Designing Emma (Volume 6)

by Clarissa Carlyle

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE getting hitched!” Nick smiled as he raised his glass to Emma.

  “I know.” She giggled, blushing.

  “To think, it could have been me.” Nick winked.

  “Stop.” Emma playfully kicked him under the table. They were currently out at their favorite bar, toasting her recent engagement.

  “Don’t let Daniel hear you talking like that!” she added as a warning.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be his favorite person.” Nick raised his eyebrows at her. “But since you’re getting hitched, I think that by default he inherits all your friends.”

  “I bet he’s thrilled about that.” Emma rolled her eyes.

  “Seriously though, Ems.” Nick leaned towards her, smiling softly. “I’m so happy for you. You’re finally getting the happy ending you deserve.”

  “I guess I am.” Emma took a sip from her glass of wine. It still hadn’t quite sunk in. Sometimes she would just stare at the sparkling diamond on her finger, fearing it was just a figment of her imagination and that at any moment she’d wake up, it would all be some wondrous dream, and that Daniel would be back in England, forever out of reach.

  “But...” She wanted to share her anxiety but didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to risk sounding like a crazy person. She finally had everything she’d always wanted, yet she was terrified that if she looked away, even for a second, it would all dissolve into a cloud of smoke and be gone.

  “But what?” Nick said softly. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”

  “You’ll think I’m crazy.” Emma put her head in her hands and sighed.

  “Crazier,” Nick corrected her, smiling fondly.

  “Fine.” Emma arched an eyebrow at him and blew some loose hair out of her eyes. “I just keep thinking what if he changes his mind? What if the next call I get from Daniel is him saying he’s got cold feet and is leaving again?”

  “I don’t think that will happen,” Nick stated reassuringly.

  “But it might!” Emma insisted. “I mean, it’s happened before!”

  “But that’s when he thought you were marrying me.” Nick laughed. “I think it’s pretty different now you’re all set to marry him.”

  “I don’t know,” Emma said woefully. The engagement was still just a promise to marry, a promise Daniel could still break.

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to wear?” Nick asked, changing the subject in an attempt to lift Emma’s mood.

  “Not really.” She shrugged. “Vera Wang got in touch and offered to design a bespoke dress, which is really kind of her, but honestly, it’s not crossed my mind that much.”

  All the preparation surrounding the wedding had made Emma long for her mother more than ever. It was a mother’s job to take her daughter dress shopping, to help her select that one special gown for her big day. But Emma’s mother wouldn’t even get to see her in her wedding dress. When Emma thought about it, her heart broke a thousand times over. It was a devastating reality that she hated being confronted with.

  “Why don’t you design your own dress?” Nick suggested.

  “My own dress?” Emma blinked at him in surprise.

  “You run a world-famous design company; I don’t think designing your own wedding dress is really such a stretch.”

  “I hadn’t even thought about doing that.” Emma looked across at him, still slightly stunned by his suggestion. “It hadn’t even crossed my mind!”

  “Well, now it has, as I brought it up.” Nick grinned. “Something to think about.”

  “Yeah.” Emma nodded as design ideas instantly began to materialize in her mind’s eye.

  “You’re already thinking about it.” Nick pointed at her, laughing slightly.

  “Maybe.” Emma smirked at him. “It’s a pretty good idea.”

  “How about we take it one step further?” Nick’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  Emma leaned forward in anticipation. “I’m listening.”

  “Why doesn’t Delacourt Designs launch an entire range of bridal wear? You could use your wedding as a way to launch it upon the world.”

  Emma leaned back and tucked her hair behind her ears. She liked the idea of launching a bridal range; it was almost the next logical step for the company to take anyway now that they were already doing couture and interior décor. However, she didn’t like the idea of using her own wedding as a platform to launch the range. It seemed tacky to blur the lines between her personal and professional life in such a way. Then she did really love the thought of wearing a dress she designed herself on her big day.

