My Biggest Mistake

by Lisa Lace

  I tilt my head to one side in thought as I hop down from the pedestal. “I don’t know,” I admit. “He doesn’t like high-maintenance women. He’d probably like something simple and feminine, something sophisticated and timeless.”

  “That surprises me. I would have thought he’d go for some glamour model bimbo with her tits hanging out.”

  Her words hurt. She’s insulting Rory, but it feels like she’s insulting me. Because Rory is mine.

  “He’s really not the person you think he is,” I say. “He’s sweet and kind, and funny. He’s a devoted father.”

  “Will he be a devoted husband?” Dayna catches my eye purposefully, standing with her hand on her hip. “It’s all well and good that he’s a good father, but will he be good for you?”

  “Yes.” I say it instinctively. Having seen Rory fight for Grace, I have no doubt he’d do the same for me. Think of what he did for my mother. “Rory gives off this vibe like he’s a lone wolf who doesn’t give a damn, but the truth is, he cares deeply for those he loves.”

  “And he loves you?”

  I frown. “Why do you say it like that? Of course, he loves me. He wouldn’t be marrying me otherwise, would he?” Dayna is silent. Her face says it all, and I have to turn away from her.

  He doesn’t love you, Elise, I remind myself. You’re a pawn in his game against Margot.

  I swallow back a lump in my throat and focus on waddling back to the fitting room, where the assistant helps me out of the fishtail.

  “Which would you like to try next?” the assistant asks. I run my hand over the fabric of each of the dresses. I pull on the A-line, looking at it.

  “How about this time, I try on the A-line?”

  “Good idea.” The assistant helps me slip into it and ties up the ribbons at the back of the bodice. The dress has a sweetheart neckline that skims my breasts, making me look feminine without showing too much. The material hugs my waist, giving me an hourglass figure. The flow of the dress down to the ground makes me feel tall and willowy. The train is long enough to trail behind me.

  As I twist in front of the mirror, my eyes well up with tears.

  This is the one.

  I step out of the fitting room. The second I pull back the drape, I see Dayna’s hands fly to her mouth, and she gasps.

  “Elise—you look beautiful.”

  I lift the skirts of the dress to step up onto the podium and look at myself in the three-way mirror. I look slender and glowing. I don’t look like an actress. I look like a bride.

  “There’s one thing missing,” the assistant announces. She disappears for a moment and then comes back with a long, flowing veil that reaches the elbows with a gorgeous lace and bead finish that complements the beading on the back of the dress. She fixes it into my hair and arranges it around my shoulder. She beams. “Lovely.”

  I stare at my reflection. I’ve never felt more radiant.

  A tear catches in my throat. “This is the one.”

  “Don’t you want to try on the others?” Dayna asks.

  I shake my head, running my fingers along the edge of the veil lovingly. “This is my wedding dress.”

  Dayna rises from her chair and stands behind me, looking into the mirror from my vantage point. Her expression fills with pride. “Rory’s a lucky man, Elise. You’re going to be the most exquisite bride.”

  “You really think so?”

  “I only hope he loves you as you deserve.”

  “I love him,” I reply. “That’s all that matters.”

  It’s not a line. It’s the truth. Somewhere between tricking Rory into meeting me a second time and agreeing to be his wife, I’ve fallen for him. Living with Rory has given me a glimpse of a family life I never realized I wanted so badly. And I know Rory is the man I want that life with. He’s strong, dedicated and focused. I feel safe with him, intrigued. He engages me, challenges me.

  My heart is going to break the day this arrangement ends.

  Elise

  I’ve convinced Rory to let me take Grace to find a dress for the wedding. It’s the first time that Grace and I have gone out together. With Margot suddenly making an appearance in her life, I imagine that she’s overwhelmed.

