Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(101)

They shared a long look as though the memory of that reception lingered in their minds. Lauren hadn’t known Bethanne or Max back then, but she wished she had. Over the last several months she’d come to consider Bethanne a good friend, and Max, too. Her hope was that her marriage to Rooster would be as strong and secure as that of her two friends.

“It won’t be long before the room is filled with family and friends who want nothing more than to wish you every happiness.”

“I am happy,” Lauren said, looking up at her husband, “so very happy.” Her eyes locked with Rooster’s. Even now, three months after their Vegas wedding, it was hard to believe they were actually married. What they’d done had been completely illogical, and yet it had been so very right. Rational people didn’t get married on a whim. They’d both taken a tremendous risk; thankfully, it had all worked out. Lauren fell more in love with her husband every day. She’d blindly walked into this marriage; they both had. Yet, in retrospect, she’d do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, Lauren wouldn’t change a thing … then again, maybe she would. She’d cheated herself out of a honeymoon, but they’d been making up for that lost time ever since Rooster returned from his sojourn.

Their life together had been a whirlwind of activity. Max and Rooster had been working long hours to put everything into place in order to move the company. All the necessary paperwork was in motion. The wine-distribution company had located a warehouse in an industrial area in South Seattle, and Max had negotiated the lease. In time, Max and Rooster hoped to build their own warehouse.

Rooster traveled between the two states as often as possible. Every minute they were apart was agony. Lauren didn’t know how Bethanne and Max had managed over the last sixteen months. Thankfully, it would be only a matter of time before the two couples would live full-time in the same city and they could do away with the long commute. Frankly, Lauren couldn’t wait, and for more reasons than Rooster even knew.

“You did a wonderful job with the decorations,” Lauren told her friend. “I hardly know how to thank you.”

“Seeing how happy you’ve made Rooster is appreciation enough. But you need to thank Annie. She’s the one who did the majority of the organization.”

“I will.”

“She’ll be here with Tony.”

“Tony?” Max asked. “I thought she was dating a guy named Bill.”

“That is so last week,” Bethanne teased her husband.

“Everything’s worked out between Annie and her mom?” Rooster asked.

Lauren nodded. “Working for her dad for those few weeks woke Annie up when it came to her father. From what Bethanne told me, it all worked out for the best.”

“For us, too,” Rooster murmured.

“Oh, yes.” Lauren looked up at her husband and noticed that his eyes flared briefly. For a moment she thought he might lean down and kiss her, but to her disappointment, he restrained himself.

“How many guests should we expect?” Rooster asked as he worked his finger around the collar of his dress shirt. He’d agreed to wear a suit for the reception, and she had to admit he made for a fine figure, but this wasn’t his normal attire.

“We got over a hundred RSVPs,” Lauren answered, but there was only one guest’s name she felt she should mention. “Todd’s coming, along with a friend.” He was dating an intern from the station, and the two seemed to have hit it off nicely.

Rooster frowned. “You invited Todd?”

“Yes. We talked about it, remember?”

He eyed her suspiciously. “I vaguely remember, but, as I recall, you distracted me.”

Lauren did her best to hide her amusement. “As I recall, you can be very easily distracted.” Then, turning serious, she asked, “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not in the least,” he assured her.

The door opened, and all eyes turned in that direction as Katie and Dietrich arrived. Katie paused and looked around. “Oh, my, are we the first ones to arrive?” Glancing at her watch, she looked up. “We’re way early, aren’t we?”

“It’s not a problem,” Lauren was quick to tell her. “Let me introduce you to my husband and friends.” She made the introductions, and greetings were exchanged.

“When are you due?” Bethanne asked, apparently noticing the small bulge in Katie’s tummy.

“December.”

Dietrich stood behind Katie with his hands on top of her shoulders.

“Everything is good between you and your mom?” Lauren asked. She suspected it was. Elisa seemed to have adjusted to the fact that her daughter was her own person and fully capable of making her own life decisions. While the circumstances weren’t ideal, the young couple was making it work. According to Elisa, Katie had done wonders with the small house on Dietrich’s parents’ farm. Dietrich had finished his studies and had taken over the everyday management.

“My parents have been great,” Katie told her. “Mom went a bit crazy in the beginning, but that’s understandable, and it’s in the past. She’s already going way overboard when it comes to buying things for the baby. It’s a little girl; I don’t know if she told you.”

“She did.” Lauren had watched the quick turnaround her friend had made and was proud of her. Elisa and Katie talked nearly every day, and Elisa made trips to the Walla Walla area at least once a month. Already Lauren could see that her friend was going to be a wonderful grandmother.