AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Palmer followed Mabel to a rack of dresses. Mabel guessed Palmer’s size and showed her everything available. She touched each dress, rubbing her fingers over the fabric. When she lived in the home, she and the other girls would check out bridal magazines from the nearby library and dog-ear the dresses they liked. Palmer changed her mind a lot. Sometimes her favorite would be strapless or have a high neck and long train, or it would be the mermaid design and sparkles. She was never sure until now.
“I’d like to try this one on.” She held out a white satin dress with a high slit. The sleeveless gown tied at the shoulders and had a white ribbon belt. Kent would love the simplicity of the dress.
Palmer followed Mabel into the dressing room and thanked her. Trying on a wedding dress felt daunting. She ran her hand over the gown and loved the way the material felt to the touch. Palmer undressed and slipped the dress over her head. Due to her weight loss, she wouldn’t need to unzip her dress to get it off or on. She opened the curtain and stepped out to a waiting Mabel.
“Oh wow, you look stunning.”
Palmer blushed, even though she suspected Mabel told every woman she looked stunning. It was her job to make women feel beautiful. Mabel motioned for Palmer to step up onto the pedestal and turn to face the multiple full-length mirrors. As soon as she saw herself, she gasped. The dress fit her perfectly.
“I told you, stunning.” Mabel brushed her hands down the dress and tightened the belt at her waist. “Your fiancé is a very lucky man.”
Palmer met Mabel’s eyes in the mirror and shook her head. “I’m the lucky one. I know people say that all the time, but this time it’s true. If it wasn’t for Kent, I wouldn’t be here right now. He’s saved me more times than I can count.”
“Well, you’re both lucky. I’ll give you a minute.”
Mabel excused herself and left Palmer alone, giving her time to soak everything in. Palmer stepped off the pedestal and moved closer to the mirror. She played with her hair, pulling it up and then letting it drop and moving it to one shoulder, and then the other. She’d only imagined this day and had never thought it would come to fruition, especially in her condition. What Kent had done for her—what he was doing for her—went way above fulfilling her bucket list. Getting married was a dream she’d had as a little girl, back when she still believed in the fairy tale of life. A few aspects were missing, of course, like a dad walking her down the aisle, and a set of parents looking on proudly and with admiration, but the result would be the same. Palmer was going to get married to the man of her dreams. He wanted to be her husband, and that was more than she could’ve ever asked for.
Palmer sashayed from side to side and watched as her dress swished. She loved everything about her gown, but it was the way it made her feel that stood out the most to her. She finally felt beautiful. Kent had told her she was, but she hadn’t seen herself until this moment.
As much as she wanted to wear her dress out of the store, she knew that was impossible. Palmer went into the dressing room to change her clothes and to rest for a minute. She wanted to keep as much strength as possible because tonight was going to be the most important and special day of her life. Once dressed, she opened the curtain and found Mabel standing there with a garment bag. She reluctantly handed Mabel the dress and followed her to the front, where Kent waited. As soon as she saw him, her entire demeanor changed. She had felt happy and reserved earlier, but now pure elation flowed through her. That man was going to be her husband. He was going to promise her tomorrow as man and wife.
“Hey.” Her voice was soft and excited. She was happy to see him.
“Hey, did you find a dress?”
She nodded and bit her lower lip. “I think you’ll like it.”
“You could wear your blue sweatpants and I’d still want to marry you.” He laughed.
“What about you, did you find a suit?”
Kent glanced at his shoulder, where his finger held a coat hanger. “I did. I think you’ll like it.” Palmer raised her eyebrows. Kent rolled his eyes. “I know, I know, you’d marry me if I was wearing your blue sweatpants.”
Palmer laughed. She wanted to tell him she preferred the outfit he wore when he got out of the shower but couldn’t bring herself to be that forward. Kent’s flirting had increased greatly since he’d kissed her. Palmer wasn’t there yet. She hoped to be soon, though, because there was something she wanted to ask him.
