Page 1 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

LYDIA

“ T hank you for coming today, guys.” Josie Scott, my best friend and coworker, sent us all a wide smile. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement as all us girls stood in the middle of a bridal store.

Mila waved her off. “Like we would miss wedding dress shopping.” She and Tasha were gazing around the store with uncontained giddiness.

“Ready to try on some dresses?” Tasha, Josie’s best friend from uni and maid of honor, asked a moment later.

“I think so.” Josie looked around the cute little shop, eyes wide as she took in rows and rows of beautiful gowns, some embellished and sparkling under the antique rose gold light fixtures.

I could practically feel the nervousness radiating off of her.

I knew how intimidating it was trying to find the right dress for the big day.

“Pick whichever ones catch your eye and we’ll take you to the back to try them on,” the owner of the store said with a smile.

When Josie mentioned she wanted to start looking at wedding dresses, this place came to mind.

We featured it in Fusion Weekly a few months ago, and it was locally owned, which was a plus.

It only took a quick phone call to book the entire place for the four of us. With Josie marrying the captain of the Toronto Knights hockey team, Wyatt Boone, we didn’t want to risk the press trying to garner details about the wedding. They were already all over the two when they went out.

When Josie got stuck in her apartment elevator with Wyatt two years ago, her life changed.

It wasn’t long before everyone caught wind of their relationship and splattered it all over social media.

Anytime Josie goes anywhere, she gets recognized—something she’s grown to accept and takes in stride.

Being engaged to one of the hottest hockey players in Toronto isn’t exactly easy.

Mila started dating Bryton Young, left winger, a few months before we all met her.

They bought a house and just recently moved in together.

When they started dating, the hockey world went a little crazy.

Most didn’t like the fact that Bryton was dating a woman of color, so Mila has gone through her own struggles when it comes to dating someone in the spotlight.

Something both her and Josie have bonded over.

It’s only been recently that Tasha started dating Trevor Hall, right winger for the Knights. The two fought their attraction for god knows how long before they finally gave in. They’ve been dating for five months now, but there’s no way Trevor is ever going to let her go.

Tasha clapped her hands. “Let’s do this.”

With that, we all fanned out. To help give Josie more choices, we decided we’d all pick a few dresses she could try on to see what style she wanted and liked the best.

I slowly made my way to the far side of the open room.

Everything was decorated in white, including the intricate crown bolding and panels that were cut out in the walls.

Glittering chandeliers hung from the ceiling giving an ethereal glow.

In every corner were multiple mirrors and a mini stage for the bride-to-be to stand on and take in her reflection.

My heels click-clacked on the hardwood floors as I tried my best to ignore the pinch in my chest. Being here brought memories to the surface that I worked hard to shove down. I tried to leave the past in the past, but this was turning out to be harder than anticipated.

Wedding dress shopping wasn’t exactly my thing, but I also wasn’t going to not show up today.

Shoving all the memories from the past aside, I looked for a style that would suit Josie.

She deserved the dress of her dreams while marrying her fiancé, and as her friend and bridesmaid, I was here to make sure that happened.

I ran my fingers along the racks, feeling the different kinds of fabrics. There were so many options to choose from. We were going to be here for hours.

Grabbing three random ones from the racks, I headed to the back of the store where the fitting room was located. I held the dresses up, the weight of them making my arms tremble, so they wouldn’t drag along the ground.

Spotting Josie in the far corner of the shop, well away from the front windows, sitting on one of the two couches slipping off her shoes and ready to try on a few things.

“Found these three,” I said as soon as I approached her.

“Ohh, they look pretty.” Josie reached out and touched the first one almost hesitantly, like she was afraid to hurt the dress. Coming up behind me, Tasha and Mila brought more options.

“Ready to get started?” The bubbly brunette owner asked, appearing through the archway that led to the dressing room. Josie and Tasha, weighed down by dresses, followed her to get started, leaving Mila and me in the waiting area.

Two couches were situated in the rather large space.

They faced a little platform that Josie would stand on.

A floor-to-ceiling mirror hung directly across from us, too.

Expertly placed on the small mahogany table in front of the seating area were empty glasses and a bottle of champagne sat in a bucket of ice. Now, we are talking.

