Two Steps Back (Hunter Hayes fanfic Bk.3)

Reception

"Oh my gosh," Amanda exclaimed, suddenly sitting upright and clutching the sheets in her fists against her chest. She turned to Bethany, who was sitting up groggily after their long night of revelry and girl-talk, and repeated her exclamation. "Oh my gosh!"

"What? What is it, Amanda?"

"Tonight's the night!"

Bethany laughed half-heartedly and lay back down on the bed with a plop. "No, it's not. It's just the rehearsal dinner. Go back to sleep, Mandy."

But Amanda didn't. Instead, she threw back the sheets and slipped on her socks before she ran into the kitchen, presumably to make coffee and eat breakfast. Bethany groaned and followed, much less exuberantly, though Amanda's cheer was undoubtedly infectious.

The girls downed a few cups of coffee each and slathered their low-fat bagels with full-fat cream cheese before they dressed for the last minute errands they needed to run before the dinner.

Amanda was positively giddy the whole day, though Bethany could tell she missed Markob. He had been away for nearly two weeks now, and wouldn't be returning until it was time for the rehearsal to begin. It must be difficult to be without him when they were getting married tomorrow. It was just not at all the best timing.

They managed to get the last minute stuff taken care of fairly quickly, and had arrived back at Amanda's house in time to give it one last spruce up before Amanda's folks arrived. They lived in Colorado, and had been reluctant to come much earlier, since Amanda didn't have a lot of space, and hotel fare in Nashville could get pretty pricey.

Bethany had just put the duster back in its drawer and wrapped the electrical cord around the vacuum cleaner when she heard the front door open and excited voices squealing and greeting each other. She moved around the corner to say meet Mandy's family, too, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"Hi, I'm Bethany," she said, receiving an unexpected hug from Amanda's mother, Darla. Her father, Jason - Mr. Felton, as he preferred to be called - shook her hand strongly, and her sister Lola hung back. Lola was only twelve, and still a little awkward in unfamiliar company. Bethany made sure to say hello anyway, and to compliment her pretty necklace. The girl's face lit up.

The afternoon was a blur after that. Amanda spent the time with her mother, primarily, and her father found a game to watch on her TV. Lola walked around the apartment for a while, looking at the few pieces of art Mandy had on the wall.

When it was finally time to start getting ready for the evening, Amanda hugged her family before they left to check into their hotel. She and Beth readying themselves in front of Amanda's wide bathroom mirror, the girls helping each other with their makeup and hair.

This was only the rehearsal dinner, so they had opted for less elaborate hairdos and spent far less time perfecting their faces than they would tomorrow, but this would be the first time the whole wedding party was together, so everyone was likely to look gorgeous anyhow.

Finally, they donned their dresses. Mandy wore a sparkly gold dress that was just the right shade for her complexion and that showed off her cleavage, and Bethany slipped on her reliable skin-tight pink dress, which she hadn't worn in what felt like a million years. Jordan hadn't seen it yet, and she was hoping he liked it as much as...well, she was trying not to think his name.

The truth of the matter was that Bethany was nervous about seeing Hunter again. Though she definitely felt that her relationship with Jordan was healthy and stable, it was still going to be awkward to be around her first love at such an intimate event. Not for the first time, she was glad Jordan had consented to go with her. She wasn't sure she could do it without his support.