“And … here we are with your first batch.” Pearl set a tray on the table with milk in two fancy-looking glasses that looked way too breakable for me to hold, and a plate with about ten squares of cake on it. “There are two of each kind: our basic chocolate, German chocolate, dark chocolate with a raspberry layer in the middle, Crème de Menthe and Oreo.”

My head snapped up at Pearl. “You make Oreo wedding cake?” I asked incredulously.

“Yep, and we can put a layer of fruit filling or custard in between too, if you want. Basically, you can completely design your own.” She shrugged her shoulders excitedly and grinned at us. “Okay, take your time, sample them, talk about them and I’ll be back in just a bit with your white cake options.”

Grabbing a fork off the plate, I dove right into the Oreo cake.

I rolled my eyes back in my head and dropped the fork. “Oh. My. God.”

“That good, huh?” Kacie asked, trying it for herself.

“Yes!” I groaned. “I think I’m hard.”

“Shhh! Not so loud!” She giggled.

“Seriously, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my whole life … almost.” I winked at her.

She gasped and turned a shade of red so dark, I was worried her head would explode right there in front of me.

“Do you agree?”

“Yes, I think it’s delicious,” she said once she regained her composure. “And really moist.”

“Oh no, stop right there.” I held my hand up. “It’s a little late, but it’s my turn to implement a condition on our relationship.”

Kacie blinked rapidly, frowning at me. “What?”

“The word moist, you can’t ever say it again.”

She threw her head back and laughed at me, covering her mouth so that cake didn’t spill out.

“No, no. Stop laughing, I’m serious.” I said, but that only made her laugh harder.

She inhaled deeply and coughed, choking on her cake.

“See, that’s what you get for making fun of me,” I teased in a self-righteous tone. After she was done hacking, she took a big gulp of milk and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“So why don’t you like the word moist?”

“Ah ah ah. What did I just say?” I warned, waving my finger.

“Why don’t you like that word?” she asked, still chuckling.

“It just sounds gross. Doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it. It’s just a word.”

“No, spoon is a word. That other M-thing is vile. It’s like a porn-word or something. It needs to be removed from the English language.” I shuddered.

“Porn word? Are you innocent all of a sudden? Do I need to remind you about last weekend?”

I didn’t speak, I just glared at her.

“Okay, if you feel so strongly about it, I’ll be careful not to use it...” She smirked. “Unless I’m trying to piss you off.”

“How’s it going in here?” Pearl interrupted.

“Slow, sorry,” I responded. “She doesn’t know how to use a fork, so she keeps choking,” I joked, pointing to Kacie whose eyes bulged out of her head.

“Oh dear, do you need a spoon?” Pearl asked, completely serious.

Kacie was laughing so hard, no sound came out—all she could do was shake her head.

“Okay then, no rush. I’ll bring the white selections back in a minute, that way you can compare if you want to.”

Half an hour and eighteen cake squares later, I was beyond stuffed and extremely thankful for my elastic pants.

We’d tried every piece and had finally decided on the dark chocolate with raspberry filling, even though I pushed really hard for the Oreo. I had to … for Tommy. I was killing time flipping through the birthday binder again while we waited for Pearl. One of the cakes showcased in the binder was nothing short of incredible. It was a two-foot tall exact replica of the castle at Disney World with who I assumed were all the princesses scattered around it. Cinderella, the only one I recognized for sure, was standing on a balcony with Prince Charming.

“Holy shit, Kacie. Look at this!” I turned the book so she could see it.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes lit up.

“Wow. I mean … wow.”

“When is the girls’ birthday? They need this cake.”

“In a couple months, August 31st. I can’t get this cake though, Brody. Did you see the price?”

I spun the book back around and looked at the sticker next to the picture, which I’d totally overlooked.

“Two seventy-five? For cake?”

She nodded slowly. “I told you this place was the best. Lauren is spending a grand on this wedding cake. This place is way out of my budget.”

We’ll see about that.

Alexa and I impressed ourselves with all that we got checked off our list while Lauren was away.

Cake, band and flowers … done. Centerpieces weren’t even on our list, but we found the most beautiful antique vases at a flea market for a steal and couldn’t pass them up. Lauren was beyond thrilled with our progress and gushed about how grateful she was. The minute she got back into town, I made her repay the favor by helping me get ready for the charity event with Brody. I wanted to dress to kill; no way was I going to give Blaire any ammunition tonight.

There was no fashion show this time, nor did Mom or I have a say in what I wore. Lauren had a handful of expensive designer dresses that she was saving for a special occasion, and she insisted I wear one of them tonight.

It was a red, fitted Nicole Miller jersey-style dress that gathered down the front and back, showing off the waist Lauren said most women would kill for. Silver, strappy Jimmy Choos that she’d never even worn fit my feet like Cinderella, nicely showing off the pedicure I had gotten earlier that day with the girls. I never wanted to forget how adorable they looked sitting in those big chairs, grinning from ear to ear with their cute little toes barely reaching the water.

The Wild Kids event was halfway in between my house and Brody’s, so it didn’t make sense for me to drive all the way to his place. He told me he’d be by at 6:15 to pick me up. As usual, I was ready early and pacing the kitchen like an expectant father.

“Sit down, relax,” Mom called from the living room, patting the couch cushion next to her.

“I can’t, I’ll wrinkle my dress. I want everything to be perfect.”

She got up and came into the kitchen, keeping me company while I paced. “Well, you look beautiful and happy. You’re glowing. I could cry just thinking about what a change I see in you the last month and a half since you’ve met Brody. He really is a blessing.”

My chest warmed at his name. It’d been almost a week since I had seen him and I was aching to wrap my arms around him. This long distance thing was rough, but it made me really appreciate the time we were able to spend together, not to mention the dozens of hours on the phone we spent really getting to know each other. We still never ran out of things to talk about.

“I know, Mom. I’m pretty crazy about him.”

“I already knew that—you two don’t exactly hide it well. The way you look at each other across the room, the involuntary way you grin when I say his name, the way your heart swells when you see him playing with the girls … you two are the real deal.” Tears welled up in her eyes.