why my brother made me come along, honestly,” I confessed. Probably just because they needed a driver.
“Moral support?” Conner suggested before studying the suits before him again. “I'm going to be the ring bearer so I want to look good, I guess.”
“You'd look really cute in navy,” Kade advised while holding a teal suit out in front of himself. “No, I don't think this would suit me,” he muttered before handing it to Nick. “You try it.”
“I don't know. I don't like the cut.” Nick put it back. Then he grabbed a glass of sparkling wine from a tray that had been put on a low table next to the armchairs when we came in. “No offense to you, Kade, but I want to be the most eye-catching omega at that party,” he said after taking a sip.
“That's fine with me,” Kade responded easily. “I'm in the spotlight often enough, trust me. Maybe if you sparkle enough, it'll beyourpicture in the gossip mags the next day. At least I’m having my ceremony at the top of a lighthouse. I doubt they’ll manage to snap a picture of that.”
“Yes, paparazzi are bad, but did you just say sparkle?” Nick looked at the wine and then back at his friend, eyes lighting up. I knew that expression. He'd just had an idea he thought wasamazing.“Do you think I should wear something glittering? Oh God, do you think we should have confetti cannons?
They could shoot confetti over us as we exchange rings.”
Kade scratched his head as if trying to come up with a way to dissuade my twin from his plan.
Good luck with that.
