My brows furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t worry about it. See you later.” She grinned and blew me a kiss before hightailing it down the ladder.
When the door slammed behind her, I tossed the notebook at AJ. “Got us a new hit.”
As he glanced over the lyrics, he bobbed his head. “Abby inspired, I presume.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Brayden will be glad to hear it. He’s feeling the pressure of the new album.”
“I have a feeling I might get even more inspired on my honeymoon.”
AJ grinned. “I say go for it. Just make sure you take the time to enjoy yourself.”
Throwing back the covers, I started for the bathroom. “Oh, I plan on enjoying myself several times a day,” I replied with a wink.
Chapter Four
The main suite of the island’s house teemed with people. As nervous energy hummed through every fiber of my being, it took everything I had to sit still in the chair in front of the mirror. It still felt surreal that I was even here—that after hopping a plane and then taking a boat, I was in my own island paradise. I’d been dreaming of this day my entire life, and now it was finally here.
To combat my nervousness, I’d been tapping my foot restlessly while Marion, the band’s makeup and hair stylist, went about transforming me. When she started in with the eyeliner, she gave me an exasperated look. “Would you stop with the tapping, or you’re going to look like some Goth chick.”
“Sorry.”
She grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous before.”
I sighed. “Yeah, there’s a reason for that. I mean, today’s the biggest performance of my life—my wedding day.”
“Oh honey, you’re going to be just fine,” my mother’s reassuring voice said from behind me. When I glanced into the mirror, she appeared behind me. “I can’t believe it’s really happening. My baby is getting married.” Tears glistened in her eyes, causing her to wave her hand in front of her face. “No, no, today is a happy day. No tears,” she said to herself.
“I agree. Plus, I don’t want to have to redo your makeup,” Marion said with a smile.
Leaning over me, Mom thrust a granola bar, along with a Coke, into my hands. “You need to eat that, sweetheart. We don’t want your blood sugar acting up on today of all days.”
Even though I was too nervous to be hungry, I appeased my mother by unwrapping the granola bar and taking a bite. As I chewed, I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips. The day I had met Jake my hypoglycemia had reared its head. How could I ever forget passing out right after seeing AJ, Brayden, and Rhys and realizing I wasn’t on my brothers’ bus? Of course, it was the moment preceding that when I had found myself in Jake’s bed that meant the most. Our worlds had collided in that moment, and neither one of us would ever be the same again.
Once I finished eating, I took slow sips from the Coke out of a straw. Marion checked my lips to make sure I hadn’t smudged the liner or color while eating. “Okay, make-up is done. Now for the dress and veil.”
I eased up from the chair and came to stand in the middle of the room. My mom and Mia brought the dress out of the closet and then out of its massive bag. It was satin and strapless with a heavily beaded bodice. It fell into yards of satin. It was a little impractical for a beach wedding, but I didn’t care. The moment I had seen it, I knew it was the dress of my dreams. I took off my robe, leaving me in a bustier and underwear.
Once I stepped into the dress, Mom went about zipping up the back. I loved the fact that a row of intricate buttons covered the zipper and gave the effect that I had been buttoned in. Jake would probably freak when he saw it, thinking he had to undo all the buttons to get me naked. I laughed at the thought.
After I was secured into the dress, I realized it was going to be tough breathing for the rest of the day between the bustier and the tight bodice. “Oomph,” I muttered, as I smoothed my hand over my chest.
“Little snug, huh?” Mom asked behind me.
“Yep, just a bit. I probably overdid it last night at dinner.”
Mom laughed. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. They altered it to fit that way, remember?
“I guess.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
I grinned. “I hope so, or I’m going to pass out before the day is over.”
“I don’t think I breathed the entire day of my wedding,” Lily mused, as she fluffed out the bottom of my dress.
I shook my head. “What we sacrifice for beauty.”
“Now for the veil,” Marion said, as she lifted it out of the box.
The intricate lace was interwoven with pearls and sequins. It fell to the floor where it intermingled with my long train. It was held in place by a glittering tiara—an heirloom piece that I had actually rented from Tiffany’s. I considered it my ‘something old’ and ‘something borrowed’. My something ‘old’ also came in the form of Susan’s pearls, which Jake was thrilled I was going to be wearing, and my new was everything from the dress to my underwear.
After she fixed the tiara on the top of my head, Marion stepped back and smiled. “You’re ready now.”
Turning left and right in front of the mirror, I took in my reflection. I blinked furiously as I tried processing what I was seeing. “Wow, I’m really standing here in my wedding dress about to get married, huh?”