"Yes." She looked at her sister, her gorgeous, glowing twin sister, and her heart swelled with love and pride. "To Laurel, an amazing daughter, a wonderful sister, and a caring and loyal friend. May today be the start of a future of happiness and love. You deserve it all. And I wouldn't mind a niece or nephew, either."
Laurel laughed. "One step at a time."
"To Laurel," Liz put in.
"And to all of you," Laurel said. "I love every single one of you and you better not cut me out of the fun, just because I'm going to be a boring, married woman now."
"Never," Andrea said as they clinked their glasses together.
* * *
The candlelit wedding ceremony was romantic and perfect in every way. Laurel and her groom looked at each other through the eyes of adoring love, and Andrea felt herself getting misty-eyed more than once, especially during the exchange of vows.
She'd never really thought much about marriage. When her mom and sister talked about it, she usually tuned them out. She'd always had her eye on her career, on getting to the next rung of the ladder, making a name for herself, but now she couldn't help wondering if her goals weren't a little narrow.
Why couldn't she have it all—a job and a relationship? It would be more difficult, but she was up to the challenge. She just had to find the right man.
Actually, she'd already found the right man, but she'd messed everything up.
She forced herself not to think about Alex. She had to focus on her sisters, her friends and her family. Alex was a worry for another day.
After the ceremony, there was almost an hour of pictures. Then they moved on to dinner, toasts and eventually cake-cutting. As waiters passed out slices of cake, Laurel walked over to Andrea and gave her a hug.
"What was that for?" Andrea asked.
"Everything," Laurel said. "You've been a great maid of honor."
She laughed. "You have a short memory, but thanks. Are you happy, Laurel? Was today everything you imagined?"
"It was better than my best dream. And I don't think I've ever felt happier. I can't wait to get our marriage started."
"I think you already have, and I'm glad you found a man who loves you so much."
"Your turn will come, Andrea."
She shrugged. "I'm not holding my breath."
"You might meet someone tonight—someone tall, dark and handsome," Laurel said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"If that man is actually here, then he's probably already surrounded by your six other single bridesmaids," she said, taking a sip of champagne.
"Actually, I think he's looking for you." Laurel tipped her head to the right.
Andrea turned around and saw Alex standing by the bar. He was dressed in a black suit with a dark red tie, and he was just as tall, dark and handsome as Laurel had said. Butterflies danced through her stomach as she met his gaze.
"Isn't that your man of the year?" Laurel asked.
"He's notmyman," she muttered, her gaze on Alex as he slowly made his way toward them.
"Are you sure about that? I know you never take my advice, Andrea, but give him a chance. You could do worse than a sexy millionaire."
Laurel slipped away when Alex reached her. As his beautiful green gaze met hers, her heart began to beat in triple time.
"I can't believe you're here," she said in amazement. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to see you."
Her breath caught in her throat at the simple, direct statement. "Really? Because the last two weeks…"