Whit grins, grabs my hand and pulls me toward the porch.
“Wait, I need to get my phone,” I laugh.
She stops, placing her hands on her hips and giving me a “hurry the hell up” look. Quickly, I swipe my keys from the ignition, grab my purse and my phone that’s sitting in the cup holder and close the door. Whit links her arm through mine and leads me up on the porch.
“Good to see you, Jamie,” Aaron greets me.
“Thanks for having me. Sorry for the change of plans.”
“Don’t be sorry. I get more time with you. Six months is just too long,” Whit scolds me.
“Hey, that goes both ways there, sister,” I tease her.
Her face falls. “I know. I’ll do better, I promise.” She squeezes my arm before letting me go once we’re in the house.
“You could just move here,” Aaron suggests.
“Look at you, trying to think of ways to keep her close,” I tease him.
“Damn right. But I also know that would make her happy, having you here.” Aaron places his hands on Whit’s hips and pulls her back against his chest.
“I don’t know if I can hack country living all the time,” I admit. What I don’t tell them is that this place, the serenity and peace of being in the country, is all I’ve thought about since I left. I’m anxious to see if it’s just the way I’ve built it in my head or if it really is as great as I remember.
“Oh please, you could and you know it,” Whit says. “Anyway, we invited the crew over tonight, just to get together and hang out. Tomorrow we’ll meet up with Kinley and Olivia and go dress shopping.”
“Sounds like a plan. Do you know what you’re looking for?”
Turning to look over her shoulder, she glances at Aaron before turning back to face me. “I do. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
“Babe, you could wear a feed sack and I’d still think you were the most beautiful woman around.” Aaron doesn’t miss a beat.
“All right, buddy, hand her over.” I hold out my hand for Whitney. She giggles and steps out of his hold.
“We’re going down in the basement,” she tells him, pulling me behind her down the hall and then the basement stairs.
“I’m so glad you decided to come in a day earlier,” Whit says as we take a seat on the oversized couch.
“I missed you,” I tell her. “Whit, this house is gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” She blushes but with a blinding smile. “Aaron insisted I have input. I really love it.”
“As you should. You’ve done well. You’re glowing with happiness. I miss your ass like crazy, but it’s easy to see that this is your home now. Not just the house but here in Kentucky.”
“I am happy.” She closes her eyes and takes deep breath. “I think Mom led me here. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what I like to believe. She brought me to him.”
“No judgment here,” I say, raising my hands. “She loved you and I know she’s looking down on you smiling.” I pat her leg. “Right, enough of the heavy. Tell me about this dress.”
Another beaming smile. “I want simple, you know. I just want it to be close friends and close family, and just… simple. To me it’s not about the day. It’s about promising to love him for eternity, to live the rest of our lives together. I don’t want all the fanfare. I want a small, simple country wedding.”
“So this dress?” I prompt her again.
“I’m not really sure. I mean, I have this vision in my head. I just want simple, sleeveless maybe, since it’s going to be hot as hell in June. I’m thinking long, but no big train or anything like that. Oh, and I need to find a pair of white cowboy boots.”
“O-kay,” I say hesitantly. “What for? Don’t you already have boots?”
“I do. Aaron bought me my first pair and well, he loves it when I wear them. I was insistent the day he bought them that I didn’t need them, but he insisted that I did. I never thought I would need them, you know? That I would be living life here on the farm and riding as much as I can. He was right.”
“So it’s like a payback?” I ask her.