I put my hand in my pocket the minute she lets it go for two reasons. One, it literally tingles, and, two, my cock who has been in hibernation is suddenly peeking its head out. The whole thing puts me in a foul mood, that, and the fact she is still calling me Matty. “Shall we get started?”
Oh, I’ll get started all right, my head screams. I make the mistake of looking at her again and I hate that my body is reacting to her the way it is. She’s just my ex-girlfriend, so what if I want her again. So what, that one look at her dressed in those fucking shoes and it brought back all the memories I never thought about until now. So what, when she turns to lead us to the back, all I can do is watch her ass move from side to side. Her hair also swishes, and I remember how she knew I like her with her hair loose, so she wore it like that all the time.
She stops walking, and if it wasn’t for Helena pulling my hand in hers, I would have walked right into her. Which probably would have been a bad thing since she’d probably feel my dick and then think I’m some weird pervert. You are a pervert, my head is quick to call me out.
Sofia holds out her hand. “Please, have a seat.” She waits for us to walk into her office before she follows us in. I wait for Helena to take a seat before sinking in one of the pink chairs. My eyes roam the room, as she walks around the L-shaped desk going to sit in her chair.
My eyes go to the shelves behind her as I see some of the pictures of her with her family. My eyes find a photo of her with a child in her arm. She holds the child on her hip as she smiles at the camera, her cheek on the child’s head, and my heart sinks to my feet at the same time it lurches up to my throat. She’s probably with someone. My eyes fly straight to her hands to look if there is a ring on her finger, seeing that there is no ring there.
I shake my head, asking myself: How fucking dumb am I? Here I am, sitting next to a woman who I asked to spend the rest of my life with, and here I am worrying about Sofia. I look over at Helena as she looks over at me, and I smile at her.
“Okay,” Sofia says, looking at us and opening the folder on her desk as she grabs a pen. “I’m excited to start.” She looks up at Helena. “Why don’t we start with some questions so I can get a better idea of what I’m working with?”
“I’m so excited,” Helena says as she looks at me.
“I know the first question that people usually ask is what the budget is, but before that, I would like to ask some questions to see if your budget is feasible.” She looks down. “How large is the bridal party?”
Helena speaks up before I even have a chance to think about it. “I did a quick tally last night; I will have at least ten bridesmaids, so a good count is twenty.” My head whips to the side to look at her, seeing if I heard her right. “We both have lots of friends.” Um, no, we don’t. I have lots of family members who I found out she doesn’t even like. I look back at Sofia, who looks as if she’s also surprised at that number, but all she does is make a note of it.
“What number are you thinking about for the guest list?” She looks back up and every single time she never looks at me. It’s as if I’m not even here.
“Three to five hundred,” Helena states.
“People?” I say out loud instead of in my head, and she chuckles at me.
“It’s a big deal,” Helena says. “You have to invite all your teammates, plus your family has lots of contacts that they will most likely invite.” Oh, now she is okay with my family, I want to say but instead I look up at the ceiling. “I would hate to offend anyone by not inviting them,” she tells Sofia, who just nods her head at her as she writes something else down. I wonder if she’s making notes about how much this isn’t at all like I thought my wedding would be. I’d be lying if I said we hadn’t discussed it while we were together. Both of us wanted an intimate wedding with just our family. Yes, that would probably be over two hundred people, but it wasn’t anyone who we didn’t know.
“I know you mentioned you wanted a black-and-white wedding,” Sofia says to Helena. “Is it safe to say it’s elegant?”
Helena pffts. “It’s definitely going to be elegant.”
“What is considered an elegant wedding?” I ask Sofia, and she has no choice but to look over at me. Our eyes meet as she starts talking all business. I’ve never met this Sofia. I’m used to the playful Sofia, who is always smiling, always snarky with me, but then always loving.
“An elegant wedding focuses on the luxurious elements that bring it all together.” She folds her hands on top of the papers she’s taking notes on. “It’s like a five-star event. It’s all about extravagance and beauty.” She looks back to Helena. “Of course, it all depends on budget, but when it’s as big as you want, little consideration is given to the cost.”
“I love it already,” Helena says to her.
“What month were we thinking?” Sofia now looks back at her notes.
“It has to be summer since he plays hockey,” Helena reminds Sofia, and I want to groan that everyone gets it. Helena puts her hand on mine, and I just nod. “July would be the best to make sure everyone is out of playoffs.”
“Are we thinking outside or inside?” Sofia doesn’t even look up until Helena speaks.
“I would love both,” Helena says, and in my head, I yell, Of course you would. “I would love to get married inside and have the party outside.”
“We can do that,” Sofia tells her. “Usually, the ceremony is inside unless it’s a nice cool day and the bride wants a rustic feel. But then we can set up a tent that leads out from the ceremony space.” Sofia avoids looking at me. “Will it be a one-day event?” My eyebrows pinch together at this question.
“We definitely need to have a rehearsal dinner.” I look over at Helena and silently I have to admit I would hate to attend this wedding. “I’m thinking maybe two days before the wedding and then maybe a brunch the day after.”
“I’m assuming with the guests coming in that you would need to provide accommodations?” Sofia asks, and all Helena does is nod. “So, we need to provide transportation from the hotel to the venue.
“The wedding will be an all-day event?” At this point, I don’t even know if she is asking the question or telling us.
“It has to be,” Helena says. “His family loves to have parties.”
“Invitations.” Sofia plods on. “I’m assuming that there was an engagement photo shoot?” She smiles, and for the first time, I see something flicker in her eyes, and I look down. What the fuck am I even doing here? This can’t actually happen; she can’t plan my wedding.
“We have not… yet,” Helena says. “I would love to set it up.”
“I can do that for you,” Sofia assures her.
“We can ask my cousin Gabriella.” I look over at Helena, who rolls her eyes.
“We can use the engagement photos for a save the date invitation,” Sofia suggests. “I recommend this since this will be a big wedding.”
“Wedding of the year,” Helena sings and smiles.
“Sounds like it.” Sofia smiles back at her. “Since it’s so big, I suggest the save the date just so they know.”
“When should we do this?” Helena asks.
“The sooner, the better,” Sofia states. “Usually, people send out the wedding invitation four to five months before, so save the dates should be done seven to nine months out.”
“Well, if Gabriella can’t do it,” Helena says hopefully, “we’ll have to look elsewhere.”
“We have a couple that we work closely with.” Sofia tries to soften the tension. “We can look at that.
“Okay, the next questions are for the bridal party,” Sofia says, and I want to get up and walk around, but instead my feet stay put.
“We have a bridal suite on-site,” Sofia informs Helena. “I’m guessing that you would need makeup and a hairstylist, or will you be bringing your own?”