  “It wouldn’t be tacky,” Nick directly addressed her concerns. He knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. “We’d do it all very tastefully, of course.”

  Emma bit her lip and mulled it over. “It is a really good idea,” she credited him.

  “I know,” Nick gloated.

  “Surprised it came from you,” she teased.

  “And it made you stop stressing over Daniel, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah!” Emma cried, relieved to have finally stopped worrying about whether or not her groom’s proposal had been sincere. It was exhausting to worry so much.

  “See, I’m a genius!” Nick declared.

  “And modest,” Emma added playfully.

  “I gave you an amazing idea for a company and a distraction from your crazy abandonment fears.”

  “They’re not crazy,” Emma told him defensively.

  “Yes, they are,” Nick told her with certainty. “There’s no way Daniel is not going to marry you. You two are in love and perfect for one another.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’m never wrong.” Nick winked.

  “What about your happy ending?” Emma swirled the wine in her glass and looked across at her friend, deflecting the topic of their conversation onto him.

  “Mine?” Nick frowned slightly.

  “I mean, I’m getting my happily ever after, and you’re still this mystery. You’ve never fully told me about the girl who broke your heart.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” Nick replied sternly.

  “But there is,” Emma persisted. “There has to be. You’re this crazy deep guy masquerading as a playboy, and I want to know why!”

  Nick shook his head firmly.

  “I’m calling the friend card!” Emma told him, slapping an imaginary card down on the table between them. “Friends tell each other everything,” she continued. “They don’t keep secrets.”

  “But this doesn’t concern you.”

  “If it concerns you, it concerns me,” Emma said stubbornly. “Time to open up, Cardelinni.”

  Nick knocked back the remainder of his drink and raised his hand to order a new round. Then he looked across at Emma and sighed. “I keep telling you that there isn’t a story here.”

  “But there is! I know it!”

  “There isn’t a story because she died.”

  “What?” Emma felt the color drain from her face as a handsome waiter placed two new drinks down on their table. She was so in shock that she didn’t even register his presence or thank him.

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry. What happened?” Her hand fluttered up to her chest as she spoke.

  Nick’s face was grim as he replied. “What always happens,” he began. “My family. Sometimes I think you forget who I am, how dangerous it can be to get involved with me. The shadow I exist under, it destroys everyone it touches, including her.”

  “Did someone kill her?” Emma lowered her voice; she suddenly felt as though she were in some noir movie.

  Nick tilted his head sadly to the side.

  “Oh my God!” Emma couldn’t believe it. “Was it like a rival mob faction or something? Did they shoot her to get back at you?”

  Nick lowered his head, and when he raised it, he was smiling. “I can’t keep it up,” he admitted, already on the verge of laughter.

  “Keep what up?” Emma loo
ked at him in horror, and then she realized what was going on. “You lied!” She was appalled, by both the lie and his ability to pull it off so believably.

  “Yes, I lied!” Nick declared. “You think she was bumped off? God, Ems, you’ve seen too many gangster movies!”

  “Well, what did you expect me to think?” Emma cried indignantly. “You told me she died, that she was killed. I’m aware of your family’s reputation; it seemed pretty plausible!”

  “My family might be thugs in monkey suits, but they’re not killers,” he told her.

  “So what happened with the girl?” Emma insisted. “You’ve told me such a cruel lie that I deserve to know the truth.”

  “But the truth is boring.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  Nick downed his second drink. He savored how it burned his throat on the way down. “She married someone else.” He shrugged.

  “She did? Why?”

  “Her family didn’t want her getting involved with mine.” Nick was speaking quickly, wanting the pain of the memory to disappear as quickly as possible.

  “Did you fight for her? Try to win her back?”

  “I fought for her with everything I had,” Nick recalled. “But the moment she said those vows, I backed off. I respect the sanctity of marriage; I’m not about to break up a home.”

