Wedding Haters (Event to Remember Series-Book 2) (4 page)

“I think you’re right,” she says finally.
“You never know, maybe this is their way of trying to make it up to
you. They may have realized how they treated you and this is the
only way to fix it.” I guess she could be right because they would
never actually apologize.

“Possibly,” I say doubtfully. “I’m sure it’s
more the fact of being a part of a wedding at the Four Seasons. I’m
not saying they don’t feel bad for how they acted, but I know Ellie
well enough to know that I won’t be getting much of an apology.”
Baby Ace starts to fuss a little, and Abby hands me his bottle. I
start to feed him and keep talking.

“She even had the nerve to say that I’m like
a
sister
to them, a
stepsister
maybe,” I say with a
giggle.

“So, what does Cole say?” she asks.

“Oh, you know Cole. He’s fine with anything.
Sienna, on the other hand, thinks it’s a horrible idea. I just keep
reminding myself that she has plenty of experience with weddings,
so she should be able to handle whatever comes along.”

“I think that’s safe to say,” she says with a
smile. “So, speaking of Sienna, has she mentioned anything about
how things are going with Ace?”

“Not really, but we haven’t had much time to
talk about it,” I reply.

Ace is a guy that Sienna has been dating on
and off. He is a-mazing, but she’s being overly cautious since her
last dating nightmare. He’s had to travel back to Europe quite a
lot for work. He absolutely adores her, and she definitely likes
him but won’t completely admit her feelings. I can understand why
considering how her last relationship ended. We also set her up on
a date with Cole’s best friend, Jeff. She liked him too, but he
lives in San Francisco, so things haven’t really progressed much.
Abby and her husband, Matt, have actually become pretty good
friends with Ace. They even named their baby Ace, which has been a
topic of many discussions (and many jokes) for all of us.

“I wish she would just stop holding back,”
Abby says.

“I know, but I think a lot of it has to do
with their work schedules. She has been extremely busy, and I know
he has been back and forth to the UK a lot. But, do you know
something I don’t?” I ask finally. Abby gives me a look that tells
me she has some gossip.

“OK, I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but
Ace called me before he left town this last time,” she says
excitedly. “He basically asked what he has to do to convince Sienna
that he’s serious about her. It was really sweet and my heart just
went out to him. What do you think?”

I sigh. “I have no idea what the answer is.
She really has her guard up since everything went down with Luke.”
Luke is Sienna’s ex-boyfriend. She was madly in love with him, and
he completely broke her heart. He even had an affair with her
former boss, the most horrible being on the planet. Long story, but
now she’s so hesitant to get serious again. Of course, if you ask
her, she will tell you that she’s concentrating on her career right
now. I’ve known her long enough to know she’s completely full of
crap, and that truthfully she is terrified of getting her heart
broken and understandably so.

“We have to think of something,” Abby
demands.

“I agree,” I say thoughtfully.

“It may be time to recruit Craig into this,
and we can call it the Sienna Love Project,” she says eagerly.

I make a face. Um, no, we can’t.

That’s typical Abby though, always looking
out for everyone else. She’s much more subtle than I am when it
comes to sticking her nose in other people’s lives. Truthfully, we
all worry about Sienna; she deserves happiness more than anyone
else. We talk for a little while longer, and then she leaves to get
Ace home for a nap. I make my way back to the kitchen and the
cookies that are waiting for me. After talking about Sienna and
Ace, I’m reminded how grateful I am to have Cole. It’s as if Cole
was reading my mind because when I check my phone there is a text
from him waiting for me.

Want to get married in
Vegas and forget this big wedding? (Wink) Or maybe the beach in
Hawaii?

He asks me this question all the time, and he
knows how much it irritates me. I text him back.

What do you
think?

I know how much he really enjoys tormenting
me, but I think that deep down (really deep down) he’s just as
excited about our wedding as I am. Men always pretend they don’t
care but they really do.

I think I better quit
while I’m ahead.

I smile as I read his text. I’m about to
write him back when he calls.

“Hellooo?”

“You aren’t going to dump me are you?” he
asks immediately.

