Chapter 27 Sharon
SHARON
The office is chaos. Wedding planning binders are stacked three deep on my desk, fabric swatches are scattered across every available surface, and approximately seven thousand sticky notes have accumulated over the past week.
Outside the window, Pine Hollow is dusted with snow that's somehow managed to stay pristine despite the December traffic.
Savannah gave birth earlier than planned to three boys.
I'm not sure how she does it? I’m not sure how I would feel about living with three alphas who are losing their minds trying to figure out how to take care of newborns.
The pack called yesterday to let me know that everyone was healthy and happy, but I could hear the exhaustion in their voices even through the phone.
"She's going to go crazy," Jessica says, looking up from the vendor spreadsheet she's been working on. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a practical bun, and she's wearing reading glasses that make her look simultaneously more serious and more adorable.
"At least she has help," I say, making a note in my own binder. "Can you imagine doing this alone? Three newborns? Then again some omegas do it."
Jessica laughs. "I can't imagine doing it period."
"Okay," Jessica says, finally sitting up and taking a long drink of her coffee. "Let's focus on the thing we can actually control. The Tangle Peak wedding. Which is exactly four days away."
"Also, this wedding is going to bring in more business I'm sure of it," Jessica adds, and she's not joking.
"After the Ben disaster, I was genuinely worried that nobody was going to hire us.
But then Tangle Peak showed up, and suddenly we're planning something that actual celebrities are going to attend. "
"Not celebrities," I correct gently. "Just the Brownbox pack and their close family. Tangle Peak specifically said she didn't want a big production. She wanted something intimate. Sixty guests maximum."
“I can’t believe they only invited sixty guests, It’s a lot less than I expected," Jessica says, pulling up her own files. "The pack, their family members, Tangle Peak's family, probably some close friends from the music industry. Sixty is actually really nice for a wedding."
I stand up and walk over to the window, looking out at Pine Hollow stretched below us. The town is beautiful in December, with snow covering the roofs of buildings and Christmas lights twinkling in the growing darkness. It's only four o'clock in the afternoon, and already the sun is setting.
"The difference is that they actually love each other," I say quietly. "Tangle Peak and the Brownbox pack are genuinely in love. They want this wedding."
Jessica joins me at the window, and she's standing close enough that our shoulders are almost touching. "It makes such a huge difference. When the they actually wants to be together, everything is easier. The planning flows. The decisions are simpler. Everyone's working toward the same goal."
"Which is why we're going to nail this," I say, and I can feel the determination in my own voice. "We're going to make sure this wedding is absolutely perfect."
We spend the next hour organizing our tasks and dividing up responsibilities. Jessica takes on the majority of the vendor coordination and the logistics of getting everything to the venue on time.
The venue is Riverside Ranch, which is the same place where Savannah got married to her pack.
It's beautiful in a rustic way, with wooden beams and open spaces and the kind of natural beauty that doesn't require much decoration to look absolutely stunning. Luckily, Tangle organized their own security, so we didn’t have to worry about that.
"Flowers are confirmed, right?" Jessica says, making a note. "That was a nightmare to source."
"All set," I confirm. "Remember I went to three different florists trying to find someone who could do what Tangle Peak wanted? Flowers that basically don't exist yet?" Jessica laughs.
"I still can't believe you drove all over looking for the perfect florist."
"Well, when the client says money is no object and wants something that looks like it belongs on a magazine cover, you find someone who can make it happen," I say.
"The Denver florist I found specializes in custom work for celebrities. She understood exactly what Tangle Peak was going for."
"Which was?" "Modern meets organic. Not traditional at all. Think art installation that happens to be flowers," I explain.
"She's creating these cascading arrangements that blend metallics with living greenery. It's going to be stunning."
"And expensive," Jessica adds. "Very. But that's not our problem. Tangle Peak approved the budget without blinking."
"See, this is why you're the boss," Jessica says warmly. "You already handled the hardest part weeks ago.”
"Savannah is the boss. I'm just helping while she's on maternity leave."
"You're the boss right now," Jessica says firmly. "Savannah left you in charge of this wedding, which means you get to make the big decisions. That's what being in charge means."
