Hitched (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Erin Nicholas Page 0,3

and didn’t really know the other women well. Allie was pretty sure Greta was there only because Bernice had insisted. Bernice was good at that.

The other three squealed with delight as Allie moved onto the floor, bouncing up and down and singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs.

Oh, lord. Squealing bridesmaids, Beyoncé and tequila were not a good combination. Allie pressed her hand against her stomach as it pitched in response to the hip swivel she attempted. She took the boogying down a notch and just mouthed the words.

Thankfully, the song eventually switched to something slower.

The other girls had had a bit to drink as well, and they linked their arms and started swaying, again singing along to Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One”. Allie let them link her into the circle and she swayed with them, closing her eyes and thinking about the words.

You’re still the one…

Stupidly, she felt her eyes stinging. Maybe she’d had enough tequila after all. She shouldn’t be feeling lonely and sad. It was the night before her wedding. These girls were here with her, celebrating the biggest day of her life. Her house was filled with family and friends, getting ready for the next day. Somewhere a man was sitting with his friends, preparing to stand up in front of everyone they knew and loved and say that he’d spend the rest of his life with her. A good man. A wonderful man. A man any woman would be privileged to share her life with.

You’re still the one…

Josh deserved better. He deserved better than a woman who was sitting in a bar, listening to a love song and thinking about someone else.

She should not be thinking about Gavin.

Allie took a deep breath, opened her eyes and smiled at her bridesmaids. Bridesmaids. She was going to be a bride. She was getting married.

Okay, she could do this. It was a good thing. A great thing. She was a very lucky woman.

“Josh is a great dancer,” she said to Bernie. “Did you know that?”

“I’ll bet.” Bernie waggled her eyebrows.

He was. He was tall and when they slow danced, she could rest her head on his chest. His big hands easily spanned her low back, making her feel feminine and cared for. He had great rhythm, and his powerful thighs pressed firmly against hers because he always held her really close. That was just the kind of thing that should make a woman want to get even closer.

Dammit.

There was that word again—should.

“Greta, is there anything Josh isn’t good at?” Allie asked, looping her arm around Josh’s sister.

She was Allie’s maid of honor, even though the girls didn’t know one another well. Well, they knew each other of course—their families had been friends forever and spent lots of weekends and most holidays together—but Greta was younger and Allie had always had Josh as a confidante. It wasn’t like the girls had shared any deep dark secrets.

Greta was the best choice for maid of honor, though. Their mothers had been best friends, and Josh and Greta’s mom, Sophie, had taken Lily’s death as hard as anyone. Truthfully, she’d been a mess. Her longtime battle with depression didn’t help, and Allie and Josh had talked extensively about ways to get her through the hard time. Allie had always considered Sophie a second mom and seeing her so distraught tore at Allie’s already aching heart. Just like she was doing for her dad and brothers, Allie was intent on helping Sophie smile again. So far, planning a wedding where Sophie’s son was the groom and her daughter was maid of honor was working very nicely.

Greta lifted her shoulder at Allie’s question about her brother. “Josh has always been good at everything.”

Yep, that was exactly right. Josh was nearly perfect. The guy didn’t even snore.

Crystal approached with a small tray laden with shot glasses. “Let’s toast!” she said with a grin.

That was a fantastic idea. At the moment, Crystal was her favorite bridesmaid. Hands down.

Allie wasn’t sure of the wisdom of mixing tequila with the pink stuff Crystal had brought, but hey, it was liquor. It wasn’t like she was going to be feeling great in the morning anyway.

She tipped the sweet concoction back and swallowed. Oh, yeah, that was good.

Her head spinning nicely, she looped her arm around Bernie’s neck. “Thanks for picking out the dresses.”

Bernie laughed. “When you still hadn’t picked anything out and we were only a month away, someone had to do something.” Bernie patted Allie