In Your Heart, стр. 32

“Have you guys found a house you like, yet?” I questioned, getting out of the car and grabbing the pizza boxes.

Emma wrinkled her nose as she fiddled with her keys, looking for the right one.

“No,” she sighed, opening the door and waving me inside. “Maddox wants to buy a piece of land and build a house, but that seems like a major headache to me. I’d rather get something older and remodel. Who knows what we’ll do,” she shrugged, tossing her keys on the kitchen counter.

The guesthouse was actually pretty large. It was two-stories, with two bedrooms upstairs along with a bathroom. Downstairs was the kitchen and living room. The living room used to be where the guys had band practice, but they’d long ago moved most of their instruments into the recording studio they’d installed in their parent’s home. The piano still remained though.

I took a seat on the couch and Emma turned the TV on before handing me the remote. The TV was huge—which I knew was Maddox’s doing. Emma rarely watched TV. She preferred her books and music.

I put the TV on one of the entertainment channels and set the boxes of pizza on the coffee table.

Emma lifted the lids and grabbed a slice. “I love pizza,” she moaned, taking a bite. “Pizza is life.”

I laughed, grabbing a piece for myself. “Do you love pizza more than Maddox?”

She pretended to ponder my words. “It’s a tie.” She tucked her legs underneath her and turned towards me. “This is nice. I can’t remember the last time we did something like this.”

“I think we were still in high school,” I mumbled around a bite of pizza. After we graduated Emma jetted off to L.A. with Maddox, and started writing songs for the band. I stayed behind and went to college. It’d been weird being without her at first, since we’d been friends since we were kids. Luckily, Ezra spent most of his time in Virginia so I’d still had him.

“Yeah,” Emma nodded her head in agreement, “it probably was.”

“Have you found a wedding dress?” I asked her. She was still struggling to discuss her wedding plans with me, but I really didn’t care. My relationship with Braden might’ve fallen apart, but I wasn’t angry with everyone else for being happy.

She bit her lip and set her pizza crust in the box. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that…I know it’s short notice, but I was kind of hoping that maybe you’d make my dress.” She held her breath while she waited for my answer.

Tears stung my eyes. “You want me to design your wedding dress?”

Let’s face it, Maddox was loaded and Emma made plenty of money on her own writing songs, so she could definitely afford to have one of the top celebrity designers to make her dress, but she wanted me.

“Of course,” she gasped. “Your designs are amazing! And I know you focus mostly on styling, but you’re an amazing designer as well, Sadie.”

I tackle hugged her and she laughed, wrapping her thin arms around me.

“I take it this means you’ll do it?”

We sat back up and I brushed my tears away. “Absolutely. Let’s brain storm tonight.”

She smiled widely. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” I told her. “So, have you picked a venue yet?”

She nodded. “Yeah, we’re going to get married here. We want to keep the wedding small, just our family and friends, so there’s enough space for that.”

“That’ll be nice.”

“I want to keep things simple,” she grabbed another piece of pizza, “you know me. I’m low maintenance.”

“It’ll be beautiful.” I knew whatever she had planned would be.

“I can’t believe I’m getting married.” Her face flushed with a pink hue. “I was never like you,” she continued, “I didn’t dream of falling in love and getting married, and yet here I am.”

“Things change,” I commented.

“They do,” she agreed.

I ate another slice of pizza and drew my knees up to my chest. “What kind of dress do you think you want?” I asked, already brainstorming in my head.

“Simple,” she said, and then laughed. “Can you tell that’s my thing?” Sighing, she tapped a finger against her lips. “I want it to be lightweight. It’s still going to be blazing hot in September, so I don’t want it to be heavy. Maybe something with a thin strap,” she suggested, “my boobs are too big to go strapless, I’d be afraid they might pop out.”

I laughed at her, making a mental note of the things she’d said. “I’ll get to work on some designs. We don’t have much time.”

She clapped her hands together, vibrating with giddiness. When we were younger Emma was always quiet and guarded, once she met Maddox she really came out of her shell. It was nice to see her so vibrant and living life, instead of hiding behind the pages of a book.

“You know,” she sobered, draping her arm along the back of the couch, “for a while I was scared to get married. I know Maddox has wanted us to get married for a while, but I thought it might change things—put more pressure on our relationship,” she shrugged. With a wistful smile she added, “But it hasn’t. In fact, I think I’ve fallen more in love with him through this whole process and I can’t wait to have him be my husband.”

I smiled, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m glad. You deserve all the happiness in the world.” And that was the truth. Emma had been through a lot at a young age and having a drunken asshole for a father had made her untrusting of guys. But Maddox had barreled into her life, breaking down all the walls she’d built around herself.

She tilted her head, a small smile gracing her lips. “So do you.”

I sighed. I should’ve known she’d find a way to circle back to my happiness, or lack thereof, eventually.

“I’ll find my happiness again,” I muttered, picking at a loose thread on the couch. “Things are just…rough right now.”

The breakup with Braden had taken a lot out of me. Even though I knew in my heart I’d never really loved him, I’d still spent two years with the guy, and there’d been fondness there. Throw on top of that the stress of running my store, and then skirting around my feelings for Ezra, and I was exhausted. Maybe things would get better in the Ezra department now that we had our agreement, but it was doubtful. I just hoped it didn’t make things worse.

“You know what you need?” She grinned, leaning towards me. “A vacation!”

I snorted. “I don’t have time for a vacation. I can’t leave the store.”

She shook her head rapidly. “You had a two-week honeymoon planned, Sadie. I think you can take a week off and go on a vacation.”

“By myself?” I hissed.

“No,” she shook her head, “we’ll all go. The guys, Remy, me and you.”

“I don’t know about this…” I trailed off. A vacation sounded nice, but…

“Please, oh please.” She held her hands beneath her chin and pouted her bottom lip. “We can get a beach house somewhere. I’ll plan the whole thing…okay, that’s a lie, I can’t plan very well so I’ll get Maddox to do it, but you won’t be bothered with any of it. I promise.”

“Do you think the others will agree?”

She pointed to her face and pouted again. “No one can say no to this face.”

I smiled, feeling myself grow a little excited. “Let’s do it!”

“Yay!” She stood up and started dancing around. Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her shorts she pressed a button and music flooded the small space.

Laughing, I stood up too and joined her crazy dancing.

Our laughter filled the air as we tripped over our own feet.

I’d been reluctant to agree to this sleepover, but it was proving to be exactly what I had needed.

HIS LIPS MOLDED to my neck and my fingers tangled in his silky soft hair.

It was safe to say I had an obsession with Ezra’s hair.

Actually, I had an obsession with the man himself. It was completely unfair how amazing he was. Inside and out.