Laura's
Wedding
The Bridesmaid’s Checklist Series Book 1
By K.T.
Castle
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kassandra is
a single, independent woman who prides herself on her own success.
But when she’s asked by her best friend Laura to be the
Maid of Honor in her wedding, Kassandra finds herself
questioning her lifestyle. Helping Laura plan the wedding
is no problem—she’s done it before for all their other friends.
The first time was a blast, the second super fun, but doing it
without receiving any help from the rest of the girls gets old really
fast.
The whole event kicks off with the worst kind of surprise
when Kassandra discovers who her friend's fiancé really
is, and she's torn between supporting Laura's future
happiness and hiding the deeply buried, intimate past she shares with
the groom-to-be. Struggling to be the bigger person and do all the
hard work on her own, Kassandra finds surprising comfort in
Josh, the best man in the wedding and someone she's been avoiding for
years. He's charming, thoughtful, handsome, and the worst kind of
womanizer, but she just can't seem to stay away. All the
while,Kassandra can't help wondering if the wedding could be any
more cliché—until she finds unexpected ways to change things up a
bit.
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From Chapter 4
This can’t be happening.
The person sitting at our table was definitely someone I knew.
Someone I actually had been avoiding for quite some time.
“Well, well. Good morning, babe,” the beautiful blond said to me.
I knew this guy. I’d constantly met him at bars and pubs around the
city. He was always well accompanied by attractive ladies, but that
didn’t stop him from hitting on me. Persistently, he’d tried for
the past couple years to get my number and into my panties.
This beautiful man and I had a history…well, not really. We had a
history of not having a history. He was an artfully known womanizer
in the circles we frequented. Knowing exactly what I’d be getting
myself into if I ever decided to tap that drop-dead gorgeous body of
his, I had no choice but to reject him over and over again.
One drunken night I almost caved in.
Laura couldn't be marrying this man.
“Oh, God. Not you. You’re a man whore!”
He stood as soon as the statement escaped my lips. He didn’t look
offended. I guess he was used to my rejections by now. “Nice to see
you, too,” the handsome man said. “I like knowing that you miss
me.”
“Miss you? You wish! I can’t believe you’re marrying my best
friend.” And I really didn’t.
“No offense, babe, but I’m not the one marrying Laura. I’m Ed’s
friend. Name’s Josh, remember?”
Oh, right. Josh. For a moment there, I thought I had to talk Laura
into canceling the wedding.
Marisol's
Wedding
The Bridesmaid’s Checklist Book 2
The Bridesmaid’s Checklist Book 2
Kassandra’s last
single friend got married in the summer. But even if Kassandra
herself is the only unmarried girl in the pack, she isn’t single
anymore. Now that all her friends are married and all the wedding
planning is over, she has a chance to concentrate in her relationship
with Josh. Or so she thought until Marisol visits her with
a major, life-changing crisis. Helping her friends plan their wedding
was no problem─dealing with an unexpected pregnancy is a whole
other thing.
Kassandra is unable to decide the best way to help Marisol, especially when her relationship with Josh reaches a level of commitment she wasn’t expecting. Both girls will have to remember the past in order to move their relationships forward.
Destiny is full of surprises, and sometimes, the plans you have aren’t laid out on the path set before you.
Join Kassandra and Marisol as they remember how they planned Sol’s wedding while they solve together the difficulties in the present.
Kassandra is unable to decide the best way to help Marisol, especially when her relationship with Josh reaches a level of commitment she wasn’t expecting. Both girls will have to remember the past in order to move their relationships forward.
Destiny is full of surprises, and sometimes, the plans you have aren’t laid out on the path set before you.
Join Kassandra and Marisol as they remember how they planned Sol’s wedding while they solve together the difficulties in the present.
**Only
.99 cents!!**
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From Chapter 4
“Kass, what’s going on?” I heard Josh’s drowsy voice from
somewhere behind me.
I
couldn’t even turn around to give him a decent answer before I
started hurling again.
“Shit,
Kass.” He was next to me in a second, holding me from behind and
making sure to get my hair out of the way.
Pink
vomit covered the inside of my white porcelain toilet, and all I
could think about was how much this would upset my grandmother.
