"When's the stripper getting here?"

I choked on my tequila when I heard Gwen's question. Karma chuckled and patted me on the back.

"He should be here soon," Lanie answered before grabbing something from a bag on the table. When she turned around with a huge smile, my eyes dropped to the item in her hands. "Time to put this on!"

Even though it was slightly cheesy and a little cliché, I couldn't help the giddiness I felt when my eyes landed on the pink sash that had the words Bride To Be written on it. "Is that for me?"

"Duh," Lanie laughed and draped it over my head. "Who else would it be for? I mean, my wedding is probably next and this can be my something borrowed."

She stepped back and I looked down at the knew addition to my outfit. I tugged at the sides while I couldn't stop staring at that word.

The B word.

Bride.

I was a bride. It wasn't that it didn't feel real since London, it was just that it felt really real now. I was a bride.

Lanie's voice drew my attention as she announced a game we were going to play. "I'm so glad everyone is here to celebrate Harper's send off into married life."

There was an eruption of applause and whooping from my nearest and dearest.

"What game are we playing?" Danielle asked with a side smile. "Pin the Condom on the Penis?"

Laughter filled the living room and Lanie rolled her eyes. "No, we aren't playing that. We are playing a game called Dirty Minds."

"Sounds fitting," Jamie teased.

"I don't know," Karma interjected with a wink. "Pin the Condom on the Penis seems like fun."

Lanie held up her hands. "Fine! Maybe after we play Dirty Minds, if there's time before Fireman Hans gets here, we will play Pin the Condom on the Penis."

"Yes!" Cherise cheered and we all chuckled. The woman may be in her late fifties, but she was always a wild one at heart. "I'm dying to play that game."

Jamie cast wide eyes at Cherise. "Wow, mom. I can't believe you just said that."

"What? It's been awhile and it would be nice to have a little fun."

Jamie covered her face with her hand and groaned. "Kill me now."

"Okay, okay," Lanie laughed. "We'll play that after Dirty Minds. Now, let's get started." Lanie grabbed a stack of papers and pens and passed them around. "Each of you needs to answer the riddles and whoever gets the most answers right gets a prize."

"Oh!" Karma exclaimed. "What's the prize?"

Lanie shook her head. "I'm not telling you guys! If you want the prize, answer the questions correctly." My best friend reached for the timer she used when she cooked. "I decided to make this a little more fun. I'm going to give you a time limit of three minutes to complete the forms. Ready? Go!"

After three rounds of playing Dirty Minds, and one round of Pin the Condom on the Penis, it was time for cake and more booze. Of course that was after a Karma won the game and got the prize. The prize was a gift certificate to get a facial and a mani-pedi.

I joined all of the girls in the kitchen and waited while Lanie made margaritas. The small space was filled with light conversations, jokes, and laughter. I was about to answer a question Jamie asked me when my cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. Even though I had a hunch of who it was, I was still surprised to see his name on the caller ID.

"Jackson Reese," I said into the receiver, "you better not be calling to tell me that you canceled your bachelor party. I thought we agreed on no phone calls until tomorrow morning."

His deep chuckle sent chills down my spine. "I'm sorry, Princess. You can spank me later for it."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"As you should. How's the party?"

When I took the call I stepped into the living room for some privacy. I glanced towards the kitchen briefly.

"It's been fun. Lanie had us play some games and we just finished with that. We're just having some drinks now."

"Well, I'm glad you're having fun. No stripper yet?"

I laughed into the phone at his jealous tone. "Nope. No stripper yet. I thought you promised you weren't going to get jealous."

"I promised to be okay with this-which I am. I never promised not to be jealous. You know me, princess. The idea of another man naked in front of you makes me want to come whisk you away and make love to you for the rest of the day."

I chewed my bottom lip as my body heated. I wanted that, too. I was tempted to tell him to come over here to pick me up and do exactly what he said. The truth was, I was jealous of a smoking hot woman dancing naked in front of him. I didn't want him seeing any other girl's body except my own. But we made a promise to each other and he knew as well as I did that we were both going to keep it.

I cleared my throat. "We will have the rest of our lives for you to make love to me, Jackson. Not days. Not weeks. Not even months. Decades."

"That's what I want, princess. You and me. Together forever."

I couldn't help but smile. "I love you. Now go watch the naked lady dance and I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you too, princess."

I ended the call before Lanie's voice drew my attention.

"Harper! Come on! The margaritas are ready!"

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and rejoined the girls in the kitchen. It was less than a minute before a margarita glass was shoved in my hand.

I glanced over at Danielle who was happily sipping her virgin margarita. If and when I got pregnant, I wondered how I would feel about not being able to drink alcohol. But I knew the answer. I would give up anything, even alcohol, just to be able to carry my and Jackson's baby.

Knock-knock-knock

The knock at the front door made the whole kitchen go silent.

Cherise's eyes widened. "Is that..."

Lanie laughed evilly. "Oh, yeah. It's stripper time!

One hour later, we were all sitting in Lanie's living room while Fireman Hans put on a show for us. As the music continued to boom, Karma nudged me with her elbow. I leaned down so I could hear her better.

"I think he has the hots for Jackson's aunt."

My mouth dropped. "No! He's like, twenty-three and she's...not." I looked over at Gwen. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, stuffing dollar bills into the very thin piece of thong he was wearing.

I looked around to see if Danielle, Jamie, Cherise, or Lanie noticed this as well. Nope. They seemed to be enthralled with just staring at the nearly naked man dancing around Lanie's house. If my eyes were seeing things correctly, Gwen was batting her eyelashes at Fireman Hans.

"I think you're right," I replied to Karma incredulously.

"Is she single? Maybe we should introduce them. You know, officially. I don't think his real name is Fireman Hans," she joked.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Gwen as she continued to swoon over the stripper. "She is single, but I don't know...I mean, he's really young. And he's a stripper."

"So? People got to make money somehow. Besides, age is just a number."

That was true. But the idea of hooking up Gwen with a young stripper was weird. Good God...what would Jackson think? My gut feeling told me he probably wouldn't approve of this. But in the end, wasn't it about what would make Gwen happy?

With a sudden urge to play matchmaker, I got up from the couch and walked over to where Gwen was sitting. When I stood beside her, the stripper's eyes landed on me. There was a flicker of panic on his face. He probably but I came over here because he had been showing Gwen most of the attention without realizing it.

"Its time for the bride to get a lap dance!" Lanie shouted over the music.

Fireman Hans smiled broadly as he started to me.

"Actually, I will not be getting a lap dance today."

Lanie crossed her arms over her chest. "Harper Anne Lewis! You promised that you wouldn't go all 'Harper' on me and enjoy your bachelorette party! Now you are denying a lap dance from Fireman Hans? That's what he gets paid to do!"

When my best friend was done berating me, a corner of my mouth lifted in a teasing smile.

I took my Bride To Be sash off and put it on Gwen. "Lanie, I'm not getting a lap dance...because Gwen is."