I close the door of Reid’s car, and my teeth instantly chatter.
The weather is winter through and through. Frost sits on every surface, but the sun is shining bright and making the hotel grounds glisten. It’s rather beautiful. Reid walks around the car and grabs our bags.
“I like you in a suit. It’s very hot. You should wear one in the office. Wait, don’t do that. No one would ever get anything done.”
He shakes his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
I check him out for the millionth time this morning. Every time I look at him, I get this flip in my stomach that won’t go away. I want to glue myself to him so that we’re never apart. That would get kind of messy when we’re old and one of us dies first, but that’s the level of insanity I have reached.
I walk into the beautiful hotel beside Reid. It’s even prettier than the pictures Indie showed me. It’s the perfect mix of casual and formal.
Reid checks us in because he insisted on changing and paying for the room. My original booking was a double but whatever.
“Tell me you got the best suite,” I ask of him as we make our way up the rustic oak staircase, towards our room.
“Yeah, I booked the honeymoon suite before Spencer and Indie could. You snooze, you lose, right?”
I roll my eyes and try not to smile. “You’re the only one who finds you funny, Reid. All right, let’s get to our budget, hostel-style room.”
He chuckles and stops by a door. He’s holding my bridesmaid dress in his hand. I have all the other things we need in my small suitcase.
Our clothes are touching. It’s feels intimate to me, which is ridiculous considering I spend a large portion of our time together wrapped around him.
“This is us,” he says and opens the door.
I walk in first, and my eyes zoom from corner to corner of the room. It’s beautiful, with a massive, rustic oak bed. There’s a theme with this hotel. It has a seating area with a huge TV and coffee machine. The bathroom also has a jacuzzi bath and double shower.
“I take it back,” I say.
“I’m having you in that shower later,” he says. The door clicks shut behind us.
“Keep talking like that and we won’t make it to later. Is there a Do Not Disturb sign we can hang? Can I get one that says Go away, I’m doing Reid Walker?”
His face is a picture of amusement, but I bet he’s considering making one. I wasn’t joking. “You need to meet Indie. The ceremony is in two hours.”
“That’s ages away.”
“She was very specific with her schedule on the phone last night.”
I was cuddled up on Reid’s sofa while on the phone to Indie. She went over everything three times. “Fine. I’ll keep my hands to myself until after the ceremony.”
“We have a couple of hours between the dinner and the evening. You can be as handsy as you need to be then.”
“You like me handsy.”
“Like is underplaying it, but sure.”
He takes the next step like I knew he would. We meet in the middle. I watch with a racing heart as his hand rises. His fingertips brush gently along my breastbone and up around my neck. He cups the side of my face, his breathing ragged.
“Damn, I love it when you do that,” I whisper, my skin prickling.
“You should go,” he says. His lips part and his eyes drop to my mouth.
“No one is leaving this room if you keep giving me those horny eyes, Reid.”
“These are my eyes for you. Get used to it.”
“I already have. Look away and step to the side.”
With a chuckle, he bows his head and sidesteps me. “I’ll see you at the ceremony, Mila.”
His hand falls away.
“You’ll be okay on your own? You won’t get lost?”
“I think I’ll manage.” He smirks.
I grab my dress from the hanger by the door and walk past him, trying not to laugh at his refusal to look at me. It’s a good call, though. Any longer and we’d be in bed.
Today, my focus needs to be on Indie and Spencer. Tonight is all about Reid and me.
I take the stairs down to the first floor and look for Indie’s room. Spencer walks around the corner, followed by Jared.
“Wow, movie star, you scrub up well.”
Spencer smiles and rakes his hand through the waves of his hair. “Good of you to make it, Mila.”
I hold my finger up. “I’m not late, not even by Indie’s standards. Besides, sex with Reid is way too good to be early.”
He laughs. “Glad you’re finally getting laid properly.”