I’d
woken up what felt like ages ago. My stomach was completely upset,
and I knew vomiting was inevitable. Unfortunately for me, my babushka
was sleeping tranquilly next to me. I didn’t have it in my heart to
wake her up—not just to tell her how sick I felt. Not with the
noises I knew would be coming from my bathroom. I’d eventually wake
her up, only for her to find me turning my stomach inside-out. I
decided I had to leave my room and go to the guest restroom on the
farthest side of my living room.
During
my very long walk there, I accomplished the herculean feat of not
throwing up on my wooden floor or creamy carpet. I didn’t even
notice Josh sleeping on the couch; he could’ve helped me get there
sooner. Then again, my intentions while almost crawling my way across
my apartment were to not disturb my grandma’s sleep, which in a way
included not disturbing anyone else’s.
“Are
you done?” Josh asked as soon as he saw that my heaving stopped for
a few minutes.
“I
hope so.”
“Stay
here,” he said. As if I could move anywhere else. He returned
quickly, accompanied by a warm, humid cloth and a glass of fresh
water.
I
couldn’t express my gratitude enough.
Josh
sat on the floor next to me. “Why didn’t you let me know you were
this sick?” he asked.
I
could understand his confusion. If he was ill, I would expect him to
tell me so I could help take care of him. It would have made a lot
more sense if I’d used my own bathroom. “I didn’t want bahba
to know I was sick,” I confessed. “And I totally forgot that you
spent the night.”
He
grunted his disapproval and demanded, “Are you ready to go back to
bed?”
“Not
really.” That only made him grunt again. “I’d rather go with
you to the couch, if that’s okay.”
“Totally
fine.” While his words were a bit cold and cutting, his touch felt
warm and caring. Josh carried me back to the couch with him. I rested
in his lap for a little while and relaxed back to sleep.
What
felt like seconds later, I felt movement underneath me. I opened my
eyes and stirred a bit before I heard Josh’s soft whisper. “I
think your grandma woke up. I just want to put my pants back on.”
I
mumbled an okay and sat up straight. If my grandmother was coming out
of my bedroom any minute, I needed to look as healthy and awake as
possible.
A few
moments later, Josh had managed to clean up the living room—and
possibly the restroom—place some tea in the pot, and get ready for
the day. I imagined he and my grandma had to leave sometime soon. I
guessed I could fend for myself. I was almost sure the worst was
over.
“Good
morning,” Babushka said as she came out of my bedroom
looking well-rested.
“Good
morning,” Josh and I answered almost simultaneously.
“Glad
to see you’re doing better, Kassandra.” After all that vomiting,
I’d probably lost some weight, too. “It was good to stay with you
and help you recover.”
“Would
you like some tea, Babushka?” Josh asked the old lady.
She
approached the teapot and said, “It’s only chamomile tea, but I
guess it’ll do. Do you need me to fix some breakfast before I go?”
“I
took the liberty of boiling some eggs for Kassandra as soon as she’s
ready for them.” Eggs were probably the last thing I wanted to eat
at the moment. “A friend of mine will be here any minute with sour
bread from the bakery in case either one of you want some.” Bread
sounded more appealing—or saltines. I thought I had some in one of
my cabinets.
“Eggs
for me. Kassandra, do you want some?” my grandmother asked.
“Tea
is fine, thank you.”
“Good.
If you get hungry, Josh has managed to prepare a half-decent
breakfast,” she said. “I guess that since you’re sick, there
isn’t much else that might be good for you.” Grandma fixed her
egg with some mayonnaise and paprika. Their interaction was a nice
distraction from how horrible I felt. Somehow, I’d managed to
convince my grandmother I was doing much better, and she concentrated
her attention on my boyfriend. Her gaze constantly followed his
movements, probably contemplating the ease with which he moved around
my place. Josh’s eyes constantly returned to me, searching my face,
his composure oddly rigid. But it wasn’t because he felt
uncomfortable under my grandma’s eye; he kept looking at me, as if
he wanted to ask some question—that was, when babushka
wasn’t talking to him.
“Josh,
can I cook something for you?” she asked.
“I’m
doing fine with my coffee, Babushka. Thank you.”
It
didn’t take her long to finish her light breakfast and comment, “It
seems there’s nothing much for me to do. I better call a cab so I
can get back to your dzed.”
“I
would offer to take you, but I’d rather stay with Kass for the rest
of the morning,” Josh said. “But I’m sure my friend Mindy will
be happy to take you home. She’s the one bringing us the bread.”
“Oh,
nonsense. I wouldn’t want to impose,” the stubborn old lady
answered.
