My mother steps up next to Maggie and looks at Joey critically. “Joseph, I will not have anyone showing up to this thing Saturday hung over, so keep that in mind, please. This will be a classy event.”

“Of course it will be. I’ll be there,” Joey retorts. “Nothing screams class like the sight of me in a tux.”

I spin around on my pedestal and look at myself in the mirror while the four of them talk amongst themselves. Even though my dress is uncomfortably tight right now, it still looks just as amazing as it did the first time I stepped into it. Lace upon lace, it’s so elegant I feel almost undeserving of wearing it. But no other dress is worthy of Reese. This has always been the one he was meant to rip off me. So, even though my love affair with carbs has been my longest and second-most-satisfying relationship, it will have to be sacrificed. Because there is no way in Hell I am not wearing this dress in five days. Maggie says her son will surely lose his mind on Saturday at the sight of me in this.

And that’s exactly the reaction I’m going for.

20

After peeling off my dress and being reminded what foods and beverages to avoid for the next five days, I say goodbye to everyone and make my way out to Sam. Reese and I will be staying at the loft every night this week, which I’m grateful for. I want to have as much time there as possible since I’ll be moving out this weekend. Juls, Joey, and I will be having our last sleepover together on Friday night there while the boys all stay at Ian’s condo. That took some major convincing on my part; Reese doesn’t like being away from me, not even for one night. But I begged, telling him it’ll be sweeter if we go a little bit without seeing each other before the wedding. He was still reluctant until I told him I didn’t want him seeing our wedding cake beforehand. That got him to agree to it. He appreciates my work more than any other person and knows I want him to be surprised. And now I’ll have two wedding cakes to tackle on Friday night after the rehearsal, so he might as well hang out with the guys and have some fun.

As I walk up to the driver’s side of my trusted delivery van, I notice something red on the windshield. A stand on my toes and reach my hand across the glass, grabbing the single red rose tucked underneath my windshield wiper. I study it curiously and smile. Roses are definitely not Reese’s style. Nor is any flower. He’s way more original when it comes to sweet gestures. But even though this isn’t his typical way of showing me he’s thinking of me, or that he loves me, it still warms my heart.

The sound of a car slowing down next to me catches my attention. Turning, I see Joey’s red Civic come to a stop and the passenger window rolling down. He lowers his head to see me. “What’s up, cupcake? Everything okay?” I hold out the flower in front of me and see Joey’s face contort into a snarl. “Goddamn it, Billy. One fucking gesture would be nice. I’m a major fan of flowers.”

I try to contain my laughter but fail at the sight of his irritated face. “So not like Reese, though. Maybe Billy put it there for me.” I grab my door handle and duck my head down, winking at my assistant. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He speeds off down the street, no doubt on his way to give Billy an earful as I hop up into Sam. After placing my rose on the passenger seat, I buckle up and pull away from the curb. It’s late, already after 8:00 p.m., and I know as soon as I put my head on my pillow, I’m going to pass out.

Once I enter the security code, setting the alarm for the front door of the shop, I grab a small glass off one of the back racks in my kitchen work area. I fill it with water and place the rose in it, putting it in the middle of my worktop. Taking the steps two at a time, I make my way up the stairs and swing the door open.

There are boxes everywhere. On my bed. On the floor. On the kitchen counter. Way too many boxes for the amount of stuff I have. I close the door behind me and peek around my screen, seeing more boxes filling the space around my bed. “Jesus.”

The bathroom door swings open and Reese emerges, a cloud of steam surrounding him. He’s dressed in only his boxers with a towel draped over his shoulder. I moan softly at his appearance. The man could seriously rock a shampoo commercial.

He rubs the towel over this head. “Hi. Did you just get here?”

I nod, glancing around the space and motioning with my hand around the room. “Where did all the boxes come from?”

“A guy at work brought them in for me when I told him we were moving you this week. I’ve gotten a lot of stuff packed away already.” He places his towel on the counter, the crease in his brow becoming prominent as he surveys my expression. “Are you okay?”

I move over to the bed and sit down, kicking my shoes off. “Yeah. I’m just tired.” I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on top, staring at one of the boxes Reese has labeled ‘miscellaneous’. I’m not ready to pack. Not yet. But I get it. It makes sense to start.

I feel the bed dip behind me and hear the soft creak of the mattress.

“Come up here.”

I turn, seeing him sitting with his back against my headboard. Letting go of my knees, I crawl toward him and straddle his lap. His hands run up my thighs, stopping on my hips. I let my eyes wander over his face, admiring his features before settling on his eyes that are studying me. Always watching. “Hi.”

His lip twitches. “Hi, yourself. What are you thinking about?”

I trace the muscles of his arm with my finger, trailing up toward his shoulder. “That I’m not ready to say goodbye to this place.” I see his smile fade and shift closer, feeling his hands wrap around my waist. I drop my forehead so it’s resting against his, my fingers interlocking behind his neck. “It’s not because I don’t want to live with you. Please, don’t think that.”