Champagne & Forever Page 2

  “What the hell are you doing? Some new yoga shit? Oh, don’t tell me, the Kama Sutra? You and my brother into some kinky shit, Pipe?”

  I sigh; Ashton is my very best friend in the world, but I swear some days I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff. What do you know, there’s my serum. I pull the bottle from under the bed victoriously to find Ashton lying on her stomach on my bed, her feet crossed in the air, her chin resting on her shoulder.

  “Whatcha got there? Massage oil? I said spa party, but it’s not that kind of happy ending, Piper.”

  “Oh, shut up. I’ve been looking for this bottle for hours. I’m not sure why it’s under the bed, but I’m glad I didn’t throw it away. This stuff is expensive.”

  I stand and make my way over to the small cosmetics bag on the bathroom counter and toss the bottle in. Once I’ve looked through the contents and confirmed everything is packed, I return to the bedroom to put the bag in my small suitcase. Ashton is in the same spot, but this time she’s crying.

  “Ash, what’s wrong? Did you and Jameson get in a fight?” I move my suitcase out of the way and sit down in front of her, waiting for a response.

  “Of course not. He’s amazing. Like the greatest thing ever!” She starts bawling, and I have no idea what is happening.

  “You’re freaking me out, Ash. What’s wrong?”

  Before Ashton can respond, Ben shouts to me from the bottom of the stairs that they’re ready to leave. I look to Ashton who stands and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. Two deep breaths and she looks ready to head downstairs. Holy emotional whiplash. Maybe Ben’s right, and we should give her an out with singing at the wedding. Obviously, this is too much stress for her.

  I follow Ashton down the stairs with my suitcase in one hand and my pillow—Ben’s pillow—in the other. Yes, I’m that girl. I haven’t slept away from Ben in almost a year. I’m not going to make it through the night without his pillow and his smell. Mock all you want. The guys are standing in the kitchen when we enter. I set my pillow on top of the suitcase and watch as Ashton walks over to Jameson who hoists her up in his arms.

  Her feet dangle as he nestles his mouth in the crook of her neck. Ashton lets out a string of giggles, and I smile. A few whispers between them and Ashton nods her head yes as Jameson peppers her with kisses. It took those two a long time to get to where they are, but their story makes me smile. They are truly the epitome of enemies to lovers, my favorite romance trope. It makes my romance loving heart happy to see.

  I follow Ashton’s lead and walk to Ben’s open arms. When Ben takes my face in his hands and gently kisses me, my knees weaken. Growing up, I would dream of Bentley Sullivan. I planned our first date, our courtship, and our wedding. Sure, most of that was when I was eight years old, and I played out each scenario with my Barbies. Now, within a week of our actual wedding, I have to pinch myself to make sure this is happening.

  Ben and I hug and kiss a few times before Jameson tugs him away. Ashton and I follow the guys outside and stand on the porch, watching them hop in Jameson’s truck. The minute it rumbles to life, Justin Moore blasts from the speakers, causing Ashton and me to break out in a full force belly laugh. “Point at You” fills the air, and it’s absolutely fitting for Jameson and Ashton. For years, Ashton mocked and teased Jameson about his ridiculously raised truck and well-deserved “manwhore” reputation. Regardless of his past and her teasing, she’s always been the one to bring him back to reality. Ashton brings out the best in him. When Jameson peels out of our gravel driveway, fishtailing and blowing up a cloud of dust behind him,I roll my eyes and turn to look at Ashton.

  “Boys and their toys,” Ashton sighs with a smile. I know as much as she does that Jameson could do just about anything and she’d find it endearing.

  “I’m all packed. Are you ready to blow this pop stand and pick up Min? I’m so excited for a pedicure it’s not even funny!” I say, pulling her from her thoughts.

  “You bet your sweet bride-to-be ass. Don’t forget our mothers are coming to this portion of the party.”

  Ashton opens the screen door, motioning for me to enter before her. I fling my purse over my shoulder while simultaneously grabbing my pillow before grasping my suitcase handle. “I told you I was fine having the moms here for the entire night, Ash. Remember, low-key. Nothing will ensure that like having our moms here. Just us with some sparkly toes and lots of margaritas.”