“Really,
babushka, please. It will make Kass and me feel better,”
Josh explained, “Besides, Mindy loves driving and today she’s
driving my car. You would be doing her a favor.”
“Well,
if it’s a favor for this girl, then I accept.”
Josh
stepped into the hall outside my apartment, probably to call Mindy
and inform her of the new task she’d been given. Not so long ago,
I’d been really jealous of this Mindy character. She was one of the
most beautiful twiggy blonds I’d ever met, and during Laura’s
wedding preparations, I’d noticed that she was always hanging
around Josh. He later explained that she was actually his PA. I felt
a little embarrassed after learning about their relationship,
although I still kept my eyes open in case she decided to make a move
on her boss.
My
grandmother approached me. I hadn’t moved from the couch since Josh
had helped me there. “He’s a good man,” she said. “Your
Dzyedooshka should meet him. Soon.” She patted my leg and
kissed my cheek. “Bring Josh home soon.”
“Mindy’s
downstairs waiting for you, Babushka,” Josh announced. “Let
me walk you to the car.”
We
said our farewells and my grandma made me promise that I would call
her that night to let her know how I was doing. I would agree to
anything in that moment just to get her to leave. I could feel the
dizziness and nausea coming back at me. I could do with Josh leaving,
too. I was alarmingly embarrassed given he had witnessed me vomit
over and over again in the night.
As
soon as they left, I rushed to the bathroom inside my bedroom.
Kneeling before the porcelain toilet, I heaved and heaved, leaving
only water and tea. I wondered then what I could have done to deserve
something like that. Where and how could I have gotten this sick?
Josh
was soon with me again, hovering over me and making sure I was all
right. I insisted he go home, but he wouldn’t listen. He stayed
with me all day, taking care of me as if I was a baby. He fed me when
I decided I was going to try and eat something. Saltines and sour
bread with some butter was the only thing I could keep down. He
helped me shower and put me to bed, too. Our day was spent between
trips to the restroom, showering, and sleeping. We didn’t talk
much. Josh had been extremely sweet by staying and taking care of me.
Thankfully, my stomach’s antics had stopped at some point around
noon.
Later
that night, I remembered I’d promised to call my grandmother, and I
shamelessly told her I felt much better. When we were finally in bed,
Josh hugged me tenderly from behind. He kissed my bare shoulder and
told me as I was falling asleep, “I may have managed to knock you
up.”
That
comment was enough to keep me awake for most of the night.
Natalie's
Wedding
The
Bridesmaid's Checklist Book 3
Kassandra
never thought she’d be in another committed relationship, but now
she’s living with her boyfriend Josh. Things can’t get any
better. But they can get worse.
Natalie
has dropped a major bomb on her, confessing she believes her husband
is having an affair. Kassandra is always ready to help a friend, but
accepting that one of their marriages isn’t working goes against
everything she believes about the people she loves. Wanting to help
their friend overcome this difficult situation and provide Natalie
the support she needs, Kassandra and the girls pull a lot of strings
to help Natalie uncover the truth. In the process, Kassandra
discovers remarkable similarities between Josh’s recent changes and
those in Natalie’s allegedly cheating husband. She’s always been
an independent woman who prides herself on her own success, and when
she digs up one dirty secret after another, she can’t help but
wonder if her man’s womanizing days are really behind
him.
Sometimes,
love makes us twist reality to avoid hurting those we hold closest to
our hearts. Join Kassandra and Natalie as they struggle to reconcile
their fears in love with the truth.
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From Chapter 4
Saturday
morning, Josh headed out for a photo shoot he expected to last all
day. He didn’t usually work on weekends, but it happened from time
to time. It still bothered me a little that his job involved being
surrounded by beautiful young women so he could capture that beauty,
but whenever I dropped by for a visit, everyone knew who I was and
what I meant to him. That made it easier for me, and I knew it made
it easier for Josh. He loved working for himself and had grown JAG
Modeling Agency from the ground up.
Since
I’d be on my own for the day, I decided to take advantage of the
situation and invite the girls over for a chat with Natalie. She had
asked
me not to intervene in her situation with Andrik, and while I
respected her wish of me not talking to her husband, I knew she
needed support from her friends.
