The Roommate

Chapter 7

Harper P.O.V.

I sighed, smiling as I wrapped up the final chapter of my very first book. I had been in touch with a publisher who'd read the first few chapters, and wanted me to publish through them. I sent the email to let them know that I was done and within the next hour he returned my email and set up a meeting for us. The following day Jacob dropped me off at the office building, parking the car around the corner before he walked in with me. "Hi I'm here for a meeting with Garrett Sparks." I said to the women behind the counter. "My name is Harper Lancaster." She nodded and directed us up to the seventh floor. Once we were finally upstairs, we found his office and I smiled at the man behind the desk.
"Can I help you Ma'am?"
"I'm here to see Garrett Sparks." I said. He nodded. "I'm Harper Lancaster."
"Okay I will let him know you are here." We sat down and I fiddled with my folder. Jacob took my hand, kissing it gently.
"Easy baby." I nodded. Ten minutes later we were sent into the office.
"Miss Lancaster, hello!" Garrett said, smiling. I smiled politely, and he waved to the seats in front of his desk. We all sat down. "You didn't inform me you have a co-writer."
"I'm not a writer. I'm her fiancé." He nodded.
"Such a lucky man. Just by reading your novel, I can tell what kind of women you are." I blushed. We talked business, and went through paperwork, before I signed my book over to the publisher.
"Now I was wondering if I could be involved in the cover process."
"Picking the cover?" I nodded. "Of course. What vibe are you going for?"
"Kind of like the book. Ethereal, woodsy, and very personal." He nodded, writing it down.
"Alright, once we've read through the entire thing, we'll send you a first check." I nodded and we left, the smile on my face never really leaving. Jacob drive us home, where his parents seemed to be leaving. We pulled in and walked over, and they smiled.
"Well how did it go?"
"I'm signed!" I squealed and his mom hugged me and we both jumped up and down.
"Oh my god, we were so excited we had to come over and ask. I'm so happy for you!" She kissed my forehead as she pulled away. The butterflies in my stomach were sending my heart into a tizzy. The weeks went on, and even though I was excited about my first book going to be published, my head was spinning and I was nauseous. I was seeing MY BOOK on ads everywhere. Even TV. Hearing about it on the radio. Id been hearing this stuff for months, but now it was real. There was a release date. Tomorrow.
"Baby, you okay?" I looked at Jacob. "You look terrified of that corner." I looked at the wall, blushing. "Nervous?" I nodded and he pulled me into a hug. "Whatever happens tomorrow, your book is going to go flying off the shelves." He whispered in my ear. He picked me up, carrying me to the couch. He put on a movie and I ended up falling asleep. I woke up to him kissing me. I looked at him. "Good morning sunshine." I blushed and smiled softly as I looked around. Our bedroom. He must've carried me to bed. "Garrett called."
"Is something wrong?" I said, worried.
"It sold out in thirty minutes." He said with a grin. What? "He said it was the fastest he's ever seen a first time authors book sell out. They're going to get another 10,000 copies made up to try and combat the demand." I was having trouble absorbing the information. I sold out? They like it? "Baby look at this." He opened Amazon on his phone and showed me. I just got this book in n the mail a few hours ago, and I can't put it down! I'm so happy that I preordered! This may be her first book, but I know it isn't her last! I looked up at him, crying.
"Oh my god!" I kissed him as I tackled him and he laughed, hugging me.
"I told you that you could do it." He said as he pulled away from me. I smiled, feeling him wipe my tears away. "You are amazing, firecracker." I blushed, and he smiled. "Let's get dressed. We are going out for brunch." I grinned, knowing exactly where he was taking me. My favorite place, EVER, Fegen's. I quickly got dressed in a beautiful long red pleated skirt, and a white crop top, throwing on some red flats. He helped me with my necklace, and I turned to him and hugged him. He was dressed in ripped black jeans and a white sweater.
"Come along my dear." He said softly, with a big smile. As we sat down at the restaurant, I smiled stupidly as I watched him go through the menu. The waitress walked over, smiling.
"Hello, welcome in! What can I get started for y'all today?" He closed his menu and nodded at me.
"Hi, I'd like orange juice, she wants coffee. I'll have the steak and eggs with hash browns on the side, and she will have the French toast." He recited, and I blushed as he took my hand.
"I love it when people know what they want." She said, smiling. "I'll get that put in for you." She walked away as he caressed my hand from across the table.
"You are so beautiful." He said and I blushed. "I'm so proud of you." I smiled.
"Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to get this far without you." He smiled, kissing my hand. Brunch was fantastic, and then we went for a walk in the park. "We haven't talked about the wedding all that much." I said and he nodded.
"I figured with you wanting to get your book out there, you'd want to focus on that, then the wedding." I nodded.
"I want to focus on us." I said and he nodded.
"Well, the wedding is now the first thing on my mind." He said, kissing me. "What's first?"
"Venue."
"Okay, let's get to work then." I nodded and we went home. As we were looking at my laptop, his mom walked in. "Hey mom." I groaned as I flopped on the couch.
"What's going on? Did the release do well?"
"Yes mom, she sold out in 30 minutes." His mom smiled at me.
"Then why do you look so grumpy?"
"Wedding venues are expensive." I said and she smiled.
"What kind of venue do you two want?" We looked at each other. "You don't know, do you?" We both shook our heads.
"Outdoor." I offered. She nodded.
"Okay. Thinking farm, or park, or what?"
"I like farms." He said and I nodded.
"Okay, ranch?" I nodded.
"But it's going to be too expensive." I said. His mom shook her head.
"Jacob, what about the O'Brians?" She said and his eyes went wide.
"Of course!" He yelled, jumping up. "Oh my god, it's perfect!" She smiled.
"Come on, road trip Harper." We got in the car and drove out to a beautiful farm. I gasped at the size of it. "This is the O'Brians family Ranch."
"It's beautiful." I whispered. We were greeted at the house with hugs. Which was odd considering I'd never met these people and they were hugging me.
"Jake, Allie!" Jacob greeted the man and his wife. They smiled at him.
"Who is this beautiful young woman?" Allie asked and I blushed.
"This is my fiancé, Harper." Jacob said with a smile as he took my hand. She gasped and hugged me again, and I grunted as she squeezed me so hard I forgot how to breathe. When she let go, she was beaming at me.
"Oh honey, welcome to the family then!"
"Family?"
"Jake is my godfather, and Allie, my godmother." Jacob said with a blush on his face. I smiled and nodded.
"Well then thank you."
"Jake, Allie, I need a favor." His mom asked and the nodded. "Harper and Jacob are looking for a wedding venue. A ranch."
"Of course!" Allie squealed. For an older lady, she didn't show it in her excitement. "Harper, come with me, we are going to find you a perfect place to tie the knot!" She grabbed my hand and I yelped as she tugged me away from the group. I looked back to Jacob for help, who was snickering as I went around the corner of the house. So much for help. She led me into the barn, introducing me to all of the horses as we passed them. Turns out, they breed and raise Thoroughbreds here. Soon she led me into the indoor arena at the back and I gasped. "It's been used as a reception before, but it's up to you." She said, her voice quieter now.
"I don't know if we would be able to fill this though." I said.
"Well what if the alter was at one end, and the reception at the other end? Split the venue." She suggested.
"Maybe. This is a great spot." As she showed me some other spots I couldn't get the arena out of my head. We returned to Jacob and his mom, and I took his hand.
"Find a place you like?" I nodded and gently tugged, smiling as he matched my stride. We walked into the arena. "Awful big."
"That's what I thought at first. But then she suggested something."
"Hmmm?"
"Alter at one end." I pointed to the far end. "And reception at the other." I pointed at our feet. "Split the arena." He nodded.
"I love it." He said, kissing me. I blushed as a horse whinnied. He chuckled, turning to the stables. "Charley hush!" The horse seemed to snort in response which made us both laugh. A month later, I was walking into a wedding dress store. The woman smiled at me as she greeted us.
"Hello, I'm Sandra. Who is my bride today?" I raised my hand sheepishly.
"I'm Harper, and this is my fiancé." I said, motioning to Jacob.
"Congratulations! What are you looking for in a dress?" She said.
"We're getting married in horse arena, but I also want it to be modern."
"Okay, so do you want to lean into that rustic with a hint of modern, or the opposite?"
"I'm thinking opposite but I have no clue." Jacob took my hand, kissing it.
"I will wait out here, just tell me when to pull out my card." He said and I giggled.
"I told you I can rent a dress." I said.
"You kidding me? No I'll buy it. This is the money we would've had to spend on the venue anyway." He said, smiling. "Ma'am, put her in one before she runs out of here." He said to the stylist, walking away. I blushed, and she led us to a seating area.
"Okay, so who do we have with us today?"
"This is his mom, godmother, and my friends Janice, and Katrina." I said, motioning to each of them.
