Rose. Or maybe Ryan. He’s the least likely to tell everybody else, I think. He told me all I needed was my toothbrush and maybe a robe to put on when room service came around.”
Hailey snorted. “If he’s just going to keep you in a hotel room the whole time for nonstop newlywed sex, you may as well save money and stay right at the lodge.”
“Mitch and I didn’t really talk about it, but I suspect having Rose and his aunt Mary under the same roof would be...inhibitive, let’s say.”
“What about me?”
They all turned, and Katie pointed at her mother. “You’re getting sneaky in your old age.”
“We were talking about the fact they’re going to a hotel for their honeymoon because Mitch can’t get it up with you and Mary both at the lodge,” Hailey said. Lauren guessed she’d probably downed a glass or two more of the wine than the other women had.
Paige blushed bright red. “That’s not what I said at all! I said it would be inhibitive. Not prohibitive.”
“No wonder Mitch loves you,” Katie said. “You know all the big words.”
“Shut up. This is my bachelorette party. You can’t make fun of me at my own party.”
Katie just grinned and moved in for a second helping of chocolate pudding. Lauren glanced at the clock and winced. She still had a lot to do before Nick could leave with Dean tomorrow. And she couldn’t run late because Hailey had made the hair appointment for them.
“You wouldn’t believe how amazing Ryan has been,” Paige said, and Lauren decided she could stay a few more minutes. “He and the guys who work for him have the outside all spruced up. They even repainted the chairs on the porch so they’d look good in the pictures. He’s such a sweetheart.”
Lauren thought so, too. In fact, for such a sweetheart and all-around great guy to have gone behind his friend’s back the way he did, he must have cared about her a lot more than she’d ever suspected. Granted, that was a really long time ago, so he hadn’t been as mature then as he was now, but he’d always been a good guy.
The what-if game that had always been just a stupid, harmless fantasy came with a hint of regret now. If she’d known then what she knew now—if she’d been able to see the guy Ryan Kowalski would become—she might have said yes.
“You’re looking serious again, Lauren,” Katie accused.
“What?” Lauren forced herself to shake it off. “Yeah, I really have to go. Nick’s supposed to be getting his stuff together for his camping trip, which I just know means tearing apart the house and garage.”
She hugged Paige, who squealed in her ear. “Can you believe the next time you see me, I’ll be heading up the aisle to become Mrs. Mitchell Kowalski? How amazing is that? Mrs. Kowalski sounds so awesome. I might put that on my name tag at work instead of Paige.”
Lauren squeezed her friend, soaking in her happiness. “You’re a very lucky woman.”
Chapter Eight
On Friday, the extended Kowalski family arrived like a parade, their vehicles pulling up the driveway one right after another. Paige jumped back from the window when Uncle Leo, who was first in line, honked his horn, and Ryan laughed at her.
“Why are you so nervous? You’ve already met them.”
“For one day.”
“Mitch loves you, they’ll love you. It’s that simple.”
She nodded, but her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I wish my mother was here.”
Hearing her say that raised Ryan’s blood pressure all over again. Donna Sullivan had a new boyfriend, it seemed, and they’d already made plans they couldn’t cancel on such short notice. Ryan had been in the room when Mitch had called Donna and offered not only to buy two first-class plane tickets, but to foot the bill for any cancellation fees for the plans, which couldn’t possibly be as important as her daughter’s wedding. But her boyfriend hadn’t wanted to come, so she hadn’t either.
“You’ll be a Kowalski now,” he told Paige. “And
Hailey snorted. “If he’s just going to keep you in a hotel room the whole time for nonstop newlywed sex, you may as well save money and stay right at the lodge.”
“Mitch and I didn’t really talk about it, but I suspect having Rose and his aunt Mary under the same roof would be...inhibitive, let’s say.”
“What about me?”
They all turned, and Katie pointed at her mother. “You’re getting sneaky in your old age.”
“We were talking about the fact they’re going to a hotel for their honeymoon because Mitch can’t get it up with you and Mary both at the lodge,” Hailey said. Lauren guessed she’d probably downed a glass or two more of the wine than the other women had.
Paige blushed bright red. “That’s not what I said at all! I said it would be inhibitive. Not prohibitive.”
“No wonder Mitch loves you,” Katie said. “You know all the big words.”
“Shut up. This is my bachelorette party. You can’t make fun of me at my own party.”
Katie just grinned and moved in for a second helping of chocolate pudding. Lauren glanced at the clock and winced. She still had a lot to do before Nick could leave with Dean tomorrow. And she couldn’t run late because Hailey had made the hair appointment for them.
“You wouldn’t believe how amazing Ryan has been,” Paige said, and Lauren decided she could stay a few more minutes. “He and the guys who work for him have the outside all spruced up. They even repainted the chairs on the porch so they’d look good in the pictures. He’s such a sweetheart.”
Lauren thought so, too. In fact, for such a sweetheart and all-around great guy to have gone behind his friend’s back the way he did, he must have cared about her a lot more than she’d ever suspected. Granted, that was a really long time ago, so he hadn’t been as mature then as he was now, but he’d always been a good guy.
The what-if game that had always been just a stupid, harmless fantasy came with a hint of regret now. If she’d known then what she knew now—if she’d been able to see the guy Ryan Kowalski would become—she might have said yes.
“You’re looking serious again, Lauren,” Katie accused.
“What?” Lauren forced herself to shake it off. “Yeah, I really have to go. Nick’s supposed to be getting his stuff together for his camping trip, which I just know means tearing apart the house and garage.”
She hugged Paige, who squealed in her ear. “Can you believe the next time you see me, I’ll be heading up the aisle to become Mrs. Mitchell Kowalski? How amazing is that? Mrs. Kowalski sounds so awesome. I might put that on my name tag at work instead of Paige.”
Lauren squeezed her friend, soaking in her happiness. “You’re a very lucky woman.”
Chapter Eight
On Friday, the extended Kowalski family arrived like a parade, their vehicles pulling up the driveway one right after another. Paige jumped back from the window when Uncle Leo, who was first in line, honked his horn, and Ryan laughed at her.
“Why are you so nervous? You’ve already met them.”
“For one day.”
“Mitch loves you, they’ll love you. It’s that simple.”
She nodded, but her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I wish my mother was here.”
Hearing her say that raised Ryan’s blood pressure all over again. Donna Sullivan had a new boyfriend, it seemed, and they’d already made plans they couldn’t cancel on such short notice. Ryan had been in the room when Mitch had called Donna and offered not only to buy two first-class plane tickets, but to foot the bill for any cancellation fees for the plans, which couldn’t possibly be as important as her daughter’s wedding. But her boyfriend hadn’t wanted to come, so she hadn’t either.
“You’ll be a Kowalski now,” he told Paige. “And
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