Chapter 361

Judy’s POV

I groaned at the sound of my phone ringing the next morning. I barely got any sleep after the strange dinner at the Blackwell manor, and then when I did finally manage to get some sleep, I was being rudely awoken.

Gavin’s side of the bed was cold, and his scent was faint, so I knew he wasn’t there before I even opened my eyes. He did tell me last night that he had an early morning meeting and probably wouldn’t be here when I woke up, so I was expecting to wake up alone this morning.

I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed my phone off the charger. My eyes were still cold, so I didn’t bother looking at the caller ID before I pressed the answer button and put the phone to my cheek.

“Hello?” I murmured sleepily, resting my head back onto my pillow.

“Did I seriously wake you?” Nan asked. “It’s 10:30.”

“I barely slept last night,” I confessed. “I’m exhausted.”

“Well, you'd better get your butt up and moving. You have a wedding to plan, and it’s not going to plan itself.”

“The wedding is months away,” I remind her.

“That’s right around the corner, Judy. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you create the perfect wedding? You deserve everything after all you’ve been through these last couple of years, and I’m determined to make it happen. So get out of bed, get dressed, and meet me downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” I asked, my eyes popping open. “You’re here?”

“Duh,” she said, and as if on cue, I could hear Irene in the background asking if I was coming or not.

“Are you serious right now? Why do we have to do this today?”

“Don’t make me come up there and drag you out of bed because I will,” she said, and I could already see the defiant look on her face. I could hear Irene laughing, and I rolled my eyes.

It looked like I wasn’t going to be getting any more sleep today, so I slowly got out of bed, my phone still in my tight grasp.

“Just give me a few minutes to shower.”

“That’s my girl,” Nan chuckled before the call ended.

I groaned before grabbing a change of clothes and going straight into the bathroom. I felt better after I took a hot shower. By the time I finished getting dressed completely and had my hair braided down my back, I felt more awake.

True to her word, Nan was waiting in the front parlor with Irene. They were both going through wedding magazines and cutting out images to go into the blank scrapbook they bought. They were having more fun planning this wedding than I was. I didn’t care about it being a huge event or having a flashy setting… all I cared about was marrying the love of my life and being a true family with him.

However, I also knew that this wedding was also paired with the Luna ceremony, so it kind of had to be good. Both the Silver Crescent and Redmoon packs were going to be present, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Maybe that was why I kept putting off the planning for this event, because I feared what was going to happen afterward, once I’m officially married to Gavin and the Luna of his pack.

“Finally,” Nan said when she noticed me standing at the entryway. “Irene got these bridal magazines, and we were just discussing your wedding dress.”

“My mentor, Sasha, owns a famous boutique in the city. It’s very high-end and expensive, but it’s perfect for this type of occasion. She can design the best wedding dress for you, at a decent price, because you are marrying a Landry. Obviously, money isn’t an issue, though,” Irene explained.

“Do you think she’ll be able to design something that fits a pregnant belly?” I asked, staring down at my growing stomach. I know I should be happy because I was having a baby, but all I felt was self-conscious over the fact that I was about to be a fat bride.

My insecurity must have shown on my face because Nan wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“You are not fat,” she told me, like she could read my thoughts. “You are pregnant and you’re going to be glowing.”

“Agreed,” Irene said with a nod. “Be kinder to yourself. You’re carrying my baby brother. And to answer your question, yes… she can design something that’ll make you look hot as fuck at your wedding.”

My cheeks flushed, and I put a hand on my belly.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to be a true mother, but I’m nervous. What if I’m not good at being a mom?”

“Are you kidding me? You got Matt to love you, and he doesn’t love anyone,” Irene said with a soft laugh. “Do you know how many tutors he’s scared away before meeting you? A lot. But you somehow managed to tame him and wish you were his mother in a matter of weeks. That was the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen, even when I kind of hated you.”

I smiled at her; it was true that she had once hated me, back when she thought I wanted Ethan for myself. But after she found out that Ethan had been playing her the entire time and that I posed no threat to her, she became one of my best friends.

If she found it strange that I was marrying her father, she didn’t make it known.

Nan closed the magazine she was flipping through and grinned at me.

“Let’s go. I’m thinking of having a girls’ day today. We’ll go shopping, have some lunch, and just enjoy ourselves without the stress of guys and babies.”

“I love that idea. Plus, I need a distraction desperately,” Irene said, and for the first time, I saw a hint of sadness lingering in her eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked her.

“I just miss Chuck,” she said with a sigh. “He can’t come here this weekend because he has a pack event going on. I miss him so much, and I want to die.”

“So dramatic,” Nan said with a head shake.

“You try being far away from your mate and tell me how it feels,” Irene shot back.

“My question is, why hasn’t he marked you yet?” I asked, my brows furrowed. “You’ve been mated for months now, and he hasn’t even made an effort to mark you or move you to his territory.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and started to worry her bottom lip.

“I don’t know,” she said softly. “After what happened with Ethan, I’m afraid to get too close to anyone. I think maybe he can see that, and he’s holding back. But also, I’m afraid to ask him for the truth, not sure if I really want to know.”

“He’s your true mate, Irene,” I tell her. “You shouldn’t be afraid to ask him these questions. Do you want him to mark you?”

“It would make my wolf feel a lot better,” she confessed. “But I’m scared… I have no idea what’s truly holding him back. He tells me he wants to be with me forever, but he makes no effort to show it.”

“Words are pretty, but actions speak volumes,” Nan said, a frown marring her lips. “I can see why you need the distraction.”

Irene nodded.

“I haven’t even heard from him in over a day.”

“Have you tried calling him?” Nan asked, her eyes wide.

She shook her head and looked away from our prying eyes.

“I don’t want to be a bother to him.”

“Irene…” I tried to say, but she stood up quickly.

“Enough about my dramatic love life. Let’s go shopping and forget about all of this,” she said, looping her arm through mine.”

I was pleased to see that Erik was our driver for the evening. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve seen him, and he gave me a boyish grin as we approached the car. I was careful not to hug him because I knew Gavin would smell his scent on me, even though he knows Erik is harmless. However, now that I'm pregnant, he’s been extra protective lately.

We piled into Erik’s car, and he drove into the city.

“Let me park and I’ll head in with your girls,” Erik said as he searched for a spot.

“Erik, come on. The pack has been ruled safe since the threat has been eliminated. We don’t need an escort,” Irene complained.

“Your father would have my head if he found out I let his daughter and pregnant mate out of my sight for a second while in the city,” Erik shot back, raising his brows.

“Then we won’t tell him,” she said with a sly grin. “Just give us this time… please.”

He stared at her through the rearview mirror for a short while before sighing. I knew that sigh; he was about to give in to whatever Irene wanted. He always had a soft spot for Irene and could rarely say no to her.

Once he parked, we got out of the car and started towards Sasha’s Boutique; it was huge and could probably light up the city on its own. Just as we reached the doors, Irene paused and grabbed her phone, her face immediately lighting up.

“I have to take this. It’s Chuck,” she told us. “Go inside and I’ll meet you in a second.”

We nodded and walked into the vast space. Just as we were about to step in further to explore all the amazing-looking designs that surrounded us and take in the glamorous atmosphere as a whole, we were suddenly stopped by one of the workers. A sleek woman with long platinum blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She wore a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly, and her hands were placed delicately on her hips.

She took one look at me and her eyes dropped to my stomach.

“Sorry, but we don’t’ make maternity clothes,” she said, her lips curving up in disgust. “Plus, I doubt either of you can afford this place. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”