Page 55 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Approximately 30 hours," Bee said. "But then there's the issue of me really loving you. Decisions, decisions."

Mason laughed. "Don't you dare get cold feet, babe. I was only kidding. And really we should be mad at Penny. This beach trip was her idea. It's her fault that we have hangovers."

I placed a cup of tea down in front of each of them. "You're both ridiculous. How was it my fault that you drank too much? I wasn't even there."

"Exactly," Bee said. "My matron of honor ditched me. I had to drink away my sorrows."

"You know I would have loved to have been there."

"I know." Bee reached out and squeezed my hand before taking a sip of the tea. "Damn, it's actually really good."

I smiled. "See."

Mason took a sip. "Eh," he said and set it aside. "How are you feeling anyway?"

James wrapped his arm around my back.

"I'm good. The doctor said no travel, so we decided to listen to him for once. I really am sorry that we couldn't come."

"James, the beaches down in Delaware are awesome," he said. "You were holding out on me all these years. We'll have to make a trip some other time after your kid pops out."

"Sounds like a plan," James said. "A nice family beach trip is definitely in order."

"Ugh, no. I meant without the kids."

James laughed.

"Uncle Mason!" Scarlett squealed as she ran into the kitchen. "Aunt Bee!"

Mason put his hand on his forehead, wincing from her voice due to his hangover. But he still managed to smile at her.

Scarlett stopped at the stool he was sitting on and pulled on his pant leg.

"Hey, kiddo." He lifted Scarlett up onto his lap. "What do you have there?"

For not liking kids, he really seemed to adore Scarlett.

"I drew a picture of your wedding." She put the piece of paper she was holding down on the countertop. "This is you," she said to Mason and pointed to a stick figure with brown hair and a black outfit. "And this is Aunt Bee." She pointed to the figure with long blonde hair and a white outfit. I smiled as I recognized myself standing next to Bee. And there was James, depicted holding Scarlett in his arms. Tyler and Hailey were standing with Axel. Rob and Daphne had their arms wrapped around Sophie . Matt looked just like Mason but he was standing next to Jen and Ian. Bee's friends Marie and Kendra were standing to one side with glasses in their hands, which I found particularly funny, because Scarlett only knew them from a few girls' nights I had thrown here. Marie's husband, Carter, was even in the picture. I smiled down at the image. It was the most beautiful stick figure drawing I had ever seen.

"Can we keep this, Scarlett?" Bee said. "I think it's going to be better than any pictures we get taken tomorrow."

"Mhm. It's your wedding pres... presen ... pre..." her voice trailed off and she frowned, unable to remember the word.

"Present?" Bee offered.

"Yes! Wedding present." She slid it toward Bee. "Mommy, can I put on my dress now?"

She had been asking me every half hour all morning.

"Not yet. The wedding isn't until tomorrow."

"But I don't mind sleeping in it. Pleeeeease?"

Bee laughed. "If you sleep in it, it will get all wrinkled. And you don't want that, do you?"

Scarlett scrunched her mouth to one side as she thought it over. "No. A flower girl shouldn't have a wrinkled dress. I'll go put it back."

"Put it back? Where did you put it?" I asked.

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