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I paused part way onto the stool I’d been preparing to sit on, more than ready to dive into the delicious smelling food. After the workout Gage and I had put ourselves through the night before, then earlier in the shower, I’d worked up quite an appetite. But her words had given me pause. “Um. Sorry. A busy day with what?”
“We’re going wedding dress shopping!” Marcia exclaimed excitedly. “We’re picking your mother up at the inn in an hour, then we’re making a day of it.”
The piece of sausage I’d just stabbed onto the tines of my fork froze halfway to my mouth. “What?”
“Now I know you said you guys were planning to wait and all that, but Gran and I have to head home soon, and we’d love the chance to do this with you. If you don’t find anything today, that’s fine. I still want to spend the day getting to know my future daughter better.”
I looked to Gage, my eyes going wide, silently begging him to intervene, but all the asshole did was smile.
“Oh, um... that sounds great. Really. But I think Gage had said something about having plans today?”
“Nope, nothing I can think of,” he said as he forked up a bite of French toast. “I think dress shopping is a great idea. You ladies are going to have a blast.”
“Great,” Grandma Buttons said with that definitive clap of hers. “Then it’s settled.”
I shot Gage my nastiest glare, willing the skin to melt off his face. I didn’t know what the hell he was playing at, all but forcing me to buy an expensive-as-hell wedding dress, but if he wasn’t going to help a girl out, I was going to take him down with me.
“Okay, sounds fun. I’ll need your credit card, Viking.” That sure as hell got his attention. “Remember, you said to spare no expense, that you had more than enough to pay for my dream wedding.”
I held out my hand and waited.
“That’s right,” he ground out as he shifted on his stool, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
I looked to the two women across the kitchen, smiling serenely. “I really lucked out landing such a good man.”
I was going to get the most expensive monstrosity in that damn store. As payback.
ChapterTwenty-Six
WYNN
As it turned out,wedding dress shopping with my mom and Gage’s family was a mistake I couldn’t have possibly anticipated.
Trying on all those pretty dresses when I didn’t actually know where Gage and I stood made me... sad. With each dress I put on, the desire to have a legitimate reason to buy one grew.
After Darrin, I’d been anti-guy, hardcore, but standing on a pedestal in front of a million mirrors while my mom, Marcia, and Francis oohed and aahed over every one of them, I wanted it. More than I ever had.
This is whatever you want it to be, is what he had said, but if I told him I wanted to be engaged for real, to get married for real, I honestly didn’t know what he would say.
Vanessa had messed him up royally and he’d sworn he was never going to get married. When he said he wanted me, did he mean in bed? Just for the time being. Or did he want me forever?
I spent hours hustled in and out of a curtained-off dressing room that wasn’t nearly big enough to house the acres of satin and silk—and at times, taffeta—being zipped, buttoned, pinned, and clipped into every style of wedding gown that had ever been made. The majority of them were ridiculous princess numbers that I wouldn’t be caught dead in, but there was one that made my belly flip the moment I stood in front of the mirrors.
It had a modest sweetheart neckline that pushed my girls up perfectly, offering a hint of cleavage. The beautiful champagne color looked great against my skin and highlighted my hair and eyes. The bodice had visible boning stitched over with the most delicate lace appliqués trailing down onto the long, flowy tulle skirt. A slit ran high up my thigh, giving the classic elegance a hint of spice, and the dainty swag sleeves draping across my upper arms made me feel like a Hollywood starlet from the 1920’s.
The dress brought tears to my eyes, it was so perfect.
I wasn’t the only one, either. My mom had burst into sobs while Marcia got misty-eyed. It had been a nightmare trying to convince the three of them I was still uncertain and wanted to keep looking so I didn’t have to buy the wedding gown of my dreams for a wedding that most likely was never going to happen.
We left the bridal shop empty-handed, and a little heavy-hearted, but I pasted on a sunny disposition for their benefit, not wanting to worry them or have them start asking questions.
By the time we finished, I was ready for a break. And a couple drinks, for sure.
“How about we stop for a late lunch,” I suggested, cutting off any mention of hitting up another boutique. “I’m in the mood for a mimosa, and I know a great little café around the corner.”
Marcia hooked her arm through mine, leaning into me with a loving smile. “Ooh, that sounds delightful.”
I grinned at her as we strolled arm in arm to the café. The place was pretty busy for a Sunday and the church crowds were enjoying a nice meal after their services, so we sat on the patio, which was fine with me. Though fall was touching down in the Smokies, it wasn’t cool enough to be unpleasant. There was the perfect amount of nip in the air to enhance the excitement that always came this time of year.
