“Alright. Then cuddle me until the alarm goes off.”
I roll and hug him tightly. He’s all sexy and soft after sleep. His hair is a mess and his eyes are gentle. I snuggle closer to him and nuzzle his neck. He feels good, warm, and safe.
If it was possible, I’d cuddle all my guys at once. That sounds excellent. A comfortable pile, like I’m a dragon hoarding the sexiest men in the world. I smile slightly and Roman nudges me, wanting to know what I’m thinking.
We end up talking and teasing each other in those five minutes. Roman even pulls the blanket over our heads like we’re little kids, sharing secrets when we’re supposed to be asleep. When my alarm goes off, he covers my ears.
“You hear nothing.”
“What?!” I yell playfully.
He pulls his hands off my ears and I gasp. “My alarm!”
Narrowing his eyes, he shakes his head. “You tricked me.”
“Only because I love you.” I kiss him quickly, then get up and change. Before I leave, I kiss all my guys goodbye. We need to go on a date.
I decide that as I head to my parents’ place. We are overdue and I think we need theactualstress relief. Beyond sex, we need to be able to go out and not think about the wedding. We can just hang out and not be bothered by all the looming deadlines.
But, considering I have an entire side-bag full of decisions to show my mom, maybe we can knock out some of the items on the never-ending, ever-growing list of things to do.
Fingers crossed.
As soon as I get to my mom’s she sweeps me inside and gives me a whole notebook full of things to consider. I show her the invitation list – complete with no room for changes – and then show her the venue for the reception, show off the colors we’ve decided on based on the garden, some of the other decisions, our plans, and our appointments.
“Well, I see a lot taken care of.” She nods. “Good. Today we’ll get you set with a dress, then we need to figure out when you can get the guys to practice dancing with you for your first dance, choose out those songs, choose out the songs for each of the guys to dance with their mothers, the song for you and your father, and if you want any games at the reception.”
She keeps talking and instead of focusing on her words, I’m just counting the sentences before she takes a breath. Ten. Ten whole sentences without a breath.
When she does take one, I look at my watch. “Isn’t Valerie …”
“Here!” She comes in through the door. “I arrived early, so I got a taxi. I’m so ready for dress shopping. I got the yes and no signs and I’m so pumped to be extra judgey and detail-focused! Put me to work!”
And there’s no arguing with them. Not when they sweep me into a limo and start pouring champagne. Thank god for champagne. By the time we get to the shop – even though it feels more like a mansion for a bunch of dresses – I don’t mind much of anything.
I’m nice and relaxed, ready to try on everything and anything.
Until I see the dresses my mom has laid out and see that Valerie is pulling out more. Dear god. This is going to be so much longer than it will take me to come down from my buzz. I start with the ones I know are going to be a no.
I hate the poofy princess dresses. I don’t want to be kept so far from my men. Once I rule those out, I start looking at A-lines, then finally see the mermaid cut. I like the way it fits my hips; I like that I can still move in it, and if we adjust the bottom, it will trail behind me.
And I like the lace.
My mom and Valerie agree on that style of skirt, which means we’re now focusing on tops. Which also means trying different textures. I don’t want it to be too busy, since we’re going to be in a garden for the ceremony and I’m sure I want the option to pin the back so I can dance without stepping on my dress.
After no less than ten dresses, I ask for a break.
I call Gunner and sigh. He chuckles. “Having fun, sweets?”
“Tell me a joke or something.”
“I’ve been offered three dates by gay men at this bakery. I think that the maintenance guy slipped his number in my ass pocket.”
“That’s my favorite pocket,” I grumble.
“Don’t worry. I’m still all about you and Roman.”
It works. I smile. The guys have learned that flirting with Roman and seeing his face redden because he’s not sure what to say makes me laugh. They’ve even been turning it on each other, trying to outdo each other and see who caves first.