Page 70 of Honest Boys Don’t Play

I bite my lip. “Yeah, give me a minute.” I take a few careful breaths as the painful cramping feeling disappears. “I’m good.”

“Are you sure everything is okay?” she asks, worry clouding her tone.

“Just some Braxton Hicks contractions.” Something tells me I’m going to be explaining that all day.

“I remember those,” she sighs. “They weren’t fun and you poor thing you’re all dressed up and here today.”

“I wasn’t going to miss this.”

“Well.” She pulls me into a hug. “We’re glad you’re here. If you need anything today, though, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I won’t,” I reply, even though I know the last thing I’m going to do is annoy anyone on Rosie’s wedding day.

“All right, come through here.” She leads me down a short hall and into another room attached to the first one.

“Oh, Rosie,” I gasp as I catch my first sight of her. “I’m going to cry. You look like a princess.”

Her dress is ballgown perfection and her dark hair is pinned back in an updo with her veil perched on top of her head. She looks like she stepped right out of a fairytale.

“No crying.” She steps in front of me, fanning my face with her hands. “If you start crying then I will too and we can’t have that.”

“Can I hug you?” I ask, scared if I do, I might mess up her dress or something.

“You better.” She pulls me into her arms. She smells like her favorite soft floral perfume.

When she lets go, I have to wipe away a tear. “You get to marry your best friend.”

She laughs at my words. “Crazy, right? A year ago, I still hated him and now I can’t imagine life without him. I know he’s already my husband, but this makes it feel official. I always wanted a big wedding.”

I grab her into another hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” she says against my neck and lets go. “I need to get my makeup touched up and my shoes on and then it’s showtime.”

I squeeze her hand in mine. “I’m going to go find Luke and my seat.”

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

I say my goodbyes to her and her mom before I slip out of the suite and go in search of Luke. I find him downstairs by the curving staircase and my mouth goes dry. He’s so handsome and the tux only accentuates his big body. As if he can feel my eyes on him, he looks my way and a smile slowly spreads over his face.

Then he winks—a gesture I can find so cheesy, but something about him doing it is different.

He meets me at the bottom of the stairs and offers me his arm. “Are you doing okay? No more contractions?”

“They’re practice contractions, not real ones,” I remind him. “And nope, no more.”

I feel a little bad for lying but a fib has never hurt anyone before.

I let him lead me to where the ceremony is being held and we find our seats. When another Braxton Hicks hits me, I do my best to keep my features normal and breathe in and out through my nose.

I’m fine.

This is no big deal.

I hope so, at least.

CHAPTER 25

LUKE