Page 125 of When Stars Collide
“Huh? Oh … down. Your hair looks great down.”
“That was a half hour and ten questions ago. Are you okay?”
The last thing I wanted to do was upset Elle with my relationship drama on her wedding day. She was frazzled enough as it was. Just watching her flit around the dressing room stressed to the max in the barn we were being holed-up in was enough for me to decide that I was either going to elope or never get married at all.
“I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Look at me.” I stood up and twirled around, my dress fanning out around me. “I’m a fucking ray of sunshine.”
“Hey, bride,” Violet called to Elle, having returned from her latest scouring of the grounds to ensure everything was going as planned. “You’re getting married in an hour. Shouldn’t you be getting dressed?”
“You’re absolutely right, Violet. Thank you for reminding me I should get dressed, because I would never have come to that conclusion myself,” Elle called back. She lowered her voice near my ear as she delivered her follow-up statement. “Damn, she’s annoying today.”
I snickered. “Today? Where have you been?” My eyes traveled down to her mid-section, where a small bump was just barely visible to anyone who looked carefully. “Never mind. I know exactly where you’ve been.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “It’s a good thing we chose May instead of June. Because had I waited another month, I wouldn’t have been able to hide this.” She patted her belly, smiling. She’d begun to take to the idea of becoming a mom. I couldn’t tell whether it was due to the wedding or the pregnancy, but she really was glowing. Of course, that glow could also be from the atmosphere inside of our cramped room which rivaled a sauna.
“At the risk of sounding like Violet, you really should be getting dressed.”
“I know, I know. I’ve just been putting it off because the moment I put that dress on everything will be so … final.”
“Are you having second thoughts? Because if you want to run, we could totally jump in Kirsten’s car andThelma and Louiseour way out of here.”
“Thelma and Louise, huh? You do remember what happens at the end of that movie, right?”
“They all lived happily ever after?” I shrugged. “Isn’t that why that movie’s so popular?”
“Yeah, we’ll go with that.” Elle picked up her garment bag and threw it over her shoulder. “It’s show time.”
“Do you need help with that thing? There’s like a bajillion buttons on the back.”
“There’s fifty buttons, and probably, yes.” She motioned for Kirsten and me to follow her just as a knock appeared on the door.
“I’ll grab it. I suppose I should do something to earn this maid of honor title you’ve bestowed upon me, other than sit here, look pretty, and give embarrassing speeches at your reception, that is.”
“Wait, what?” Elle asked. I could almost hear the bile rising from her stomach.
“Nothing.” I ushered Elle and Kirsten behind a dressing screen and scurried over to the door. My guess was that it was Suzanne, the ball of joy officiant, paying us a visit to check on our progress and confirming that the wedding would be proceeding on schedule. Mentally, I had myself so psyched up that it was Suzanne that my surprise was amplified when I opened the door to reveal Peter standing on the other side.
He sucked in a sharp gasp of air as his eyes raked down the length of my body. Equally as impressed by his transformation, I, too, was rendered speechless, taking him in standing before me in his tuxedo, his disheveled hair tamed down. In front of me was someone who was the polar opposite of the Peter Monroe I’d come to know and love, yet it really suited him. And I think he felt it, too. His posture had improved, and he carried himself with more confidence than I’d seen in him in a long time.
“Is everything okay?” I asked after several seconds had gone by and he still hadn’t said a word.
“Wha— Oh, yeah. Yeah, everything is fine.”
That was when I noticed the envelope in his hand and my heart skipped a beat. Was it for me? I hoped it was, but that thought was quashed almost as soon as it entered my mind.
“It’s for Elle.” He handed the envelope to me.
“Of course … for Elle.”
“I need to get back. Luke is pacing around, sweating like a man three times his size. He’s pretty nervous.”
“Luke? Nervous?”
“I know. You would think the man was getting married or something.” A small smile lit up his face, making his blue eyes sparkle even more than usual. “I’ll see you at the end of the aisle?”
I nodded. “I’ll be there. Unless Elle decides to steal a convertible, pick up Brad Pitt, and haul ass across the country.”
He stared at me, confused. “I’m going to do us all a favor and not mention that to Luke.”
