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“Thank you for listening.”

“Of course.” I rub her back some more. “Do you want to stay up here? Go downstairs? Go home? Hunter and Holt were talking about having a bonfire.”

She pulls away from me, and as much as I don’t want to let her go, I do. She wipes her face. “I want to go hang out with our friends for a while longer.”

I hold out my hand for her. “Let’s go then.”

She lets me lead her out of the room and downstairs where we spend the rest of the night with our friends, laughing and talking around the fire.

Chapter nineteen

Sutton

“Want to put your dress on?” Becca asks.

My stomach rolls, and I close my eyes and take a few shaky breaths. I barely slept last night. I want to say it was because I was sleeping in a different bed, since I stayed here at Becca and Holt’s, but really, I think it was a combination of nerves and anxiety.

I blink open my eyes. “I-I think so.”

“You can change your mind,” she whispers, taking my hands in hers.

I give her a small smile. “It’s not that.”

“What is it then?”

I swallow. How do I tell her how I feel? That this is all beginning to feel real. Even though Sebastian and I haven’t shared more than a few hugs.

“I’m just nervous,” I finally settle on, not a complete lie. “This has turned into a bigger event than I was expecting.”

“Do you want to do something else? Go to the courthouse? Want me to kick everyone out except you two and the Justice of the Peace?”

I guess we could, but it’d be a shame to waste everything our friends have helped us organize in the past few weeks. The cake Madison made, the food that’s been catered, and the alcohol too. Plus, the hair and makeup that I and the rest of the ladies just sat through. All the pretty dresses and tuxedos. A big part of me wants to celebrate with my friends, walk down the aisle, get married, be someone’s wife. If only for a short time. Even if it is a farce.

“No. I need this to be believable, and I’ve kind of been looking forward to it.” I give her a sad smile. “That feels pathetic to say out loud since the marriage is fake.”

“It’s not. You’re allowed to be happy and excited for today.” I nod. She points to where my dress hangs on the door of the closet. “Do you want help? Or I can leave.”

“You can stay.”

My dress is fairly simple, most of the detailing being in the lace sleeves that go to my wrists and the lace that runs around the front and down the V of the neckline. Becca helps me with the zipper once I’ve stepped into it.

“You look gorgeous,” she says, taking a step back and eyeing me up and down.

There’s a knock on the door, and then Madison’s muffled voice comes from the other side. “Can we come in?”

“Yes,” I answer.

The door opens, and Madison, Hadley, and Ansley step into the room, all wearing different styles of navy-blue dresses, their hair and makeup on point.

“He’s going to lose his mind,” Ansley says, giving me a once-over.

My face heats up. “No, he won’t.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t pick out that dress with him in mind,” Hadley says.

“I didn’t.” Lies. “It was pretty, and in my size, and it has pockets.” I put my hands into the pockets, holding the dress out so they can see them.

“Pockets for the win,” Madison says.