Chapter 48

I wake up from one of the best nights of sleep I’ve ever had.

“Alex! Get your ass up! We’re leaving in fifteen minutes and you’re driving!” Sam bursts open my door, and I give her a thumbs up to signal that I’ll be down soon.

I rummage through my clothes to find something to wear, settling on some boyfriend-style black denim shorts, a tight orange tank top, and white converse.

With just enough makeup to look awake, I let my hair fall naturally in its usual messy waves. For once, it seems to be cooperating.

Descending the stairs, I find people already preparing to leave for the fitting.

“Okay, who am I driving and which car are we taking?” I ask, sliding my aviators onto my face. Heads swivel in my direction, and I find Knox leaning against the wall, his gaze meeting mine.

Damn, he looks good today. I can feel the heat creeping into my cheeks. His tan is accentuated by blue shorts and a crisp white t-shirt, paired with black vans.

“You’re driving the seven-seater G-Wagon,” comes the reply. “Kyle, Andy, Hannah, Ben, Wes, and Knox are going with you. I’m going with mom and Eric. The others have already left, so they’ll meet you there.”

Just what I wanted to hear.

“Shotgun!” Andy yells, her arm shooting into the air. A chorus of curses follows, particularly from Kyle. We all head towards the car, waving goodbye to our parents, Sam, and Tyson.

“Why are the boys coming?” I ask Hannah, who’s walking alongside Ben and me.

“Tyson didn’t want to be the only guy there, and Sam insisted he come along to give his ‘opinion’,” she explains, making air quotes and rolling her eyes.

“Your sister is one scary woman,” Ben shudders, his gaze drifting off into the distance. We all pile into the car, Andy up front with me, and Hannah in the back with Ben.

The other three—Kyle, Wes, and Knox—are in the middle row, looking less than thrilled about their seating arrangement. I can’t help but laugh at their sulking faces.

Knox is in the middle, and I catch his eyes in the rearview mirror more times than I’d like to admit. Memories of last night keep flashing through my mind.

~That tongue working wonders down low for me.~ Focus on the road, Alex!

The drive to the shop takes about half an hour, so Andy takes over as DJ, plugging her phone into the aux cable.

“Let’s play a good girly song—one of Alex’s favorites!” She smirks, scrolling through her phone. I know whatever song she chooses will be anything but girly, so I roll down my window.

~You better check yo self before you wreck yo self~

“Alex! Get out here now so they can tailor you, and I want to see it! I haven’t seen the dresses on people yet!” Sam’s voice echoes through the room.

“Someone’s a little impatient,” I mutter under my breath, earning a chuckle from the woman behind me. I step out onto the platform, the dress swishing around my ankles. The room falls silent.

Oh no, they don’t like it.

“Wow, Alex! You look—” Andy begins, his voice trailing off.

“Beautiful.” The deep voice behind me sends a shiver down my spine. I glance in the mirror to see Knox, his gaze locked on mine.

My heart races. He thinks I’m beautiful. Or is it just the dress? It must be the dress.

I run my hands over the fabric, looking at my reflection. “The dress is beautiful, isn’t it?”

I turn to the side, catching Kyle’s eye. “The dress is pretty, but you look beautiful, sis.” I see heads nodding in agreement, mouths hanging open in surprise.

“Damn, am I marrying the wrong sister?” Tyson teases, earning a smack from Sam.

I turn to face Sam. After all, it’s her wedding. If she doesn’t like the dress, I won’t be wearing it. I hold out the dress, looking down at myself. “Well? What do you think? Do you like it?” Her eyes scan me, a critical look on her face. Please like it. Please like it.

“No, I don’t like it…” My heart sinks. Back to square one. I start to lift the dress to step down from the platform when she continues, “I love it.”

She rushes over, hugging me tightly. “You look so beautiful, Alex. You’ve left a few boys speechless in this room.” She grins, sitting next to my mom who’s crying on the sofa.

I laugh, rolling my eyes as I walk over to her. “Alex, you look so beautiful,” she whispers, her fingers covering her mouth.

“Beautiful is an understatement,” Delilah adds, her eyes welling up with tears.

They both start crying harder, and I see Knox making his way over to his mom, a smile on his face. “Mom, stop crying, will you?” He’s trying not to laugh, biting his lip.

But his smile brings back memories of last night, his blue eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher.

Once they’ve composed themselves, I start to head back to the changing room. But before I can get far, Knox touches my arm. “Can I talk to you?”

We make our way to the changing room, closing the door behind us. “What’s up?” I ask, standing in front of him. His eyes roam over the dress. “Knox? What’s up? Is there something you need?”

“Oh, um… well, I just got a call from my agent. The Science Conference publicist called her to ask if you’d consider speaking at the Girls in STEM talk? It’s in New York, and they said they’d pay.”

“What? Are—what?” I stand there, stunned. “I—I can’t even talk in front of people.”

He steps closer, placing his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable. I can tell them you can’t do it. But I’ll be there with you.”

“What? What do you mean you’ll be there with me?”

“I’ll be going to New York for an event with People magazine for an award.”

“What award?” I blurt out.

“Uh—sexiest… man alive thing.”

