by Sara Hazel
His Curvy Christmas Bridesmaid
Curves for the Alpha Book 8
by
Sara Hazel
Copyright 2019 Sara Hazel
Cover designed by Sara Hazel
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Sara Hazel and Holly Pinke
Visit my website at www.hollypinkeromance.com
All characters are eighteen years of age or older.
Heidi
*
It’s Christmas. Again.
And just like every year of my 22 years on Earth, I’m sitting here alone after the presents have been unwrapped, the eggnog has been finished off, and the fire has gone out.
My parents and even my sister have gone to bed. But I’m in the living room with the cat resting on my stomach. My phone buzzes. I hope it’s a good-looking guy wishing me a merry Christmas, but I know better. It’s probably one of my friends just showing off this year’s present from her charming, handsome, and rich boyfriend. I don’t need a rich guy. I’m not that shallow. He doesn’t even have to get me anything for Christmas. He just needs to be here to hold me in his arms.
I pick up my phone and sigh as I see it’s a message from Kat. It’s just a picture of her hand. I’m not wearing my glasses, so I squint to look at it. And when I examine the picture closer, I gasp as I see the giant diamond ring on her finger.
Ok, so, Kat was just like me two years ago. Then she met Jonathan, and her world changed forever. He fell in love with her, even though she’s a “big girl” like me. And now handsome Jonathan has decided to put a ring on Kat’s finger and lock that girl down forever. Good for him. Jonathan is a smart guy. Kat is one of the sweetest girls I know.
I don’t respond to Kat via text. I’m genuinely happy for her, so I give her a call. She picks up on the first ring and she is screaming into my ear.
“Sweetie, please. You’ll kill my ear drums. I’m already going blind. I still want to be able to hear Josh Groban sing I’ll be home for Christmas to me later.”
Kat settles down. “I can’t believe it. Jonathan and I are getting married. Can you believe it?”
“Yes, of course I can believe it. He loves you so much.”
Jonathan shouts, “Hell yeah, I do!” in the background.
“Sorry, I’ve got you on speakerphone,” says Kat.
“It’s ok. I’m so happy for you two, Kat. I love you both.”
“We love you. Will you be one of my bridesmaids? You made such a beautiful bridesmaid for Natasha last year. You better say yes, Heidi.”
“Well, I’m still a virgin, so I certainly can be a bridesmaid. I’d be honored.” I really am honored. I take a sip of Eggnog and force myself to smile for a moment, because it does feel super nice to be asked. I’ve been sitting here in my normal bad Christmas mood, and I should really let this lift my spirits.
Kat and Jonathan burst into laughter. I didn’t mean my comment about my virginity to be funny.
“Ok, ok. I know. I’m a 22-year-old virgin. It’s funny, I guess, depending on who you ask.”
“We’re not laughing at you, Heidi. We just love your sense of humor, that’s all. Merry Christmas. We’ve gotta get back to the family before they think we’ve snuck off to do it under the mistletoe.”
“Go ahead and do it under the mistletoe. I hope Aunt Martha catches you, and it gives her a thrill.”
“See? You’re funny, Heidi.”
“Yeah, sure. Merry Christmas!”
I hang up my phone, and a few minutes later I’ve got another text. This one is from my friend Georgia. Same thing. Big ring on her finger. I call her and congratulate her. We talk for a bit, and I make her laugh, because I guess I am the funny friend—even though I can’t see it. The result of my conversation with Georgia? You guessed it. I’m gonna be one of her bridesmaids. Never the maid of honor, but always just a regular bridesmaid. I wonder if I should be offended at that part.
An hour after my conversation with Georgia, it’s approaching midnight, and I guess I’m not getting another one of these engagement texts. There will be plenty more next year. Two in one night was enough.
And then my phone rings. I check to see that it’s from my best friend Amy. She’s only been seeing her boyfriend for like six months, so there’s no way, right?
Wrong.
Amy screams into my ear. “I was just going to leave you a message girl! I didn’t think you’d still be up. But guess what I got for Christmas from Sam?”
I furrow my brow in hopes that it helps produce the right tone of questioning amusement. “Ok, um, a new pair of skis?”
“He tried to get me to go skiing last week, but I told him we’re gonna have to wait a bit. I’m pregnant.”
“Amy, you’re what?”
“Pregnant! Can you believe it? You’re gonna be a Godmother!”
This call really has me excited. “When did you find out? You didn’t call me as soon as you took the test. Should I be worried?”
“I’m sorry, Heidi. I just didn’t want to tell anyone till I was one hundred percent sure. I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. Including yours.”
“Ok, well, I need to know about baby number two the moment you conceive. Like, call me after he’s done putting that thing inside of you.”
“I promise. You’re so funny, Heidi.”
“That is what everyone is telling me tonight. So, besides a baby, what else did you get for Christmas?”
“He got me an engagement ring. And I want you to be my maid of honor.”
