Page 2 of The Jinglebell War
Everything’s great.
Peach is an adult now and fully capable of planning her own wedding.
She’s just too sweet for her own good and I’ve watched too many people take advantage of her kindness or talk down to her, and I should have been with her to make sure they didn’t—
“Blue?” Peach says. “Are you mad?”
Shit. I wasn’t paying attention, and I missed something. “I could never be mad at you, Peachy.”
“We don’t want to plan the wedding, anyway.” Cherry manages to sound enthusiastic and happy. Probably because she is. Cherry is a far better person than me. “The bachelorette party is the fun one to plan. We should go to Vegas.”
“You say that.” I’m grateful for the subject change. “But you eloped without a bachelorette party.”
Cherry waves a hand. “After that disaster of a party when I was engaged to RJ? No thank you. I wasn’t taking any chances for things to go wrong with Xavier.”
When Cherry was engaged a few years ago, she had a blowout of a bachelorette party in Vegas. It ended with all of us behind bars for the night and wasn’t even remotely fun. “I don’t blame you for that.”
“Don’t worry.” Cherry pats Peach’s legs, which are back on her lap as Peach stretches out on the couch. “Your party and your wedding will be perfect.”
Peach doesn’t look so sure. “It’s not that I didn’t want your help to plan the wedding, I just knew that as soon as Mom found out, she’d want to be involved and I’m getting better, but I’m still not great at saying no to her.” Peach presses her hands to her cheeks. “Not that I thought you’d tell Mom I’m engaged if I asked you not to, but—”
“We get it,” I say. “This is a small town and people around here are shit at keeping secrets.” Our mother, Natalie, lives with and dates Milo Hewitt, a man half her age who works for Nick. If either Nick or Peach told anyone about their engagement, especially once they started talking to vendors… “Wait. How did you plan the wedding and set up vendors without the whole town finding out?”
“They’re having the wedding in Sugar Valley this summer,” Cherry says without pointing out that I missed that when I was having my existential crisis about my sister being a grownup. “I’m guessing the vendors are there as well?”
“We haven’t called anyone yet,” Peach says. “The venue is booked and we’ve found vendor options that look promising. We just have to make the calls. I’d love you both to help me choose the dress and the cake.”
“Of course.” Cherry’s practically bouncing in her seat. “This is going to be the best party.”
I don’t point out, again, that Cherry eloped to Vegas to avoid the party. The truth is her immediate family were at the wedding. Knowing that crew, they had fun after the I dos.
“We’re here for whatever you need,” I say. “I can call vendors, too, if you want.”
I know it’s the wrong thing to say as soon as Peach narrows her eyes and leans away. Her sweet smile doesn’t change, but her eyes don’t lie. She’s shutting me out. “Thanks for the offer, Blue, but I got this.”
Damn it. Time to rein it back in. “I know you do. Let me know when you need me for the dress fitting and the cake tasting.”
“Do you know what kind of dress you want?” Cherry’s eyes light as she looks up at the ceiling in thought. “I can totally see you in a ball gown with a fitted bodice.”
“I don’t know,” Peach says. “I want to try on everything. Maybe we can go in January or February?”
“Of course,” I say.
“There is one more thing.” Peach folds her hands in her lap and smiles at both of us. “Blue, will you be my maid of honor?”
Damn it, my eyes are stinging. I swallow hard. “Yes. Absolutely.”
Peach’s smile glows as she turns to Cherry. “Cherry, will you be my matron of honor now that you’re a married woman?”
Cherry’s smile slips for only a millisecond as she glances at me before giving Peach her full attention and a megawatt smile. “If that’s what you want, Peach. I’m honored.”
I press my lips together hard to keep from saying something. I literally bite my tongue. I push my hands under my thighs.
“Peachy,” I say, because I just cannot keep quiet on this. “Isn’t there usually just one ‘of honor’? Like either a maid of honor or a matron of honor?”
“There is.” Peach lifts her chin, determination I’ve never seen from her shining in her eyes. The fact she’s not calling me out for assuming she doesn’t know something makes me extremely nervous. “But this is my wedding and you’re my very best friends in the world, and this is how I want to do it.”
I should get up and walk away before I say something I regret, but that’s never really been my style. I close my eyes so I don’t have to see Peach’s reaction. “But I am your sister, Peach. Yourrealsister. I should be the only ‘of honor.’”
