With no lights on, I can barely make out Trick’s silhouette where he’s sitting at the island. I see his arm move as he tips back a bottle. He’s drinking. Again.

No sex’ll do that to a man!

“Don’t you think you ought to knock that off and get some sleep? I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be presentable when Cami meets you at the altar.”

“Kiss my ass, man! I’m trying to drown my libido so I can honor my fiancée’s wishes. Unlike some people.”

“Hey, I’m not the one getting married, dude. I have no clue how Jenna and I ended up involved in this.”

“Because you two are our best friends. You’re supposed to do it for moral support.”

“I was doing it for moral support.”

“Then where have you been for the last two hours?”

I chuckle. “Damn, has it been that long?”

“You dawg,” Trick shouts, jumping to his feet. “You have been with Jenna!”

“I thought that’s what we were talking about.”

Trick flicks the kitchen light on and I can see that he’s grinning. “I was just yanking your chain, man. I didn’t think you’d really cave that fast. You really can’t stay away from that girl, can you?”

I hadn’t really thought of it that way. “I don’t have the same motivation as you. I’m not the one getting married. Besides, you’ve got the rest of your life to bang your wife. My time with Jenna is much more limited.”

“That’s your choice, dumb ass.”

“It’s not a choice. It’s just the way it is.”

“Just because she has interviews doesn’t mean she’s gonna take either job. Besides, there’s nothing holding you here. Nothing saying you couldn’t be with her somewhere else.”

I feel like I’ve been kicked in the teeth. Or in the chest. Jenna has interviews. And she hasn’t said a single word to me about them. I don’t really know what to say. I can tell by Trick’s expression that he knows he’s stepped in it. If he weren’t shitfaced, he’d never have told me and I’d never have known. Until she was already gone.

Why would she hide it, though? Was she just planning on bailing and never saying a word? Because that doesn’t sound like Jenna. Even though I expected her to go—eventually—I can’t imagine her doing it like that.

But still, she didn’t tell me. For a reason.

“Jenna’s in love with you, idiot.”

“Sometimes love isn’t enough.”

Trick shakes his head. “Whatever. You want a beer?”

“Nah,” I say, suddenly feeling tired. “I think I’m going to bed.”

Trick drains his beer. “Yeah. Me, too. Tomorrow, my suffering will come to an…explosive end.”

“Too much information, dude!” I mumble as I walk away. “Too much information.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN- Jenna

Spending the entire morning being lavishly pampered, scrubbed, buffed, massaged, made up, curled and dressed with my best friend on her wedding day is a ridiculous amount of fun. And memories of Rusty last night, his hard body between me and a mechanical bull, only make my mood that much lighter.

Once we are as perfect as professional hands can make us, we move into one huge room full of mirrors to get dressed. I pull on my dress, zip it up and spin in front of the mirror.

“You really are the best friend ever,” I tell Cami.

“I know, but what did I do to make you say that this time?” she asks with a mischievous grin.

“Only the bestestest friend in the whole world would take such pains to pick a bridal color that suits both her and her best friend’s complexion, especially when they’re basically polar opposites.” Cami has dark red hair, blue eyes and fair skin, while I have black hair, dark eyes and olive skin. There are, like, ten colors out of a zillion that would look good on both of us. Yet Cami picked one of them to use on arguably the most important day of her life.

Cami shrugs. “I can’t very well have you looking all washed out, standing up there behind me, now can I?”

She winks, but I know that had nothing to do with her choice. She’s just that kind of a person—caring, considerate, selfless. Even on her wedding day.

The royal blue dress complements my coloring surprisingly well. My skin glows like bronze, my eyes sparkle like drops of onyx and my lips needed very little red stain. And the cut of the garment is superb. The pencil slim design makes my waist look narrow, my ass look round and my boobs look like they’re tucked up under my chin. On top of that is my sexy hair-do—black curls pulled up on the sides with tendrils dripping down to kiss my shoulders. All in all, I can’t wait for Rusty to see me.

