Page 64 of I'd Never Date my Best Friend's Brother

I cover my mouth with my hands, unable to speak.

Stephanie starts to inhale and exhale quickly as if she’s getting ready to hyperventilate. Noticing her panic, I run to hug her.

“Stephanie it is…” I pause, unable to do anything except shake my head because I’m completely overwhelmed with emotion. “Even more beautiful than I ever dreamed possible.”

Stephanie takes a deep breath and blows it out. “But the cake topper! It’s missing—”

“Missing what?” I step in closer, trying to see what she’s talking about. From what I’m looking at, I don’t see anything wrong with it.

“The mistletoe.” I follow her gaze to the place where the mistletoe is supposed to be and it is indeed missing.

“Well, isn’t that a complete bummer.” I can’t keep the disappointment out of my voice.

“We looked all over.” Stephanie's voice shakes. “But we can’t find it anywhere.”

“Stephanie, it’s amazing!” Her eyebrows dip with confusion written all over her face. “Yes, I’m disappointed the mistletoe is missing, but it was an inside joke. No one will even notice it.”

“Truly?” Stephanie asks, wringing her hands together.

“Truly.” A smile stretches across my face, and Stephanie's shoulders finally drop. “This cake is stunning! Jessica is going to be brought to tears when she sees it.”

“Jessica?” Stephanie scrunches her face.

I throw my head back and laugh. “I know she comes across—”

“Grumpy?”

“Yes, grumpy. But she really has the softest insides.”

“If you say so.” Stephanie shrugs and heads back to continue working on the rest of the food needed for the appetizers and dinner.

Crisis averted. My bubble is back, and my heart is filled with excitement about today’s events.

“Is there anything you need me to do before I head out?” I shout at the people hustling around the room.

“We got this!” Stephanie shouts back. “See you later.”

“Thank you, everyone, for all of your hard work. It means the world to me.”

I leave the kitchen noises behind as I head out of the bakery, the bell chiming as I exit. I need to get to Jessica’s and start getting ready before she kills me.

I’m already an hour late.

I walk into Jessica’s house and find her sitting on the couch in a white terry cloth robe, getting her hair done. She has a relaxed smile on her face. My mom and Lenny are sitting at the dining table drinking tea while Michael Bublé’s “White Christmas” plays softly in the background.

“Evie!” My mom is the first to see me, and her brows furrow. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry I’m late. I got stuck at the bakery for a bit.”

Penny walks in from the kitchen wearing a robe similar to Jessica’s but it’s the same color as our bridesmaids' gowns. I press my lips to keep the smile off of my face.

“Yours is on Jessica’s bed.” Penny winks at me. “Jess wanted us to be comfortable while we were getting our hair done up. I’ll go next, so you can get changed.”

“Thank you.” I rest my hand on the bannister. “Are our—”

“Yes. Our dresses and shoes are up there too.” Penny says over her shoulder as she walks to the couch on the opposite side of Jessica.

I start up to Jessica’s room but stop to take the moment in. Mom and Lenny are calmly talking and laughing. Jessica is relaxed and enjoying—yes enjoying—getting her hair done. And Penny is calm as a cucumber, sitting on the couch with her feet tucked under her robe.

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