  “I know, but you know I’m a little hard of hearing when you go all Pollyanna on me. Let’s hit it.”

  Ashton Sullivan has been my best friend since I was a little girl. Her family is like my family and after next weekend, we’ll be official sisters. Growing up, I loved going to the Sullivan’s and absorbing their family vibe. It has always just been me and my mom, and while people assume we’re close because of it, that hasn’t always been the case. The reality is my mom spent most of her adult life searching, unsuccessfully, for a man. That is, until last year when she met Mike and fell in love. Since then, Mom and I have grown closer, and she’s become the mom I had always wanted. Supportive, loving, and present.

  Well, as present as she can be no longer living in Lexington. Mom and I talk every day, she calls Ben when she has an idea she can’t convince me of, and she and Patty, my future mother-in-law, have become good friends. I suppose the change in my mom is what happens when you accept there are good men and are lucky enough to find one of them to love you.

  I should know, I realized the same thing.

  “Minnie, I really wish Dakota would have come over. She needs a girls’ night.” I may be a little tipsy as I shout at Minnie, who is sitting on the cushion next to me on Ashton’s very comfortable couch. “Sorry! I’m very loud, aren’t I?”

  “It’s okay; you’re the guest of honor and can be as loud as you want.” Minnie is such a nice girl. I’m glad Owen got his head out of his ass and told her he loves her. I mean, I’d be friends with her anyway, but now she’s one of my best friends and it would have been awkward if he’d screwed that relationship up. See, tipsy. I’d never say this stuff sober.

  “I am totally the guest of honor. I think maybe I had too many mimosas at the spa. Shh.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” Minnie whispers as she takes a long drink from her dirty martini. Those look good. Maybe I should try one. I look at my hand and realize I don’t have a cocktail. Ashton told me I needed to hydrate and sober up a little. I have no clue what she has planned, but whatever. I hope there’s food because I’m starving.

  “Minnie, why didn’t Dakota come? Does she not like me? I’m very likeable so that makes me sad.”

  “Piper, you are totally likeable. In fact, you’re lovable. Dakota isn’t ready for a party atmosphere. Plus, she missed a lot of time with the girls, and right now all she wants is to hang with them.”

  “I totally get it. I think she’s the coolest, and I’d love to hang out with her more. Plus, she gave me the best gift at my shower. Who even knew there was a gadget to clean baseboards!”

  Minnie and I continue to laugh as I hydrate. Ashton has been in the kitchen for an hour and won’t tell me what the hell she’s doing. Minnie insists it’ll be worth the wait, but for crap’s sake, I’m starving. And I’m sobering up, which is only going to make me tired. I yawn a few times and Minnie’s eyes widen before she hops from the couch and runs to the kitchen. When she returns just a few minutes later, she’s holding a margarita and as I take it from her hand and declare she is easily my new bestie, my lifelong bestie comes walking into the room with a huge platter.

  “What’s this?”

  “Well, since this night is all about you and your favorites, I wanted to offer all of your favorite foods. So, while you drink a margarita, a current favorite, which is weird because you’re normally a whiskey girl but whatever, I’ve put this together.” Ashton waves her hand across a large platter of food like she’s Vanna White. I scoot forward on the couch to look at her display: sushi, nachos, and sliders. I let ou
t a loud squeal because I can eat the hell out of all of this.

  “You are a goddess, and I am forever in your debt, Ash.” I don’t know how much of that Ashton catches because by the time I’m halfway through my declaration I’ve stuffed a handful of nachos in my mouth.

  “This is taking fusion to a whole new level, Ashton.” Minnie laughs as she takes one of the small plates on the table and fills it with a slider and a few pieces of sushi.

  The girls and I sit and stuff our faces with the amazing food Ashton prepared and finish off another couple of drinks before scrubbing our faces and putting on our pajamas. Yep, party animals. But, this is what I wanted. I wanted my closest friends, good food, and even better drinks on a night where we talk about the men in our lives, share secrets, and watch at least one romantic movie.

