Cupcake Explosion (Cupcakes 4)

I chuckled and put my arm around her shoulder as we all started walking.

“We can go grab some food before we head to the cabin, if you’d like,” I suggested, thinking they must be hungry if they’d only had tiny pretzels to snack on.

“I vote for food,” Elin said.

I gave him a look that said, I wasn’t talking to you, but he just grinned at me.

“Me too,” Pops said.

“I could eat,” Mom agreed.

“Food it is, then.”

We loaded up the van and headed into town. I wanted to go somewhere with fast service, but still yummy, and local, so I pulled into Jake’s and called it good. Jake’s had something for everyone, plus, booze. How could we go wrong?

I tried to keep my focus on the present and be in tune with the conversation around me, but my mind would drift sporadically, and I found myself thinking of meeting Carmen that night and hopefully finding Scam.

“Is everything ready for the wedding, Lila?” Cade’s mom asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yes,” I replied. “They’ll be coming by this week to finish up landscaping and will have everything set up by Friday. There may be a couple times when I ask one of you to be there at the cabin for drop off, if that’s okay.”

“Of course, anything you need. I just need you to point me in the direction of the supermarket, so I can get what we need for the food. Alani and I want to prep as much as we can.”

“My friends offered to help, if you need anything, as well.”

“Oh good, I’ll get their information from you. How about the dress? Did you pick one?” she asked.

I thanked the waiter for our drinks, then turned to my soon-to-be mother-in-law with a smile.

“Yes, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh.” Cade’s mom brought her hands to her mouth. “I cannot wait to see it on you, as you walk toward my boy and become his wife.”

We both started to tear up.

“Oh, boy,” Elin said to Pops. “What is it about weddings that turns girls into crybabies?”

Pops looked at Elin in surprise.

“Seeing two people in love commit to spending their lives together is a beautiful thing,” he informed my son. “Especially when it’s your child, and he’s marrying a wonderful woman like your mother.”

Elin looked down, upset at being chastised by a man he looked up to.

Pops put his hand on Elin’s shoulder and said, “You’ll see, Mo‘opuna, when you stand up with Cade and agree to allow him to not only cherish your mom, but you and your sister as well . . . It’s an emotional thing. Don’t be afraid to feel it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

“Okay, Pops,” Elin said softly, playing with the wrapper from his straw.

I smiled at Pops, even more choked up than before.

“Thank you,” I whispered, managing to keep it together. At least for now.

“You’re welcome,” he said, then clapped his hands together and added, “Now, tell me who it is I need to contact about my pig.”

“Cade’s VP, Slade, is the one who’s supposed to take care of that. I can text him for you or give you his number.”

“I’ll take the number, you have enough on your plate.”

Oh, thank goodness, I thought. If I talked to Slade I probably wouldn’t have been able to hold my tongue about Cade and the Diablos Rebeldes.