The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Laura's Wedding (BCL Book 1) (3 page)

“Great, Laura’s here. Let’s tell her about our plans.”

L
aura was finally back in L.A. and she decided we needed to have brunch to discuss wedding details. Mainly for me, the brunch meant that I got to meet the man making all of this happen—Eddie.

I knew by now how they met and the
wonderful
reasons of their getting together. Even so, Laura didn’t have the brightest history with men, so I wanted to be sure she wasn’t making a huge mistake. While her taste was immaculate—she had this magnet to attract the most handsome men in a thirty-square-foot area—the results of such attraction were not. Usually, the men tended to turn into awful beasts after a few dates (alcoholics, workaholics, jealous, you name it), all resulting in them being assholes.

Not that it might make much difference…

As soon as I arrived at the fancy restaurant, the most popular one in the city at the moment, I approached the hostess and gave Laura’s first and last name. I was informed that someone in my party already arrived and that he had already been seated.

The hostess ushered me through the various tables and guests, until, in the most private corner of the restaurant, I was able to see our table and the person occupying it.

This can’t be happening.

The person sitting at our table was definitely someone I knew. Someone I actually had been avoiding for quite some time.

“Well, well. Good morning, babe,” the beautiful blond said to me.

I knew this guy. I’d constantly met him at bars and pubs around the city. He was always well accompanied by attractive ladies, but that didn’t stop him from hitting on me. Persistently, he’d tried for the past couple years to get my number and into my panties.

This man and I had a history…well, not really. We had a history of not having a history. He was an artfully known womanizer in the circles we frequented. Knowing exactly what I’d be getting myself into if I ever decided to tap that drop-dead gorgeous body of his, I had no choice but to reject him over and over again.

One drunken night I almost caved in.

We’d kissed for a while. His kisses made me all hot and wanton, especially when his lips went to my earlobe and neck, making their way to my chest. He was a wonderful kisser. That night, his mouth didn’t quite get to taste my aching nipples, as had been my desire at the time, though his skilled fingers had given them plenty of attention. His lips really drove me crazy, not only from their naughty words but from the wet trail they left on my body. He kissed even better than he looked, and that was saying a lot.

We’d made out until one of his bimbo girlfriends came up to us and asked if we were in a mood for a threesome. She was beautiful, but I would never be into that kind of scene. Been there, done that. And in my experience it never ends well.

It made me think about that time in college when my boyfriend begged me to have a threesome, and, well, if you don’t agree to those kinds of things in your early twenties, when exactly are you going to? It wasn’t nice, let me tell you. The experience only encouraged him into insisting I agree to just about everything else that made me uncomfortable, and after several refusals, he ended up having sex with another woman in front of me. Not exactly anything I could digest. The relationship was doomed from that moment. I never knew if that was the reason we broke up.  

Probably not. But still, ménage-a-trois—big no-no in my book.

By the looks of it, though, he had no problem with it. He was totally my type, blond and beautiful. Whether he was a womanizer or not.

Laura couldn't be marrying this man.

“Oh, God. Not you. You’re a man whore!”

He stood as soon as the statement escaped my lips. He didn’t look offended. I guess he was used to my rejections by now. “Nice to see you, too,” the handsome man said. “I like knowing that you miss me.”

“Miss you? You wish! I can’t believe you’re marrying my best friend.” And I really didn’t.

“No offense, babe, but I’m not the one marrying Laura. I’m Ed’s friend. Name’s Josh, remember?”

Oh, right. Josh. For a moment there, I thought I had to talk Laura into canceling the wedding.

“Have a seat, angel.” Josh had this habit of talking to me as if we were close. “Our friends are running a little late. I’d like to take advantage of having you all to myself.”

We weren’t close.

“Knock it off with the chivalry. Ain’t gonna happen.” I’d lost count of the number of times I’d turned him down. He kept trying to get his hands on me again after that failure of a night, but I kept rejecting him. It was a little game we played now. He probably thought I was flirting. And I couldn’t say I wasn’t. He was absolutely gorgeous. But I didn’t do repeats, and I didn’t do
that
gorgeous.

