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‘It was. Right,’ said Kirsty. She went over to the wardrobe and unzipped the dress carrier, spreading the folds of material over her arm. ‘Are you ready to put this on?’
Emma motioned to her to bring it over. ‘Yes. I just hope I still like it.’
‘Of course you will. It’s stunning,’ said Becky gazing at it in awe.
They all watched as Emma stepped into the dress and pulled it up over her shoulders. She turned to let Amy pull up the zip and then turned back to show everyone.
‘Oh wow, you look gorgeous,’ said Becky.
Kirsty and Amy clutched each other, unable to speak for a moment. ‘Just beautiful. You look perfect,’ said Kirsty, her voice ragged with emotion.
‘Let me get some more photos,’ said Becky, who had been happily snapping shots all day.
Emma bent down to slip on her flip-flops. ‘These are so comfy,’ she said. ‘There’s no way I could have worn heels. Can you imagine how uncomfortable it would have been?’
‘I know, I have to say that I don’t know if I could have come to your big day if you’d been expecting us to wear heels,’ said Amy, grinning. ‘I can’t remember when I last wore them. It’s always trainers or flip-flops.’
‘Me too,’ said Kirsty. ‘The last time I wore heels, I ended up with sciatica and hobbled about like a cowboy for several days after.’
Just then there was a sharp knock at the door. ‘Can I come in?’ It was Steve.
‘No! Please wait,’ yelled Kirsty. ‘Don’t you dare come in.’ She opened the door a tiny creak and slipped out into the hallway.
‘You girls had better get your dresses on, too,’ Emma said. ‘The clock is ticking.’
‘Yes, look at the time!’ shrieked Amy. ‘We don’t want to be late. Let’s hurry.’
‘Where has the Zen Amy gone to? Please can we have her back?’ said Emma laughing. Her sister was definitely up to something as she had been acting very strangely since she rushed upstairs to get ready earlier on. Kirsty slipped back into the room.
‘Is everything okay?’ asked Emma.
‘Yes,’ she said, unconvincingly. ‘Steve is about to take Dad and Tom to the distillery. Dad seems fine and quite happy, and Tom will keep an eye on him until we get there. Then Steve will come back and get us. So, we had better all be ready . . .’
‘I’m waiting for you,’ said Emma. ‘I’m good to go.’ She stood watching as they all reached for the dresses that were hanging in protective carriers and perched on the picture rail on the wall. She had spent ages sourcing dresses that would suit them all for today and was very aware that they all had different tastes. Amy had told her several times that she didn’t want them to look like backing singers from the eighties. She said she had PTSD from being a bridesmaid to Kirsty all those years ago. Emma smiled in quiet contentment as Amy pulled her dress on first. It was cornflower blue, with a plunging V-neck and delicate ruffled sleeves. The back was open and had a delicate sash which tied in a bow just at the base of her spine.
‘Oh, you look gorgeous!’ said Emma. ‘It is perfect on you.’
Amy beamed as she admired herself in the mirror, looking over her shoulder at her back. ‘I do have to say you have done a great job of choosing these dresses, Emma. I love this even more today than when I first tried it on a few days ago. It’s not something I would normally wear — obviously — but I feel like a million dollars.’
‘You look cool,’ said Becky, reaching for her gown. It was also long but sleeveless and slightly slinkier and lower cut than Amy’s. Emma had hoped that would appeal to her teenage side and when she’d first tried it on Emma had been thrilled with her niece’s reaction. It was made from pale-blue chiffon, and she looked like a film star.
‘Oh, Becky,’ said Kirsty, fussing around her. ‘You look so grown up and so sophisticated. Almost too grown up and sophisticated,’ she said with a groan.
‘Mum, I am almost eighteen . . . come on,’ said Becky. ‘Time for you to get yours on.’
Kirsty untied the cord on her dressing gown and reached for her dress which was also blue, but a slightly darker shade than Becky’s, and as she pulled it over her head it fell around her as though it had been made just for her. It was open like Amy’s dress at the back, and had a loose fishtail finish. The fabric had a light shimmer to it. Kirsty looked radiant.
‘Girls,’ said Emma, her voice cracking. ‘You have done me proud. You look amazing. Thank you for being my bridesmaids.’ She was so glad that they felt as wonderful wearing their dresses as she did hers.
The car horn honked a few times. ‘That will be Steve,’ said Kirsty. ‘Are we all ready?’
Becky quickly hair-sprayed everyone’s hair again and Emma dabbed some perfume on her wrists and behind her ears. ‘Okay. Now we are good to go.’
‘Oh, not yet!’ cried Emma. ‘I almost forgot. Here, this is for you.’ She ran to the wardrobe, reached in and brought out three small gift bags. Handing them to the girls, she shook her head in disbelief that she had almost forgotten to give them out. ‘These are for you to wear today,’ she said, watching as Kirsty, Amy and Becky opened the small boxes and took out a silver knot bangle with a heart-charm.
‘Look!’ said Becky, pointing at the charm. ‘They’ve got our initials on and today’s date. I love it! Thanks, Aunt Em.’
They all quickly slipped on the bracelets, hearing Steve honk the horn again.
