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“I believe you,” Reese said.
When he pressed his lips to hers, Reese felt like it was a confirmation of all her prayers, all her hopes, all her feelings. He wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t perfect. They would be two imperfect people, playing alongside one another, imperfectly.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Why did I let everyone talk me into a big wedding?” Reese groaned, sinking into a chair.
She smoothed out the front of her dress and the glittering pink diamond on her left hand caught her eye. She had never been big on jewelry, but the ring Sterling had picked out blew her away. She didn’t even notice it at first when he proposed, more distracted by the man himself.
Staci sat down on the nearby couch. “Seventy-five people is not a big wedding.”
“I wanted ten. Maybe fifteen,” Reese said. “Something intimate.”
“Even your families would have been more than fifteen people! This is a happy medium. It’s still you. And, at the end of the day, I think you’ll have a lot of something intimate.” Staci wiggled her eyebrows.
Reese laughed. “Truth. Maybe I’m just nervous. Not about marrying Sterling. Just about having to be on a stage for the most important moment of my life.”
“You’re not on a stage. You’ll be at the front of your church. With just family and some close friends supporting you.”
“On the stage.”
“You are impossible,” Staci said. “Just remember—this is you and Sterling. Let everything else fade away.”
Reese’s heart sped up and she couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, that’s easy. Everything fades away when I look at him anyway.”
“There you go. See? Everything will be fine.”
The door to the bride’s room opened and Reese’s older sister Rachel walked in, followed by Morgan and Sterling’s sister May. All of them wore dresses made of some kind of layered, gauzy material in various shades of pink. Reese had forgotten the name. Chiffon? These kinds of details were not her strength.
Though Rachel pitched a fit, Reese had asked Morgan to help with most of the planning, especially the styling and clothes. Rachel would have found some way to make the bridesmaids look like cotton candy, poufy and too sweet. Morgan found an affordable designer that let each woman pick her own style in the same fabric. Together, they looked fantastic, but it gave them each a little distinction. It had been Morgan who suggested that Reese wear a pink sash around the middle of her white dress. At first, Reese’s mother had protested, but everyone agreed that the pop of color suited her.
“Are you ready, little sis?” Rachel asked. “You look beautiful and the church is perfect. I had May help me double-check all the flowers.”
Rachel linked her arm through May’s, smiling. May nodded and smiled but gave Reese a look that pleaded for help. Because Reese hadn’t let Rachel help with as much of the planning, she let her sister have free reign over florals and a lot of the décor. Mostly because Reese did not care at all about flowers or what the reception looked like. She had requested pink and white and nothing too crazy. Which probably meant giant blooms everywhere.
“Thanks, Rachel. You’re a lifesaver. Where’s Mom?”
“Helping with Grandma. She said she and Dad would be here in just a few minutes. They were getting a few photos together.”
“Perfect. Hey, everybody, could I get a few minutes with May?” Reese asked.
“Let’s move, people,” Staci said. She ushered everyone toward the bigger, attached room where they had all gotten dressed.
Morgan squeezed Reese’s shoulder before she left. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks to you,” Reese said. They shared a smile and Reese was again thankful that they had remained friends after everything. Morgan had completely moved on with a guitarist in another band and had been nothing but supportive. Next to Staci, she had become Reese’s best friend.
May sat down on the couch where Staci had just been. “Thank you for rescuing me. Your sister is, um … ”
“Like a hurricane of energy and positivity?”
May laughed. “Something like that.”
“When they say everything’s bigger in Texas, they had Rachel in mind. She means well, but I know she can be a lot. Thanks for letting her drag you around.”
“I’ve learned a lot about different kinds of flowers,” May said. “And place settings. I’m sure that will come back to help me in life somehow.”
“Definitely. Lots of job potential when it comes to flowers and place settings.” Reese smiled and touched May’s hand. “I didn’t want to be too sappy, but I just wanted to say that I’m glad to be adding another sister to my life. I’m glad it’s you.”