“A man can only dream,” he said playfully, smiling. Man, he had a great smile. And that hair. His dirty-blond hair looked like he half attempted to get it into style without success and gave up. As if he didn’t care. But I knew just how much he cared; it showed in his eyes. Those eyes—they were as gray as steel and manifested the storm of my attraction to him.

“Kassie. Kassie!” Laura distracted me before my thoughts took me to all the wrong places. I was totally attracted to Josh, even if I wanted to deny it. Which was why I kept my distance and avoided him at all cost.

Thank God I wasn’t alone with him anymore.

Laura ran to me and gave me a big hug. It was silly that knowing she was getting married made me feel protective about her. She and I had partied a lot and went clubbing regularly. Laura always ended up in someone’s handsome arms. Even though I always took care of her, I couldn’t remember feeling this protective over her. It was probably due to her fast engagement and my not knowing who the heck she was marrying.

“Oh, Laura! Finally, you’re here.” I was a bit afraid of her standing us up, and me ending up completely alone with Josh. “You look amazing!” And somehow, she looked and felt different. Not only did she come across as mega beautiful and extremely joyful, but in a way, she had an aura of maturity around her. It suited her.

Surprisingly, it did.

“I know, right? I went to my stylist the moment I got back. I needed a whole new look and wardrobe. After all, I’m a bride-to-be!” It took her a moment to acknowledge the man standing beside me. “Oh, I see you met Josh. He’s Eddie’s best friend.” 

Yeah, well, hopefully their friendship didn’t reflect too much about Eddie’s character.

“So where’s Ed, sweetheart?” Josh hugged her and kissed her cheek politely. It was the first time I’d seen him use anything other than a hand-on approach. Weird. However, we
were
standing in plain daylight in an open restaurant, and she
was
marrying his best friend, so maybe he did have some boundaries.

“He’ll be right here. He went to park the car.” Laura couldn't keep from smiling as she talked about her fiancé. “You know how he is. No one gets to drive his car but him.”

“Sure. He doesn’t like people playing with his things,” Josh commented as he took his napkin from the table and sat while placing it back on his lap. “Too bad for me, right Laura?” He winked at her.

There was the man I knew, crossing the boundaries however he liked.

Regardless, Laura didn’t seem to mind. “Josh, you’re such a flirt.” She brushed him off as she sat next to me. “Have you guys ordered something to drink? How about mimosas?”

“Isn’t it a little early?” I knew she was excited about the wedding, but having champagne this early in the day made me nervous.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for partying all day long. Especially when there was a good reason to do it. But somehow, this reunion was making me feel uneasy. That uneasiness bordered on turning into frustration and annoyance. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this brunch meeting was fated to be a disaster.

“It’s fine, Kassie. We’re celebrating!” Laura was so full of enthusiasm and happiness, it was hard not to get infected. “If you’d rather have some Perrier, go for it. I don’t really mind.”

Seeing her this happy was really revealing. Only a really good man could make her glow like this. I’d heard her over the phone, and her excitement seemed sincere, but now that it was up close and personal, I could only think about how good Eddie must be for her.

“Have some champagne, babe. Don’t ruin the fun,” Josh told me.

It wasn’t my intention to be a buzzkill. I just had a few reservations, namely drinking on an empty stomach and…well, Josh being so close to me.

As if reading my mind, he took my hand in his. I pulled it back as fast as I could, and after a second I realized that was ridiculously rude. Laura noticed and frowned at me. Josh didn’t comment or try to hide the event with some kind of joke; he just stared toward the front door of the restaurant. Maybe he was finally getting it.

“Oh, here he comes,” he said. Maybe he’d ignored me because he’d found Eddie walking toward us.

Anyhow, I was happy to not be the center of his attention anymore.

I turned around in my seat to see Eddie coming our way. Oh, shit.

