Page 3 of Every Bit As Perfect
On the outside, I’d never been the girl to obsess over marriage and babies and happily ever afters.In fact, I worked hard to dispel any thought to the contrary.
But inside?I wanted it.
I wanted it all.
The floofy dress.The ugly bridesmaids’ dresses.The flowers, the fancy place settings, the candles, the wedding favors.The church.The rose-petal-strewn aisle.The vows.The forever.
The babies.
God, how I wanted the babies.
My hands itched to cradle the rounding of my womb as they grew inside me, to feel their tiny knees, feet, and elbows pressing against my walls.My empty arms yearned to hold them.My breasts ached to feed them.
It was my dream, a dream I was beginning to suspect I would have to live vicariously through my best friend.
“Wet.It feels wet.”
“Speaking of wet…have you gotten back into the saddle yet?”
“You did not just say that,” she groaned before answering.“This weekend.Hopefully things down there have retracted close enough to normal that he won’t feel like he’s dipping his dick inside a paint can.I’m not sure if my circumference is still the size of Hunter’s head.”
I snorted out a laugh as I stroked Hunter’s velvety scalp.“He doesn’t have a big head; he didn’t get the big-headed-Bennett baby gene.”
“He takes after me,” she preened.Her voice softened.“Are you seeing anybody?”
My eyebrows flew up.“Noelle, seriously?”I threw out my hands.“There’s like no new stock here in Sage Ridge!”
“Oh, please, Harley.Tell me you haven’t worked your way through the entire single male population of Sage Ridge.”
I scoffed.“The entire male population…you make it sound like there is one.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
I smirked.“It’s not great.”
“What do you want, Shrimpy?”
There was no way I would reveal my deepest desires.I didn’t want her pity.“I want you to come back to work and take over Bridezillaville,” I grumbled.
After only six weeks, I’d already had enough of filling in for Noelle.When she moved back to Sage Ridge, she accepted the position of Wedding coordinator at The Sage Ridge Resort, which my family owned and operated.
She was more than familiar with the business.All five of us kids grew up in and around the resort.Our mothers were best friends, connecting when Hawkley and Max were in diapers.We celebrated every holiday and milestone together.Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, oh how we celebrated Halloween, summer vacations, birthdays, and graduations.Our two families became one big happy family.And we remained so for years.
Then Hunter died.
My parents fell apart.
Hawkley became a shell of his former self.
Noelle left town.
A few years later, Noelle’s mom Christine got sick, and we lost her, too.
Max worked.And worked.And worked.
And while my parents and Noelle’s dad stayed tight, the rest of us drifted.
When Noelle returned, we got Hawkley back, too.Now Max was coming around more, not working so hard.