“Well, if you mention canceling my wedding
one more time, I might have to,” I say, laughing.

“OK, I promise I won’t. But you still could
dump me. Everyone tells me you are way too hot for me anyway.”

“This is true,” I reply.

“So, what are you doing?” he asks.

“Baking as usual. Abby and baby Ace stopped
by. I’m working on new ideas for Bev’s.” I look around at my
disastrous kitchen and let out a huge sigh.

“I can’t wait to see them; I’ll be home
tomorrow afternoon, and my mom wants us to come for dinner this
weekend. Are we free on Friday night?” Cole always checks with me
about our schedule. Other than his shows, he leaves all other plans
to me.

“Yes, we are free,” I say after checking my
calendar.

“Oh yeah, and mom asked if you wanted to
invite your grandmother. I told her I wasn’t sure. Are you in the
mood for a night of emotional torture?” Cole starts to laugh
hysterically. He knows how sensitive I am when it comes to my
family, so he really thinks it’s funny to tease me.

“Hmmm . . . I think your mom is enough to
handle at one time.”

“Word. I will see you tomorrow.”

After we hang up, I start to feel a tiny bit
guilty. Maybe I should invite my grandmother to dinner. A few
minutes later, after thinking about it, my feelings of guilt are
gone.

When Friday arrives, I have a very busy day
at the salon, and I’m tired,
very
tired. I received a call
from Susan (Cole’s mom) yesterday morning requesting a few dozen
cookies for a brunch she is attending on Saturday. So I was up
until the early morning hours working on those in addition to
setting up cookie displays and sending pictures to Bev with all my
ideas for the bakery feature. I managed to finish all of Susan’s
cookies and took my time wrapping each of them to bring to her
tonight. In addition to her last minute request for cookies, she
informed me that she took it upon herself to invite Grandmother to
dinner and she accepted. I considered calling in sick to dinner,
but I decided to just suck it up and take what comes.

After nine hours straight on my feet, I
arrive at my soon-to-be in-laws’ home. I absolutely adore their
house. It’s something you would see out of a Pottery Barn catalog,
probably because almost everything in it is from a Pottery Barn
catalog. Everything is bright, cheerful, and perfectly decorated,
not even one throw pillow is out of place. When Cole’s parents
bought the house, it was in shambles. They completely gutted it and
remodeled from ceilings to floors.

As I said, Susan is your typical matriarch
hosting parties, cooking fabulous dinners, and organizing family
gatherings. She threw us a beautiful engagement party a few months
back. Sienna and Craig nicknamed her June Cleaver and that’s not
far from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I really love her and she’s
always been so nice to me. I, however, have never seen her without
makeup or in anything other than designer clothing. Before I go
inside, I check myself in the mirror. I always feel that I need to
look my best when I come over here, and with my grandmother
attending tonight, that need is magnified.

Cole is already there when I arrive. He’s
sitting in his mother’s massive kitchen devouring some of her
delicious cooking. Have I mentioned that Susan is an amazing cook?
I feel like I gain at least five pounds every time I come here. Of
course, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s probably not too far off.
My grandmother has not arrived yet, so that gives me a few minutes
to gather my thoughts.

“Madison, you look wonderful as always.”
Susan greets me with kisses on both cheeks and a warm hug. Cole
gets up from his chair, grabs me, and swings me around in the
air.

“She always looks perfect!” he exclaims. “Way
too good for me.” He kisses me passionately and sets me back down
on the ground.

“Oh, honey, these cookies are perfect!” Susan
says happily as she looks in the box. “You’re so talented.” I can
feel the relief wash over me because she is happy with them. Even
though I’ve made countless cookies for her, I still get a little
nervous every time. After all, no woman wants to disappoint her
soon-to-be mother-in-law. I thank her and sit down with Cole at the
table.

“I’m so glad your grandmother was able to
make it tonight, and it will be so nice to finally meet your
cousins,” Susan says as she is stirring something on the stove. I’m
about to say something…um, what did she just say?

“Wait! What do you mean meet my cousins?” I
yell louder than I intended.

“Your grandmother is bringing your cousins
along. It’s so wonderful that we will get to meet more of your
family members, and I was so happy to hear that they’ve joined the
wedding party.”

