“I’m going to be so late,” I pant, trying to catch my breath.

He laughs. “Chris will get over it. Last month, he was two hours late showing up to dinner.”

“True,” I agree, and then whimper as he pulls out of me and smacks my ass hard enough to sting.

“You shouldn’t be walking around in a towel, baby. That kind of easy access isn’t something I can turn down.”

“Whatever,” I mutter, rolling to my back and pulling the sheet up my body feeling myself drift off to sleep.

“Kimberly?”

“Hmm?”

“You need to get up.”

“You just gave me three orgasms. I’m taking a second to get myself together,” I tell him, keeping my eyes closed.

“All right.” He kisses my forehead then my lips, and then I hear the shower turn on. Ten minutes later, I finally pull myself out of bed and get cleaned up and dressed so I can meet Chris for his fitting.

“Um… do you think the white horses may be a little much?” I ask Chris, looking up from his wedding planning folder in my hand, and his head spins around as his eyes pin me in place.

“Are you asking me if I think my fairy tale wedding is too much?” he asks, sounding appalled, and I bite my lip.

“You rented two white horses,” I state.

He rolls his eyes at me then mutters, “How else are we going to get to the venue?”

“I don’t know. Maybe by car or a limo, like normal people?” I suggest, and he stares down at me like I’ve grown a third eye.

“Normal people? I don’t even know what that means.” He waves me off then stands still so the seamstress can get back to pinning his tux once more.

“Have you ever even ridden a horse before? Because I never have, and I’d rather not die on your wedding day,” I mutter, taking a seat on the bench facing him.

“Don’t be dramatic. How hard could it be?”

“So I take that as you’ve never ridden a horse before either.” I sigh. “I do not see this ending well,” I say, and the seamstress nods in agreement.

Chris looks between us like we’re the crazy ones and his idea isn’t outlandish or crazy as hell. “I’m getting married in a castle. I can’t just pull up in a limo.”

“I give up. I see you’re not going to be deterred from having things your way.” I shake my head at him.

Since the first time Fresco and Chris went out on a date, they have been together and completely inseparable. And three months ago, Fresco asked Chris to marry him. Since then, Chris has been planning his fairy tale wedding. A wedding that includes a real-life castle, two white horses, and twelve doves that will be released at the end of the ceremony. All a little over the top for my taste, but this is his wedding, not mine. And since I got my way and had the wedding of my dreams to Sage, I can’t be mad at my friend for wanting his fairy tale wedding his way.

“Enough talk about the wedding. How are things with the adoption coming along?” he asks, and I feel my face get soft and a smile touch my lips.

“It’s good. We just finished up the first step and went live on their website, so now we wait and see what happens and hopefully get chosen,” I reply quietly, and his eyes fill with tears.

I know he’s happy for me. For two years, I’ve been able to maintain my kidney function and haven’t had any problems. Around the time Chris got engaged, Sage and I decided it was time for us to get serious about having a baby, so we started to look into adoption agencies. After we found one we both liked, we did all the necessary paperwork—which there was a lot of—including background checks, credit checks, visits with social workers, and physicals.

We are both excited about the prospect of becoming parents, but the last few years with just him and I have been nice. It’s given us a chance to get to know each other—really get to know each other—and travel around a bit, which has been awesome. It’s also given me time to focus on the salon, which is doing amazing. Business has been booming, and most days, there is a waitlist to get your hair done at Color Me Crazy.

“What did I tell you?” Chris asks, and I come out of my head, finding him looking at me softly.

“What did you tell me?” I whisper, and his face gets even softer.

“That life sometimes sucks for a while, but when you’re feeling good and happy, you’ll realize why you had to go through what you went through. You realize if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have had a chance at the happiness you’re feeling.”

“You were right.”

“I’m always right, not that you listen to me,” he snarks.

I laugh at that then stand and walk across the room, where I carefully hug him so I don’t get pricked by one of the many pins sticking out of him. “I love you.”

“You, too, baby girl. From the bottom of my heart.”

“Ditto,” I whisper, and then I quickly wipe the tears off my cheek and look back at him. “I still think your fairy tale wedding is crazy, and I don’t know how Fresco puts up with you.”

“Fresco loves me.”

“He does. I’m glad you found him and your happiness,” I whisper.

“Ditto,” he whispers back, kissing the top of my head before letting me go.

THREE MONTHS LATER, when I ride alongside him on a white horse toward the castle, and then stand by him as he marries his Prince Charming, all I think about is how crazy and amazing my best friend is and how only he could pull off a wedding like the one he had.

Sage

Six months later

HEARING A LOUD scream, I shut down the treadmill, turn, and hop off, and then let out a grunt as Kim runs into me at full speed. “What the fuck?”

“It’s time,” she pants, looking up at me.

I frown. “What?”

Shaking her head frantically while gasping for breath, she points the screen of her phone up toward me. “It’s time. We’re having a baby!”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah.”

“Christ,” I mutter, moving her with me toward the door then through the house, past the living room, and down the hall to the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” she shrieks as I head for the bathroom while she heads for the closet.

“I need a shower.”

“You can’t shower. We’re having a baby!” she shrieks at the top of her lungs.

“Baby, take a breath for me and calm down. You’re not even dressed.” I point out, and she looks down at the thin nightgown she has on. “You need to change, and since you’ve had us packed for weeks now, there’s nothing else to do. As soon as I’m out of the shower, I’ll get our shit in my ride and we can hit the road.”

“I guess you’re right,” she says, and then her eyes fill with tears. Seeing those tears, I close the distance between us and pull her against me as she whispers, “We’re having a baby.”

Fuck me. I want to remind her that things can still go south, but I don’t. I hold on to her, say a fucking prayer that things work out, and then kiss the top of her head.

“Go get dressed. As soon as I’m done getting ready, we’ll leave and call our families on the way.”

“Okay,” she whispers, and then she leans up on her tiptoes and I tip my head down, kissing her once before letting her go. I move to the shower, coming out and finding she’s gotten all of our bags, including the baby’s, and is waiting for me at the front door.

Eight hours later, I hold on to her hand as we walk through the door of the hospital and head toward the nurses’ station. It’s now six in the evening, and we got word two hours ago that our son had been born.

Feeling Kim’s hand shake in mine, I stop us and give her fingers a squeeze so she’ll look at me. “Whatever happens, I promise everything will be okay,” I tell her, and her worried eyes meet mine as she nods once before looking at the older woman approaching us.

“Mr. and Mrs. Mayson I presume,” she greets us.

“Yes, hi,” Kim says quietly, as she stops in front of us.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” She shakes our hands. “I’m Bethany, the social worker here at the hospital. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you two checked into the hospital and your room, and then we’ll introduce you to your son.”