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She nodded. “He really is, though I’ll deny it if you tell him I said so. I’m not used to being with someone like him though. If I think about it too hard, I get nervous.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he can have any woman he wants without even trying. Why would he choose me, and why would he stay with me when he has all those options paraded in front of him all the time? He has women literally throwing themselves at him wherever we go — at the bar, on a case, and even here. One of the bridesmaids told me she was hoping we weren’t serious so she could have a shot at him. I mean, who does that?”
Cohen shrugged. “Why wouldn’t he choose you? Why wouldn’t he want to stay with you? Regardless of the women throwing themselves at his feet, none of them are you. He’s a smart guy. He knows a good thing when he finds it.”
She smiled. “Thanks. But like I said, it’s not like we’re serious or anything. We could just be caught up by all this wedding stuff. Once we’re back to living our lives, it may change. I don’t want to overanalyze it right now. Not when it’s so new.”
“Then don’t. Today’s a day to celebrate, and I’m willing to share it with you.”
Gennessey hugged him tightly. “I’m happy for you, Cohen. Autumn’s great. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.”
“Thanks. Listen, while we’re talking about Autumn, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything,” she agreed as she studied him curiously.
He withdrew a jeweler’s box from his pocket along with a folded piece of paper. Handing them to her, he grasped her hands.
“I got a gift for Autumn for today. I’m not supposed to see her before the wedding, and with all the chaos, I didn’t think to ask one of her friends or her family to give it to her. Can you take it to her? Make sure she gets it, and make sure she has some privacy when she opens it?”
Gennessey smiled. “You got it. I’ll go do it now.”
“And I’ll keep an eye out for BB and let you know when he gets here.”
She rolled her eyes. “Did we travel back in time or something? Last time I checked, we were adults and not teenagers in high school spying on each other’s crushes.”
He laughed as she walked out of the room in search of the bride.
Chapter Eighteen
Gennessey wasn’t expecting to find Autumn alone, standing much like she, herself, was earlier. Only Autumn was more picturesque as she stood looking through the curtains at the scene outside. Her hair was swept up and away from her face, which wore a serene expression. The sun filtered through the window to form a halo around her, creating a vision in white. The lace detail of the bodice stopped at her waist where the rich fabric flared out in a classic ballgown.
“Wow. You look stunning.” Gennessey approached her slowly, reluctant to interrupt her moment of solitude.
Autumn turned wide eyes to face her. Her expression was bewildered as if it took her a moment to realize who was with her. Then it lit up with a smile.
“Hi. You look beautiful yourself. I might be jealous if I didn’t like you so much.”
Gennessey chuckled. “Well, thanks, I think.” She showed Autumn the gift in her hand. “Cohen asked me to bring this to you. He wanted me to make sure you had some privacy when you opened it.”
Autumn’s mouth opened in a gasp as she reverently took the box and note from Gennessey’s hands. “We decided not to buy each other gifts. Why would he get me something when he knew I didn’t have anything for him?”
“Because you’re his gift.” Gennessey surprised herself with her observation, and though Cohen never voiced the sentiment, she knew him well enough to know it’s exactly how he felt.
“Oh,” Autumn gasped, her eyes shimmering with fresh tears. She stared down at the box for several minutes, and Gennessey smiled. Cohen would love to hear how moved his bride was by his gift.
“I’ll leave you alone. You do look beautiful.” Gennessey started to walk away when Autumn stopped her.
“Please stay. I know he said he wanted me to have privacy, but I don’t think he’d mind if you were here. I’d like for you to be here too.”
Gennessey smiled. “Okay. Go ahead and open it.”
She started with the note. She blinked back tears and uttered soft cries of “oh” and “how sweet” as she read it. Once she finished, she opened the jeweler’s box and gasped. She withdrew a delicate chain with one perfect white pearl.
Autumn didn’t take her eyes off the necklace as she spoke. “He says he plans to add a pearl to the necklace each year we’re married, and when it’s full, he’ll start a second necklace I can pass on to our daughter when we have one.”
Sweet. Simple. Romantic. That was her cousin. “It’s perfect,” Gennessey said. “Would you like me to help you put it on?”
