Little Leaps

Chapter Twenty-Six

    "I'll see you soon." He smiles.

    "It's crazy to think that the next time I'll see you, we'll be getting married."

    "You'll finally be my wife, one more step closer to my ultimate goal."

    "Yes, indeedy."

    I follow Blake to the front door and take his hand. A smile creeps across his face as I pull him into another hug which makes him laugh. Since his ride isn't here, there's no way I'm missing out on the chance to hold him.

There's a knock on and we both grimace. Blake wraps one around my waist and opens the door with his other hand.

    Charlotte and Nora grin as they each hold up a bag of food and drink.

    "It's time to get our party on!"

    Blake nuzzles his face into my neck and nips the skin.

    "There goes sneaking through the window."

    His grip tightens on my waist as Charlotte grabs his arm. We're tugged towards the door until he lets go. Charlotte shoves him outside and points to the blue car on the street.

    "Kyle is waiting in the car."

    "Can't I say -"

    "Goodbye, Blake."

He pouts as the door is closed on his face.

"You're vicious," Nora mutters.

"Ava didn't get to say goodbye. You know they aren't seeing each other until their wedding day."

She shrugs her shoulders and wanders down the hallway.

    "It's not like he's leaving for a year, and besides, we have important plans to make."

    "Charlotte." Nora sighs.

    Nora loops her arm through mine and leads me to the main room. They place the bags of food and drink on the table and gather on the stools.

    "I know things have been stressful with the wedding and, um, yeah. So I was thinking we do a spa day. Since the boys are spending a couple of days together, we can do the same!"

    "Mm, that sounds perfect!"

    "Before you say anything else, I want to grab something."

    "Ugh, no, you can't sneak away." Charlotte frowns as she shakes her head.

    "Seriously, not even for presents?" I gasp.

    "What's this about presents?" Charlotte perks up which makes us laugh.

    "You're so bad!" Nora groans.

    "Don't you dare!" Her mouth drops. "I know you're excited for the presents too."

    "Give me two secs and I'll grab them."

    I race down the hallway and collect two boxes from the bottom of the wardrobe. When I return, Nora and Charlotte buzz with excitement. I slide a box in front of each of them. The two quickly remove the ribbon and open the box. Charlotte holds up the silk rose pink shirt and matching shorts.

    "Wow, these are stunning!"

    "Aw, cute, the robe has bridesmaid written on it." Nora grins.

    "What about you, Ava?" Charlotte pouts.

    "I have a white set with bride on it. Let's change and then we can eat and discuss plans."

    "Sounds good." Nora nods.

    Charlotte and Nora wander down the hallway while I retreat to the bedroom. I grab another box from the wardrobe and slip into the comfortable silk pj's. I know you're supposed to wear these the night before but tonight seems perfect for it.

    I enter the kitchen and grab three wine glasses from the cupboard and serve drinks. As I place the glasses on the table, Nora wanders out of the hallway with a glowing smile. She spins around and strikes a pose.

    "You look awesome." I grin.

    "Same to you! And damn, these are so comfortable."

    "I agree." I nod.

    Nora and I open the Chinese containers and spread them across the table. I grab plates and cutlery and join the girls at the table.

    My stomach rumbles which makes them laugh.

    "I assume that means we did well." Nora grins.

    "Hell yes! This smells delicious." I nod.

    We pile food onto our plates and Charlotte looks at possible ideas for the hen's night.

    "We can hit the usual nightclubs but what about a strip club?" Char beams with excitement.

    "No way, not happening."

    "Why not?" She pouts.

    "I don't like them. We can do everything else but that."

    "Fine," she grumbles.

    "Can we go out for dinner? Your Mum was hoping to be included in something."

    "That's a great idea because I do not want to see my mother in a nightclub." I laugh.

    "Food is always a good idea." Charlotte nods.

    Charlotte and Nora create a small list of possible venues. After some consideration, we twiddle the restaurant to one in the city and we found a beautiful day spa in the hills which overlooks a serene landscape.

    Once the plans are made, we pack the food up and head to the bedroom. Nora and Charlotte lounge across the bed while I find us something to watch.

    It doesn't take long for the girls to fall asleep due to the amount of food we consumed. However, it's hard to sleep without Blake beside me. I miss his snores which is something I never thought I would.

    I crawl to the end of the bed and sneak into the kitchen for a drink. On the way past the bench, I catch a glimpse of the notebook. I could work on the vows.

    Do I want to put myself through the mental torture right now? I have nothing else to do and these have to be written soon.

    I take the notebook and plonk onto the chair. The blank page is intimidating but I can't let that stop me from trying. I remove the cap from the pen and draw a love heart in the centre of the page. I scribble down the reasons I love him.

    It isn't a speech, but it's progress, and that's a good start.