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Sofia gives me a smile, but it doesn’t quite touch her eyes. “I’m fine, darling. When you grow up in a family of nothing but men, you learn pretty quickly they’re not rational when it comes to women. I’ll be pissed for a bit, and then I’ll let it go. They’re only here for a short time, and I don’t want to spend it all fighting with them. Especially since I don’t know the next time I’ll see them after this.”
“You don’t think Nico will let you go and visit them?” I ask in surprise as we head up the steps toward the East wing.
“Oh, he will, but as I’m sure you’ve already seen, sometimes I can only take them in short doses. And when I go I like to stay for at least a month.”
I nod. I let the subject drop, because I know she’s not in the mood to discuss it, but I’m hoping she will trust me soon enough. When we walk into my old room, I stop just inside the door and gape at the sight in front of me. There are racks and racks of dresses of every style, color, and fabric, along with multiple veils, jewelry, headpieces and tiaras. It’s like a giant wedding factory. And where the chairs and couches once were, is now a pedestal and three large mirrors that show all angles. Two women stand near the mirrors, though they instantly stop talking as soon as I walk in.
The older woman gives me a warm smile, and she looks like a typical grandmother, with a fuller figure, a short style of curls on the top of her head, and little to no make-up. I can’t help but smile back at her. The younger woman, however, may look all smiles and excitement but in her eyes is pure jealousy. I have to assume she’s an admirer of Nico’s, but surprisingly, I don’t find myself all worried. I mean, the man put a ring on my finger, so what do I have to be worried about? She’s got bleached blonde hair, bright blue eyes artfully done up to give her a smoky look, and bright red lipstick that matches the low cut red dress she’s wearing. I guess she was hoping she would be working with Nico today.
“Hello, dear,” the older woman says brightly as she steps forward, and I instantly turn my attention to her. “I’m Nora Bardot. It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Gia.” I shake her hand. “Thank you for taking such a huge amount of time out of your day to come here for this. And for bringing such a large selection. It’s all so beautiful.”
“It’s no problem at all, dear,” Nora beams. “Nico has always been a good man to us and we are thrilled to help.” She turns and waves the younger woman forward. “And this is my granddaughter, Anna. She’ll be helping out today as well.”
“Nice to meet you,” Anna says with a quick handshake, and while her words are polite, I don’t miss the slight derision underneath them.
“Likewise,” I return politely.
Thankfully there is no lingering awkwardness as Nora says briskly, “We don’t have a lot of time and I want to make sure I have enough time to alter and hem things as needed. Though from looking at you, I brought just the right sizes, so I think you’ll be fine. Now, is there a particular style that you prefer, dear? Or even something that you’ve seen before you’ve dreamt of?”
I never thought I would be getting married other than out of force, and even then, I wouldn’t be allowed to pick anything I wanted, so all I can say is, “No, I actually haven’t ever thought about it. But I’m not that tall, so maybe something not too big or poofy?”
Nora nods decisively. “Yes, I agree. Alright, so no ball gowns or A-lines. Are you looking for something more sexy or maybe something a bit more modest with the right amount of sex appeal?”
I fight to blush and glare at Sofia when she snorts out a laugh. “Her man would think she was sexy in a paper bag,” she tells Nora with a conspiratorial smile.
Nora chuckles and gives me a knowing look. “Well, then, how about we go through things and you pick out the ones you want to try on. Gives us a place to start.”
For the next hour, I climb in and out of dresses, finding myself feeling overwhelmed by all the options, but also not loving any of them. They’re either too tight, too revealing, or look either too old or sexy so that I feel uncomfortable. “How the hell am I going to find anything if I can’t pick anything I like out of all those dresses?” I ask Sofia tiredly as she helps me out of the latest rejection.
“We’ll find you something,” Sofia promises me. “And I don’t care if we have to delay the wedding until tomorrow, I’m not letting anyone bully you out of this experience. As it is, we’re probably going to be late. Want to bet Nico comes storming up here to try and hurry us along?”
“Serves him right that he only gave me two hours to get ready,” I sniff.
Sofia grins and then gets a thoughtful look on her face. “I saw another dress I think you might like, but that little bitch Anna hid it before you could see it, so I imagine she’s wanting it for herself. How about I go grab it and we give it a try?”
“Okay.” I wait in the bathroom in only a white thong, a white strapless bra, and my white heels that Nora pulled out from somewhere. I try not to fidget or worry as I wait, but my nerves are starting to build. God, this is happening so fast, and I hope to God I’m not making a mistake.
Sofia comes walking back into the bathroom with another gown in her arms, and she grins at me when I smile at her. “I think this is the one,” she predicts. “Let’s hurry up and get you into it.”
At first I’m not sure as I pull it on and Sofia helps me get it buttoned up. Once it’s on, I turn to look at the mirror across the bathroom, and I realize that this is my dress. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I can’t stop staring as I take it all in.
It’s a trumpet style gown, and it hugs my curves nicely, but is still modest and tasteful, without showing too much skin. It has a high-neckline, and long sleeves with beautiful appliques ending at my wrist. The front of it is simple, but along the sides of the dress are the same lace appliques from the sleeves, giving it an elegant look, while also showing just small hints of skin. It falls straight down to my feet, with it flowing back and around to a beautiful train that slides out softly behind me. I turn around to look at the back and smile. The back plunges down to mid-back, with small, delicate pearl buttons going from the base of the plunge, over my butt, and stopping just before the train flows out.
“You look stunning, darling,” Sofia beams excitedly. “Nico is going to love the sight of you.”
“I feel like a bride in this one,” I tell her, turning back to her.
“As you should. Now, let’s get out there and make sure that there isn’t anything we need to do to make it extra perfect.” She picks up the train and we exit the bathroom. Instantly, I see Anna’s eyes land on me and jealousy and anger burn on her face before she can hide it. I purposely ignore it, and head for the pedestal. “I think we’ve found it,” Sofia tells Nora.
Nora smiles widely. “It is stunning on you, dear,” she tells me, moving around me and looking at the dress carefully. “And I don’t see any adjustments that need to be made other than it needs to be hemmed a bit in the front, but that won’t take me but a moment to get done. Let me pin it, and then we can get started on the accessories.”
“Are you thinking hair up or down?” Sofia asks me, pursing her lips as she looks at me.
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“Perhaps we see what we find for a veil,” Nora suggests. “Anna, go and pick out a few that you think will pair nicely with this one.” And it’s then I see the warning look she flashes her granddaughter. Ah, it seems grandma isn’t oblivious to what her granddaughter is up to. I hide my smile, but Anna nods stiffly and does what she’s told. She comes back with a few different options, and I instantly don’t like any of them.