  We’ve spent the morning in the girl’s department at J.C. Penny’s, browsing the girls’ section. Grace tried on dresses while I sat outside, the only audience to her “fashion show.” We both knew the moment that she had found the one—she had burst out of the dressing room, confidently standing before the mirror in the soft pink dress with a satin ribbon that tied in a bow at the back.

  The saleswoman at the register had placed the dress in a small-sized dress bag, which Grace herself is now carrying proudly down the street. Her other small hand clasps mine as we walk. Anyone passing by would think that we are mother and daughter, and I couldn’t be prouder.

  “Would you like to stop for a treat?” I ask.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Have you been to Magnolia Bakery?”

  “No.”

  “They have the best cupcakes in New York. At least, I think so. I wrote an article on the best cupcakes in the city. In order to write it, I went to a whole bunch of bakeries in order to find the answer.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m an investigative journalist.” I wink as we begin to walk toward the bakery, which is a few blocks away. “I always get my facts right.”

  “What do you have to do to get that job?”

  “You have to build your writing skills, always check your facts, and read as much as you possibly can.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “It can be.”

  We get our cupcakes and take a seat by the window to enjoy them. Grace eats happily, a dab of icing on her cheek.

  “So, how do you feel about everything that’s been going on, Grace?” I ask her. “I imagine it’s all a bit overwhelming, huh?”

  “Yeah,” she says. “It’s good, I think.”

  “What parts?”

  “I’m excited about the wedding.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I just want you to know, you’re still your Daddy’s best girl. I am never going to take him away from you.”

  “I know.” She beams.

  “I’m really glad to know you, Grace. You’re a very special person.”

  “I’m glad to know you, too. You’re nice. And you make Daddy happy.” I smile. I want to ask her about her mother, but I decide to let it sit. We’re having one of those perfect, sun-filled moments that don’t come along often in life. When they do, you just have to be present, and enjoy it. Especially since the arrangement between her father and I isn’t permanent. Not only will I miss Rory, but I am also going to miss Grace.

  “Should we get some cupcakes for Daddy and Alice?” I ask her.

  “Yeah!” Grace agrees.

  “Let’s bring home a dozen,” I suggest because suddenly the fifty-dollar price tag at Magnolia is not an obstacle. The idea of bringing home treats for her father and nanny brings a bright grin to Grace’s face. “Okay. I’m going to let you pick which flavors. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  Rory

  Standing at the head of the aisle in front of a church full of friends, family, and colleagues, I’m not quite sure how I got here. I don’t even usually go to church. But it’s part of the picture that Elise and I are painting for the court. A church wedding—even I have to admit that it’s the perfect setting with the high beamed arched ceilings and the sun shining through the stained-glass windows.

  To make the wedding look authentic, I’ve invited everyone I would have if I had truly fallen in love. It’s not many people, to be honest. Alice is there, as well as Charlotte, some old school friends, and some business colleagues. And of course, Grace will be here as soon as she walks down the aisle, performing her duties as the flower girl.

  Although I might have few close relationships, Elise’s side of the church is bursting with family and
friends. I couldn’t put names to any of the faces, but I know from her guest list, she’s invited her best friend Dayna and her husband, some colleagues from the gossip website, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other friends. She must have thirty or forty guests to my handful of attendees.

  I’m nervous waiting for her to arrive. Everybody is staring at me; I’m the man of the hour. Alice waves to me from the front row. I nod back. I glance sideways at my best man. We share an awkward look, but nothing more. He’s a friend I haven’t spoken to in at least nine months; that’s still a closer relationship than I have with most. I feel alone.

  The music strikes up from the string quartet at the back of the church, and now my heart is in my mouth. The starchy collar of my white shirt feels too tight around my neck. I’m sweating in my gray jacket. My mouth is dry. I pull on the Windsor knot of my silver tie.

  Grace is the first to come skipping down the aisle. She’s shy the first few steps, scattering flowers from her little wicker basket down the aisle, but she soon starts smiling at everyone watching her, enjoying the attention and the crooning from the women in the crowd. She’s adorable in her baby pink dress with the ribbon around the waist.

