I’ll give Cordelia one thing, she at least let me try a wide variety of styles. But every single one has earned a sneer or a grimace of distaste and a hand wave. Baron’s sister Felicity has had her nose glued to her phone, and Willow, who arrived late, has been turning more red by the minute. Our other friend, Sadie, who’s dating another Tridents player, couldn’t make it because of a family commitment. Too bad, because I could really use the backup right about now.
A knock on the door has the salesgirl opening it, and I assume it’s the next dress. Instead, I hear Willow’s voice. “Give us a minute, please.”
I sink down on the small tufted stool in the corner and let my head fall into my hands. That fortification from Dan’s text is gone. With Willow, I can show how I truly feel. “This is torture.”
Willow lets out an indelicate snort. “What, the horrible dresses you keep coming out in, or the vile energy Cordelia’s putting out.”
I look up and Willow, noticing my misery, drops down into a crouch in front of me. “Babe, why are you doing this? Why are you letting her dictate everything? Buying your wedding dress should be fun and exciting, not the worst day of your life.”
“She’s impossible to say no to.”
“I’ll do it for you. Say the word, and I’ll kick her ass out ofhere.”
I laugh and sniff back a tear. “You’re the best, but that would only make it worse.”
“You’re only saying that because you haven’t seen the next dress she wants you to try on.” Willow shudders. “Trust me. It’s by far the worst one yet. And I’m willing to bet she loves it.”
“It’s just a dress, right? If it makes her happy…” I trail off, fully aware of how crazy I sound. Willow’s already shaking her head.
“Lark,youshould be happy on your wedding day. It’s not about her, it’s about you and Baron.” She glances down for a second, and when she meets my eyes again, her expression is concerned. “Are you sure this is all worth it? I thought maybe…after what you said…”
I know what she’s referring to without her even finishing her thought. The night I told the girls I was engaged, I also admitted it may have been a mistake, and that I didn’t want to marry Baron.
“I don’t know what to do, Willow,” I whisper. “Is he the man of my dreams? No. But is he a good man who wants to marry me? Yeah. What if this is as good as it gets for me?”
“That is the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth, Lark Miller.” Willow squeezes my knees. “You are a phenomenal woman. Gorgeous, smart, athletic, funny, kind. You’re a hell of a catch and you can abso-freaking-lutely do better than Baron and his horrendous family. If you’re marrying him because you honestly don’t see that, then I need to kidnap you right the heck now and hold you hostage until I get you to see it.”
I give her a watery smile. “Like I said, you’re the best.” I inhale and exhaleslowly once again. “I know I need to decide what to do, and soon. It’s just not exactly an easy decision, you know?”
Willow nods. “I know.” She stands up and places her hands on her hips. “Now, let’s get this last dress over with so we can go and get lunch. The wine’s on me.”
I nod and paste a large smile on my face. “Sounds good.”
When I come out of the changing room a little while later, feeling like a cupcake in the ridiculously large ball gown, sure enough, Willow’s prediction comes true. Cordelia stands up, smiling for once.
“Nowthisis a dress fit for a Hazelwood wedding.”
I bite my tongue as she walks slowly around me, tugging at parts, talking to the salesgirl, and completely ignoring me.
Probably a good thing since it might be written all over my face that I can’t shake the image of Julia Roberts in the opening scenes ofRunaway Bride. This dress bears an eerie resemblance to hers…which is kind of a bad omen, isn’t it?
“Yes. This is the one.”
I turn to Cordelia at her imperious announcement. “This one?” I ask, hoping she’ll hear the hesitation in my voice and at least ask my opinion. But she simply nods.
“Yes. Trust me, Lark. This is the dress.”
Trust her. More like relinquish all control to her. I’d say something, but what’s the point? It’s not like she’d hear me, anyway. And I meant what I said to Willow earlier. It’s just a dress. I’ve always believed when I got married, the only thing that would truly matter would be the love I had for the person standing in front of me. Not the dress, or the party, or the cake, nothing but the person I was promising my life to.
I step back into the changeroom and let the salesgirl help me out of the hideous dress. Once I’m dressed, I rejoin Felicity and Cordelia at the front of the store. Willow is outside on a call from work. Cordelia is also looking down at her phone, and when she glances back up, there’s a light in her eyes that I don’t like the look of.
“Wonderful news, Lark. That was Helen over at Green Briar. I had reached out to her to see how long their current wait list is. It’s never too soon, you know. We must be prepared.”
My brow furrows in confusion. “What’s Green Briar? A wedding venue?”
Cordelia lets out a brittle laugh. “Heavens, no. It’s the boarding school Baron and Felicity went to. They’ve recently opened an elementary-aged program. Your children can start attending when they’re eight. Helen informed me that as soon as we have your anticipated due date, we should be in touch to secure a placement.”
What. Did. She. Just. Say?
