Yes, Sir

Bonus Chapter Pt. 1

"So, you ready for the big day?" Brent asks me with a widespread smile.

In response I take a large gulp of my drink, hardly savoring its taste.

"I'm scared shitless," I admit to my friends, "I know I've been playing this off as calm, cool, and collected but not knowing anything about my own wedding scares me."

"Oh, it's going to be perfect, Laines," Thea tries to calm my nerves as she extends another glass of wine my way, "I've been beside Austin during the entire planning process. I know you are going to love it."

I nod my head despite not being fully convinced.

All I knew of our wedding was the time, place, colors, and who was apart of our wedding party. Austin had run our guest list by me. Besides a few distant relatives, I hardly had many guests to invite. Everyone I cared for would already be up there with me on my big day.

"C'mon, Laines. You know Austin has good taste. He's going to have everything perfect."

I smile, trying to ease my frustrations as I slouch into the booth. I was thankful to be doing something small and intimate with my friends. I hadn't expected anything major and had pleaded with Thea for there to be no male strippers.

I think Brent was especially happy about that. Mahalia, not so much. She had every intention of getting wasted tonight and was well on her way to doing such. Mahalia, being my bridesmaid, had settled her goals for my wedding to be her prime time to, and I quote, "Find a handsome man with a wallet made of gold." She was joking for all intents and purposes, but my wedding would certainly be the place to do it.

"I say you leave him at the altar and run off with me," Mahalia slurs as she lifts her glass in my direction.

"Here here!" Thea calls out, raising her glass too.

I nudge her, making her scowl in response as doing so had splashed some of her drink out of her glass.

"Hails, you know I love you, but I'm going to have to give the rose to Austin. Forgive me?"

Mahalia shrugs before leaning her head on the wall beside her.

"I cry for you, Lainey. Just make sure he knows you're mine," Mahalia winks and I can't help but nod.

We all engage in a simple conversation about the wedding and just catching up. We'd all been together just last week for drinks, Austin included. It had become our thing to go out every Friday night after work. Sometimes we would all go to dinner or our choice of bar, but I could have never imagined such a great group of friends just two years ago when I'd started working at Wood Enterprise.

I was laughing at something Brent had said when my eyes catch at an approaching figure.

"Holy shit," I say aloud, gaining the attention of my friends.

"Hey, Birdie. Long time no see, yeah?"

I felt like I had just seen a ghost.

"Dane," I pause, trying to accept his presence but failing at such, "What are you doing here?"

I hadn't heard from Dane in the last two years. I hadn't even caught up with his social media following his confession when he had caught Austin and me together. That felt like ages ago.

"I saw on your Gram's Facebook that you were getting married," Dane rubs the back of his neck awkwardly as he looks amongst me and my friends.

"Oh fuck," Mahalia says having finally grasped the situation, "Are you here to stop the wedding?"

I glare at Mahalia and kick her from under the table.

"Ow!" she pouts before taking another swig of her drink.