Tears stream from my eyes. Finally. Of course, my best friend would ask me to be her maid of honor. And a Godmother to her kid. It looks like I’m making out pretty great this Christmas after all.
“Of course, I’ll be your maid of honor, Amy. I love you.”
“Love you too, girl. Next year it’s your turn, ya know?”
“Now I know that is not true,” I reply. “But it’s ok. I’m used to being alone.”
“Maybe you’ll meet someone at my wedding! You’ll be wearing a super cute dress and looking fine as hell.”
“Yeah, maybe…”
I listen to Amy tell me all the details of what she envisions for her wedding. She goes on for about an hour, and I just throw in an occasional “Uh huh.” I’m getting sleepy, and this being excited for my friends' thing is getting exhausting. Happy, but exhausting.
Finally, we hang up, and I look down at my empty ring finger.
“Maybe someday,” I whisper. And I slam the rest of my eggnog and head upstairs to bed. Christmas is over for another year, and now I’ve got three weddings that I’m gonna hear about nonstop until they’re all over.
In bed, I login to Tinder, and I start swiping guys as fast as I can. I get several matches within the first half hour.
It’s going to be a long year full of weddings and bad Tinder dates. Who could ask for anything more?
Lucas
*
“Ok, ladies, tell me what you’re looking for.”
“Well, we want to have a Christmas Eve wedding. Do you think you can do that?”
“Well, I normally take that day off, but for a wedding of this size…”
I punch some fake numbers into my calculator. I want them to
think I’m really thinking it over. It builds anticipation.
There are three beautiful young women all staring at me with wide-eyed wonder. I look down at my calculator and smile.
“Well, yes, I think I can definitely make this work.”
A waif like brunette named Amy speaks first. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Mr. Jensen!”
“Ladies, this will be the joint Christmas wedding of the century. You have my guarantee.”
“You are the best in the business,” says the deliciously curvy blonde Kat.
“That’s what they say,” I reply. “But I like to think of myself as nothing more than a humble wedding planner — a maker of dreams. Someone who can make it feel as if the stars themselves are shining just for your special day.”
“Oh, you’re such a romantic,” sighs Amy as she props her head up on her hands and gives me googly eyes.
I have this effect on my female clients. And to be fair—all my clients are female. I hardly ever meet the men involved. Most guys don’t want to plan their own weddings, let alone plan someone else’s. But I’ve been doing it for fifteen years now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I really do love bringing someone’s dream wedding to life. It’s an art form, and I am a master artist.
“Heidi, come over and meet Mr. Jensen,” Amy calls out behind her.
I watch as a curvy blonde beauty slowly rises from the table she’s been hiding at and makes her way towards us. For a moment I forget where I am and what I’m doing. The sight of this girl takes my breath away. I wonder if she realizes how breathtakingly beautiful that she is. She sits down at a free chair between Amy and Kat.
“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m afraid I must be going. I’ve got to pick my little sister up from dance practice.”
“That’s a shame. I was going to order a round of coffee and pastries for everyone,” I reply.
“Pastries, eh? I don’t need more of those,” says Heidi. She looks down when she says it.
“Well, some other time then.”
I work out of my brother’s bakery and coffee shop. It’s mutually beneficial for both of us. It’s an inviting spot for my clients, and he gets all the extra business. Most of the time my client’s wedding cakes are baked by Jeff.
“Yeah, I’ll see you at the wedding, I’m sure,” says Heidi.
She gets up, offers me a quick smile, gives each of her three friends a quick kiss on the cheek, and darts out the door.
“Heidi is one of our Maid of honors,” says Kat. “She can be a little shy.”
“I can tell. She shouldn’t be shy though. She’s quite lovely, and I’m sure she’ll be hiring me to plan her own wedding soon.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know you said that, Mr. Jensen,” says Amy.
I order the coffee and pastries while the ladies go over some details of their dream wedding with me. I place my phone on the middle of the table and hit record while they talk. And it’s a good thing too, because my mind is elsewhere at the moment. It went out the door with the gorgeous Heidi.
“And then we were thinking of making the band members wear Reindeer outfits,” says Georgia. This snaps me out of my trance. Reindeer outfits sounds horrible.
“Ladies just leave it to me. I’ll make sure your wedding is perfect. Let me get started on putting a list of suggested venues together for you after I see what’s available for that day. What do you say we reconvene in a week? Sound good?”
“Yes, sir,” the three say in unison.
*
A few days pass, and as I’m enjoying a latte at my corner table, Heidi walks into my brother’s bakery. She’s wearing a long fluffy brown coat that hides all her gorgeous curves. It is January, after all, but this girl makes me long for warmer weather.
As Heidi waits in line, I tap her on the shoulder. She jolts and turns around.
“Can I help you, sir?” Her jaw drops when she realizes it’s me. “Oh, the wedding planner, right? Mr. Jensen?”
“That’s me. I recognized you right away. I just thought I’d say hello. This is my brother’s shop, so I’m here every day. Heidi, right? I couldn’t forget a face like yours if I tried.”