  Elise took her to buy it. I’d hesitated at first about letting her take my daughter out alone, but then I reasoned I had already moved this woman into my home and into our lives. If she’s going to be sticking around, I want her to have a good relationship with Grace.

  I was glad I let them go because Grace came back brimming with excitement and stories about their girly day out shopping. Elise had taken her out for a cupcake and a milkshake, too. She didn’t have to do that.

  Grace catches my eye, and I offer her a huge smile. Her face lights up, and she bounces down the last few steps of the aisle and then sits with Alice in the front pew.

  Dayna comes down the aisle next, followed by one of Elise’s cousins as her bridesmaids. They’re also wearing pink. They stand at the head of the aisle too, on the bride’s side.

  Once the bridesmaids are in place, the music shifts, going from a soft orchestral tune to an unmistakable wedding march. I panic for a moment. It’s happening—I am really doing this.

  I lift my gaze, and there she is. The way my knees grow weak and my head goes completely blank tells me something I already knew. I’m in love with this woman.

  Elise looks divine. She’s a goddess in white lace. I hear people gasping and murmuring how beautiful she looks as she walks toward me. She’s glowing. Her hair has been arranged into a sophisticated side-do made up of curls and threaded with white flowers. It’s glossy and shining, but not as brightly as her smile.

  She looks timeless. Today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now, the image of Elise as she is in this moment will draw admiration and awe. She’s gorgeous in that dress, a trail sweeping behind her. In her hand, she clasps a bouquet of white flowers with large waxy green leaves. Her veil is long and adds to the image of the perfect bride.

  Step by step, she draws closer to me, her eyes never leaving mine. The crowd in the room shrinks to just me and Elise. With every inch, she moves toward where I stand, and my body weakens a little more. I’m helpless before her.

  But I stand tall and straight and confident and meet her eyes with a warm smile. She looks shy, lowering her gaze and smiling down at the ground. She takes the last few steps to stand where I am, hands over her bouquet to Dayna, then lifts her eyes to mine.

  I take both her hands in mine. “You look beautiful.”

  “I’m terrified,” she whispers. She squeezes my fingers and draws in a long, trembling breath. “This is it.”

  “Don’t be scared. I’m with you all the way.”

  The music stops, and the priest begins the ceremony. I barely hear what he’s saying as he goes through the vows. I repeat the words, but my ears are ringing through the whole thing. I can’t tear my eyes away from Elise. And she doesn’t look away from me, either.

  Before I know it, we’re exchanging our vows.

  “Do you, Rory Michael Everest, take this woman, Elise Joy Sawyer, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

  I pause, but not in hesitation. I’m drinking in the sight of her and taking a moment to realize the magnitude of what we’re doing. “I do.”

  “And do you, Elise Joy Sawyer, take this man, Rory Michael Everest, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

  Elise looks into my eyes, and her gaze grows soft. She nods before she answers. “I do.”

  When it’s time to slip the ring onto her finger, I’m gentle. I take her hand softly in mine and slowly slide the silver wedding band onto her finger, then she slides my band onto mine.

  Looking at her expression, she looks nervous and frightened, but happy. We exchange a knowing smile with each other, and we both chuckle with nerves. Once the bands are on, she slips her hand into mine and doesn’t let go.

  “It gives me great pleasure to now announce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  I take a step toward Elise and brush back the veil, placing my hand tenderly on the side of her face. I lean in and press my lips down softly over hers. I feel her palms pressing against my chest, then her arms slide around my neck, and our kiss becomes deeper.

  When my blood runs faster, and the ringing in my ears becomes deafening in the most delicious way, I know this is no charade—I just married the love of my life.

  The orchestra strikes up the wedding march again; everyone stands and starts clapping and cheering. We turn and face the crowd, with matching beams on our faces.

  Elise looks to me with a wide smile and laughs. “We did it.” Her eyes sparkle.