  Once we’ve each changed and are ready for bed, we quickly clean up the leftovers—there aren’t many—and then snuggle into Jameson and Ashton’s big cozy bed. Ashton clicks on the television and ques up my favorite romance movie of all time, 50 First Dates. This movie makes me laugh, believe in true love, and want to go to Hawaii. Which is where we’re going for our honeymoon. I cannot wait. I just hope this PMS or whatever hormonal action I have is gone after the stress of the wedding is behind us.

  After a few minutes, Minnie clears her throat and sits up from where she’s lying. “Girls, I have a question.” Ashton and I both sit up and look at her quizzically. “Do my boobs look bigger? I swear they’ve grown in the last few weeks. I went in for my final dress fitting last week and the seamstress seemed concerned with how the bust was fitting. Ash did you have the same problem?”

  “No, but my dress is a little different, remember? I don’t think they look bigger. What’d Owen say? I mean, he’d be the one to notice. That guy can’t keep his hands off you; he probably has them memorized.”

  Minnie flops back down on the pillow and sighs. “He does love my boobs. Well, and my ass. He’s really an equal opportunity groper. Damn, I love that guy.”

  Ashton and I laugh, and although we never really pay attention to the movie, I have the best night with my girlfriends. We stuffed ourselves, we laughed, we cried, and we even compared boob sizes. All in all, a perfect bachelorette party.

  This is not how I expected to be spending the last few days before our wedding. I’m currently elbows deep in bleach and Lysol. Three days ago, Piper came down with a nasty flu bug, and she’s either been nauseous, vomiting, or asleep. Each day she’ll have a surge of energy and send out a slew of texts to everyone making sure the wedding is on schedule. Our moms stopped by yesterday and took her phone away from her, hiding it somewhere even I don’t know about. My mom said she’d tell me the location tomorrow so I’m able to return it to my bride.

  I spent an unordinary amount of time convincing Piper I did not know where the moms had hidden her phone. Once she finally conceded that I too was in the dark, she let out a frightening laugh and said the joke is on the moms as she reached over and grabbed her tablet from the side table. Then, she sent off a message to the gang and told them if anyone rats her out to a mom they are dead to her. I won’t lie, I kind of like this side of Piper. She’s a little more feisty than usual.

  Tomorrow is our rehearsal dinner and while that pre-wedding event is being handled by my parents and is at their house, we have a lot of work to do here before Saturday. I told Piper this is probably why she got sick. She insists it was Ashton’s assortment of sushi, nachos, and whatever else junk food they ate last weekend. When her mom tried to explain food poisoning is different than what she’s experiencing, she threatened to ban her from the house. Yeah, she may be a little bridezilla right now.

  When I woke up this morning exhausted, I had an overwhelming need to clean this entire house—with bleach. I cannot get whatever plague Piper has contracted. With my luck, I’ll wake up on our wedding day praying to the porcelain god and look like a zombie in our wedding photos. None of that would fare well for the wedding night. Priorities.

  “Son, can you put that bleach down and take off the rubber gloves long enough to come help Landon and me with this arbor?”

  “Very funny, Dad. Yeah, I’ll be right there.”

  I remove the gloves and toss them in the sink before taking the time to wash them thoroughly. Bleach may kill germs but it also stinks to high hell. Once I’m done with that, I head outside toward where my dad and Landon are setting up the arbor. When we decided to have the wedding here, I knew the spot we’d exchange our vows. It’s the exact location where I fell in love with Piper. Well, that’s not true. I fell in love with her every day from the moment I approached her at Country Road and kissed her senseless without even realizing who she was.

  Our road to get here wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t without a little drama, but I wouldn’t change a thing. When I first decided to buy this house, I wasn’t sure where my life was headed or who I was going to spend it with. Then I encountered a beautiful redhead at the local watering hole, and my entire world turned upside down. Damn, I need to write that down. Piper wanted us to write our own vows, and I’ve been playing games on my phone instead. Put Piper in front of me and I will tell her four hundred different ways I love her. Put us in front of a crowd and I stutter and say “uh.”

  I pull out my phone to tap out notes about my vows before I hear tires on the gravel behind me. Turning, I see a delivery truck pulling in. I assume it’s the tent, dance floor, and tables for the reception. I tap out the last of my notes on my phone when I hear my name shouted again. This time, instead of my dad, it’s Landon. I flip him the bird. Fucker. Obviously, I’m busy.

