Page 77 of I’d Be Honored

By the time they stepped back to take in their work, the terrace had become a romantic oasis, glowing with Caitlin’s dedication to her bride.

“Lara’s going to slip out of the reception a few minutes early tomorrow night to make sure all the lights and candles are lit. I have a bottle of champagne inside that I’ve asked her to bring out and put on ice, along with the crystal flutes I had engraved with our names and wedding date. She’s also going to bring back two slices of our cake—in case we don’t get to eat any. I just want everything to be perfect.” Caitlin twisted her engagement ring, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice.

“It will be.” Maddie put her arm around Caitlin’s shoulders.

“Oh!” Caitlin grabbed a nearby box. “And I wrote her this.” She pulled out a small frame holding a lined sheet of paper, filled with Caitlin’s looping script. “I wanted her to have a new letter, one to hopefully replace the memory of that stupid note I left back in college.”

If Maddie could have bottled the adoration her best friend felt for Gemma, she would have. The intensity of their connection was staggering, the kind of unflappable devotion that was impossible to ignore. Every wide, sincere smile on Caitlin’s face tugged at Maddie’s heart and stirred a fresh ache of longing.

It would be enough, she thought, if Hayley felt even half of that steady, unstoppable love for her.

“It’s beautiful, Cait. She’s going to love it,” Maddie assured. “I’ll try to stay out of your way tomorrow night. I’ll probably end up sleeping at Hayley’s anyway.” She told herself it was to give her best friend some privacy on her wedding night, but the truth was much simpler. She really just wanted to savor every last moment she could with Hayley.

“You’re never in the way.” Caitlin nudged her arm affectionately. “You can always be here. Just… maybe not out here. Things will not be PG,” she giggled, and Maddie held her glass up to Caitlin in a toast.

MADDIE’S ALARM JOLTED HER AWAKE. SHE wandered into the kitchen expecting Caitlin to be asleep, but instead found her standing on the kitchen counter, arms outstretched, shouting, “I’m getting married today!”

Caitlin was happier than Maddie had ever seen her—and that included Christmas Day eight years ago. Maddie had celebrated the biggest payday of her career by giving Caitlin an early birthday present. She could still remember the confused look on her best friend’s face as she’d handed her a polished silver Thunderbird keychain.

Maddie had led her outside, and there in the driveway sat a 1966 Ford Thunderbird Convertible, painted in the same iconic Tahoe Turquoise as the one that Thelma and Louise had driven across the country. Caitlin had jumped onto Maddie’s back in excitement, screeching so loudly that the neighbors had come to investigate.

Now, watching Caitlin nearly brush the kitchen ceiling with her fingertips, Maddie doubled over in laughter, fighting for her breath. Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” filled the house, and her best friend spun in place, belting out, “Ohhh, I wanna dance with somebody.” Caitlin didn’t miss a beat before switching the lyrics to “I wanna feel the heat with my wiiiiife.”

Maddie joined in, shaking her hips as she made coffee for them, letting the day’s excitement settle into her bones.

Caitlin’s assistant arrived within the hour, moving with practiced efficiency as she unfolded director’s chairs and set up ring lights for glam. She double checked the wedding dress hanging in its plastic covering, making sure everything was ready for the moment her boss had been dreaming about.

The weeks leading up to the wedding had blurred together in a haze of white lace, last-minute decisions, and endless checklists. Maddie had drifted through it all like she was watching someone else’s life, not living her own.

Standing in front of the mirror now in her maid-of-honor dress, Maddie felt the air grow unexpectedly heavy with the weight of it all.

Her hands, usually so steady, trembled against the fabric. Just thinking about seeing Hayley soon, walking toward her down the aisle, made Maddie’s legs feel weak.

She looked at her reflection again and lifted her chin, a steely determination settling into her eyes. She drew a long, slow breath into her lungs and headed to the kitchen to wait for Caitlin’s big reveal.

Another fifteen minutes later, Caitlin stepped around the corner in her white gown, and Maddie’s vision blurred as she fought to keep her makeup intact.

“I said I wasn’t going to cry,” she sniffled, plucking a tissue from the box she had set on the counter earlier, fully aware that this moment would get the best of her. “Cait, you’re beautiful.”

“My maid of honor looks absolutely stunning as well.” Caitlin leaned in for an air-kiss, so they wouldn’t undo the hours they’d spent getting ready. “I can’t wait to see Gemma!” She bounced on the balls of her feet.

Maddie understood the feeling exactly.

“Let’s go get your bride.” She smiled, thinking only of the other woman who would be waiting at the end of the aisle.

Maddie crouched and carefully lifted the end of Caitlin’s lace train, then followed her best friend out to the white limousine waiting for them.

——

Once inside the Upper West Side penthouse, Maddie trailed close behind Caitlin toward a room where they planned to wait until the guests had all been seated. They were giggling, tiptoeing down the hallway like schoolgirls when Maddie’s world came to a halt.

Around a corner, speaking to someone she couldn’t see, stood the most gorgeous woman Maddie had ever laid eyes on. Her champagne suit, cut from the same cloth as Maddie’s own dress, had been flawlessly tailored to trace every curve of her figure. And her lips…

Oh God, her lips.

Hayley’s full, softly parted lips had been painted with a smoldering shade of red that reminded Maddie of the satin lingerie set she had worn on the night she’d claimed Hayley.

Maddie’s pulse kicked hard, a sharp rush that made her need to catch her breath.