Page 47 of Sweet Oblivion

The front doors swing open, and Mom steps out, beaming. Tailored cream slacks, a black silk blouse, and her long hair pulled back. Her gaze lands on me first, then softens.“Delaney,”she says, stepping forward.“You look beautiful.”

Delaney freezes for half a second, then recovers because she’s that good. I get the feeling she’s had too much experience curating her reactions to people. “Thank you so much for setting this all up, Lenny.”

Mom wraps her in a gentle hug before pulling back and taking Delaney’s hand in hers. Her brows lift, and her eyes come to mine.“Oh, Ryker.”

Shit. This could be bad.

“It’s beautiful,”she tells Delaney, softer now.“Truly.”

My wife-to-be looks down at her finger again, like she still doesn’t quite believe she’s wearing an engagement ring.

“He did well,”Mom murmurs.

“He did,”Delaney agrees, blowing out a breath.

“Well, okay then,”Mom says, already turning toward the barn.“I hope you’re ready because we have so much to go over.”

Of course we do.

“Ryker, Delaney, this is Ryleigh Chase. The event planner for Cherry Creek.”Mom steps aside, and Ryleigh smiles.

“It’s so nice to meet you both.” She opens her arms, guiding us toward a table. “I’m so glad you’ve chosen Cherry Creek. We’ve got a lot of work to do to hit your timeline though.”

I pull out a chair for Delaney at a large round table covered in books and fabric samples, and the look she gives me is half plea, half warning.

Got it. Don’t leave her alone.

With a quick nod, I drop into the seat next to hers and take her hand back in mine.

“Maybe we start small,” I cut in as Ryleigh opens the first binder, hopefully stopping whatever color-coded nightmare she’s about to drop on us. Mom’s brows lift as Ryleigh’s narrow, but I don’t give either of them time to argue as I turn to Delaney. “Is there anything you know you want, Lane?”

“I’d like to design the flowers myself,” she says softly, looking right at me. “Wildflowers. Pinks and purples and blues and yellows. I’d like everything else neutral.”

“Does that work for everyone?” I ask both women before looking at Mom, who looks surprisingly thrilled.

Ryleigh closes the binder. “That’s perfect. Are we doing a rehearsal dinner the night before?”

I look to Mom, who nods. “Looks like we are.”

Delaney exhales slowly, then turns to the table. “Okay, what else?”

We spend the next hour going over the remaining options line by line.

The band.

The food.

The timing.

Lexie will do the desserts and cake.

Love In Bloom will do the flowers.

Delaney and her bridesmaids will get ready here at the bed and breakfast.

The ceremony will be in the vineyard and the reception in the barn.

And it will all happen in three weeks.