Page 69 of Seein’ Red

“Got a car in the parking lot, all gassed up and ready to go. Just say the words, and we’re outta here. No questions asked.”

“Are you insane?” Sylvie asks.

“Nope. And I’ll ask you the same thing on your wedding day.”

Sylvie rolls her eyes in a way that says she both can’t believe me and would expect nothing less. Kenzie simply laughs. The beauty of a lifelong friendship with women who know and understand you as well as you do yourself. Sometimes better.

“Not a chance. I’ve been waiting for this day for too damn long. Now that it’s finally here, I…” she trails off, getting lost in thought.

“Can’t wait for it to be over?” Moira offers. “I was so ready for it to be done. Mostly because I was looking forward to an after ceremony quickie.”

“TMI…” Sylvie mutters, Bronwyn glancing up from her phone to shoot me a “did she really just say that?” look.

“No.” Kenzie shakes her head. “I don’t want our first time together as Mr. And Mrs. Wilder to be a church parking lot quickie.”

Moira shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

Kenzie rolls her eyes, pressing on like her sister's commentary didn’t happen. “I’m just so happy, I almost can’t believe it’s real. It’s not a dream, right?”

“Not a dream,” I assure her. “Fairy tale, maybe. But a real live one.”

“The kind of story that romance novels are based on,” Sylvie adds.

“Let’s not go that far,” Kenzie laughs.

“Momm-aaaaaa!” a tiny wail cuts through the sweet moment, making all of us turn to the closed door of the church's bridal room. Sure enough, a second later, it opens, a tear-stained five-year-old on the other side.

“Matty,” Moira laments, rushing to him. Ushering him out of the doorway, she closes it behind her, whispering something about not getting Aunt Kenzie’s dress all snotty.

“Well, it’s almost go time,” Bronwyn tells us, bringing our focus back. “You ready?”

“You have no idea.”

Kenzie spins around, the skirt of her dress flowing perfectly as she moves. She looks like she belongs in a magazine, and I can already feel my emotions starting to rise up. I won’t let them get the better of me though. Not yet. Maybe once she’s down the aisle.

“I know I sound like a broken record, but I’m just so happy.”

“It’s your wedding day, Kenzie. You’re supposed to be this happy,” Bronwyn says.

“There was a long time that I never thought the day would come that I would become Mrs. Wilder. And I know it’s cheesy, but…I can’t wait to be his wife.”

“After all y’all went through, I’d be a little worried if you weren’t being cheesy,” I say. “You deserve for today to be everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

“It is. And again with the cheese, but I love knowing that my three best friends are also just as happy and in love,” she says, before turning toward me and lowering her voice. “And there’s a baby on the way.”

“That part doesn’t need to be celebrated just yet. Or talked about. And I wouldn’t call us happy and in love. More like, willing to tolerate and potentially coparent,” I correct her.

“You looked pretty happy and in love last night,” Bronwyn says. “Not correcting Mama K as she referred to all of us as Kellers.”

“What?” Sylvie exclaims.

“Time to walk down the aisle!” I throw my hands up in excitement, gesturing toward the door.

This is Kenzie’s day, and I am not going to let the focus be on anything but that. Especially not on me and Nash. Just because it’s the only thing I can focus on doesn’t mean the rest of the world needs to.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of this,” Sylvie scolds.

I ignore her, yanking the door open, startling as I find Ken Noble there, hand raised and about to knock.