"Okay, so why doesn't everyone here, go pick out a dress for Harper to try on, whatever you think would look good on her. And then I'll take Harper in the back and we'll try them on." Everyone seemed excited as they rummaged through the store. The stylist smiled at me. "Why don't we get a couple as well?" I nodded nervously. "You seem nervous."
"I'm still not sure about buying a dress. I could just rent one."
"You could." She said. "But if you rent the dress, you have to give it back. You can't have it altered to your size. You may find your dream dress, the perfect one, but it's not your size. But you don't have to pay out of pocket a crap ton of money." I nodded. "But when you buy?" She pulled a dress off the rack, holding it up to me, and motioning to the mirror. "You can alter it in any way you wish, down to the color, or sparkle. You can find your dream dress, in your size. And most importantly, you get to keep it." She looked me in the eye through the mirror. "And maybe ten, fifteen years later you can look back at your wedding dress, and remember that special day. And it will remind you of your husband. And the family and friends than came. It will remind you of today, picking out the dress." She handed me a tissue. I didn't even realize I was crying. "It's emotional, and expensive. But honey, you make the day worth it. Worth all the painfully expensive stuff, just for that perfect day." I nodded. "Let's get to work." We went through the dresses and soon I was been pulled into a dressing room. She helped me into the first one. Immediately I didn't like it. It looked like I had wrapped myself in a satin sheet.
"Too simple."
"What would you change?"
"Everything."
"Name one thing you like." I looked at the dress.
"I guess the length is okay." She nodded and helped me out. Four or five dresses later, I was exhausted.
"One more and we'll take a short break. I know these things are hard to change in and out of." I nodded. She helped me into a dress and turned me to the mirror. "Open your eyes." I gasped as I looked at myself.

"Um, someone switched the mirror for a tv." I said. "Because there is no way that's me." I said, my eyes watering. She smiled.
"The sample is in your size, so go ahead and take a look at the back. I turned around and felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"It's perfect." I whispered. She smiled.
"Do you want to show them?" I nodded as I dabbed my eyes with a tissue. We walked out and they gasped as they saw me. Jacob's mom and godmother immediately started balling their eyes out. I smiled as I stood up on the pedestal. Sandra helped me fix my dress, and I smiled at them. My friends were starting to crack. Sandra helped me with a veil, and I looked at myself in the mirror.
"This is the one." They all nodded and I smiled. "I love this one." I turned to Sandra. "Ring it up." She smiled and nodded.
"Now, what kind of alterations would you like?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing."
"Well I can see if you can just buy the sample then. It fits you perfectly. And if you change your mind, we do have an in-house tailor for any last minute alterations." I nodded and soon the dress was packaged up and ready to go. Jacob smiled at me as we walked out.
"You find it?" I nodded, smiling as I hugged him. "I can't wait to see you on our special day." I sniffled, smiling as we walked out of the shop. The wedding was my main focus for the next few months, only occasionally pulled my head out of the wedding to talk to Garrett about my next book.
"Honey, the people are wanting a new book."
"And I'm planning a wedding right now. I write when I can, but my fiancé is busy with work so I'm the one planning this thing. Surely you can understand that?"
"I can, but the public won't." I sighed. "Look, I will put something out saying you are writing the sequel, and planning a wedding at the same time so the next book may take a while. But after that, it's in the publics hands."
"Okay. Thank you."
"Of course honey. I have to go, I have a meeting with my boss."
"Okay." We hung up and I sighed. This wedding is killing my headspace. Jacob came in and Honey ran over to him.
"Hey girly! Let me talk to Harper." He sat down next to me. "The face says Garrett called."
"Sequel."
"He can wait. What decisions are you making today?" I showed him. "I like that one." He pointed at the flowers on the right. "That one looks nicer." I nodded.
"Okay, I figured but wanted to make sure." He kissed my forehead.
"Come on, let's take a break." He said, leading me to the bathroom. As I undressed he ran a bath and lit candles for me. "In you go my dear." I blushed as I sunk into the warm water, sighing. He's so fucking perfect.
"Did it hurt when you feel from heaven?" I asked and he nodded. I giggled.
"How do you think I lost my wings and halo?" I laughed, earning a kiss. "I love you." He said softly and walked out. An hour later, I got out of my bath and changed into the clothes he'd brought me. His sweater and some booty shorts. I walked out and he looked up from the tv, waving me over. I cuddled up to him and we watched tv together. I quickly drifted off to sleep in his lap.