She giggles softly. “Ok, you don’t have to lie. You probably say that to everyone. But you do have a good memory. You only talked to me for like thirty seconds!”
“True, but you are extremely memorable.”
Her blue eyes are impossibly bright, and I’m drawn in as they seem to sparkle. “You are a flatterer,” she says with a sigh. “But it won’t get you anywhere with me, just saying.”
“And why not? Let me buy your coffee and flatter you some more. We’ll see just how far I get.”
“I really need to just get this coffee to go and get out of here.”
“Are you from this neighborhood?” I ask.
“Oh, no, I just—I don’t know. I don’t even—I mean, I don’t live all that close to Albany Park. I just came by because I thought this place was cute, and I really wanted to try it.”
“Are you sure that’s why you came back? Just because you thought the cafe was cute, or maybe you thought I was cute?”
She turns to face the back of the person in front of her. But I can see her cheeks reddening.
“You’re a shameless flirt, Mr. Jensen. What would your wife think?”
“I am not wearing a ring, and I definitely do not have a wife.”
“Yeah, because your charming act gets you laid every night of the week, doesn’t it?” She whispers.
“It’s been a long time since I charmed anyone.”
“Surrrrre,” she says. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to grab this coffee and get out of here.”
She runs her fingers through her long blonde hair and bounces up and down as she waits in line.
“I look forward to seeing you again soon, Heidi,” I say as I head back for my table.
She turns around and smiles. “You’ll see me at the wedding, but not before then. Unless I send you an invitation to the bachelorette party.”
“I’d like that quite a bit,” I say with a chuckle.
*
The following week, Heidi returns to the shop. And then I start to see her regularly. Every time I try to speak to her, she pretends to ignore me. But I know that I’ve got her interest. After all, she keeps coming all the way here, and I sincerely doubt it is just for the coffee.
After about a month of this, I block the door as she’s preparing to head out with her triple shot vanilla latte in hand.
“Excuse me, sir,” she says as she grabs my arm and tries to move me out of the way. But I’m bigger than Heidi. A lot bigger. I’m 6’2” and made of solid muscle. I may plan weddings for a living, but I work out extensively.
“I’m not letting you past until you agree to have dinner with me. I know you’ve been coming here to see me.”
“Oh, wow. You are really arrogant, aren’t you? You think I’d take the bus all the way here just to see you every week?”
“Well, why else would you come?”
“I don’t know, really.” She lets go of my arm and moves in closer. “I guess I just like the coffee a lot.”
“I don’t believe it. Come on. Have dinner with me. Just once. I see how you look at me. Don’t you see how I look at you? It’s obvious there is a connection here.”
“Ok, fine. We can have dinner together.”
“Next week is Valentine’s day. How about then?”
“You want to take me out for Valentine’s Day?”
“I do. Say yes.”
“I have a feeling you won’t let me say no.”
“You can say no if you want, but it will break my heart, Heidi.”
“You’re a dramatic one,” she replies.
“I was president of my high school drama club, as well as captain of the football team. And student council President.”
“Ok, Mr. Jensen. No need to tell me what an overachiever you are. I already figured as much. We’ll spend Valentine’s Day together. As friend
s. I’m currently seeing a guy I met recently, so we can’t be anything more than friends.”
My heart sinks as she says this. Though I don’t believe she’s seeing anyone. I figure this is just a test. I smile wide and offer her my hand.
“It’s a friend date for Valentine’s day.”
She shakes my hand and smiles.
“Yes, sir.”
“What’s your phone number?”
“Oh, um, 773-555-2796,” she says.
I type it quickly into my note’s app.
“Alright. I’ll text you to arrange the details of our friend date. Your boyfriend should really be taking you out for Valentine’s Day. If I were him, I’d be taking very good care of you that night.”
“He has his reasons,” she says. “I’ll talk to you soon, Mr. Jensen. Now please let me pass, ok?”
I move out of her way and flash her my wide grin. She shakes her head as she walks out the door. But as I look out the store window at her, I can’t help but notice the very large smile on her face.
Yeah, she likes me. For some reason she’s playing hard to get, but Lucas Jensen never gives up unless he has a good reason. An imaginary boyfriend is not going to stop me.
Heidi
*
“He’s taking me out for Valentine’s Day. That’s crazy, right? Do you think there’s something wrong with me going out with the wedding planner?”
I tear into my closet frantically as I try to find something to wear. Amy is on my bed sighing every time I mention Mr. Jensen.
Mr. Jensen. I don’t even know his first name. I haven’t bothered to learn it or ask anyone either. I’ve spent the last several weeks going to his brother’s cafe that he works out of, just so I can catch a glimpse of him. It’s ridiculous, I know, and it makes me feel like a stalker or something.
I was hoping he would ask me out or something, but Valentine’s Day? I wasn’t expecting that at all!
“I don’t see a single problem with you going out with the wedding planner. He told us all how lovely he thought you were right from our first meeting. Last week he told us how you keep coming in there and ignoring him.”
