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Layla had gotten a bit haughty, which had suggested she wouldn’t be on board when I picked the nontraditional color dress I wanted. Luca already knew I wasn’t going with white. I’d told him what I foresaw it looking like so he wouldn’t be caught off guard when his bride walked down the aisle. He’d kissed my brow and told me I could have whatever I wanted—then suggested I get a matching dress for Love Bug.
Although my groom was in support of all my decisions for the wedding, I wasn’t confident his mom would back me up as readily as he did.
Which was why I was fighting nausea when we walked into the bridal shop in Nashville two weeks after dealing with Megan’s shit.
My mom, Aunt Dallas, Aunt Emmie, Layla, Lucy, Lana, Mila, Shaw, and Love Bug were all with me. All of them except for Shaw had flown out just for this appointment, and none of them but my best friend knew I was pregnant. I still hadn’t even told Luca.
There never seemed to be a right time, and I wanted him to remember the moment I told him he was going to be a daddy as one of the most significant of his life. Growing up, when I’d envisioned our life together and telling him I was pregnant for the first time, I’d seen it as a special moment.
Megan’s reappearance had ruined the plans I’d had the day I’d first found out we were expecting. We’d both been so busy, between Luca having practice and me handling the majority of the wedding planning, time seemed to slip away from me.
How to tell him wasn’t my biggest priority at the moment. Finding my second, but final, wedding dress was. Hopefully without causing another falling-out between my mom and Luca’s in the process.
The designer, Kayla, who owned the shop met us at the reception desk with a bright smile. “Violet, I’m so thrilled to have you in my store.”
I shook her hand. “When Piper told me you opened a Nashville location, I knew it was meant to be.”
“I adore Piper. She’s brought me so much business. And when pictures of her in that constellation gown hit social media, the demand for more of my dresses became too much for my little place in LA. We’re even scouting locations in NYC for a third location right now.”
“Congratulations,” I gushed, knowing it was well deserved. Piper’s dress had been a masterpiece. I’d taken one look at her in it, and I’d known the designer would make all my wedding dress dreams come true.
“Mommy, all these dresses are so pretty!” Love Bug said as she skipped over to a display of several different styles of gowns. “Which one are you going to wear to marry Daddy?”
“That’s what we’re here to figure out, Love,” I told her with a smile.
Kayla turned to the receptionist. “Instead of champagne, I think we’ll be having sparkling white grape juice for our guests. And perhaps some sugar cookies?” This was said as Kayla glanced at me.
With a grin, I nodded. “Cookies would be great.”
“Perfect. While Tonya gets that for us, let’s go out to the floor and have a chat.”
Love Bug skipped back to us and took my mom’s hand before we all followed Kayla. The others were already glancing around, murmuring about what dresses they thought would look the prettiest on me, but there wasn’t a single one that I wanted. When I’d made the appointment, I’d emailed Kayla what I was looking for and why. She knew my reasons for not wanting a white dress and had assured me she had several designs she was working on that she would love to see me in.
“Have a seat, lovely ladies,” Kayla urged when we reached a sitting area. “Now Violet, we spoke through email a few times, and I think I have some great options for you to try on. But as I’m sure Piper told you, because they are nontraditional white, I need to be sure you’re one hundred percent sure that’s something you’re okay with. Some brides come in convinced they don’t want to go the traditional route, and will even buy the dress, but then they get buyer’s remorse and end up buying a second dress. I don’t like for my brides to go through that kind of mental breakdown, so I prefer to have this chat before I bring out the pretties.”
“Wait.” Layla spoke up, and I clenched my jaw. I’d been dreading this all week but, at the same time, hoping it wouldn’t be an issue. Yet my soon-to-be mother-in-law’s next words made those hopes crash and burn. “You’re getting a white dress. Or ivory. Or eggshell. Something traditional.”
“I don’t believe that is your decision to make, ma’am,” Kayla interrupted her.
Layla ignored her, her brown eyes drilling into me. “You’ve already deprived my son enough. You put him through hell—”
“Language,” I cut in, knowing Luca would have corrected his mother. He did it to anyone who cursed in front of our daughter. Even his dad and Aunt Emmie. Which took balls, but when it came to his princess, he was fearless.
“Whatever. You’ve made him wait for five years. And that was after torturing him by marrying a man who was only using you to take care of him while he was sick.”
I folded my hands in my lap and looked straight ahead as she delivered one blow after another. On either side of me, Shaw and Mila were growing more and more tense, while the other women all gasped and gawked at Layla.
“If you had just sucked it up and forgiven Luca when he made his mistake, we wouldn’t even be here right now. The two of you would have gotten married when you turned eighteen and—”
“Layla,” Aunt Emmie snapped. “Sit down.”
“No, this needs to be said. She was so selfish and unforgiving. She ruined not only her own life, but my son’s on top of it. And now she’s going to just—”
“Layla!” Mom’s normally soft, gentle tone sounded like a whip cracking when she spoke the other woman’s name. Aunt Dallas touched her leg, whether to calm her or offer support, I wasn’t sure, but either way, I was all too aware that things could go from a simple argument to full-on bloodshed in no time with all the hotheaded women in the room. “Shut up and sit down, or leave. Those are the only two options I’m giving you before I drag you out of this shop by your hair.”
“You’re going too far, Mom,” Lucy muttered, her voice full of disappointment. “I thought you learned your lesson with my wedding. And then you put your nose in Violet’s business when she got engaged to Remington, making her decide to exclude everyone, including her own parents, from her wedding. Now you’re making a mockery of what should have been an exciting day for Violet. None of what happened in the past is any of your business, and you have no right to bring it up now. Luca made his mistakes, and he had to live with them. He and Vi are together now, and they are beyond happy. But you’re stuck on the color of a dress she’s going to wear for one day? It’s her dress! It’s their wedding! And you’re screwing it up for them, just like you screwed it up for me.”
Mila put a comforting hand on my back. “Are you okay?” she whispered.