I raise an eyebrow, smirking. “Don’t give me that look, baby doll! Look, if you decide to do it, will you come with me to the event? If you don’t want to do it, will you still come with me to the event?”

“What about Lauren? Wouldn’t she be better at that than me?”

“I’m asking you, not her… But if you don’t want to go, I’ll go myself. If it’s any consolation, I think you should do the talk. You’d be a good role model for girls, regardless if they’re interested in a career in STEM.”

“What? Me? I—” I pause, weighing the pros and cons. I’ve never been good at public speaking. But this is a great opportunity to make a name for myself in the STEM industry.

Come on, Alex. Just do it!

“Fine, I’ll do it. But I have two conditions. One, all the money I’m getting goes to help girls get an education in STEM programs. And two, no personal questions about me. Only about the science and engineering aspect.”

He grins, pulling out his phone. “So that means you’ll be my date?”

My heart races at the word ‘date’. Is that what this is? No, it’s not a date. You’re just his date.

“Sure, I mean, I’m there already, right?” I try to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Perfect! The event is in the next few days. My agent will fill you in on the details,” he said, circling around me to reach the door. He swung it open, then paused, leaning back into the room. “Oh, and baby doll?”

“Yes?” I responded, twisting my body to look over my shoulder at him.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” he said, winking at me before he closed the door behind him. His words sent a pulse rippling through my body.

My heart pounded in my chest, my palms were slick with sweat, and I could hear my own breath echoing in my ears. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and I stood there, frozen, staring at the closed door.

He just called me beautiful.

I quickly changed out of the dress and back into my own clothes, not waiting for the woman to come help me. I hung the dress back on its hanger, left the room with it in hand, and handed it off to the woman.

I wouldn’t need any further adjustments until a week before the wedding. We’d all have to try our dresses on again to ensure they fit perfectly.

I walked back out to the group, who were standing and sitting around, watching the other bridesmaids model their dresses. Amy, Sam’s college friend, was currently showing off hers. She looked gorgeous, and her smile told me she loved it too. My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see a message on the screen.

Wes: Can I talk with you?

I looked across the room and nodded towards the door, signaling that we could talk outside. He followed me out, closing the door behind us as we walked out to the parking lot.

I kicked a small rock on the ground, sending it skittering towards a secluded spot. There was a bench under a tree where we could sit.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, breaking the silence. The distant sounds of cars and car horns filled the air. Wes sat down next to me, his eyes meeting mine.

“Yeah, well - I -”

He was nervous. I could tell by the way he was rubbing the back of his neck.

“You looked gorgeous in that dress, Alex.”

I felt my cheeks heat up. Two compliments in one day. “Thanks, Wes, but-”

“No buts, sweetheart. You looked amazing.”

“Is that why you called me outside?”

“Um, no. Well, I wanted to tell you that, but I also wanted-”

“Baby doll, it’s all set up. We’re leaving next Wednesday night - Wes?”

“Hey, where are you guys going?” Wes asked, his eyes never leaving Knox. The tension between them was palpable.

“Oh, Knox has this event in New York, and the Science Conference wants me to talk about girls in STEM, so I agreed to it. Don’t ask me why! I still don’t know why I said yes.”

“You’ll be fine, sweetheart! You’ve got this,” he said, patting my thigh.

“Thanks. You wanted to ask me something? Or say something?”

“Uh, yeah. I was wondering if... I - I could take you out sometime?... Like, on a date?”

I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. A date? A real date? Was he serious? I glanced behind me to see if there was someone else there, but there was no one.

“What?” Knox asked, drawing my attention back to him. He was glaring at Wes, who was meeting his gaze head-on. Please don’t let them fight again.

“R-Really? Me? Why?”

“I like you. I always have, Alex... So, can I, uh, take you out?”

“No!” Knox interjected, and I shot him a hard look. He didn’t get a say in this.

“Knox! That’s not your decision!... Um - sure, I’d like that. But just so you know, I’m not ready to get back into something serious. My mind is still a mess right now, and I don’t want to lead you down that road if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“That’s cool. We can keep it casual. Get to know each other a little better, more than friends?”

Knox grunted to my left, but I kept my gaze on my feet. He better not tell Kyle about this.

“Knox, not a word to Kyle, do you hear me!” I warned. Kyle might kill Wes.

“Baby doll, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Knox said.

“Shut up, Knox! Nobody asked for your opinion!” Wes snapped, gritting his teeth.

“Sweet cheeks! Sam wants you inside,” Ben called out, leaning against the door, oblivious to the tension between us.

I maneuvered around them and headed inside, leaving them to whatever was said next. I had no idea what it was, but I could only imagine.

“Did I interrupt something? A threesome?” Ben asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, trying to coax me into spilling the beans.

“Wes asked me out,” I said nonchalantly, though it was anything but. Wes Avery had asked me out on a real date. I never thought he saw me like that.

“Ahhhh, so that’s why Carter is in his face,” Ben said. Before I could ask what he meant, Sam pulled me over to the side with the other bridesmaids, along with Hannah and Andy.

“I need to talk to you two at the house alone,” I whispered to them. They gave me a skeptical look, but I pleaded with them not to say anything to the guys or anyone else.