  Emma felt saddened just hearing the story.

  “I told you it was boring,” Nick said as he lifted his hand to order another round. Emma had yet to touch her second drink.

  “It’s not boring, it’s tragic,” Emma concluded.

  “As tragic as her being bumped off?” Nick teased.

  “Maybe not as tragic as that.” Emma scowled, but she was smiling. She was just glad that Nick had finally opened up and shared with her.

  “That was why my old man was so keen to marry me off to you. He thought it might do me good to settle down, might mend my broken heart.”

  “I see.”

  “But I’m not ready to find someone, not yet. I still love her, so I can’t love anyone new.”

  “Do you know if she still loves you?” Emma asked with visions of reuniting them and giving Nick an ending as happy as hers.

  Nick shook his head. “I told you, once she uttered those vows, she belonged to him, not me. I’ll find someone when I’m good and ready. Once my feelings for her fade, I’ll know it’s time to move on.”

  “Well, whoever you move on to will be one lucky woman.” Emma raised her glass.

  “I’ll toast to that.” Nick smirked, lifting his own glass. “And in the meantime I’m having lots of fun practicing my moves,” he added with a wink.

  “You wink a lot,” Emma commented.

  “It’s all part of my charm.”

  Nick took longer on his third drink, sipping it rather than gulping it all down in the quest to find some Dutch courage. He wasn’t accustomed to revealing the contents of his heart, but he was glad he had. Sharing his history with Emma made him feel a bit lighter beneath the weight of carrying it.

  “So, have you reached a verdict on the dress?” he asked as the bar around them became livelier as the evening turned to night.

  “I’ll do it!” Emma declared excitedly. “I’ll create the most exquisite dress so that when Daniel sees me walking down the aisle he won’t be able to stop himself from crying!”

  “Just make sure it comes off easy at the end of the night,” Nick joked.

  FOR THE NEXT WEEK, Emma worked tirelessly on her wedding dress. She imported Italian lace and worked through the night, meticulously sewing everything together to create the dress of her dreams. As she worked, she allowed her thoughts to expand and envision an entire range of dresses for the first Delacourt Designs bridal range. She imagined timeless, elegant, and flattering dresses.

  For her own dress, Emma pulled out all the stops. She created a tight-fitting ornate lace dress with a sweetheart neckline and a fish tail. There was no veil. As Emma worked, she decided that none of the final bridal range would include veils. Veils were old fashioned and steeped in antiquated ideals. A Delacourt Designs bride would be a modern woman seeking a tasteful, chic, and feminine dress.

  When the dress was finished, Emma raised it up and admired it in the bright light of the design studio. She’d been working on it in secret after everyone else had left for the day. Hardly anyone knew about the upcoming bridal range.

  Still in designer mode, Emma scrutinized each inch of fabric, searching for flaws, but there were none. Then she remembered that the dress she’d been slavishly working on was actually her own, and she felt a sudden rush of adrenalin reignite her fatigued senses. Carefully she undressed and tried on the finished garment, handling it gently as though it were some sacred artifact.

  Alone, Emma was unable to fasten the zipper all the way, but that didn’t spoil the overall effect. Taking in her reflection, Emma felt her eyes mist. The dress hugged her figure in all the right places. She no longer felt tall and gangly as she so often did. She felt willowy and beautiful. Grinning, she ran her hands down the dress and dared to pivot in front of the mirror hanging at the back of the design room. She looked and felt like a princess.

  “Wow.”

  Emma had been so absorbed with her dress that she hadn’t heard anyone else come in. When she heard the male voice from behind her, she felt her heart instantly freeze in her chest. Slowly, she turned and saw Damion leaning casually against the doorframe, openly admiring her.

  “I’ve just finished it.” Emma couldn’t stop blushing after having been disturbed during such a private moment.

  “It looks incredible.” Damion straightened and entered the room. His footsteps echoed off the wooden floor. It was strange for the design room to be so silent; it was usually a hive of chaotic activity.