After my confession last night, I feel the need to knock his socks off. For my self-esteem’s sake as much as anything else.

As we are being herded out of the salon toward the curb, I see the familiar face of Trick’s mom, Leena, hovering at the edge of crowd of giggling girls. I look to my left to find Cami, only she’s not beside me anymore. I turn to find her stopped dead in her tracks, staring at Leena.

“Come on,” I say, reaching back to take her hand. “It’s your wedding day. You can do this.” Her wide eyes dart to mine and I can see in them that she’s not convinced. “You won. Just remember that. You. Won.”

I tug on her hand, pulling her behind me as we make our way to the waiting limo. All the other girls pile in and, before we can duck inside, Leena makes her way to Cami. I start to let go of Cami’s hand and get into the limo to give them some privacy, but she tightens her grip, urging me to stay. So I do.

Leena jumps right in, not giving Cami the chance to say anything. “Cami, I’m not trying to ruin your wedding day and I’m not trying to make your life harder by showing up like this. I just…I just wanted to talk to you beforehand. Without Trick.” She pauses and I see her take a deep breath, like she’s gathering courage to do something she doesn’t want to do. “I love my son more than you can imagine, but I’m not ready to be around your family just yet. I don’t know if that will ever change. I’m working on seeing you for you, not for the mistakes of your family. And that’s why I wanted to come today. I’m sorry I didn’t come to any of the other events. I just didn’t think I could be around…everyone that much just yet. I want to be part of your life, part of my son’s life and the lives of my grandchildren, but I can’t promise much more than that right now. Just know that I’m trying. And that I’m here for Trick.” She pauses, looking away again. “And for you.”

Cami cups her hands over her mouth and squeezes her eyes shut. I see her fingers tremble. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling. But, to her credit, she recovers quickly, dropping her hands and taking Leena’s in both of hers.

“Thank you, Leena. I’ll take whatever you can give.”

Leena glances up, obviously uncomfortable, gives Cami a small smile and then steps away, gesturing toward the limo.

“You’d better get going.”

“Won’t you come with us?”

Leena’s smile is more genuine this time. “That’s no place for an old lady, much less the groom’s mother. You go. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy this day.”

Cami smiles sweetly and nods her head before she turns her glistening eyes on me. “Ready?”

Tears are streaming down her cheeks and she’s not even trying to stop them. But she’s smiling. She doesn’t have to say it, but her wedding will be perfect now. This was all she needed to be the happiest bride on the planet. And I’m glad she got it. I’m glad Trick got it, too. I know it’s been weighing on him more than he’d ever admit. I nod, swallowing the lump of emotion in my throat as we climb into the back of the waiting car.

The ride to the church is pretty… enthusiastic. We ladies chatter and giggle and tease Cami about the pervy gift set we hid in the trunk with her luggage. Since there was no dedicated “bridal shower,” a couple of the girls took it upon themselves to make Cami a bridal… survival kit instead. It’s a lovely cloth covered, keepsake box full of lotions and candles. It just also happens to contain edible body paint, crotchless panties and a few more creative things, some of which involve batteries. In short, it’s a box full of shit that will make Cami’s face turn eight shades of red when she unpacks it in front of Trick.

“Maybe he’ll spank you for being such a naughty girl, Cam,” I taunt playfully.

“Ohmigod, Jenna!” She’s already turning the shade that’s one step up from “beet.”

Such fun being a girl and having a delicate best friend!

When we arrive at the church, all the guests are inside. The neighborhood is quiet and the lawn is empty, as are the steps leading up to the front doors.

Within seconds of our arrival, Xenia The Wedding Planner, much like Xena Warrior Princess only with less leather and more taffeta, comes to the door and peeks out. It’s like she has a spidey sense that can detect the location of the bride and groom at all times. It’s kind of creepy actually.