I wanted my eyes to be lying to me. The moment I saw Josh, I knew the day was going to be rough, but now…him? I couldn’t believe it.

“You dog. You’re getting married!” Josh was the first to approach him. He gave Eddie a bear hug and a few slaps on the back. “I can’t believe I’m losing my wingman.”

Funny, that’s how I felt about Laura. But at the moment, I could only look at Edward. And he noticed.

He and I definitely had a history. A true history. In my threesome college experience, Edward had been the M in the F-M-F group.

That’s right.

He’d been my first love and had pretty much messed me up forever. It wasn’t something I even allowed myself to think about—the only moment of weakness I’d ever had with a man. I thought I’d left that part of my life behind me in Massachusetts after I’d finished college and moved on.

I was so very thankful in that moment that my friends didn’t know about this part of my past. They’d all stayed in California to study (except Denise, who went straight to work after getting married), but I’d been offered a scholarship at UMass and gladly left for the best education I could afford. I’d also accepted, a little shamefully, that I somehow managed to disconnect from my friends during this phase of my life, since Edward and school had been the only focus. Our relationship had lasted a little too long, exactly between Denise’s and Natalie’s weddings.

Apparently, today the past had chosen to come right back at me.

What a way to start this wedding adventure.

“Stop it, Josh. We’ve got company.” Edward brushed Josh off him and went to Laura. He gave her a tender hug and a steamy kiss, then looked into her eyes and asked, “Did you order something to drink, honey?”

“We sure did,” Laura said as she melted into him. “Mimosas are on the way, although Kassie didn’t want to have alcohol this early. Oh, I’m sorry. Eddie, this is my best friend Kassandra. Kassie, this is my future husband Edward.”

“Hello, Kassandra,” Edward said as he looked at me intensely. He remembered me. I could see it in his eyes. I learned to fear those looks of his; back then I would have done anything he asked of me if he looked at me that way. And I had.

“Hi.” There wasn’t anything else I could think of saying. At least, I couldn’t think of anything appropriate for our meet-and-greet brunch reunion.

We finally sat and took a look at our menus. The last thing on my mind at the moment was eating. I needed a drink. Whiskey sounded way more appealing than mimosas.

I could feel Josh looking at me, but I did my best to ignore him. I also felt Edward’s eyes on me every now and then. Even though Josh and Laura were the ones sitting next to me, I could sense Edward the most, all the way from across the table. I didn’t want to look up and run the risk of meeting his gaze.

How was I supposed to explain this to my friend?

“You won’t believe this, Eddie. Apparently, Kassie and Josh already know each other,” Laura lightly commented. She was completely ignorant of the fact that I knew her future husband—intimately—and I wasn’t about to explain it to her.

“It doesn’t impress me, to be quite honest. Josh is a total whore.” He sounded cold and bored. Exactly as I remembered him.

Was that what he really thought about Josh, or was it about me?

“What can I say? Life is good,” Josh commented as he placed his arm around me. This time, I didn’t even move. When I thought about it, I probably wasn’t even breathing right then. 

“Sure it is. And because of our wedding, Kassie gets to be my maid of honor and you get to be Eddie’s best man. Pretty cool, huh?” Laura was in her own little wedding world, oblivious to the hell I was living at that very moment.

“The best,” Josh confirmed. “Especially ‘cause I get to play around with the bridesmaids.”

“Well, not much, I’m afraid,” Laura said playfully. “All my friends are married except Kassie.”

I knew what she was trying to do; she knew that Josh was exactly my type. 

Think again, Laura.

She had no idea that Edward had actually been the one who set the trend when it came to
my
type
. Edward was excruciatingly handsome—movie-star beautiful. With light blond hair and crystal-clear blue eyes, he was irresistible. Not only that, but now that he’d “grown up”, now that he wasn’t just a college boy, he’d gotten a lot better at showing everyone just how handsome he was. His refined suit and expensive-looking shoes screamed
money
. And that was probably the first thing that had attracted Laura to him.