As soon as we got back to the house, I parked and mouthed ‘My room’ to Hannah and Andy. They got the message and climbed out of the car, heading into the house.

The entire way home, I could feel both Knox’s and Wes’s eyes on me, and on each other. I refused to look at either of them. Was I making the right decision?

All three of us ran up to my room, and I told Sam to meet us up there when nobody was looking. We sat on my bed, waiting for Sam to join us.

Andy saunters in, securing the door behind her and filling the room with music from my speakers. We’ve learned the hard way that the boys have a knack for eavesdropping, so we’ve developed a system to keep our girly chats private. Andy shoots me a puzzled look, and I usher them into my bathroom.

“The boys have a habit of eavesdropping on our conversations, so we play music to keep them at bay,” Sam explains to Andy.

Just like old times, Sam perches on the sink, I settle on the toilet seat—lid down, of course—and Hannah nestles into the tub. Andy joins Hannah, and I close the door behind us.

“Alright, spill it! What’s the big news?” Hannah initiates the interrogation.

“Okay, so... oh god, how do I put this—”

“Alex!” Sam interjects, her tone a warning.

“Wes asked me out... like on an actual date! And Knox was right there when he did it....”

“WHAT?!? You lucky bitch!” Hannah shrieks, her jaw dropping and her hands flying to her blonde hair. I cover my face with my hands, groaning.

“What did you say? Did you say yes?” Andy chimes in, her face a picture of surprise. I imagine I wore a similar expression when Wes asked me.

“Well, I said yes to the date....”

“And what did Knox say?” Sam asks, leaning back against the counter with a knowing smirk. I meet her gaze, debating whether to answer or deflect.

She flicks her hair over her shoulder, crossing one leg over the other.

“He said no, didn’t he? That’s why he’s been walking around like someone shoved a pole up his ass. I know him too well. I knew he was pissed about something, I just thought it was about that phone call he took,” Sam muses, her gaze drifting to the ceiling.

“Well, yeah, he said no. Kyle would’ve said the same. He was on a business call, and trust me, the only person annoyed about that is me, not him.”

“What? Why are you annoyed? Are you two dating too? Is he going away and you want to go with him—”

“No! We’re not dating, Sam, don’t be ridiculous! I have to go to New York with him. I’m giving a talk at the Science Conference about girls in STEM, and we’re attending the People’s magazine event. He’s receiving his award for sexiest man... thing.”

“We?” Andy’s lips curl into a smug smile.

“Yes, ‘we’. I’m only going because I’ll already be there for the talk. So don’t give me that look!” I point at her as she taps her fingers against the side of the tub.

“Has Knox asked you out yet?” Hannah asks innocently.

“What? No! He will never ask me out, he doesn’t see me like that. I’m practically his little sister—”

“A little sister that he kisses? Well, in that case, your brother is my brother... Oh God, that sounds weird.”

Andy grimaces as the last few words leave her mouth.

“Yeah, don’t ever say that again! Please! That’s our brother!” Sam holds her hands up in front of her, looking between me and Andy.

“Look, if you like Wes, then go out with him. It might be fun. But don’t tell the guys! They’ll flip. We’ll cover for you if you really want to go out with him. But damn! Wes Avery, how did you land that?” Sam asks, eyeing me up from her perch on the sink.

“It was the dress today, wasn’t it? I swear the boys in that room couldn’t take their eyes off you!” Sam reminisces about the moment I walked out in the dress.

“And we all heard what Knox said when he finished my sentence,” Andy adds, pointing around the room at my sister and best friend.

“He came to the room when I was changing and said it again,” I confess, smiling down at the floor as I recall the moment he called me beautiful.

“Oh my god!—” Hannah screeches, causing us all to snap our heads in her direction. What? Is there a spider?

“You like him! You like Knox Carter!” The three of them scream in unison, their excitement palpable. I cover my ears and glare at them to keep it down. The boys might hear us.

“Shhhh! Stop! I don’t like him! The boys will hear you!” I hiss at the cackling trio beside me. I don’t like him, do I?

“Deny all you want, girl! Your face says otherwise. You like him and he likes you back,” Andy retorts, while the others nod in agreement.

“This is not why I called you guys up here! I wanted your opinion on whether I should go out with Wes. And—”

“I think you should. It might give a certain someone a push to ask you out too....” Hannah smirks. I lean back against the cold toilet, running my hand through my hair. This is not why I’m going out with Wes.

“I think you should. Wes is a great guy. But... I do have my money on someone else...” Sam trails off, biting her finger to suppress a grin.

I stand up and walk over to the counter to confront her. “You guys are betting on me?” I grit out, anger seeping into my voice. She grins back at me, as if she’s done nothing wrong.

“What? It’s just me, Max, Cole, Ty, Mom, and Eric. And maybe Delilah and Ace....” she rattles off, especially rushing through the last part.

“Ugh! I don’t want to know, Sam! Fucking hell! You all have a gambling problem! You bet on anything!” I groan, throwing my hands up in frustration.

“Ugh, I need a drink,” I declare, striding out of the bathroom with my friends trailing behind me.