  Satisfied my notes will make sense later, I continue toward my dad and Landon. The ceremony will be staged so Piper and I stand under the arbor with the stream that runs behind our property as a backdrop. That was my only requirement for the wedding. Well . . . and whiskey. Lots of whiskey.

  “About time. I thought I was going to have to adopt Landon to thank him for all of his hard work.”

  “Haha, Pop. I had a thought for my vows and needed to get them in my phone before I forget.”

  “Yeah, Mr. Sullivan, Ben has to write his own vows. I have fifty bucks that says he’ll cry like a baby.”

  “Oh Landon, I’m not a sucker. We all know my son is going to lose his shit the minute Piper walks down the aisle. Hell, all those guys are going to lose it when their women walk down the aisle. Myself included. When are you going to find yourself a beautiful woman to spend your life with, Landon?”

  I laugh as I lift a piece of the arbor for my dad to hammer. Landon is the last of the four of us who is single. He had a little flirtation going with one of the bartenders at Country Road, but he finally accepted she is spoken for. Of course, it took him actually meeting the girlfriend for him to accept he wasn’t in the running for soul mate. Of the four of us, Landon is the one guy I would have expected to already be settled down. Just shows what I know.

  “It’s not for a lack of trying, that’s for sure. I’m in no hurry, sir. My future is out there; I just haven’t found her yet.”

  “Ah, Landon. You’ve always been such a good guy.” I hear the sweetest voice speak, and I smile before turning. I once told Piper she had a voice smooth as honey and I could listen to her read the phone book to me every night. She called my bluff and literally read a page from the phone book each night for a month after she moved in. Somewhere around Banning, I threw the book across the room and tackled her until she was screaming my name. We never picked up the phone book again, but her voice is still the sweetest sound of my day.

  “Baby, what are you doing? You should be in bed.” She looks better, but that doesn’t mean anything. She’s been going back and forth between looking well and being sicker than a dog.

  “Bentley, if I lie in that bed another minute I’m going to go insane. It’s bad enough the moms stole my phone. Now, my iPad charger is missing. Y’all have some explaining to do because I can’t be without my technology!”

&
nbsp; My dad snorts as Landon has the good sense to turn away from Piper before laughing. “Paul, don’t mock me. I’m getting married in three days. Three! I have been lying in that bed for what feels like half my life! Oh! Oh, my goodness! It’s beautiful.”

  I watch and will remember for the rest of my life, the look on Piper’s face as she realizes what we’re working on. Her hand flies to her lips, and the tears fall freely as she begins to sob. My dad nods toward Piper, and I turn to my fiancée and pull her to me. She’s shaking as she sobs. I move my hands to her head and pull her face toward me while brushing hair from her face. I plant a quick kiss to her lips before she sighs and then gasps.

  “No! Oh my God! I haven’t brushed my teeth since my nap! I’m such a mess. How can you handle me?”

  “You’re not a mess. I mean, you kind of are, but I love you just the same,” I say with a scrunch of my nose. “I think a shower is in order. What do you say? I’ll walk you back to the house? That okay with you guys?” I ask, turning toward my dad and Landon. Both grunt an approval; I don’t question it and walk Piper toward the house. Her sobs are gone and she’s sniffling a little before stopping to look at me with wide eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes shimmering with excitement.

  “I’m starving. Do we have any food?”

  “Pipe, let me get you into the shower, then I’ll get you some soup and crackers.”

  “No way. I want food. Like a burger. Oh my gosh or pasta. Do we have any spaghetti stuff? I could throw down a bowl of spaghetti. No! Rosa’s! A breakfast burrito. Yes. Oh, with enchilada sauce for dipping. Yes, that’s what I want. Most favorite fiancé in the world. Can we make that happen?”

  Piper hasn’t stopped talking about food the entire walk back to the house and as she opens the screen door to the kitchen, I pull out my phone and tap a message to my sister. She told me she’d be out later today to help work on some of the unfinished projects. I’m sure she’ll stop and grab some food for Piper.