I’d
asked them to be at my place around nine and to leave the children at
home with their fathers. We needed some girl time alone. Then I tried
to cover all my bases with breakfast—fresh juice and fruit in case
anyone was on a diet, spinach omelets without cheese for those who
avoided dairy, and pancakes just in case someone needed something a
little stronger. I also bought some high-quality steak cuts,
potatoes, onions, and corn, thinking that if our meeting ran too
long, my friends’ husbands would show up and turn our breakfast
meeting into a barbecue. Even though all my friends had the space and
furniture to throw these get-togethers in their own homes, Josh and I
had taken on the role of hosting them every week since we’d moved
in together a month ago. I wondered how much longer we’d be able to
keep up that kind of consistency.
Marisol
and Laura showed up early, and I gave them a small briefing on what
the gathering was about. The news shocked them, too, and they wanted
to try to convince Natalie that it had to be something else. While
they helped me set up, I reminded them that we needed to be delicate
and careful not to overwhelm her.
Natalie
arrived not much later, looking far less than her normal, glamorous
self. Her bleach-blonde hair was now long enough to pull back into a
messy ponytail, and I wasn’t sure the look suited her; we were used
to seeing her with a little more care given to her appearance. She
wore beige capris with a floral, short-sleeve shirt—something much
more suited to Marisol in her mommy role. The little changes Natalie
made now leaned more toward comfortable and away from posh, and I
knew it was because she was unhappy. She’d never let being a wife
and a mother distract her from presenting herself as if she were
about to make her way down a catwalk. She still looked good, but it
wasn’t her.
We
sat on my terrace around the glass table Josh and I had added to the
patio furniture. I was happy to see that everyone seemed to enjoy the
food, and the conversation was amicable. But it didn’t flow or feel
comfortable. I guess we were all waiting to see who would bring up
the elephant in the room first.
“I
still can’t believe you let Josh adopt a dog,” Marisol said as
she crossed her legs in her chair, doing her best to avoid the
beautiful American Pitbull licking her toes.
“Let?”
I asked. “This is his house. How could I say no? Besides, have you
looked at this guy? He’s gorgeous!” I called the goofy mutt by
offering him a piece of bread. Josh was adamant about only feeding
him the holistic dog food and healthy treats, but I couldn’t
resist. “Come here, Jagger.”
Josh
and I had fallen in love with him the day we stepped into Malibu’s
Pet Shelter. Someone had found him in one of the parks around our
neighborhood, and we helped the people at the shelter look for his
owners; someone had to be missing him dearly. Sadly, no one responded
to the ads we posted on social media or the flyers we handed out at
the park, so we took him home. Jagger was perfect for us. His
coloring was a soft silver that reminded me of Josh’s eyes, and
oddly enough, Josh had said the dog’s blue eyes reminded him of
mine. In that way, bringing Jagger home meant we had officially
started our own family. I never had any pets as a child; Babushka
never
allowed it, even when I almost convinced Dzed
to
get me one. I started out not knowing exactly how to take care of a
dog, but I sure was having fun learning. Josh adored animals, and his
nephew Elliot wanted to come live with us to spend as much time as
possible with Jagger.
“No,
dog. Go to Kassie... Shoo.” Laura swatted at him after he went for
her toes next. Surprisingly, she was rather warm toward him, but she
didn’t seem excited about all the drool.
As
I went to get him some water, Natalie called the pup to her and
scratched him behind the ears. Jagger would do about anything for a
little love and affection. “How are you, big guy?” she asked.
“I’m bringing Ella to meet you soon. Yes, I will. Yes, I will.”
She rubbed his chin. “You better be nice to her.”
“Aren’t
you worried she’ll be afraid of him?” Marisol asked with a frown.
“Michael thinks Micah would adore him, but I think he’d scare
Maya too much. He’s huge!”
“He’s
not. He’s perfect.” I corrected her. “He’s as gorgeous as
Josh.”
K.T.
Castle loves reading, writing, and painting. She's on a quest to find
the words, forms, and colors to materialize the worlds and people of
her imagination. She loves reading Romance, especially Young Adult,
New Adult, Contemporary, and Paranormal. She never saw herself as an
incurable romantic, but lately, that's what she finds herself musing
about. Love is found everywhere, regardless of whether it comes from
a nice person or an ass—mundane or even vampire.
When
she's not busy with work, in front of a computer placing many
thoughts in order, she does her best to be creative or relax with a
good TV series and snacks. Some of her favorite characters are
Lucifer, Jace, Clary, Affton, Cable, Poppy, Zack, Maleficent, and
Ariel.
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