Page 124 of Pretty Little Scars

“—I’ll do it, and you’ll smile your way through it. I need you guys to support me and not fling the fact that you don’t like him in my face all the fucking time. I never would have done that to you when you were seeing Blake.”

“You’re right,” I say softly and eye Harper. “She’s right. We’re going to love you no matter what.”

“Idolove you no matter what,” Harper says with a sigh. “I just worry about you.”

“And that’s noted,” Ava says. “If I need you, I’ll let you know. But for now, this is a fun thing, and I want you to be present for it. Ineedyou to be excited for me, just like I am for you. And if you can’t do that, then you can go. I don’t want you to be part of this because I need all the good vibes I can get.”

Harper’s eyes fill and she nods. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s okay. Now, let’s move on to the fun.”

“I want to know all about the fun,” I say.

“Me too.” Harper adds.

“When is this happening?” I ask, taking a sip of my coffee.

“In August,” Ava says, and I blink at her.

“Of next year?”

“No, this year.”

Harper and I share a look.

“Honey, I’m not going back to being a Debbie Downer, I just need to point out that that’s in two months. As in,twomonths. One, two.”

Ava’s nodding, and Charlie presses her lips together, not wanting to rock the boat for a client, but Ava’s notmyclient, she’s my friend.

“I know,” Ava says just as the baby starts to cry.

Same, Belle, same.

Harper picks Belle up and pats her on the back and says, “Aves, you could push it out to next spring and give Charlie enough time to work her magic. Belle might be toddling about by then, and she would be adorable in a little dress with a flower crown.”

“Belle’s going to be adorable no matter what. I’m ready to get married,” Ava insists. “Really, we could just go to the justice of the peace and take care of it, but I want a pretty dress and a party.”

Suddenly, the front door opens, and the man himself walks inside and pauses when he sees all of us sitting at the table.

“Uh, hi.” He smiles and walks over to Ava, who tilts her head back for a kiss, and he obliges her, but it’s a quick, almost thoughtless peck that barely hits her mouth. And I know we’re here to be her supportive friends, but I don’t like him. “Hey, baby doll. I didn’t realize it was girl’s day.”

Baby doll?

I turn to Harper, who’s doing her best to keep her face neutral. Coming out of someone else’s mouth, that might sound sexy, but out of Chad? It gives me the yucks.

The thing is, he’s not a bad guy. I hear he’s good at his job, and he seems to care about Ava, but there’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on that makes me rebel at the thought of Ava hitching her wagon to his for the rest of her life.

“We’re just talking about the wedding,” Ava tells him with a cheerful smile. “This is Charlie, our event planner.”

Charlie stands and offers her hand for Chad to shake, and the man looks confused as fuck as he obliges her.

“It’s kind of early for this, isn’t it?”

Harper and I share another look of surprise.

“You’re only giving me two months,” Charlie says with a half laugh. “Trust me, it’s not too early.”

The confused smile drops entirely from Chad’s face, and he whips his attention to Ava.