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Unzipping it, she gasps. I understand, I did the same thing when it had been presented to me. The bodice is an intricate pattern of lace and pearls and crystals that glittered. It’s sleeveless, an over the shoulder design with a slip of perfectly shimmering white that went underneath and peeked out from the waist down. The shoes are, thankfully, not that tall in a discreet satin white.
“Wow, this is the kind of dress you see a princess in.” Latisha reaches out a hand, then pulls it back without touching it. “Girl, I’m afraid to touch it. Let me go wash my hands first.”
There is a quick knock at the door before Carla comes in with a wave. Then she sees the dress and she’s gasping, too. Latisha comes back and they’re both pulling the dress out.
Snatching up the underwear, I run for the bathroom to put it on. I can hear them both talking in excited, hushed tones over the dress. The bra is a beautiful white in tulle net, lace, and satin with matching panties. My fingers are trembling as I pull up the panties and I slide a hand over my abdomen. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and know what my wedding gift will be to Drake.
As I step out of the bathroom Latisha squeals with joy. “Girl, you are so beautiful. Now we need to get this dress on you. I can’t wait to see you in it.”
Seeing it on, everything becomes sharper. The sweet haze I’ve been in since the night Drake demanded I marry him is gone. I’m no longer in the clouds, I’m on firm ground, solid and hard beneath my feet. Emotions flood through me, they have me shaking and Latisha’s arms go around me.
“It’s okay, girl, take a deep breath.”
“For two years, I wasted so much time.” I whisper the words and she nods.
“Girl, you did what you had to do. Who’s to say you two would have gotten to this day any quicker if you’d gone the other way around. You both are some hard-headed fools. None of that matters, today matters, and that’s what you need to remember. So if you gonna cry, you need to hurry so we can get you back to normal and Carla can do her thing.”
“I’m not going to cry.” I exhale with a shaky breath.
Carla is sighing with relief. She goes to work and she’s grumbling over her orders from Drake to go light on the makeup.
A piercing whistle comes from the bedroom, Latisha had found the pictures of Drake. “Damn girl, he looks so fucking fine. Can I have a picture?”
“Absolutely not. Your gift is on the dresser.” Her shout of happiness makes it clears she’s found it.
“Girl, for real, these earrings are for me?”
“As they have your name on them, then that would be a yes. I’m sorry, I wanted to go bigger. Except the bigger they were, the more obvious it was that they were quality. Drake and I were worried about getting you mugged.”
“They are gorgeous, thank you. Wow, I’m wearing these today. Thank you again, for letting me pick my dress. I love this, the last time I was in a wedding the dress was so ugly I thought I was gonna throw up on it. This dress will have me balling or working it down low or up high.”
“I’m glad you found one you liked. When we went shopping I thought I was going to kill you. You tried on, like, twenty dresses.”
“Girl, wasn’t no one gonna be waiting on me like they was waiting on me when I was with you. I was taking advantage of the treatment.”
“Okay, Ria, I’ll be right back for the pins to put your hair up and attach the veil. Two minutes.”
I nod, when she comes back with a case. I’m not even paying attention until Latisha gasps, then I look and Carla’s coming toward me with it. I’m not really surprised by the sight of it. When Drake gave me a tour of the house, I had seen the portrait of Drake’s grandparents on their wedding day. I was stunned by the sight of his grandmother wearing a tiara rivalling ones I had seen on royalty. Drake simply shrugged, saying his grandfather had stated he was marrying his queen and wanted the world to know it. My legs are weak as I edge back onto the chair. Carla settles it on my head, using pins to keep it on. Once it’s on, she attaches the lace veil.
“Girl, you so pretty you making me want to cry.” Latisha is sniffling as I stand.
“No crying, not until after the pictures. Go down now, Graham is doing the pictures, he’ll be getting them of Justin and Drake. I’m doing my pictures with Drake after the vows, right before we have lunch.”
Sniffling, she goes. I eye the clock with a sigh. Carla is looking at me with a smile.
“You really do look like a princess. I can’t wait to see his face when he sees you.” She leaves and I’m alone.
I watch the clock tick down and close my eyes for a moment. Justin would be waiting by Drake. I would be walking down the aisle on the lawn behind the house on my own. Opening my eyes, I look and it’s time.
I’m proud of how calm I am. As I make my way down to the stairs Meredith comes toward me with my bouquet. Patting my hand, she tells me I’m beautiful, and thanking her, I turn toward the door. Walking out of the back door onto a deep purple runner, I see Drake. He looks up from his tightly clenched hands and sees me moving toward him. I see nothing, hear nothing but him. The look on his face is everything I have hoped for.
When I reach him, his hands clutch mine in a vise grip. Everything becomes a blur from the moment I repeat the vows and firmly say, I do. His voice vibrates through me when he responds. Finally, his mouth is on mine. Pressing his lips hard against mine, he seals
our promise, and the fire I see in his eyes burns me. I shudder with longing. Too soon, he pulls away and his arm comes around me as the judge introduces us. Hearing my name with Drake’s fills me with so much emotion I bite my cheek to keep it back.
Long hours later, I’m doing my best to pay attention to Justin, except my eyes are only on Drake. He’s talking with Latisha and he’s laughing at something she says. Feeling my eyes on him, sapphire glitters. Latisha notices his eyes on me, she looks at me and laughs. Minutes later Drake is pulling me into his arms on the dance floor.
“Drake, I’m dying here.” I whisper as my arms go around his neck.