  “Thank you.”

  “You look beautiful in it.”

  “Thank you,” Emma repeated.

  Damion continued to stare at her, using his eyes to explore every inch of her. It started to make Emma uncomfortable.

  “You’re staring,” she finally told him bluntly.

  “Sorry.” Damion shook his head and looked away. “You just look so amazing, it’s hard not to stare at you.”

  Emma’s cheeks felt as though they were on fire.

  “Daniel is one lucky guy.” Damion smiled thinly.

  Emma glanced back at her reflection, satisfied that the dress was complete.

  “I’m pleased with the dress,” Emma admitted. She wasn’t even sure how many hours’ worth of work she’d poured into it, but as she looked at it, she knew it was worth it.

  “You should be.” Damion nodded at her. “It’s perfect.”

  Then he added softly, “You’re perfect.”

  “I’m really excited to launch the bridal range,” Emma announced briskly. Either she hadn’t heard his additional comment, or she’d simply chosen to ignore it.

  “It will be magnificent,” Damion told her. “The jewel in the Delacourt Design crown.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Will your own dress be part of the range?”

  Emma stiffened. She hadn’t considered replicating her own beloved dress and having it join the bridal range. The thought of someone else wearing her wedding dress unnerved her slightly. But as she stood there and thought about it, she realized how silly she was being. Of course her dress would join the range; it was a stunning gown, and others would want to wear it and feel as glamorous and gorgeous as Emma currently did.

  “It will be our flagship design,” Emma told him confidently. “And we will call it the Miranda.”

  “That’s a very fitting tribute.”

  “Thank you.”

  DANIEL RICHMOND PULLED on the cuffs of his suit jacket, forcing them further down his arm.

  “I’d like the sleeves a little longer,” he told the tailor, who was currently measuring him for his wedding suit. Damion was also there, as he’d be fulfilling best man duties on the day.

  “You don’t wa
nt them too long,” Damion commented from where he was sitting, playing with his phone and waiting on his own turn to be measured.

  “Just longer than they are.” Daniel sighed. The wedding was less than a week away, and he was starting to feel tense. There was so much to organize, so much to think about. But the couple had decided to marry in haste. They’d taken so long to get to this point a long engagement seemed like a waste of time. Besides, Daniel was eager to make Emma his wife as quickly as possible, before she had a chance to see sense and change her mind!

  “They’ll look stupid if they’re any longer.” Damion glanced up from his phone, frowning.

  “Fine!” Daniel sighed, turning to the other member of their party, who was patiently waiting on a nearby stool.

  “What do you think?”

  Nick observed the suit with a critical eye before speaking. “Go with whatever makes you comfortable.”

  “Yes, but if they’re too long, they’ll look stupid!” Damion insisted. He’d found himself feeling extremely on edge ever since he’d heard about the engagement.

  “A little longer,” Daniel told the tailor, choosing to heed Nick’s advice.

  “So are we all wearing the same suit?” Damion wondered.

  “You two are.” Daniel looked across at Nick and Damion. “Since I’m the groom, mine is a little different.”

  “Why are ours the same?” Damion asked, sounding slightly aggrieved.

  “Because you’re both best men at the wedding.” Daniel sighed. He didn’t really want to get into it again. He’d chosen Damion as his best man, naturally, but Emma had opted to forsake the traditional bridesmaids and have a best man of her own: Nick. She reasoned that all her best friends were men anyway, so it made little sense to have a woman who she didn’t really know with her on the day just because she was a woman.

  Daniel had originally been against the idea, but he eventually came around to his future wife’s way of thinking. Emma was a trailblazer, she always had been, and he admired that about her. She had the courage to go against convention and do what made her happy.

  “Two best men?” the tailor asked as he removed a pin from his mouth and attached it to Daniel’s suit. “That’s happening a lot these days.”