Page 10 of The Brides Brother

I sat on a stool at the island counter along the window that looked like the exact café setting we had met at. She brought over some cheesecake, and I was more than happy to indulge in the late afternoon delicacy.

“So,” she said.

“As you’ve heard, I’m pregnant, so there are a lot of dresses here that I could wear now, but I don’t know if I'll be able to that day, and I really don't want to break down.”

I didn’t have an answer to this, but I did empathize with what she meant.

“When is the wedding?” I asked. I realized that I didn’t even know.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t given you any of the basic information about my ceremony.”

“It’s okay,” I replied as I sipped from the chamomile tea she had made for me. “We can discuss it now and in detail.”

“Alright,” she said and calmed down. “So, first of all, the wedding is in two weeks,” she said, and I was very surprised to hear this.

“Two weeks?” I asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, but they’ve been making preparations for the big one for a couple of months now, so don't worry, we’re not in panic mode, at least not yet. It’s just that after they shut down my church idea the previous time, I haven’t bothered bringing it up, but after I saw you, it was revived, and now I can't stop thinking about it.”

She truly loved my work, I realized as I watched her eyes sparkle. However, admiration and bills being paid were two different things. So, I pulled out my price sheet and handed it over to her.

She took it heartily, gave it a quick glance before handing it back. She immediately agreed wholeheartedly, and I wondered if she had seen it properly.

“I'll take the highest package,” she said. “I want every special moment covered, and to make Drake and the rest of them pay dearly, I’ll even add a little bonus to show my love.”

I was more than floored and barely able to contain my excitement, but I managed to control myself until it began to sink in. No one had ever chosen my deluxe package, much less infused it with the promise of a bonus, so I was incredibly excited.

“Alright,” she said. “I'll make the deposit for the next two weeks so that you’ll be assured for at least the next two weeks. All this has happened so suddenly, so you must be a bit startled and skeptical as well.”

I smiled at her kind words.

“More than skeptical, I’m more grateful. Because of how somewhat niche my photographs are and my limited contacts, it can be difficult to get substantial back-to-back work, so it’s just wonderful that you reached out to me in the café.”

She smiled softly at me and then pulled out her phone.

“The next agenda, like my mom told you, will be to meet with the event planner at the venue. This, though, will be a bit far since it's in the Hamptons. You won’t have a problem coming over, will you? If you do, I can arrange a car to come pick you up?”

“Oh no,” I instantly replied. “I'll definitely be able to make it there; it'll be no trouble. Just send me the address.”

"Alright,” she smiled. We chatted a little bit more, and a little while later, I was on my way back to Anna's house.

Chapter Five

Drake

It had been such a long time since I’d been to the Hamptons, or even been in a car for longer than a few minutes. At first, I hadn’t been sure that I would even make it to the event with the wedding planner, since I hadn’t heard from Aurora since our last meeting in my office, and her responses to my messages had been few and far between. So, upon the invitation from my mom, I tried my best to find the time.

The drive over was a much-needed, almost three-hour reprieve from the usually bustling flight travel and the office. So much so that by the time I arrived at the vineyard, I was almost reluctant to get out.

So many things weighed heavily on my heart and in my mind, and as I remained in the car watching as people came and went, I could only imagine that things would get even more strained in there.

But it was my responsibility now to lead the family and to be all that I could for every single one of them. And so, after a heavy sigh, I reached for the door; however, just then, a woman hurried into sight, seemingly from out of nowhere. She was obviously running late and scatterbrained, but then she suddenly stopped, and I couldn’t help but cock my head curiously, wondering why. She turned around, then took a quick look around, and then she stared straight at me.

I was startled. I knew she couldn’t see me since the glass was tinted, but it was almost as though she could, and for some reason, I couldn’t look away.

She hurried back to the glass, and in the next moments, as she used the reflection to fix her curly, messy hair and collared, rumpled shirt, I understood that my car was more or less being used as a mirror to help her fix her appearance. I couldn’t help staring at her then, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and it wasn’t hard to realize that she was quite attractive.

Extremely unpolished, but there was something about those eyes of hers that made me unable to look away.