Page 83 of Bridesmaid to Bride

I feel the weight of her world pushing down on me too. She’s got a lot to figure out, a lot of healing to do, and I hope with everything in me that she can start that process now. She deserves to be free of this—to be happy—and she could be happy with me.

But I laid it all out on the line for her, and she knows how I feel, so there’s nothing more I can do to help her. Even if she wanted to be with me, I don’t think she’s in the mental space to be with anyone right now. Which is both freeing and saddening, all in one.

Maybe someday?

It’s time to focus on the mess that’s my life—I need to save my parents’ business, and not by relying on Groomsman to Groom or by selling my condo.

It’s time to get smart.

42

The Sexy Idea

WEST

Dressed in a tuxedo and ready to be the best best man I can be, I rap a knuckle against the door of Skye’s room, my heart lighter, which is a feat after the heavy morning we all had. The door swings open, and there she is, Skye in all her irreverent glory—her justice of the peace attire: a mustardy, gaudy robe and Pope hat. God, I blame Paige for her shit taste in wedding colors.

“Westie. In.” Skye ushers me in with a wave of her hand.

I rush in. “I know we’re short on time, but I have a presentation for you. Don’t worry, it’s quick.”

“Ooh, a man with a plan.” She goes to the mirror and starts putting on more makeup, which I think is overkill, but whatever. “Hit me,” she says.

I take a deep breath, summoning my inner Han Solo. “Here it goes: I’ve got a proposal for you.” I fish out a couple of crumpled papers from my back pocket—ideas, basic research, estimates, the works. “It’s about my parents’ shop. I need to figure out a way to save it, and to do that, we’re talking expansion—setting up roots in Atlanta.”

“Atlanta?” Her eyebrow arches, intrigued.

“Yep.” I lean forward, hands moving to paint the picture. “Imagine this: a new market hungry for organic jellies and kinky toys. A city ripe for the lubricating.”

“You speak my language, West. But why are you coming to me?”

“Because you’ve got the touch. And, honestly, the cash. Everything you invest in turns to gold.”

“Mmm.” She taps a finger to her lips, the wheels clearly turning. “This has potential, but I need more information. Meaning you need to dig deep and do all your homework.”

My heart does a punch. “I’ll do it! Next time we meet, I’ll have so much info your head’ll spin. We’re talking about saving a family business, creating jobs, and sex positivity all rolled into one.”

“Hmm. Alright, you’ve got my attention.” She leans in, the glint in her eye telling me I may just have a shot at this. “Let’s talk details when we get back to Atlanta, but I’ll say this—I’m not getting into some vanilla venture. I expect creativity.”

“Vanilla is for ice cream, and last time I checked, we’re not selling sundaes.” I shove the papers back into my pocket.

“Good boy.” She nods in approval.

“Trust me, Skye,” I say, faking confidence. “By the time we’re done, Atlanta won’t know what hit it.”

43

Wowsa Vows

EVA

After hours with a gaggle of people fussing over every detail of my hair, dress, and makeup, I’m ready to walk down the aisle in a frilly explosion of a wedding dress with a train that goes on forever. My dad is by my side, not speaking to me, and two flower girls dressed in mustard are ready to help me with it. And I hope to God I can pull off being my sister. For somebody who’s not a twin, this probably sounds like an easy task, but when you’re actually one, you know just how different you are from your sibling. We have unique mannerisms, ways of walking, and facial expressions. Paige clearly has this glowing smile that can light up the room, as I’ve seen over and over this weekend.

Plus, I have to cry and do all the things that an actual bride would do when she’s saying vows to the man she’s going to spend the rest of her life with. I, on the other hand, am so uncomfortable with this flagrant deception I can barely look at Zach right now. I’m sure he feels the exact same way about me. I’ll just have to do my best to imagine it being my day with my soulmate.

With that thought, I glance at West, who’s standing on the side of Zach, and my heart does somersaults in my chest. I study him, noting how beautiful he looks in a tux. I’ve only seen him wearing one a handful of times before, and, wow, does he clean up nicely. And looking at him brings every single emotion to the surface.

That’s what I’ll do—I’ll keep my gaze on West so I can pull off the right facial expressions and make this believable.

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