Mitchell's Power Play

Plans Are Made

SAMMY

Nash opened the door and the smile on his face widened significantly when he noticed the ring on my hand. Maybe it was because I waved it in his face.

"Congratulations," he began, but I didn't hear the rest. I'd already walked past him, on a mission to find Kennedy. She was where I'd expected to find her, in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Look," I yelled, maybe a bit too loud because Ethan startled in his swing but didn't wake up. Kennedy's head snapped up. Her eyes went wide before they softened as she noticed my waving hand and the smile lit up her entire face.

"Oh, my god." She grabbed the hand I held out to her. "That's so beautiful, Sammy."

"I know. I love it."

I shifted my hand, so the sunlight hit the large solitaire diamond, and it was like magic. Little flashes of light sparkled out of it. Mitch had done such a wonderful job. The ring was gorgeous and so me. It wasn't a ring I would have picked on my own. I probably would have went for a simple solitaire, but somehow Mitch knew what would fit me better than I did.

"Wow," she said and dropped my hand so she could wrap her arms around my waist and hug me. "I'm so happy for you."

I gave her small body a tight squeeze. "Thank you. Me too."

The guys entered the kitchen in the midst of some home improvement discussion, but my only focus at the moment was on my best friend.

"Be my matron of honor, Kennedy?" I asked her.

I felt her swallow hard and then the tears came. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, of course."

"Oh, here we go," Nash teased. "Are we blaming this on hormones too, babe?"

"Do you want me to smack him for you?" I asked her.

She shook her head and tightened her grip on me. "I'll get him later. I know where he sleeps."

And just like that, we were laughing again.

***

A few hours later, Mitch and I were at a home improvement store. We'd borrowed Howard's pickup truck and were on a mission.

We'd had breakfast with Nash and Kennedy and after a ridiculous amount of teasing all around, especially about Mitch and me breaking in the new house, they both promised to be our attendants at the wedding. Nash hadn't cried like Kennedy did when Mitch asked him to be his best man, but he was definitely emotional about having been asked.

Our meeting with Jose at the house went very well. It didn't take long until he felt like an old friend instead of a contractor we were hiring. We discussed the layout and style of how we wanted the kitchen since that was the biggest change and opened up most of the main floor. I showed him some ideas I had gotten from magazines and he told us it was doable.

I wanted a place that felt lived in that matched what the house itself, and not some stuffy showman place. I liked how Liz had the white kitchen that opened into the living room, but where her style was clean, with nautical and rustic elements, I wanted French country mixed with farmhouse.

Jose promised he'd get back to us with a more formal plan and drawings by the end of the week, but instructed us to select the materials since we'd be on a tight timeline.

So Mitch and I spent the rest of the day walking the aisles of the home improvement stores, picking out flooring, cabinets, countertops and tiles. His style was cleaner than mine, and by that I mean simple lines and muted colors. Nothing with bells and whistles, but we compromised.