“Thank you for everything you have done for us, Erin,” he says as he releases me. All of the sorrow and pain I was feeling earlier is gone in that instant, knowing my best friend is about to marry the love of her life. With a perk in my step, I am now ready to help Shayne prepare for the happiest day of her life.
************
“Would you stop fidgeting and let me finish your damn hair? God, you act like you’re getting married or something.”
The stern look Shayne gives me in the mirror does nothing for either one of us. We both start laughing so hard, we end up doubled over clutching our stomachs because it hurts so much. Shayne gets up and runs into the bathroom and I laugh even harder as I hear her relieve herself, but I really lose it when she comes out with black mascara running down her face. Call me crazy, but the sound of my own laughter mixed with hers will be one of my favorite memories. The fact that this will be one hell of a story for us to tell the girls puts this way up on the epic scale.
“You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, Shayne. Look at you!” I exclaim as she turns around and glances at herself in the mirror. By the way she looks right now you would have never thought that a little less than an hour ago she looked like a Bridezilla from hell.
“I can’t believe this day is finally here, Erin. I have waited what seems like a lifetime for us to finally be a family.” She pauses for a moment. “You know, I had a dream last night about Aunt Judy. It was so real.”
I can hear the sadness in her voice, so I place myself in front of her. There is a stray tear slowly falling down her face; I wipe it away, and then take both of her hands into mine.
“You will always carry a piece of your aunt with you, honey. She molded you into the woman you are today, and you are the strongest, most kind-hearted person I know. Now, do you want to talk about that dream?” When she looks up at me with a big smile on her face, I know she is going to be just fine.
Shayne releases her hands from mine and divulges her dream, in which her aunt is so utterly happy for her. Just as she is winding up telling me the end of her dream, there is a knock at the door...and when I pull it open I am face to face with the one man who seems to be in every single one of my own dreams.
“Am I interrupting anything, ladies?” Adam questions.
My eyes totally betray me as they move on their own and scan him from head to toe. Damn, he is so freaking HOT.
I finally get my brain to tell my mouth to talk. “No. We were just finishing up.” I sweep my arm for him to come in and as he walks past me I do what any hot-blooded woman would do when a handsome man walks by her- I totally check out his ass. Even after looking at that ass every day, I still can’t get enough. However, I do notice the fact that he does not even look at me when he walks by.
“I will leave the two of you to do your thing,” I announce. “I’m going to go check on the girls and finish getting everything set up.”
“Erin, wait.” Adam looks at me with what I can only describe as lust and heat in his eyes as he looks me up and down. “You look absolutely stunning.”
My face flushes. I know it does because no man has ever told me that before. “Thank you.” I politely answer, still unable to look at him as I am still too ashamed of my earlier behavior.
Shayne lifts the small train of her dress and wraps me in her arms, leaning in to whisper softly in my ear.
“There was a small part of my dream that I forgot to tell you.” She pulls herself away from me, studying my expression for the slightest of moments before pressing her cheek back against mine. “Aunt Judy told me that both of her children are heading towards happiness and she believes that Adam’s happiness is you.”
After delivering that explosive statement, Shayne steps back to give me a moment to myself. It takes every ounce of strength within me not to run straight into Adam’s arms, but deep down inside I know I am just no good for him. There is no way I am bringing the gentlest man I have ever met into the depths of the hell that I am living.
Chapter Two
Erin
Bracing myself against the door after I step out of the room with Shayne and Adam, I can feel myself start to shake as I envision what it would be like to have someone love you so much. Just to have someone look at me like there is nothing else in this world and really see me for me.
Wiping away the tears that have snuck past my typical run-of-the-mill ‘Yes, I’m okay’ façade, I smooth out my dress and attempt to walk down the hall to Lucy’s room. Hearing the sound of both of the girls’ giggles as Luke’s mom Camillia orders them around brings a much-needed smile to my face. Inside, it’s chaos. Both of the girls are running around chasing each other as Camillia stands there with her hands on her hips. I can tell she is frazzled.