  “We really did. Now we can enjoy the party.” I run my thumb over the back of her hand. “We deserve it.”

  Grace breaks away from Alice and runs toward us. She wraps one arm around Elise’s waist and the other around mine, encircling us in a three-person cuddle.

  I place my hand on her back. “What did you think, Princess?”

  She nods, then slumps a little. “Is it time for the party now?”

  “Food first, then disco. Are you hungry?”

  The reception is at the Rainbow Room at the Rockefeller Plaza. The venue consists of elegant round tables set with custom white rose floral arrangements, and expensive tableware, all set around a circular dance floor. The dance floor itself is wooden, inlaid with a 10-point star. An eye-catching crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling above the dance floor.

  Elise and I decided against a high table, as neither of us has parents or siblings to sit with us. Instead, we sit with Grace, Alice, Dayna and her husband at one of the tables among the guests.

  Now that the ceremony is out of the way, the rest of the evening is nothing but a pleasure. I’m surprised there’s no panic in me. The whole event feels like a true celebration, and every time I look at Elise, I feel a swell of pride that, no matter how we got here, this stunning, radiant woman is now my wife.

  The food is exquisite. The starter course is mesclun green salad with port-poached figs, toasted pepitos & stilton, followed by Pan-Seared Wild Striped Bass, and a dessert of dark chocolate torte with a cranberry glaze and crushed meringue.

  “Mmm,” Elise says, closing her lips around her fork and tasting the torte. “This is divine.”

  “You’re the most divine thing in this place.”

  Elise laughs, looks around, and then kisses me. Her eyes gleam with affection and contentment. I could get used to this feeling.

  After dinner, it’s time for me to give a speech. I glance at Elise before I stand. She nods her encouragement at me. Taking a deep breath, I gather the guests’ attention with a fork against my crystal champagne glass, then stand to say a few words.

  “Good evening, everyone. First of all, I’d like to thank each of you for being here with us. I’d also like to raise a toast to those who could not be with us tonight, notably, Elise’s parents. Her devotion to her mother is astounding, and it wouldn’t be right to go through this day without mention of
her. If she could have been here, I know she would have been overwhelmed by how beautiful her daughter looks today. If Elise’s father was with us, I know he would have been bursting with pride to see her. In their absence, Elise, let me tell you how radiant you are, and how proud I am of you as your new husband.”

  I pause. Everyone is hanging onto my every word, and I’m uncomfortable. Although I’m used to public speaking, I’m not used to baring my soul.

  “When I first met Elise, I would have described her as stubborn, irritating, and relentless.” I smile wryly. “You’ve all heard the story of our first impressions of each other.” There’s a titter of laughter around the room. “Now, having gotten to know this incredible woman, I can only describe her as warmth personified, a person who truly cares, who nurtures and encourages those around her, and who brightens every room she walks into.

  “I couldn’t have met a better partner or a better person to be a friend and mentor to my little girl, Grace. I can’t wait to begin this new chapter of our lives.

  “Elise, I love you. I want you to know you’re safe with me. I will cherish you always, protect you, and advocate for you.”

  Another longer pause. I hadn’t planned to say the next words that come out of my mouth, but looking at Elise, who is listening with such a heartfelt and sincere expression on her face, I want her to hear them.

  “I’ve been accused of being a cold man, a hostile man.” I look down at my glass, then back up at my audience. “That may be true. I was raised without parents, without brothers or sisters—without a family.”

  I catch Elise’s eye. “Standing here today, seeing Elise and Grace both looking so beautiful, both so joyous and alive, I feel, for the first time in my life, like I’m not alone. I’ve found my family.”

  I raise my glass, clearing my throat before any tears might catch there. When I speak, my voice is clear and steady. “To my family.”

  My speech finished, I sit down once more as my best man stands to muddle through an awkward speech about a friendship that has dwindled to practically nothing over the years.