“Hey, Aunt Beth,” I said, trying to make it sound like I was better but still in pain. There was no way I could explain that I was suddenly healed, so I was going to have to fake it for a little while.
“How are you?” she asked, relief heavy in her tone.
“Okay. Still sore but not as bad as before. I’ve been sleeping a lot,” I said.
Whitney shot me a knowing smirk, and I turned away from her so she wouldn’t distract me, which was a huge mistake, because Jax stood at the other end of the hall. He raised a brow, and my heartrate skyrocketed.
“Good. I expect you and Abby home in time for dinner tonight, okay?” Aunt Beth said.
I cleared my throat, my gaze locked on Jax. “Yeah, okay. See you then.” I ended the call.
“Still such a terrible liar.” Jax sauntered past me.
My face heated. I spun around and handed Whitney’s phone back to her. “Are we going to finish planning this wedding or what?” I asked as I stepped around her and headed for the living room, needing a moment to compose myself.
I hated how Jax still rattled me like that, especially when all he had to do was look at me or wink or make some stupid comment that held way too much meaning to the two of us. I took a deep breath and shoved away all thoughts of Jax. Today was about my future with Trent, and that’s what I needed to focus on.
As if on cue, Trent appeared behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, his chin resting momentarily on my shoulder before he shifted to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Everything good?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yup. I have to be home for dinner tonight, but other than that, everything’s great.” I twisted to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “We should’ve stayed in bed,” I whispered, then kissed him.
He chuckled against my lips. “I can drag you back there if you want.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
“No way.” Whitney grabbed my arm and pried me away from Trent. “We’ve got things to do. You”—she waved her hand in Trent’s direction—”go find something else to do for a little while.” Then she dragged me toward her room where Abby and Ellie were waiting.
When had Ellie gotten here? They both smiled when they saw me, and I returned the gesture as I joined them on the bed. Whitney shut the door, and all lingering thoughts of Jax vanished.
It was time to plan my wedding.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
The Elephant in the Room
AFTER SPENDING FOUR HOURS LOCKED IN Whitney’s room, my body ached from sitting in the same position for too long, and my brain was permanently ingrained with visions of accessories and hairstyles and shoes.
I stretched and followed Abby into the living room. Trent, Jax, Colt, and Isach were lounging on the couches, their gazes trained on the TV—until I entered the room. Then, all eyes were on me. What the heck?
Slowly, I made my way toward Trent, and he tugged me down onto his lap. “I didn’t think Whitney was ever going to let you out of that room.” He laughed.
“You’ll be happy to know all the big decisions have been made,” Whitney said with an air of authority. “Now, Chloe just needs to buy shoes, jewelry, and a veil.” She flitted toward the kitchen. “Who’s hungry?”
She was exaggerating just a tad—there was still quite a bit to decide, but I wasn’t about to argue with her. I draped my arm around Trent’s neck and rested my head on his shoulder, but my stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything since I got here Friday evening.
“I need to go home,” Ellie said. “I promised Mom I’d help her clean out the basement.” She scrunched up her face. “See ya tomorrow.” With a wave, she was gone.
Planting a quick kiss on Trent’s lips, I stood and joined Whitney in the kitchen. Karina was there, too, and they were busy piling food on top of the island counter—sandwich fixings, chips, leftover chicken, something that looked like meatloaf, and every single snack she could find. Whitney really did go all-out for everything.
“Help yourself.” Karina smiled.
“Thanks.” I took a plate from the counter. “Hey, Karina, I wanted to ask you something.” I cleared my throat. “Would you like to be a bridesmaid?”
She froze, her eyes wide, and then she nodded with excitement. “Oh, my God. Yes. Thank you.”
I grinned, pleased she’d accepted. One less thing I needed to worry about. I didn’t hesitate to make myself a sandwich and dump a pile of potato chips onto my plate. I carried my food to the table and sat.
Whitney claimed the seat across from me, her plate fuller than mine. I’d never understand why vampires ate so much human food when they didn’t need it to survive. Trent told me it was because it tasted good, and they liked it, but still… it seemed weird how much they always ate. Then again, maybe doing so helped them blend in easier.
“Thank you,” I said, swallowing a bite of my sandwich. “For all your help with the wedding planning. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Are you kidding? I’m having so much fun doing this.” She giggled, then leaned forward conspiratorially. “It’s all so… normal.”
I laughed. “Your kind doesn’t get married that often, huh?”
Whitney shrugged. “Sometimes, but it’s not usually a big affair, and we definitely don’t invite family.” Her voice dropped on that last word, and sadness hooded her eyes. All her family, except her brother, were dead.
“Well, thanks to you, this is going to be a great wedding.” I reached across the table, patted her hand, then took another bite of my food.
Karina joined us, her hazel eyes bright. A moment later, Trent, Abby, Isach, Colt, and Jax walked into the kitchen, laughing. The sight of them like that was, as
