ONE
Jem
“Congratulations!”I tell Fern as she and Jackson make their rounds at the party.
“Thanks!I can still barely believe it,” she gushes.
Jackson, her fiancé, grins down at her.I don’t say it, but I can’t believe it either.Fern went to South Carolina for a wedding and came back a week later with a boyfriend.It was only two weeks later that they announced their engagement, and now here I am at their engagement party.
I’m thrilled for Fern.She was so sad and lonely when she first moved to Wolf Valley.Her family is terrible.She told me about them, and I was there when she vented about helping them with wedding planning.I tried to talk her out of helping, but I get it.Family is family.
She flew to South Carolina for her cousin’s wedding.She was the wedding planner, and Jackson was there working security.It was a whirlwind romance, but the two of them are made for each other.
“Do you already have the wedding planned?”I ask her, sipping my champagne.
“Pretty much.We need to book a few things, and um, I was hoping you would help with my wedding dress.”
I grin.“Of course!I would be honored.”
“I have one more favor to ask.”
I take another sip of champagne.“What’s that?”
“Will you be my maid of honor?”
“What?Oh, my gosh!Of course!”I reach out, tugging her in for a hug.
She laughs.“I know that it’s short notice.”
“Nonsense!What do you need help with?”
“Well, I think we’ll have a quiet bachelorette party.Maybe a joint one?”Fern asks, looking at Jackson.
He shrugs, leaving it up to her.
“Then there’s the rehearsal dinner and the big day!”
“Okay, I can handle all of that.We can go over the details later when you don’t have other guests to see,” I tell her.
“Perfect.I’ll stop by the shop this week.Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone and do dress shopping and wedding planning at the same time.”
“I can’t wait,” I say sincerely.
“It shouldn’t take that long.The wedding is going to be casual since I’m not inviting my family, and most of Jackson’s friends are still in the service or halfway around the world.”
“When’s the big day?”
“A month,” Jackson says.
“One month?”I ask.
Fern nods, grinning at her man.“We didn’t want to wait.”
“Well, we’d better get working then!Text me later, and we can set up a time for you to come by.”
“I will.Thanks.”
She hugs me once more before they move on to their other guests.I watch them go, smiling as I see Jackson wrap a protective arm around Fern’s waist.He dotes on her, and Fern deserves that after being overlooked and neglected for most of her life.