Page 72 of Shameless With Him

Chapter 15

Zoey

“Before I dothis wedding thing, I have a couple of things to say to you,” Lacey said, and I froze, my back going ramrod straight.

I really was a little afraid of exactly what Lacey was going to say. My entire life had been centered around Lacey and this wedding for the past couple of months. And the fact that I kept saying the mantra of I love my baby sister over and over in my head just to remind myself of that fact spoke volumes.

Lacey wore a beautiful white lace and silk robe, her hair already done in long, blond curls, the extensions she had put in last month perfect for the half-Elsa braid that she wanted.

She looked gorgeous, like a perfect bride, and while I wasn’t jealous, I was a little worried about what was going to happen next. Not that I thought John was going to leave her at the altar or anything, mostly because Lacey had become more and more intolerable over the past couple of days, and I was exhausted.

I really didn’t want to deal with any last-minute scary issues when it came to this wedding.

“Okay?”

Lacey winced and reached out, gripping my hands with hers, her nails perfectly manicured. I had a similar manicure done, but I had already messed up one nail, and my hands were full of cuts, and a little set of scars and gouges.

However,the flowers for this wedding looked phenomenal.

If I did say so myself.

“The fact that you just looked at me with apprehension tells me I truly have been the world’s worst bride.”

I shook my head. “No, you haven’t. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.”

“No, you don’t apologize to me. I know I leaned on you a lot for this wedding. I know it’s been hard, and I’ve been a beast. I love you, and I wanted to thank you for being amazing throughout this whole experience. I know you didn’t really sign up for this, and I kind of threw you to the wolves. The wolves being me. And possibly Mom.”

We both smiled, but thankfully, Mom wasn’t in the room to hear the comment.

“Lacey—” I began.

My sister held up her hand, her teeth worrying her lip for a moment before she seemed to realize that her makeup was already done and stopped. “No, let me finish, I promise I’ll be quick. I love you so much. I wanted this day to be perfect, and I know I was overbearing. I know I made it all about me, and John, but mostly about me.”

I didn’t refute that comment, but it was a bride’s prerogative, and I didn’t blame her for that. Plus, I knew John didn’t mind at all.

“Throughout it all, you were always there for me, but I feel like I was cruel to you. I forced you to work on my timetable and do far more than any other maid of honor would do. I should’ve hired an actual wedding planner, that way, you could focus on just the flowers and being my sister. And maybe on a potential amazing romance with a certain best man.” She winked, and my face flamed.

“Lacey.”

“What? I was rude to you. I was a bitch. Let’s be honest.”

“Well…” I trailed off, and she rolled her eyes.

“I really was a horrible person. It’s because I suck at this whole communication thing and getting things in the right order. I had my reasons, and you know them. But those reasons don’t negate the fact that I was cruel. I never want to be that person again. I know we’re only a couple of hours or less away from the wedding ceremony, from walking down that aisle and seeing John and I don’t want to have those bad feelings on my mind because of the way I treated you.”

“Today is supposed to be about you. Always.”

“Perhaps, and you’re right, but I still didn’t need to be mean to you. And I didn’t need to be callous when it came to your relationship with Caleb. Or the fact that I didn’t even allow you to talk about it with me at all. I know you have your girlfriends, and I know you’ve probably talked with them, considering Caleb’s part of that group, as well. Only I haven’t even said a damn thing about the two of you, other than the one time where I was a harpy. I’m so happy for you. I know he is that shining star for you. He’s your John. I’ve always known.”

I blushed, ducking my head. “Lacey, we’re still new.”

And I love him. But I wasn’t going to say that out loud.

“You’ve had a crush on him since we were little.”

My head shot up. “You’re not supposed to mention that.”

“And I’ll never tell him. I swear. But the fact that you guys are together? It’s like fate.”

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