Page 59 of Nothing to the Wedding

“Why is the wedding stuff freaking him out?”Jane cried.“He’s never pulled away like this.”

She guided Jane’s head close to kiss her temple.“You stay here, I’ll go talk to him.”

“No!No, no!”Jane grabbed her wrist to halt her.“You can’t.”

“I won’t let you be upset like this…” And maybe it was time to let the secret out, before Jane broke her own heart.“You don’t deserve to be unhappy, even for one minute.”

“I love him,” Jane said.“I don’t want to lose him.And not today… but then… What if he dumps me at a wedding?”

“Yeah, then you’d hate them for life,” Toria said.

Which wasn’t exactly helpful.It was okay for Toria because she knew how this would play out.Toria was aware that there was a proposal in Jane’s not too distant future.They just had to pray their dear, sweet friend, didn’t panic herself into a stroke.

“That’s maybe a little—”

“Come on!”Toria declared, giving both of them a shake.“This is a huge day, for both of you!Roxie’s getting married and, Jane, babe, you pulled off the damn near impossible and built a wedding around a woman who’d get married in jeans if she had a choice.”

“Be fair.If I’d been left to my own devices, I might’ve squeezed into a cocktail dress.”

“At most and only if it was lying around within reach,” Toria said.“And she definitely wouldn’t be wearing anything Zairn might want to take off in private tonight.”

The things we do for love.

“I’m going to talk to him,” Roxie said, going another step though Jane still anchored her.“It will only take a second.”

“You can’t.”

“I can.”

“But you—”

“I won’t say anything came from you.It’ll just be… a quiet chat.Friendly.No pressure.”

“But you can’t,” Jane said, squeezing her.“He’s with Zairn.”

“So?I’ll tell him to make himself scarce, he’ll get the hint.If he doesn’t, I have no problem shooing him.”

Toria laughed.“You just going to rock up on the man you’ll marry today and tell him to get lost?”

“Marry today,” she said, understanding Jane’s objection.“That’s it.You don’t want me to see Zairn.”

“Then I’ll go,” Toria jumped in.“I’ll talk to the asshole.”

Okay, that wasn’t exactly the best attitude or approach.Toria’s tact was even more lacking than hers, and that was saying something, especially when it came to matters of the heart… or the loins.

“No,” Jane said, inhaling so deep, her shoulders rose and fell on the exhale.“No, this is Roxie’s wedding day.”The beauty backed out of Toria’s hug and opened a hand.“Give me my present… please.”

Right, yes… Roxie handed over the box.

“You don’t have to wear them today, or at all, if you don’t want to.They’re just a token of our appreciation.”

“We’ve got those fancy fingerprint boxes now,” Toria said, impressed.“Like yours.”

Honestly?She had a zillion of them now, but the novelty endured for her friends, and it was fun to see.

They opened their boxes and gasped almost in unison.

“Roxie…” Jane exhaled.