Strawberry Wine (Strawberry Inn Book #2)

Chapter 28

BLAIR

“We have to leave in fifteen minutes!”

I don’t wait for Hayes to reply, I have too much to do to finish getting ready myself. I’m worried that I’m going to be a failure as a maid of honor if I don’t get to the ceremony site on time. Today is Angela and Harrison’s wedding and everything needs to go off without a hitch. I stayed up way too late last night binge-watching some new cake decorating show and before I knew it, it was almost two in the morning.

Cody spent the night last night but left early this morning to go to ready himself. We were just one week away from closing on the house and moving in together, we just needed to get through this wedding first. He was going to be here soon and I was just slipping into my dress. I still needed to touch up my make-up also. I’m really regretting that nap I just needed to take after breakfast.

Right as I slipped the dress on, I heard the front door open and close. Even if I wasn’t expecting Cody, I would know it was him based on the heavy footsteps as he climbed up the stairs. “Thank God you’re here, can you zip my dress up for me?”

“Wow…” He didn’t move further, just stared at me while standing in the doorway. 

“Everything okay, Cody?”

“It’s fine. You just look…you look stunning, Bear. It has been too long since I’ve seen you all fancied up like this.”

“Probably one of those formal team dinners after a season was over, huh?”

“Probably something like that. You look beautiful, Bear. I’m not sure I want to help you zip the dress up though.”

“Why not?” I glance over my shoulder at him rather than talking through the mirror.”

“Because right now I’m seeing all this supple skin and I want to nibble on it, not cover it.”

“Cody! Hayes is going to be coming out of his bedroom any moment now.”

He moves across the bedroom and stares at me as if he didn’t hear what I just said. His eyes are dark and full of lust and my entire body heats up just watching the way he looks at me. Once he’s standing behind me, Cody uses the lightest touch to run his knuckles down my spine. I hear him let out a small groan, probably something to do with the bare back, meaning I’m not wearing a bra. The straps are too skinny and I hate strapless bras. 

“Fuck, this is so hot.” I almost get on him for taking too long, but finally, he takes the zipper in his fingers and slowly pulls it up. I have to shimmy a bit so he’s able to zip it up all the way. The dress is a bit snugger than I remember it being when I did my final fitting last week, but the good news is it holds my breasts up even better, making them look absolutely fantastic in the mirror. Even I’m biting my bottom lip while staring into the mirror.

“I almost don’t recognize myself.”

“Mmm,” Cody lightly kisses the base of my neck, “I recognize you. You’re the love of my life, the women I couldn’t imagine being without.”

“I love you, Cody.”

“I love you too, Bear.”

Despite taking longer to get ready than I intended, we arrived at the ceremony site plenty early. Angela was already in the bridal suite after getting her hair and make-up done earlier. Her mom was with her, the two of them giggling about something when I walked in.

“Hey, you two!”

“Yay, Blair is here!”

“Were you worried I was going to miss this or something?”