Page 42 of Sweet Wicked Vows
It was only a week until the wedding party. Olivia had gone above and beyond; she definitely became someone I came to rely on. The woman was like my personal genie. She somehow managed to make every request happen, no matter what I asked.
She secured us a last-minute appointment withLa petite boulangerie,which only furthered my suspicion that she was a magical being. No one got a last-minute appointment there. They were always booked two to three years in advance. That was if the owner even granted you an appointment. She was notoriously particular about the clients she catered to.
Jaxon and I hadn’t seen each other since the night Flynn got arrested, with him being called back to Ontario to deal with something urgent that needed both Dade brothers in attendance.
Before he left, though he didn’t verbally agree to my suggestion of at least trying to be friends, he did leave a note explaining his impromptu departure.
Beside the note was a single olive branch.
He was willing to try.
The gesture left me grinning like a blushing schoolgirl.
That was until he dropped off the very face of the planet. While he was gone, I heard nothing from him. Not a single text message or email to let me know when he was coming back—ifhe was coming back.
In the spirit of attempting a friendship, I messaged him nearly every day.
He ghosted every single message I sent.
The stress of planning a large-scale event without him, mixed with my father’s ever-increasing decline in health, was starting to take its toll. If not for Olivia, Lola, and Violet, I was pretty sure I’d have called the whole thing off.
Lola pushed a slice of lavender cake toward me. “Be warned, it tastes like an old woman’s wardrobe.”
I laughed. “Lavender is meant to be calming, you know.” I placed a forkful of the cake into my mouth. My nose scrunched at the strange taste. It wasn’t revolting, but it wasn’t nice either. “The lemon meringue wasn’t too bad.”
“Oh, yes, that’s what everyone wants on their wedding-day-party-event-thing—a cake that was just fine.” Lola rolled her eyes. “You don’t even like cake, Evie. Why not have a table of doughnuts, instead? I saw pictures from an event where they had their very own doughnut wall instead of a champagne one. It was gorgeous. That sort of thing has you written all over it.”
“That was sort of my original plan.” Much to Olivia’s horror. When I pitched the idea to her, she acted like I was trying to serve the guests raw pig feet. “But when Dad heard that I wasn’t having a cake, he thought I was joking. He said that there mustbe a wedding cake.”
Heavens knew why he was so adamant on the notion of four tiers of frosting.
It was easier to appease him and assure him that I would have a wedding cake. Whatever it took to stop him from raising his own blood pressure over a solvable problem.
“So, you’re doing this for your dad?” She kinked her eyebrow.
“It’s only a cake.” I shrugged. “It’s doubtful I will even get a chance to eat any at the party. They do say most brides and grooms don’t get to taste their own wedding cake.”
Lola hummed unconvincingly.
“This is all for my dad, remember?” I drained my glass. “He wants to celebrate with me, withus.With his illness…” The oh-so-familiar wedge formed in my throat. “If he wants a cake, then he can have all the cake he desires.”
“What about Jaxon? Does he want a wedding cake, or is he completely leaving all this up to you and your dad?”
I shrugged. “Never got the chance to ask him before he left. He’s aware of today’s appointment.” I had created a shared calendar and emailed it to him. That way, we could keep track of our schedules, not that Jaxon bothered putting anything on it. “If he wanted a choice, he very easily could have sent me a message or bothered to be physically here.”
The blonde beside me pressed her lips into a pout. “Trust me, I am not complaining. After all, I get to eat all this forbidden food.” She scooped another piece of cake onto her fork. “If my sister saw me right now, she’d have a fit. No carbs, no trans-fats, no bloody fun more like it.”
Lola’s manager, Lilly, was also her older sister. I didn’t know how the two of them did it, working so closely together and never falling out. Well, not majorly falling out. The two bickered like any other sibling, but Lilly respected Lola’s talent on the ice, and in return, Lola appreciated and respected Lilly’s position as hermanager.
There wasn’t a chance in hell that Flynn and I would have the same working relationship. We were likely to kill each other within the first twenty-four hours. His laid back and don’t give a shit about work attitude did not blend well with my people pleasing and perfectionism.
“Have you heard from Lilly?” I accepted the refill of champagne, enjoying the warm buzz of the bubbles. “Is she still in Europe?”
I purposely avoided mentioning Mickey when I knew for a fact that Lilly was still away and trying to do damage control. A tabloid, hellbent on ruining Mickey’s reputation, recently turned their focus on Lola. They were publishing absolute garbage about her and Mickey’s relationship, trying to smear her name alongside his.
It was a trashy gossip tabloid, one that many knew not to take seriously, but it still didn’t lessen the sting for Lola.
“She’s hoping to be back for your party,” Lola said between mouthfuls. “Dad has already warned her that if she isn’t home for Mom’s birthday next month, he’ll fly over to Holland himself and get her.”