She sticks one perfectly manicured hand out the door and folds her fingers in toward the church twice. I can almost hear her saying in her schoolmarm voice, “Come come!” And then she disappears back inside, no doubt off to swat some poor noisy child’s knuckles with a ruler.

While she might seem like the devil, holy hot damn can she plan a wedding! I bet even the flowers don’t have the nerve to drop a single petal until the festivities are over and she’s gone.

Yeah, it’s like that.

We all shuffle out of the limo, up the steps and into the vestibule. When I take my place at the front of the line and the noise on the other side of the doors quiets, the energy and excitement and significance of the day finally seeps in to take over everything else. Just like it should.

This is my best friend’s wedding day. She’s marrying the man of her dreams and getting the life she’s always hoped for, the life every little girl prays she’ll one day be blessed with.

I should wanna slap the lucky bitch.

But I feel nothing but love and happiness and elation for her. And I know it shines from the smile I turn on her when I look back between all the other perfectly-coiffed bridesmaids’ heads and meet her eyes. She nods. I nod. And, between us, an entire conversation happens in the blink of an eye.

I could cry.

But I won’t.

I’m not sure the salon used waterproof mascara, although they’d be complete imbeciles if they didn’t.

A door to the left opens. Rusty walks through and pauses. My heart stops beating right inside my chest. If I thought I looked hot…holy effin’ cow!

His tux is black, his shirt is white, and his cummerbund is the same beautiful blue as my dress. His hair is dark and looks freshly washed. His shoulders are impossibly wide and strong as ever. His waist is narrow and flows smoothly into his long legs.

But it’s his eyes that capture me. Just like always. They are fastened on mine when I meet them, after I finish appraising him. They’re brilliant blue. And very intense. It makes me wonder what’s going on behind them. Because something definitely is.

Letting the door fall shut behind him, he moves slowly toward me, not stopping until he is standing so close that my boobs almost brush his lapels.

I get short of breath when I see his eyes travel down to my cl**vage and back up again. They run all over my face, taking in every detail, even flickering up to my hair and back again.

Finally, they settle on mine, making my nerves flare up. “Hello, handsome,” I say playfully, hoping I seem natural rather than insecure.

“You look…amazing,” he says softly. Sincerely.

The blood that stains my cheeks is genuine. I don’t blush easily, but something about his comment seems so heartfelt that my body reacts in a very physical way.

Just as I begin to search for something else to say, it registers that there’s music playing on the other side of the door. I take a deep breath, thankful for the notes that saved me from further embarrassment, and I tip my head toward the interior of the church. “Shall we?” Rusty nods and I smile, turning toward the sanctuary just as the ushers open the door.

Everything flows perfectly, just like we’d practiced at rehearsal. I do my best to enjoy my best friend’s perfect day without letting doubts and insecurities about Rusty tarnish it. It’s hard, but I keep my focus on the bride and groom, and that makes it easier.

When it comes time for the vows, Trick clears his throat and asks if he can say a few words. The minister nods and smiles. He doesn’t look the least bit surprised, which leads me to believe that he knew Trick would do this.

The church is absolutely silent around us, every person, no doubt, waiting on bated breath to hear what he has say. I can imagine all too easily how Cami must feel right now. If I was in her shoes and Rusty was getting ready to say something special to me, I’d be a mess behind my veil.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always known what I wanted to do with my life,” Trick begins. “I wanted to work with horses. I didn’t much care about the how, the what or the where, as long as I got to be around them. I thought that’s all it would take to make me happy. Until I met you. Without you, those dreams were just…empty. It didn’t take me long to see that without you, I could never be happy.

“Whether you knew it or not, I was yours from the second you looked up at me with the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. I knew you’d mean more to me than all the riches, all the horses, all the things the world has to offer. And I was right. Cami, I love you with everything I am, and everything I ever hope to be. From this moment on, I’ll spend the rest of my days making sure you never regret picking me.”