Like A Fairy, Huh?

Eden loved this restaurant. Normally she was a fan of mixing her orders up every time she went somewhere but whenever she came here, she always got a different soup in a bread bowl with a side of their signature macaroni and cheese. Today's choice was broccoli cheddar.

Diana pulled out her selfie stick—a gift from Isaac last Christmas—and took a picture of everyone with their food at the tables they had pushed together so everyone could fit. She was a habitual shutterbug and had been taking pictures all morning.

There was a reason Eden always had to dress up when hanging out with these guys. Her picture would inevitably be taken and posted somewhere any time they were out in public.

She didn't really mind it though. She was fairly photogenic so there were few bad pictures of her floating around out there. And all of them were candid shots courtesy of Ezra or group pictures that had been taken at sorority events.

She happily consumed her food until it was time to get back in the car and go to the next bridal appointment. Aubrey finally found the right sleeve thickness for the tank top part of the dress but it was in a shade of white that washed her out, which would not do for her big day.

It wasn't until she tried on the second dress at the third bridal salon that she found what she was looking for. It was an alabaster tulle A-line dress with a plunging back and was simpler than what Eden would have thought her best friend wanted.

Somehow the simplicity magnified Aubrey's natural radiance more than any of the fancier dresses she tried on at the first salon ever could. This was it. The Dress. Everyone agreed it was perfect. The fashion wolves of earlier all cooed over it and stone-cold Jennifer nodded her approval as well.

Tears filled Eden's eyes as she watched her best friend happily swish the skirt back and forth in front of the mirrors. This was really happening. She was getting married!

Somehow the act of seeing Aubrey in her wedding dress made her feel more bereft than she had throughout the entire time they had been planning the wedding together. She was moving on with her life and this beautiful dress was proof.

Eden wasn't the only one crying either. Diana was bawling at this point about how her first baby was all grown up. Jennifer patted both of them on the shoulder and handed out tissues.

Aubrey didn't notice the waterworks in the waiting area because she was busy talking to the consultant about getting the dress hemmed and doing a few other minor alterations to make it fit better. The other bridesmaids chatted excitedly amongst themselves.

When she came back after changing out of the dress, her smile immediately dropped at the sight of their tears. "What's wrong?"

They spoke at the same time. "You looked so beautiful!" "My baby's getting married!"

She sighed helplessly as she hugged them both at the same time. "You guys are going to make ME cry. And apparently Jenny doesn't have a heart. It's nice to know who loves me most."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm not a crybaby like the rest of you doesn't mean I don't love you, Aubs. The rest of your friends aren't crying either but that doesn't mean we aren't happy for you or think you looked like a fairy in that dress."

Aubrey smiled. "Like a fairy, huh?"

"Yep. An overly perky fairy but still a fairy."

"I'll take it," she said with a shrug. "So now that we found the dress, what should we do for the rest of the day?"

"Watch movies at home. Please," Jennifer begged.

Eden wiped her eyes and giggled. She was worn out too; she couldn't blame her. Some people simply weren't meant for long-term shopping trips.

Jennifer bought most of her clothes online because she hated shopping. She had a surprisingly good eye because she rarely had to return things that didn't fit. She preferred skirts or dresses to pants but she wore leggings with tunics frequently in the winter so her legs didn't freeze. She had good style for someone who hated shopping as much as she did.

"I don't have much space at my house," Aubrey said as she bit her lip. "I don't want to exclude anybody."

Gina shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry about it. My boyfriend wanted to get together tonight anyway."

"I have homework to do," Mariah sighed. She still had a year left before graduation.

"My roommate has been on my case about doing my share of the cleaning so I should probably head home too," Carrie admitted. "This was really fun though. I'm glad I was able to be a part of it."

"My kids are waiting for me to come home," Aubrey's aunt said ruefully.

Aubrey seemed relieved and hugged all four of them before they set off. She turned to the women that remained with a bright smile on her face.

"So. Movies with my three favorite ladies! Mom, can we make caramel popcorn?"

Diana laughed. "I think you mean can I make you caramel popcorn."

"Well, yeah."

"Sure thing, baby. I'd be happy to. Will David be home tonight?"

"Nah, when he knew I'd be shopping all day, he ended up going to his friend's house to watch basketball. They're miles deep into March Madness catching up on all of the recorded games they've missed. I'll be surprised if he's back before midnight," Aubrey said with a shrug. "It's a girls' night all the way."

Eden had a pretty good idea what a girls' night mean in the Combs family. Jane Austen movies. She had probably seen every adaptation of every novel that had ever been made because of these three.

Not that she minded. They had made a fan out of her. She was able to find things to appreciate or make fun of from everything they had watched and it kept things fun.

Aubrey and Jennifer were the type that did running commentaries during movies whether they had seen them before or not and their observations always made Eden laugh. She had learned how to focus on the movies while listening to them go when she was young so she could enjoy both at the same time.