I feel a flutter of something in my chest at that realization. I'm in charge. I'm making the decisions. I'm leading this project, and it's going to be a massive success because I'm going to make sure it is.
We spend the rest of the afternoon working through details.
We confirm the caterer. We make sure the photography timeline is locked in.
We verify that the band has all the songs that Tangle Peak wants played.
We organize the seating chart, making sure that the Brownbox pack's family members are distributed in a way that makes sense and that the celebrities attending are seated with people they're likely to be comfortable with.
By six o'clock, we've made more progress than I expected. Jessica stands up and stretches, her arms reaching toward the ceiling. She's curvy in a way that I've come to really appreciate about her. She's soft and solid and takes up space without apologizing for it.
"I'm starving," she announces. "And I think we've earned a break. Let's go get dinner."
"Where do you want to go?" I ask, closing down my computer files and gathering up my binders.
"Somewhere warm," Jessica says, grabbing her coat. "Somewhere that has hot chocolate and maybe a grilled cheese sandwich or something equally comforting."
We end up at The Cozy Cup, a small cafe that specializes in comfort food and an atmosphere that makes you want to stay for hours. The lighting is warm and soft, and there are actual fireplaces in the corners that are currently lit and creating small pools of warmth throughout the space.
Jessica and I claim a table near one of the fireplaces, and I can feel the warmth of it seeping into my bones. The tension of the day starts to drain out of me as I settle into the comfortable chair.
"Hot chocolate and a grilled cheese," the server says, setting down plates in front of us. Jessica and I had apparently decided on the same thing without actually discussing it.
"We're becoming that type of pair," Jessica says, looking at our identical meals. "The kind that thinks alike and finishes each other's sentences. Pretty soon we're going to be the weird best friends that everyone assumes are more than friends."
"Are you worried about that?" I ask, taking a bite of my grilled cheese. It's perfect. Melted cheese and toasted bread and just the right amount of butter.
"Not even a little bit," Jessica says. "My beta hormones are way too chill to care about gossip. Let them think whatever they want. I'm happy having a friend who understands wedding planning and doesn't judge me for stress eating at midnight."
We eat, enjoying the warmth of the cafe and the soft ambiance around us. Jessica dips her grilled cheese into her hot chocolate, which should be weird but somehow works.
"Oh, I almost forgot," I say, setting down my mug. I pull up the sleeve of my sweater carefully, wincing slightly as the fabric drags over still-healing skin.
"I got a tattoo." Jessica's eyes go wide.
"Wait, what? When?"
"A few days ago," I say, standing up and moving closer so she can see better. I lift my sweater to show her my ribs, where the fresh ink is still slightly red and tender.
"This is the knot. Pine designed it."
Jessica leans in, studying the intricate design. Her expression shifts from surprise to appreciation.
"It's beautiful. What does it mean?"
"It represents the pack bond," I explain, my fingers hovering near the tattoo without actually touching it. It's still too sore for that.
"The connection between me and Cassian and Jett and Pine. See how the lines interweave? That's us. Separate but connected. Independent but unified."
"That's actually really meaningful," Jessica says softly.
"Does it hurt?" "Like hell," I admit, laughing as I sit back down.
"But I love it. Pine's supposed to do another one for me later—a phoenix for just me, for my transformation. But I wanted this one first. The pack bond."
"That's beautiful," Jessica says softly. "Both the tattoo and the meaning behind it."
I grin. "The phoenix is going to go on my shoulder, above my bonding mark. But I need to wait for this one to heal first. Pine says it'll be a few months."
"Maybe I should get a tattoo," Jessica says thoughtfully, picking up her grilled cheese again.
I point my own sandwich at her like a weapon. "Don't. You'll get addicted. You'll want them all over your body. Before you know it, you'll be covered head to toe in meaningful symbolism and regret."
Jessica laughs so hard she nearly spits out her hot chocolate. "Is that what happened to you? Tattoo addiction?"
"I already want a third one," I confess. "So yes, apparently I have a problem."
We finish our meal and talk about the wedding and Jessica's evolving scent and whether she's ready to deal with potentially being an omega. By the time we leave, I'm feeling lighter than I have in days.