“Thanks. Hey, just for the record, before you put a ring on it, if you hurt her, I will kill you. It won’t be quick and painless, either. I have a lot of ideas from the Saw movies. Got it?”
With a little salute, he backs up. “Loud and clear. Tell my girl I’ll see her soon.”
“Yeah… I’m telling her you shaved your eyebrows off last night.”
“Mila Thomas, if you dare.”
“Later, Spence.”
He swears when I walk off, but it only makes me laugh.
Indie and Wren are sitting down on a sofa when I walk through the door, each with a glass of prosecco. There are two open bottles on the table, but neither are empty.
“You’re getting married!” I shout.
They both startle, their heads whipping in my direction. They’re a blur of blonde and brown.
“Jesus,” Wren mutters.
“I just saw Spence. He looks so happy,” I tell them, flopping down on the sofa.
“He’s not nervous?” Indie asks, sitting forwards.
She looks stunning and she’s not even ready yet. She’s siting in her pyjamas with her hair in a bun on the top of her head, but her cheeks have colour. Her whole face is smiling.
“Glad you could make it.” Wren wiggles her eyebrows like she knows why I’m late, even though I’m not bloody late.
I ignore her and respond to Indie. “Nah, he knows you’re a total catch. He’s not scared of marrying you.”
“I can’t wait to have his surname.”
I throw my hands up. “Surname? That’s what you’re focusing on? Dude, you’re almost legally entitled to his millions!”
They both laugh, and Wren pours me a drink. “Have this, you romantic.”
“Are we starting to get ready or what?”
“After a drink. Spencer might not be nervous but I sure am. It’s weird… having no family.”
“What are we? Some stand ins you pulled from off the street?” I add under my breath, “Like Wren and Brody did.”
They both ignore the second part. “You know what I mean, Mila.”
Wren places her hand on Indie’s. “Family isn’t always blood. It’s who’s going to fight for you and have your back. Your tribe may be small, but there’s nothing in this world we wouldn’t do for you.”
“That’s true. I’d totally bury a body and clean a crime scene for you, babe.”
Indie side-eyes me. “Thanks. I love you guys, and I’m so grateful that you’ve always been there. Even when I was hiding so much, you stuck by me. You’re better than blood.”
My eyes well with tears. “Fuck’s sake. You’ve not even put the dress on yet and I’m crying.”
Indie and Wren laugh and wipe their tears away.
“I can’t wait for you and Spence to have beautiful babies. I’m going to need a girls’ holiday before that happens. That goes for you, too, Wren. No mini Brodys until we’ve sat on a beach drinking cocktails for a week.”
“Oh, children are a way off. I have a feeling your wedding will be abroad, and I want to be kid-free,” Indie replies.
“Don’t wait for me.”
“What actually is the deal with you and Reid?” Wren asks.
“We’re friends.”
She nods. “But what’s the deal?”
Laughing quietly, I sip my prosecco. “We’re seeing how things go… and excluding anyone else.”
“You want to be with him.”
“More than anything,” I admit. “We pretty much already are, you know? In every way that matters, anyway. I really like him, guys.”
Wren’s squeal makes Indie and me wince. “I’m so happy and excited for this.”
“Great. Anyway, we need to get this bride ready for her husband.”
“I can’t believe this is the day I’m marrying Spencer,” she whispers as if she literally cannot believe it.
There is nothing surprising or strange about it. They belong together like gin and tonic. They’re beyond perfect, and anyone can see how in love they are.
“I’m so happy for you, Indie,” I say. “Now, get up or you’re going to be late marrying him!”
Her face beams, and she puts her empty glass on the table. “The hairdressers and make-up artists will be here any minute.”
Wren pats her cheeks. “I’m glad you booked them so I didn’t have to worry about making my face—”
“Do not finish that sentence, blonde beauty. You look like a fucking model,” I interrupt.
Indie takes a deep breath when there’s a knock on the door.
It’s time to get her ready.