20 Questions

Chapter 108

"Where is the beautiful bride-to-be?" My dad yells from the first floor, waking me from a dead sleep.

"I'm upstairs," I yell back. "I'll be right down."

After a long and satisfying stretch, I scoot out of bed and make my way to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and looking at the woman reflecting back at me in the mirror. The bruising on her cheeks is still there, but much improved and the remainder of the swelling in her lip has resolved. She looks happy, blissfully happy, and she has the love of a wonderful man to thank for that.

Today, I become Mrs. Hunter Walters.

I bounce down the stairs, which is the only appropriate way to start the greatest day of your life, and head into the kitchen where my parents and the girls are sitting at the island, devouring a breakfast casserole that my mom brought over. Helping myself to the deliciousness, I go over the itinerary for the day with the rest of my company, not a single minute that isn't accounted for. We have one hour before we have to be at the nail place for mani-pedi time and then it's off to the salon for hair and makeup. The pictures that don't include Hunter and me together will be taken before the wedding and then ours will be taken after the ceremony. We didn't want our guests having to wait on us to get the reception started because honestly, that's just a dick move. Helen has already showered so Molly and I use the two bathrooms to take our own before we head out for the day.

When we get to the nail salon, the cute little Vietnamese girls usher us back to the pedicure area and get started on our feet while we sip on champagne. I realize that it's only ten in the morning here, but hey, it's five o' clock somewhere. The girl doing my pedicure is obviously irritated with me and my ticklish feet, but plasters on a smile while she says something in her native language to the girl next to her. Her smile doesn't hide the fact that she is most likely calling me a stupid bitch in a language I don't understand.

I don't even care though because I am getting married today!

After they finish our nails, I sit at the dryers and complain to my girls about how much I paid for them to paint the tips of my nails with White Out.

"It looks really nice, Jenna," Molly attempts to reassure me. "It's all about the experience anyway."

"Yeah, the experience of Kiki calling me everything under the sun in Vietnamese right in front of my face," I snort. "I know she dug that tool into my cuticle just to be nasty."

The girls laugh, but I'm convinced what I said is the truth. Kiki is passive-aggressive.

When my nails are completely dry, I tell the girls I am running next door to get a smoothie while they finish drying theirs. I wait in line at the smoothie joint until a man speaks behind me, prompting me to turn around.

"This place is really busy today," he says.

I look around the restaurant to see a grand total of three people sitting down and one person in line ahead of us.

Maybe he's being sarcastic.

"I guess so," I say, smiling back at him in the event that sarcasm was his intent.

"Your nails look nice. Good luck on your wedding day."

"What?" I ask, my brows pushing together as I stare back at him.

How could he have known that?

I stare back at the man who is otherwise giving me the creeps. His shoulder-length gray hair is scraggly and his beard is patchy with black and gray whiskers. His eyes are a royal blue, almost the exact shade of Hunter's, but are hardened and aged. He's tall with a thick stature and has tattoos across every finger and up his neck. He stares at my hands and I can't determine if he's actually looking at my nails or the diamond on my finger. In the event that he is sizing up my ring to rob me, I shove my hands into my pockets, completely unconcerned with chipping my new French manicure.