“So, I think I’m going to follow Jessica’s lead and just let you all choose your own dresses, as long as they’re blue and floor length,” Kate said. The conversation had been revolving around the two upcoming weddings; Jessica’s to Chris and Justin (well, they were having a ceremony even if it wasn’t technically a wedding) was just a couple months before Kate and Andrew’s. Wow. There were going to be a lot of weddings this year.

“You two are both terrible at this Bridezilla thing,” Maria said, laughing and shaking her head. “Maybe I should have one of my sisters come talk to you and show you how it’s done.” She squeaked a little as Rick pulled her in closer to his side, giving her a look. The two of them hadn’t been at Stronghold much in the past few months. Around Christmas they’d revealed that they’d been going through a rough time of it when Maria had had a miscarriage when they hadn’t even known she was pregnant. It looked like they were making up for lost time now, more enamored with each other than ever. Jake was happy for them.

Kate shrugged, grinning back at her. “Hey, it’s not my fault that we all look good in different styles. I’d rather not have everyone shelling out a bunch of money for a dress they’ll only wear one time.”

“If you want matching dresses, you should have them,” Sharon told her, frowning. “I’ll pay for them. They’ll be my gift to the bridesmaids.”

“No,” Kate said, pointing her finger at her maid-of-honor. “You are not paying for everyone’s dresses. Stop trying to spend money on my wedding. It’s not happening.”

Jake shifted uncomfortably. He’d never had a lot of money to throw around, although his lack of expenses while he was overseas meant he had a healthy savings account. Fortunately, his parents hadn’t minded acting as his storage unit, saving him even more. He had money too, but the way Sharon flaunted hers bothered him… yet at the same time he couldn’t help but admire her for making her generosity and dedication to making her friends’ lives easier. His conflicting emotions were pretty much par for the course when it came to her.

Although she nodded, Jake could practically see the gears turning in Sharon’s head as her eyes flitted around to the other women standing around the table with them. Andrew and Kate had asked their entire group of friends to be part of the wedding party, just like Justin, Jessica, and Chris, and he was sure his sister and Patrick would as well. Seeing that look, he didn’t doubt for one second that Kate’s bridesmaids would all be in matching dresses and that none of them would pay for them.