Page 121 of Before We Break

Lexi musters a smile and rubs the fabric between her fingers. Her gaze flicks to Angie’s bump, and she swallows. “It’s pretty, but I was kind of thinking purple.”

“Say less,” Angelina says. “Consider us your fairy godmothers for the day.”

Across the room, Olivia holds up a beautiful, sparkly lavender number. “What do we think of this one?”

Lexi scrunches her nose.

Olivia laughs and places it back onto the rack. “This is why Angelina’s here. She’s the fashionable one.”

A slender blonde woman in black slacks and a white button-down approaches with her best customer service smile in place. “Welcome to Wisteria Bridal. Is there anything I can help you with today?”

Angelina steps forward and takes charge. “Would you mind starting a changing room for my niece?”

The casual statement tugs at my heartstrings. For the longest time, it was just Aunt Penny and us. Now Lexi has a whole family at her side. Knowing they’ll be there to support us through the pregnancy makes the weight of it easier to bear. Callie already knows, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave Olivia and Angelina a heads up, too. I don’t mind—I trust them implicitly.

The employee takes one of the purple satin gowns from Angelina’s pile and strides to the back of the store.

“Lex! What about this one?” Olivia holds up another purple dress; this time it’s a lavender floral fit and flare.

Lexi’s face lights up with a genuine smile—the first one I’ve seen all day.

We sift through the racks and come up with six or seven dresses in various shades of purple. Angelina carries them to the changing room and gestures for Lexi to head inside.

“Do you want me to come with you?” I ask.

“No, I’m good.”

Callie, Angelina, and Olivia take a seat on a nearby settee, but I’m too hyper to sit still. It’s like a thousand tiny sparks are firing under my skin, so I pace back and forth in front of the curtains, wringing my hands.

“Sit down,” Callie hisses. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

I blow out a harsh breath, puffing out my cheeks.

“Mom.” Lexi’s head pokes out of the curtain. “Can you help me with the zipper?”

Oh, thank god.

I slip inside and draw the curtain closed behind me, stopping dead in my tracks when I see Lexi in the first dress. It’s stunning, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about seeing my baby girl looking all grown up that has me all choked up.

“Do not cry.” She narrows her eyes at me. “I’ll kick you out and call Kiki in here instead.”

“I can’t help it. You look beautiful, Lex.” I motion for her to turn around and tug the zipper up. “Let’s not keep your aunties waiting.”

There’s a collective gasp as Lexi strides into the showroom, the gossamer fabric swishing around her as she steps onto the pedestal. She does a half turn one way, then the other. Her expression gives nothing away.

Never one to hold back her opinion, Angelina rubs her hand over her belly and says, “I think we can do better. It’s pretty, but it’s not my favorite.”

Lexi agrees and disappears behind the curtain. She rejects the second dress outright, and the third joins the first on the maybe pile.

By the fourth dress, I’ve managed to settle my nerves and join them on one of the settees. Callie’s showing me pictures of the twins in their matching cowboy boots when sobs drift through the curtain. My heart lurches, and I slip inside the changing room where Lexi’s curled up in the corner with a satin dress pooling around her.

I kneel in front of her, placing my palms on her knees. “What’s wrong?”

“The d-dress doesn’t fit. I c-can’t get the zipper up.”

“Oh, sweetheart. We can get a bigger size.”

“It’s my belly. Everybody’s gonna see, and then they’ll know I’m p-pregnant.”