Page 14 of Conquering the Skies

Marcus bit his lower lip yet was unable to conceal his amusement. “Though I’m sure your mother will be in attendance, there is no doubt in my mind she’s capable of being discreet.”

She looked back and forth between them, their expectations clear, and felt a twinge of guilt for potentially dampening their eagerness. “I’ve never been a bridesmaid before, so I’m hoping I don’t screw anything up…but I’m touched by how you considered me, and I’d love to do it.”

Ash leaned forward in his chair. “Same here. Anything you need me to do, say the word and I’m there.”

Adele clasped her hands in front of her mouth. “Wonderful! I’m so glad!” A wistful sigh left her lips. “I know we can’t, or shouldn’t, expect everything to go perfectly, but it’s amazing to see all our plans taking shape. I want this day to be memorable not only for the two of us but for everyone present.”

Marcus stroked her back. “It will be.”

Beneath the table, Ash tapped Geneva’s thigh. “And you will be the best damn bridesmaid this planet has seen,” he said. “Weren’t you saying a few minutes ago how you’re always up for a challenge? You have nothing to worry about.”

She huffed out a melodramatic sigh. “I will try my absolute hardest not to trip on my way down the aisle, or whatever it is I’m directed to do.”

“Excellent plan. Just think, it’ll be good practice for when—” He abruptly stopped mid-sentence, stiffening in his seat.

Geneva’s eyes widened, though she tried to recover and not call any attention to what Ash had almost revealed. “As long as I’m not wearing high heels, everything will be fine,” she said quickly. “So, Adele, have you given any thought to dresses yet?”

She stared at them for a moment, a quizzical expression creasing her brow. “Well,” she finally said, “my sisters and I have been—”

“Hold on one second.” Marcus leaned forward. “Geneva? Ash? Is there something you’d like to share with us?”

She rubbed the back of her neck. “We weren’t going to say anything yet,” she mumbled.

Ash let out a little cough. “You did always say I was bad at keeping secrets.”

“True.” Exhaling, she met Marcus’s inquisitive gaze. “But yes. We’ve been doing some light wedding planning of our own.”

He grinned and tilted his wineglass in their direction. “Congratulations.”

“No one else knows yet,” she said, more to Adele than him as she shifted to face her. “We’re not in any rush, and we didn’t want to do anything to detract from your special event.”

“You don’t need to worry about it,” she said brightly, though Geneva wasn’t 100 percent convinced of the sincerity behind her words. “It’s not like it’s a competition or anything, or people can’t be excited about more than one thing at a time. You’re certainly entitled to your own celebration!”

Marcus swept his hair away from his eyes. “If it were me, I’d be telling everybody I know.” He reached for Adele’s hand again, his broad smile never fading. “Oh, wait. That’s exactly what I did.”

Geneva shrugged. “We’ve got plenty of time. Besides, we’ll probably wind up doing something a lot smaller and quieter than what you have planned.”

Ash jerked his head toward her. “She originally wanted to elope.”

Marcus arched an eyebrow. “Your mother would kill you.”

“So I’ve been told,” she said. “Since it’s off the table, we’re working on some ideas to hopefully make everyone happy. We’ll be sure to keep you updated, at least whenever you have some calmer moments like this in the coming months.”

Some of the tension dissipated from Adele’s face. “I look forward to hearing all about it. I hope you find the whole process as fun and exciting as we have.”

“I’m thrilled for you two,” Marcus said. “I mean it sincerely.”

“Thank you.”

Adele slid her chair back a few inches and smoothed the front of her skirt. “Speaking of which, we have an appointment with our wedding coordinator tomorrow morning to review some items on our list. I hate getting up early on the weekend as much as everyone else, but it’s the only time which worked for all of us.”

Ash nudged Geneva’s arm. “Understandable. We won’t keep you up too late, then.”

She took her cue and stood. “Are you sure we can’t help you clean up a little bit?”

“Positive,” Marcus said. “I know you have to drive back to the city, and it’s already dark outside.”

Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms and pretended to be annoyed. “It’s not that far, but I appreciate your concern.”

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