I wasted no time snatching a glass and filling it, the golden liquid bubbling to the midway point. Beside me, Mila snorted as she took a seat on the couch and did the same.

“What?” I asked when I caught her staring . “Just supporting Josie.” I shrugged.

“By getting drunk?”

“More like tipsy.” I smirked. Taking a seat, I tapped my glass with hers before taking a sip. “Dress shopping isn’t complete without someone getting a bit drunk.”

Mila just laughed before bringing the rim of her glass to her lips.

“You’re next,” I said, leaning back on the couch. Mila and Bryton had been dating for over two years. I knew he’d be popping the question soon.

“We’ve been talking about it, actually.” Mila played with the stem of her champagne glass. “We both want to get married, but we don’t want to overshadow Josie and Wyatt’s big day. So, maybe in a year or so.”

“That’s exciting, though,” I added, even though the thought of walking down the aisle made my heart drop to my stomach.

“It is. We aren’t in a rush. I mean, we’re basically married at this point. Waiting another year won’t change that.” She shrugged.

“You guys are meant for each other.” I’ve seen the way Bryton dotes on her. Never mind the fact that he looks at her like she hung the moon.

Tasha walked back through the archway, interrupting our conversation. “Oh, champagne.” She grabbed a glass from the table. “What are we talking about?”

“Mila getting engaged,” I said, sipping the pale yellow liquid.

Tasha hummed. “It’s going to happen soon. I can feel it.”

“That is, if Trevor doesn’t propose first,” Mila interjected with a wink, which only made Tasha blush.

Her chin dipped. “We haven’t been dating that long.”

“Oh, please. That guy looks at you like the world is about to end,” I snorted into my champagne glass.

Being the only single person in our friend group, I’ve had a front row seat to all my friend’s relationships.

I’ve watched Wyatt bring back the light into Josie’s life by just loving all of her.

I’ve watched Trevor teach Tasha it’s okay to love and to be loved.

And I’ve watched Bryton treat Mila like a goddess that she is.

I’ve been friends with the girls long enough to see them get into healthy relationships.

From the moment she walked into my office, I had a feeling Josie would leave a lasting impression.

Our friendship began after I hired her as a photographer for my magazine.

With her infectious personality, it was impossible not to love her.

It took no time for Josie to introduce me to Tasha and bring me into their little group. Meeting Tasha Davis was a tiny bit intimidating. Aside from the fact she’s gorgeous, with blonde hair, stunning gray eyes, and a body most models would kill for, she’s also insanely smart.

Her parents were well-known in Toronto for owning a huge law firm, which, in turn, put Tasha in the limelight. Instead of following in their footsteps to be a lawyer, she became a counselor. So along with being brilliantly beautiful and sharp-witted, she was also insanely kind.

Mila, I’ve known the shortest, but the moment we met, I knew we were going to hit it off right away.

She’s one of the sweetest, funniest people and, not to mention, stunning.

Her dark skin always glowed, and her curly hair made me jealous on more than one occasion.

She was an event coordinator, which was how she met her boyfriend, Bryton.

I was surrounded by couples, and a seventh wheel whenever we all hung out. Seeing everyone together, happy and in love made my chest ache. While I had no plans of ever falling for someone again—not after what happened—I still felt envious of my friends and their relationships.

I rarely let anyone close, choosing to be alone over giving my heart to someone who would eventually crush it. So, instead, I’d take crashing everyone’s date nights. Thankfully, my depressing thoughts were halted when Josie walked out of the changing room.

I shoved all those thoughts back into their little box in the back of my mind. Not today. I was here to be with my friends and help Josie find the perfect dress. I didn’t need to ruin a perfectly good day by dwelling about things in the past.

At the sight of Josie in the first gown of the day, the three of us gasped. She looked absolutely breathtaking. The silk dress was stunning. It had a tight bodice that hugged her waist before draping down to the ground.

“Wow,” Josie whispered, staring at her reflection as she stepped onto the platform.

“You look amazing, Jo,” Tasha said with watery eyes.

“I really do,” Josie laughed, sniffling. She twisted and turned, taking in her appearance in the mirror. “It’s really pretty.”