Under the Same Stars(92)

Amanda smiled. “Mom made so many.”

“They’re stunning,” I said. It had taken a hot second to get Mrs. Gallant on board with the new plan for Katie and Austin’s rehearsal dinner. But Mr. Gallant, who’d deemed this the best idea ever, had dropped Katie and his wife off at a spa for the morning. “This is your show,” he’d told my family. “Stacy and I want to help, but I don’t think she needs to necessarily be on the premises…”

Once the office was all cleared out, Amanda and Nana hung Mrs. Gallant’s handmade wreaths on the warm wood-paneled walls. Fresh pine and boxwood were mixed with magnolia leaves and cypress, and Mrs. Gallant had adorned each wreath with perfect bows in blue, amber, and gold. Dad and Nana strung green garlands and fairy lights around the barn’s wood beams.

Then came the rugs. Mr. Gallant and Da hauled in Persian rugs, which we unrolled to create a patchwork quilt across the floor. “The guys are here!” Austin announced when the groomsmen arrived that afternoon, and we immediately put them to work, arranging the round teak farmhouse tables and chairs. Carina ?lvarez brought over the sound system while Rose ?lvarez and her crew marched into the barn’s kitchen, because who else was catering tonight?

Ember & Ash.

“Fear not, friends!” a voice called later. “I’ve arrived!”

I glanced up from arranging the table centerpieces (a trio of white candles arranged among more greenery and pine cones) to see Wit walking into the barn. The groomsmen basically lost their minds, whooping and whistling. “Okay, but he’s not even a groomsman,” I told Austin.

“No, he’s not,” my brother said. “But I still asked him to give a speech tonight…”

“Samira’s coming tomorrow, right?” I asked quietly.

Austin nodded. “She promised she’d be there. After, though…” He sighed. “We’re not going to talk for a while. She said she wants some time.”

To fall out of love with you, I knew. She needs to fall out of love with you.

It would be bittersweet, but their silence wouldn’t last forever. “You can’t lose her, Austin,” I’d overheard Katie gracefully tell my brother. “She’s a once-in-a-lifetime friend.”

“Ay!” Wit pointed out the barn doors. “The bridesmaids are here, too!”

“That’s my cue.” I clapped my hands. “Time to herd some cats.”

Austin smiled. “You know you’re the best, right?”

“The best what?” I asked. “The best sister? The best friend? The best future college field hockey player?”

Penn had emailed me my acceptance letter yesterday. Tears had streaked down my face as Austin shook my shoulders in celebration. I was in—officially in. And fuck it, I knew I was going to kick ass on Franklin Field next year.

“Yes, as long as you kick ass at physical therapy,” my brother said now. “But really, just the best, Mads.”

I smiled. “Austin…”

We hugged, and when I hurried out of the barn to welcome the bridesmaids, everyone shouted, “Don’t run!”

***

Compared to tomorrow’s two hundred guests, the rehearsal dinner was super exclusive—only immediate family and the wedding party (and Wit). We would caravan to St. Paul’s in Princeton for a late-afternoon ceremony rehearsal, and I’d tried to turn my room into a bridal suite for Katie and the bridesmaids. There was an assortment of snacks and a cooler of water bottles, sodas, and little bottles of prosecco (that Dad had bought because I wasn’t twenty-one).

Katie looked fresh-faced from her spa day, and she beamed while presenting us each with a garment bag. “Tomorrow’s gowns are so elegant,” she said. “My mother has beautiful taste, but I really love these…”

All the dresses were whimsical and jewel-toned; Meredith’s was a luxurious turquoise, while Reese’s was a warm amber and mine a deep purple. All silk, the dresses wouldn’t withstand the December chill, so we gasped when Katie gave us cable knit sweaters to wear on top. They were cream and cropped. “I’m obsessed,” I said, the others agreeing. “I’m obsessed, Katie!”

“Thank you!” she said. “I know it’s unconventional, but I hoped you might wear them tonight. My dress is white, and I have a gold sweater to go with it.”

“Do we owe you anything?” Paige asked, and it was then that I realized I hadn’t been the only one who’d thought the bridesmaid life wasn’t cheap.

Katie shook her head. “You’ve all given me so many gifts, so this is my gift to you.”

We changed into our dresses—Amanda insisted my boot tied the whole look together—before starting on hair and makeup. “So, Mads,” Reese said as I weaved Katie’s long blond hair into a braid crown. “Who would you give your First Impression Rose to?”

I sighed as the others laughed. In the mirror, Katie smiled slyly at me. Of course we would come full circle with my Bachelorette spin-off. “Easy,” I said. “First Impression Rose goes to Davis, especially since he’s now a really great friend.”

“Front-runner?” Yasmin asked.

I grinned. “Connor.”

I loved Connor McCallister with everything I had. It just wasn’t wonderstruck love.