Emma groaned. “I’m supposed to meet Aidan in an hour, and I feel like I’m going to puke at any moment. I may need a Xanax to make it through the night!”
“I imagined as much,” Casey replied as she stepped into the foyer. “Never fear. I’m here now to talk you down from the ledge and to ensure you’re looking fabulous.”
Emma gave Casey a quick hug. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Don’t mention it.” She patted Emma’s back. “Besides, you’ve put up with a lot of my relationship bullshit over the years. I figured I owed you!”
They strode down the hallway and into Emma’s bedroom. “So what are you wearing?” Casey asked.
Emma motioned to a rather demure black dress hanging on the closet door. Casey shook her head. “No, no, no! That one is way too understated for something like tonight!”
“Honestly, Case, he knows I’m a sure thing. Why does it matter what I have on? It’s not like I’ll be wearing it long.”
Casey rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly, Em. Men are so visual. You’ve got to get him raring to rip your clothes off and ravish you the moment he sees you.”
“But we’re having dinner first,” Emma protested as Casey barreled into the closet and flicked on the light.
“Good, let him be at half-mast the entire time and wanting to eat you for dessert!”
“I seriously cannot believe you thought that, let alone said it!”
Casey gave a contemptuous snort. “Well, one of us has to think of these things.”
Emma ignored her and went back to the bathroom to start on her make-up. She slid rose-colored blush across her ivory cheeks when Casey finally burst through the door. “Ooh, this one!” She thrust out a short, strapless emerald chiffon dress.
The lilac colored walls of the bathroom suddenly began to close in on Emma. She shook her head wildly at Casey. “No, I can’t wear that.”
“Why not? It’s sexy, but not slutty, and it’s his favorite color on you. Plus, it’ll show off that fabulous rack of yours!”
A slow, emotional burn radiated through her chest, and for a moment, she was so overcome she couldn’t speak. When she finally did, her voice was strained with emotion. “That’s the dress I wore to mine and Travis’s engagement party.”
Casey’s beaming expression momentarily faltered, but then she quickly plastered back on a smile. “You should totally wear it again. That was a happy night, and tonight is a happy one because it starts a new chapter of your life, the one where you become a mom.”
Emma stared at the dress for a moment. A crystal clear image cut through her mind of her mother, clutching her heart, and smiling broadly. Her mother’s voice echoed through her mind the same as it had that day in the store. Oh Em, honey, that dress is to die for! You’ll take Travis’s breath away. She closed her eyes, trying both to savor the memory and keep her emotions in check. When she was sure she wouldn’t cry, she opened her eyes and smiled at Casey. “You’re right. It needs some more wear and some more memories with it.”
“That’s the spirit!” Wrapping her arms around Emma, Casey squeezed her tight. “Damn, I’m proud to call you my best friend. You’re so strong and resilient with all you’ve been through, and then deciding to have a baby on your own like this. You’re my own little Steel Magnolia!”
Emma grinned. “Who knew it would take casual sex to get you so sentimental.”
“I’m just so happy for you, and that I’ll get to be an auntie.”
“Godmother, remember?”
Casey wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if I want all the moral and ethical responsibility that comes with being a godmother. I’m more the naughty aunt who sneaks them into R rated movies and buys them booze when they’re underage.”
Emma giggled. “We’re going to have to work on that mentality, especially before you become a mom!”
“Bite your tongue on that one, missy. We’ve got to get Nate through his internship before we even think of kids.”
Emma went back to working on her make-up while Casey started in on her hair.
“What do you think? A lose knot?”
“No, Aidan likes my hair down and wavy,” Emma replied as she applied some eye-shadow.”
“Ah, there’s my girl thinking of what Aidan wants. You’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in no time!”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Why do I feel like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind all the sudden when she bemoans why women have to act so silly to catch a husband?”