“We can do email invitations.” She gave me a funny look. “Why are you questioning all of this, dummy?”
I smiled, unable to help myself. It was my only means of keeping her engaged in a conversation without her seeing my intent—to keep her talking to me. Helping me. “You want to email people the wedding invitations?”
She lifted a shoulder and dropped it, looking up at me through her long eyelashes. The resignation on her face said she was catching on. “Picking out invitations will be crossed off the list. And we can send it all in one fell swoop.”
I stepped back, needing space from her and the situation she just created. “I’m not sure about this. It feels very rushed.”
Rachel groaned. “Come on, Parker. Don’t you want to start our lives together sooner rather than later?”
She rested her hands on my shoulders. One of her hands started to play with my hair while the other trailed down my side and rested on the waistband of my sweatpants. “I’m really looking forward to breaking the final barrier between us.”
I swallowed, knowing exactly what she meant. My body responded to her touch as she moved closer to me. Her pillowy lips were so close to kissing, and I imagined them trailing over other parts of my body.
I took a steadying breath and just when I was about to kiss her she pulled back. She smiled and said, “Okay. Saturday it is.”
She winked at me and moved her hands over my waist. “You won’t regret this.”
“I should go and see Sienna about her dress.” It was a flimsy excuse since I knew something else had to be going on with Sienna. She looked too worried to have it be about a dress.
“No,” Rachel said quickly. “I’m sure she can handle it. I want to go with you to check out other vendors today. We don’t have any more time to waste.”
Even though I really wanted to talk to Sienna, Rachel was right: we had a lot to do and barely any time to do it. Even though it hadn’t been my decision, Sienna could wait.
Rachel left the room and I stood in the foyer, trying to calm myself down. This abstinence thing was getting harder and harder to deal with. At least with the wedding happening on Saturday, two days from now, I had a definite countdown clock ticking down in my brain.
Rachel popped her head back into the room. “Come on, Parker.”
I snapped back to the present and headed for the bathroom to shower. A cold one.
My stress level intensified throughout the day as we checked out vendors. Thankfully, the venue was still available this Saturday. They had a wedding on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, so I was forced to pay for the overtime that the staff would need to turn over the wedding from Friday into Saturday then tear it all down for Sunday.
I was never careless with my money, since each dollar had been earned with hard work on my part. But Rachel deserved the best for her wedding. Besides, we’d only do this once; might as well go all out.
We were able to secure a catering company by approaching a reputable one and paying double the price. And I had to overpay for flowers, as well, since Rachel insisted on having specialty ones shipped overnight from all around the world.
By the end of the day, I was spent, both physically and financially. By spending so much money, I started to think about the offer to sell my company. It was more than enough to cover the expenses plus a honeymoon while giving our future kids a bright and prosperous life. I still had yet to bring it up to Rachel, and I still wasn’t sure why I continued to hesitate about that decision. At the end of the day, it was my choice, and it was possible that I was holding back because I didn’t want her influence. I knew which way she would automatically go. This was ultimately my choice since the company was mine, and had been since its inception.
My mind was in overdrive and I wanted to flop on the couch with a beer and relax.
With the wedding taken care of, my mind wandered to Sienna and her strange actions that morning. And as much as I hated to sneak around and lie to Rachel, I had to see Sienna to make sure she was okay. She never cared about anything material before, so the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that she was going through something. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t support her the way she always supported me?
When we got home, I suggested we head out for dinner. Maybe then I could stop over at Sienna’s on the way and make sure she was okay. I knew Rachel
and her’s history was a little stilted, so I was sure Rachel wouldn’t mind waiting in the car.
“No,” Rachel said. “Order something in. I’m tired and want to relax.”
I ordered from my favorite Italian place. By the time it arrived, it was already five-thirty. I started to get anxious about Sienna since she hadn’t called or texted all day.
By six, Rachel was yawning and complaining about being exhausted. I suggested we head to bed early since tomorrow would be our final day of being fiancés. She thought it was a good idea. I hated pretending I was tired but I thought I’d be able to sneak out when she went to bed. She thwarted my plan by insisting I come to bed with her. I started to suspect that she wanted to keep me away from Sienna. Was she jealous of our friendship? I couldn’t believe that. Rachel was so confident in herself. It was also possible that she was overwhelmed with wedding activities just as I was.
It was a good thing Rachel wasn’t a cuddler. She settled into her sleep with her back to me and I watched the slow rise and fall of her breathing through the sheets. I stared at the ceiling, waiting for over a half-hour before it slowed even more and she was asleep.
I slowly moved off the bed, turning back at Rachel with each step out of the bedroom. I compiled a few excuses for her, but if she approached me about sneaking out, I decided to be honest with her. I didn’t want to start off this marriage with lies. Especially when I wasn’t doing anything particularly wrong. I’d tell her I was worried about Sienna. Since she was my best friend, there was a code that went with that, and I wanted to be there for her if she was going through something.
If it was really serious, Sienna would have pushed harder, so I knew she was probably in a tough spot and needed my help or some advice. It was simple. I’d go over there and help with the problem and be back before Rachel realized I was gone.
When I got to Sienna’s house, her car was in the driveway. I’d come over unannounced and only regretted that decision as I came up the walkway. Maybe she’d already gotten over her issue and that’s why she didn’t call or text me all day. Had this trip been a waste?