Snapshots

13. Riley

"I need a status update."

Riley sits in the chair of her hotel room, inhaling fistfuls of jellybeans, as her soon-to-be sister-in-law Julia works on her hair behind her. Emily sighs and rests a hand on her shoulder, meeting her eye in the mirror. "What you need is to relax," she reprimands.

"Jules told me Eldon and West lost the rings, Em. Status. Update," Riley snaps through gritted teeth. She's getting married in exactly three hours and 21 minutes. She won't relax again until she and James are sitting on the beachy sands of the Bahamas 48 hours from now.

Emily sends an exasperated look to Julia, who grimaces and mouths a silent apology. "The rings have been found," Emily reassures, moving around the chair to kneel in front of her. "Hunter found them, and Michelle will hold onto them now until the ceremony."

Riley breathes a sigh of relief, feeling a little better. But only a little. There's a still a thousand other things on her mind. For one thing, the hotel room is quiet. Too quiet.

"Where's Ella?" she asks, "She disappeared after we ate lunch. What is she doing?"

She and Ella have rekindled their friendship over the years after Ella admitted she was wrong for stealing her solo at Internationals and then helped James out during their 2016 break-up. It was a no-brainer to ask Ella to be a bridesmaid, but Riley knew someone was going to have to keep an eye on her during wedding prep to ensure no uncalled-for shenanigans ruined her wedding day.

It's the beat of hesitancy Emily takes that concerns her, and she tenses once more. "What did she do?" she asks dreadfully.

"Nothing," Emily is quick to assure her. "She's helping out with the flowers. That's all."

"The flowers? What's wrong with the flowers?"

"Nothing's wrong with them per se. They're just not quite what we ordered."

"Em, be honest."

Emily sighs. "They're humongous. We think they got the wedding mixed up with a funeral, and the flowers showed up in baskets instead of bouquets. But don't worry! Mom and Deborah are on it, and Piper and Ella are helping sort it all out. It's all going to be fine."

Except it doesn't feel like it's going to be fine. How does a mistake like that even happen? Riley squeezes her eyes shut. She can't catch her deep breath, and stress sweat is pouring out of her pores. "Is it really hot in here, or is it just me?"

Her sister grabs a cloth and dabs at her forehead. "Quit sweating. You're going to ruin all your make-up."

"I can't help it!" Riley huffs. She grabs a magazine sitting on the table and fans herself. "God, it's boiling in here."

Emily and Julia share a look then Julia puts the finishing touches on Riley's hair and steps back. "I'm going to find someone to crank the A/C," she says, already moving toward the door.

Once she's gone, Emily gives Riley a serious look. "Do you trust me?" she asks.

Riley sighs and nods. "With my life."

"Then I need you to trust me when I say that everything is going to be fine." Emily gives a soft smile, taking both of her hands in hers and squeezing gently. "It's your wedding day, Ri. I'm not going to let it fall apart. That's my job as your Maid of Honor."

If there is anyone Riley can trust to keep their word, it's Emily. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she tries to heed her sister's advice and relax. It's her wedding day. She and James are finally getting married. This is supposed to be the best day of her life.