“They’re coming tonight? Here? I, um, I
didn’t know that.” I hesitate and try to lower my voice. I think I
might pass out. I’m just so tired that I don’t know if I’m mentally
prepared to deal with the three of them. I excuse myself and run to
the bathroom with Cole following me.

“Mads, are you OK?” he asks worriedly.

“I think so; I just wasn’t expecting to see
them tonight,” I reply. “You haven’t met them yet and they can be .
. . well, they can be completely evil,” I explain. “I promise I’m
not exaggerating. I just hope that they’re on their best behavior
and that they don’t make a scene at my expense.”

“They better not; you know that I always have
your back,” he insists as he cradles my face in his hands. At that
moment, I feel my nerves calm a little.

“Thank you.” I give him a warm kiss and wrap
my arms around his neck.

“Although, I have to tell you that I’m really
excited to finally meet the wicked stepsisters. You aren’t wearing
any of their clothes are you? Are there any singing mice running
around?” he asks as he looks around on the floor.

“Haha! Although, you are my prince charming,
so I guess that would make me Cinderella,” I say with a big
smile.

“I suppose I am rather dashing,” he replies
with a horrible fake British accent. Just then, Susan interrupts
our private moment.

“There you are. Why did you run off so
abruptly?” She sounds very concerned. I contemplate explaining
everything to her, but I’m not sure I want to share the skeletons
in my closet just yet.

“I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous about
seeing my cousins. I haven’t seen them in a while,” I explain.

“Don’t you worry! When it comes to family, it
doesn’t matter how much time goes by,” she says as she pats my
arm.

This woman has no clue what is about to take
place. My grandmother alone is a piece of work; thankfully, they
have met and really got along well. I’m secretly hoping that the
Ellie I spoke with on the phone is the Ellie that shows up tonight.
Susan and Cole leave as I take a few more minutes to myself. As I
stand, there in Susan’s perfect guest bathroom it occurs to me that
maybe I’m completely over-reacting. Ellie and I did have a good
conversation, and ultimately they have gotten their way by being
asked to be in the wedding. That should be enough for them to be on
their best behavior and not make themselves look bad in front of my
new family.

Just then, I hear the doorbell ring and hear
several female voices. Cole knocks on the door.

“All hell is about to break loose, are you
ready?” he says, raising his eyebrows. He grabs my hand.

“I’m ready, but the question is, are you?” I
lean up on my tippy toes to give him another kiss, and we head to
the living room as if we are walking into a lion’s den.

Chapter 3

You can’t pick your family. I don’t think
there has ever been a more profound saying. I’m really hoping this
dinner party goes well. I’m sure Ellie will have plenty of snide
comments, but it’s not like I haven’t dealt with that before.

After Cole drags me out of the bathroom, I
was greeted warmly by my grandmother, not surprising because she
knows how much Susan and I get along. Grandmother will do anything
to make others think we are a perfect family. She’s always been
very concerned with how others perceive us.

“Madie, you look great as always,” Stephy
says. She wraps her arms around me with a big hug.

“Yes, she does!” Ellie chimes in. “Although,
you still can’t decide what to do with your hair. Aren’t you
worried that all of those chemicals will eventually make your hair
fall out?” She puts her arm around my shoulder and gives a small
squeeze.

“Ellie, you know I’m a stylist. It’s part of
my job description to change my hair, and no, I’m not worried about
it falling out.” I glance at Cole and I can see the excitement in
his face. He probably thinks we are about to throw down or have a
catfight—which would be a more appropriate saying in the presence
of my grandmother? I’m not saying that I’m a fighter by any means;
however, I’ve had my moments that I’ve had to defend myself.

“Well, I love that she changes it up,” he
says. “I feel like I have a different girl every month.”

“And you must be Cole; I’m Ellie,” she says,
giving him a once over. “Finally we meet, and I can’t tell you how
happy we all are for you and
our
Madie.” Ellie looks over at
me and gives me a big smile. I know I’m being extremely paranoid,
but I can’t shake the feeling that something just doesn’t seem
right.