Entice Me (Austin Singles 2)

We stopped outside the door to the pavilion. Drawing my brows in tight, I replied, “We have only been on a few dates. I mean, we’ve spent some time together and we talk for hours on the phone, but I don’t think Nash is . . . I don’t think he is thinking about things that way.”

“Oh, trust me, that boy is head over heels in love with you, Kaelynn.”

Tears built in my eyes. Charlie grabbed my hands and squeezed them. “Talk to me, Kaelynn. What’s really going on? Am I misreading your feelings for Nash?”

I shook my head. “No, not at all. I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with someone so quickly, but I know I’ve fallen for him hard. I’ve also kept something from him. Something that may make him change his mind about me.”

Charlie’s mouth opened. “Are you with another man?”

“What?” I asked, my eyes widened. “God, no! No, I would never ever do that to Nash. Ever. It’s nothing like that.”

Relief crossed over Charlie’s face. “Whew. Then whatever it is, I’m sure if you just talk to him it will all work out fine.”

I nodded. “Yes, you’re right.”

Terri skipped by us, pulling Morgan behind her as she sang, “I’m getting married tomorrow! I’m getting married tomorrow.”

Charlie soon followed after them as I stood there, frozen in place.

Nash. In love with me?

A chill ran through my body, causing it to shiver as I wrapped my arms around myself. The idea of being loved by such an amazing man made my body fill with pure happiness.

The sounds of women gasping had me snapping out of my moment of daydreaming. I glanced over and saw the three of them all standing in the entrance. I could see inside the pavilion now that Terri had turned on all the lights. It was stunning. Nearly everything was white. The only color in the room was the greenery on the tables and the silver chairs.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as I walked up next to the three other women.

Terri broke down and started crying. “It’s . . . It’s . . . I . . . It’s . . .”

“Stunning,” Charlie finished her thought as she walked into the room. “Terri, this is so you. Simple, yet elegant.”

Morgan walked into the room and spun around in a few circles, then turned to Terri. “Okay, I wanted to get married on a beach, but this is stunning.”

I placed my arm around Terri and gave her a hug. “You did beautifully. Terri, this is simply breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful reception room set up like this before.”

She wiped her tears away and made her way over to the tables. She picked up the white snowflake place card and covered her mouth. “Daddy. Oh, my goodness. He wanted to take care of the placeholders and surprise me.”

“A snowflake?” I asked.

“Since I was little, I said I wanted to get married in December with snowflakes all around.”

Glancing around, I covered my mouth and tried not to cry. “Terri, look!” I whispered, pointing up.

White and blue glass snowflakes hung down from the massive ceiling, catching the flicker of the faux candles that hung from the rafters.

Terri started to cry again, this time dropping down to the floor and burying her face in her hands.

“Thank goodness she came tonight. Do you know how pissed she would have been ruining her makeup?” Charlie said, dropping down next to her best friend.

“Do you like them?” Charlie asked.

“Like them?” Terri repeated, sniffling loudly. “I love them.”

“Good! It was my idea!” Charlie said, beaming with pride. I couldn’t help but laugh. Morgan also let out a chuckle as everyone sat on the floor surrounding Terri. Even though I hadn’t known Charlie and Terri for very long, it felt like we had been friends forever.

“Are you nervous at all?” Morgan asked.

Terri smiled and you could see how much her eyes sparkled. “Not one bit. Jim and I have been together for so long; I knew he was the one I was going to marry almost immediately. I knew it the first time he kissed me.”