I hurried into one of the stalls and pressed my back against the door as I heaved a deep sigh of relief. Then I quickly took off my button-down shirt and yoga pants so I could put on my dress. I’d been so relieved when Ireland had only chosen the color—a shade of purple that looked great on me—and let us pick whatever style suited each of us the best. When I’d picked a form-fitting dress that showed a lot of cleavage and ended just above my knees, I’d been thinking about how much fun I was going to have pushing my brother’s buttons during the reception. Now, I was grateful that I looked like a bombshell because I couldn’t wait to see Aiden’s reaction to the dress.
After slipping my feet into the strappy silver heels Sally had somehow talked me into picking, I shoved my stuff into my bag and gave myself a little mental pep talk to get me through until I could talk to Aiden. Which was going to happen at the first possible moment after Breaker and Ireland said their I Dos.
Flinging the door open, I darted past Sally, Sara, and Michelle. “I’m going to make sure Ireland doesn’t need anything.”
“Maybe the champagne will help loosen her tongue,” Sally murmured right before the bathroom door shut behind me.
I was lucky there wasn’t much time before we had to walk down the aisle, or else I’d be stuck dodging their questions even longer.
When I walked back into the room where we’d been getting ready, I found Ireland standing in front of a floor-length mirror. “You look gorgeous.”
She met my gaze in the reflection and smiled. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”
I stroked my hand down the side of my dress, enjoying the feel of the soft material. “Only because you didn’t turn into a bridezilla and force us all to wear horrendous gowns with yards of tulle, sequins, and lace.”
“The dress you picked out is perfect for you.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t tell her the real reason I was thrilled with how I looked, so I stuck with my original motive as I flashed her a grin. “My brother is going to hate it so much.”
She giggled. “We should give the photographer a heads-up so we get a good picture of him during the procession.”
I laughed with her and nodded. “I just might do that.”
Michelle, Sally, and Sara strutted back into the room. Sally was carrying two bottles—one was champagne and the other was sparkling juice—and the other two were holding champagne glasses. Sally handed the juice to me and asked, “Open this one for me? We have just enough time for a quick toast before we need to line up.”
“Nope.” Ireland shook her head, grabbed the bottle, and set it on the table. “The baby is only as big as a kidney bean, but even looking at a drink somehow makes me need to go to the bathroom.”
“Well, damn,” Sally sighed as she put the champagne next to the juice. “I guess we’ll skip the toast since your groom would probably strangle me if the ceremony had to be delayed. Even for a pregnant bride potty break.”
“It’s probably for the best anyway.” I lifted my foot and rotated my ankle to show off my strappy shoes. “I never should’ve let Sally talk me into going with four-inch heels. Add in some alcohol, and I’d probably trip on my way down the aisle.”
“You only have yourself to blame.” Sally shrugged. “Anything less wouldn’t live up to the killer dress you picked.”
Sara nodded. “Sorry, Wendy. I’ve gotta agree with my girl on this one.”
“It’s too bad you couldn’t make it to the rehearsal last night. You could’ve broken them in,” Sally added, jerking her chin toward the shoes in question.
I knew Sally didn’t mean anything bad by what she said, but I still felt awful for missing the rehearsal, even though I was more than happy with the result since I spent the night with Aiden in my bed. My shoulders drooped as I heaved a deep sigh before explaining to the girls. “Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. The bartender I was supposed to trade shifts with flaked out on me, so I was stuck going to McClaren’s to work instead.”
Ireland waved off my concern. “I already told you not to worry about it. Being a bridesmaid isn’t that hard. Just follow Sara’s lead, and you’ll be fine.”
Michelle grabbed the bouquets off the couch and handed them out to each of us. “C’mon, we can gossip later. It’s time to line up now.”
Things moved quickly from there, and it wasn’t long before we were filing into the chapel. I knew my brother was seated in one of the aisles somewhere, but Aiden was the only person I saw. He was standing near the altar, and after a moment of shock when I stepped out, he practically ate me alive with his gaze. He had to be wondering how I knew Ireland, but judging by the possessive gleam in his eyes, the details didn’t matter to him.