Girl Crush(84)

“How long do I have?” Clearly, Ronnie had been brought in on the plan since she’d been given the task of getting me dressed.

“As long as you want. Collier just told me to let him know when you’re ready.”

I started to strip out of my shirt and shorts. “Who all is here?”

“All the girls, his friends, and the catering staff, minister, and photographer.”

Just as my shorts hit the floor, V gasped, and I realized she hadn’t mentioned music. “What about music? Please tell me there will be music.”

But I’d lost my best friend’s attention. She’d taken two steps to get next to me, and her hand now rested just below my belly button on my bare skin. My hands dropped to my side, and I pushed my hips toward her just slightly.

“Gizzy, there’s a baby in there…like for real.” Her eyes met mine, and the wonder dancing in her black irises brought a soft smile to my lips.

My response was barely a whisper. “Now you see why none of this really matters. I mean, it does, but it’s pretty insignificant in the long run.”

Her hand left my tummy, and her arms wrapped around my neck. “I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait to meet the little guy.”

“Or girl.” I needed to remind her that there was a possibility of another gender.

“Or boy.”

“Or girl…”

She laughed, knowing a boy would be disastrous for me. I wouldn’t have a clue how to even change a little boy’s diapers, much less raise one. I would be much better suited for a girl with fancy dresses, cute hair, and nail polish.

“What if it’s twins?”

I hated her. “It’s not twins, you whore. Jesus, why would you even say that?”

“Because Collier is a twin…”

I didn’t bother to tell her I’d thought the same thing; instead, I explained as though I’d known all along what Collier had told me to ease my mind. “He’s a fraternal twin.”

“So? That’s still a twin, right?”

“Yes, but that means it comes from the mother’s side. He wasn’t an embryo that split like identical twins are, he was one of two eggs fertilized at the same time. Meaning his mom was like a superhero egg maker or some shit. Most women only have one at a time.”

She shrugged. “We can still hope.”

I smacked her playfully, or not so much, on the arm. “What the hell, V? Do not wish twins on me. I don’t even want to think about how hard it will be to raise one at my age, much less what two would do to my figure.”

Stepping away from my friend, I found my new swimsuit in the bag, shimmied out of my undergarments, and replaced them with the bikini.

“That’s a super-cute suit, but West is going to go ballistic when he sees it. I hope you don’t plan on taking that dress off.” Ronnie plopped down on the bed. Her long, overly thick black hair bounced with her. I was lucky to have such gorgeous friends. We all complimented each other nicely standing in a group and never failed to draw attention.

“Why?” The question came out of my mouth just as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I had to admit, I was a wet dream come to life for a guy who had a bit of a pregnancy fetish.

“I can see you just answered your own question. What were you thinking when you bought it?”

“That it was a cute, white bikini…” Collier would flip.

“Did you miss the part where your breasts look like a porn star, and your ass is barely covered? Not to mention, the bottoms highlight Collier’s growing baby?” She’d gone from worried to hysterical laughter.

I refused to worry about it. There was nothing I could do at this point, and besides, the only people here were our friends. All of them had seen me in skimpy swimwear along the way. “Can you just help me with the dress and shut your whorehole?”

Within minutes, I was dressed and ready to go, but I had no idea where that was or how any of this would take place. Ronnie assured me I had nothing to worry about and led me to the kitchen. She handed me a small bouquet of tropical flowers and pressed play, filling the patio with music on the outside speakers.

“When the song changes, just walk outside. The runner will take you to your groom.” She kissed my cheek and held my shoulders when she pushed back to take it all in. “You look stunning, Gizzy. I love you.” With a quick hug, she didn’t wait for my response and turned on the ball of her foot to go outside.

It might have been an hour or thirty seconds, I didn’t know, but when the song changed, my feet moved. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing, I just knew that silver runner ended at my future.

A cloud hid the sun perfectly, still providing a gorgeous day but shielding our guests from the heat of midday. I couldn’t take in all the details in the short walk, but our friends were all gathered near the pergola to the side of the pool. There were so many flowers I wondered where they’d all come from, but then Collier came into view. And nothing else mattered.

He stood in a black tux at the side of the minister with his hands clasped in front of him. The smile on his face radiated happiness, and I almost took off running to meet him, but I thought he might frown upon my wrapping my legs around his waist in a full-body hug at this particular moment. Everything about him was sheer perfection for me. I’d waited over thirty-nine years, but the man of my dreams had been well worth it.