“Eric?” Aggie asked, wondering if Charity had somehow mixed up Jace’s best man with any one of his groomsmen.
“Oh my, yes,” Charity murmured. “Quite dreamy.”
Aggie supposed Eric was an attractive man. His personality was so large it completely overshadowed his physical attributes, so she tended to forget how good looking he was. When he kept his mouth shut. Which was pretty much never.
“And he’s so enthusiastic about everything,” Charity gushed. “As is his wife. What a pair. They have brought such energy to the castle since they arrived yesterday.”
Aggie was more likely to call said energy obnoxious, but she supposed Charity hadn’t been living with them in close quarters for months. Their type of energy exhausted Aggie quickly, but she’d never meet a couple more suited for each other. Except perhaps herself and Jace.
“The chapel, with the exception of the flowers, is set up for the ceremony. Those will be brought in tomorrow so they’re fresh,” Charity said.
“What kind of flowers did you get?” Mom asked, sitting up straighter in her chair.
“Black and red roses,” Aggie said.
Mom giggled like a schoolgirl. “Should have guessed.”
“I believe both the bridal party and the groom’s party have now arrived.” Charity consulted a list and added checkmarks to the top two names—Agatha Christine Martin and Jason Michael Seymour. She ran a finger down the side of the list slowly, as if calling up the faces, or characteristics, of each person. “You have some, er, interesting friends.”
Interesting? Aggie’s bridesmaids included one notorious porn star and Jace’s groomsmen were all rock stars. She supposed they would be interesting to some people. To Aggie and Jace, they were just friends.
“They’ll be well-behaved,” Jace said, looking uncertain.
Aggie rubbed his back. They would, but who cared if their entourage got a little rowdy? She liked them for who they were. And she knew none of them would go on a drug-induced rampage and destroy the castle or anything.
“I can’t believe you asked Starr Lancaster to be in your wedding party,” Mom said, craning her neck to read the list. “Isn’t she that porn star you used to hang out with?”
“Well, yeah, when she’s not stripping and not dominating her slaves,” Aggie said. “She’s a good friend of mine; I’ve known her for ages. Why wouldn’t I ask her?”
“Uh, does Jace know about her?” Mom asked.
Aggie bit her lip. She still hadn’t divulged how intimate her relationship with Starr had once been. Hadn’t thought it important. Or maybe she was afraid of Jace’s reaction.
Charity cleared her throat, the ruddiness in her cheeks increasing.
“Starr’s a sweetheart,” Jace said. “Not half as vicious as Aggie with a lash.”
Now it was Jace’s turn to go red in the face. “Uh, I mean…”
Aggie chuckled. She wondered if he’d feel awkward standing before everyone saying his vows with Starr in the wedding party. He hadn’t questioned a single person she’d asked to stand up with her, but he was very good at hiding his true feelings—except embarrassment. Aggie would have been able to tell if Jace was embarrassed by Starr. When they were choosing their supposed-to-have-been small wedding party, he had mentioned in passing that Eric would be his best man, hinting that Aggie ask Rebekah to be her maid of honor. Even though she’d only known Rebekah for a year, she’d had no qualms about asking her to head her bridal party. To prevent hurt feelings, Jace had then asked the rest of his band to be his groomsmen, which made Aggie feel obligated to ask their significant others to be her attendants. They were left with Dave—Rebekah’s brother and Sinners’ lead soundboard operator—who was easy enough to pair off with Aggie’s cousin Beth. Beth had been thrilled to walk with Dave as she hadn’t shut up about the guy since she’d met him at Sed’s wedding. Trey was walking with Aggie’s mom because his significant others, Ethan and Reagan, had been unable to attend. And then there was Dare Mills—who Jace idolized second only to Eric. As Dare was rather tightlipped about his romantic prospects, Aggie had asked Starr to walk with him. Starr hadn’t protested. More like swooned. And Starr really was her closest friend outside the Lady Sinners. She just hadn’t told Jace how close. What happened in the dungeon, stayed in the dungeon. And her sexual relationship with Starr had never left the dungeon. Not once.
Aggie glanced up when she realized Charity was explaining how the rehearsal would go. She should probably pay attention, so she didn’t make a fool of herself.
“So that about sums it up,” Charity said. “Are you ready for your practice run?”
Aggie cringed. She’d missed more than she’d assumed while daydreaming. As in, she’d missed all of it.
“Could you repeat that one more time?” Aggie asked.
“It’s easier to get instructions while you’re all in your places,” Charity said, standing and moving out from behind her desk. “Don’t worry. You’ll have it down by the time we’re through.”
The event planner followed Mom out of the office, saying how unusual it was for a mother to be a bridesmaid.
“Yeah, well, that’s my Aggie,” Mom said. “No one could ever accuse her of fitting a mold.”
Was that a hint of pride in her tone? Aggie was sure she’d imagined it.
“Distracted?” Jace asked as he climbed to his feet and offered her a hand up.