Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 66~

~Raelyn~

~May 28th 2024~

The sunlight streamed through my window, casting that obnoxiously hopeful golden glow over the chaos of my existence. Normally, I'd love a good aesthetic sunbeam. Today? It was just a giant spotlight on the fact that I was getting married in literal days... and I hadn't picked a damn wedding dress.

Yes. Days.

Not weeks. Not "plenty of time." Just a few mornings and nights between me and the aisle, and I was still in my *"maybe I'll just wear a bedsheet and call it 'Greek goddess realness'"* era. Kill me.

I shifted in bed, pulling Aspen tighter to my chest. Her warm little body was curled into me like a sleepy starfish, her tiny breath tickling the underside of my jaw. She smelled like milk, baby powder, and the existential dread of a procrastinating bride. But also love. She smelled like love.

Colby was long gone from the bed — probably downstairs pretending he wasn't emotionally invested in which dress I chose while secretly Googling how long alterations take for idiots.

I closed my eyes for just a second longer, soaking up the stillness.

And then—

**SLAM.**

The door burst open like someone owed it money.

"GET UP, BRIDEZILLA!" Katrina's voice exploded into the room, followed by Isa's slightly more apologetic, "Sorry. She's had like three lattes."

"I have not," Katrina snapped. "One was a macchiato."

Devyn was already rifling through my closet like she lived here. "We've got a schedule. And a plan. And maybe a low-key intervention."

Tara flopped face-first onto the bed beside me, landing just inches from Aspen. "How are you *this* unprepared? You're the one who's been making Pinterest boards labeled *'Hauntingly Romantic Wedding Aesthetic'* since high school."

"I'm aware," I groaned, rubbing my face. "Also, good morning, I guess?"

Tara rolled over and booped Aspen on the nose. "Good morning to you too, Bean."

"Also," Isa added, "mom's downstairs."

I sat up so fast I think I blacked out for a second.

"What do you mean *mom's downstairs*?"

"She came to help with dress shopping," Devyn said casually, pulling a sweater off a hanger and frowning like it personally offended her. "Surprise."

I blinked. "Surprise?! You can't just *ambush me* with my own mother. What if I wasn't wearing pants?"

"You're wearing a nursing bra and leggings," Isa pointed out.

"That's not the point!"

"She's talking to Colby," Katrina said with a shrug, already heading toward my bathroom. "They're bonding or something."

"Oh God." I groaned.

I grabbed Aspen, still half-asleep and sucking furiously on her pacifier like she had stock in it, and bolted out of bed. The girls trailed after me like some kind of chaotic bridal SWAT team. I took the stairs two at a time, heart pounding. There were maybe three people on earth who could make me feel both comforted and dangerously unhinged all at once, and my mother was all three rolled into one tiny woman with better posture than God.

I hit the bottom step, turned the corner—

And there she was.

**My mom.**

Sitting on the couch with Colby like she lived here, legs crossed, sipping coffee, laughing like nothing about this morning was completely earth-shattering. Her favorite cream wrap dress clung to her like a second skin, and her heels looked like they could be used to either pray or assassinate, depending on the mood.