Now, the third dress?
It was perfect.
I smiled at my reflection and flattened my hands against the white lace fabric. It was snug fitting at the top and then flared out in a ballroom style. I fingered the sweetheart neckline. I liked the fact that it showed a little bit of cleavage, but I didn’t feel like I was going to flash everybody. Delicate fabric flowers adorned the waist. The back had a fairly long train and was accented with a beautiful bow. It was perfect, and everything I had never thought to dream of.
A tear rolled down my cheek. Whenever women cried over a wedding dress, I always thought it was weird, but now, here I was doing it.
I wiped it away and said, “This is the one.”
The saleslady smiled and said, “You look absolutely beautiful.”
Chris and Charlotte clapped and I was surprised to find them both crying which only made me cry harder.
I fingered the lace overlay, studying the flower and leaf design. I smiled again. “Perfect,” I whispered. I looked at the saleslady, “I’ll take it.”
She helped me out of the dress and said, “I’ll get it wrapped up and hang it up at the counter. Could I also interest you in any bridesmaids’ dresses today?”
I nodded. “Something simple, shorter, and kinda flowy. And I’m thinking green. The wedding is going to be outside.”
“I’ll see what we have,” she tossed the dress over her arm.
I pulled on my clothes and sat in a chair to wait.
The door opened and the sales lady, I think her name was Marge, entered.
“These are all similar to the style you described. We can get them in any color you want and have them shipped to you within the week.”
“Let’s do this,” Chris started stripping her clothes and grabbed the first dress from Marge. She slipped into the dress and Marge zipped her up.
The dusty green dress ended just at her knee, perfect for the summer. It had a V-neckline but it wasn’t too revealing. I stood and fingered the silk chiffon.
I smiled. “That’s exactly what I wanted.” I turned to Marge. “You are incredible.”
She smiled brightly. “I think you are the easiest client I’ve ever had.” She motioned to Charlotte. “I’m going to go see if we have your size in stock in that same color. I’ll be right back.”
I unzipped Chris and hung the dress back up.
Chris smiled at me as she wiggled in her jeans. “At least you’re not a bridezilla.”
I realized that I had to have a way to pay for the dresses, so I called my mom and told her my predicament.
“Oh sweetie,” she said. “You still have that card your dad gave you right? We had already planned to buy the dresses. I would’ve told you, but I didn’t think you’d look until you got home.”
“It just sort of happened,” I told her, already day dreaming about the dress I had just found.
“Aww, sweetie,” I could hear her tearing up. “I can’t wait to see you in it.”
“I can’t wait to show it to you, mommy. It’s so beautiful, it’s more than I ever imagined.” It wasn’t really that hard for any dress to be better than I imagined. I had never been one of those girls, that sat around and day dreamed about Prince Charming and what kind of napkins to use at my wedding. It just wasn’t me.
“Amy and I are making some headway here. We’re going to look at invitations this evening. I’ll send you pictures and you and Caeden can tells us your favorite.”
“Isn’t it kind of late to get invites?”
“This place prints them next-day.”
“Oh,” I said.
“Amy and I will probably both be calling you and Caeden off and on to get your approval on details. So be sure that you both keep your phones on you.”
“Alright, mom.”
“I can’t wait to see your dress! And just charge it to your father’s card! The bridesmaid’s dresses too,” she added.
“I will. Love you,” I said.
“Love you too,” she hung up.
I looked over at Chris and Charlotte. “We’re good to go.”
“Eeeek!” Chris shrieked as she threw her arms around me. “This is all just so exciting!”
We left the little room and headed out front. Marge came out of a back room with another garment bag. “You’re in luck! We had another one of this dress in just the right size and color.”
“That’s great,” I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she had said I’d be able to get the dress within a week, if it had to be custom ordered, I had still imagined something bad happening, like it arriving in the wrong color.
“Are you interested in any veils today? Tiaras? Shoes?” She motioned to the display set up in front of the shop.
“No thanks,” I shook my head, already reaching for my wallet. “I think a veil or a tiara would take away from the beauty of the dress. I don’t want to overdo it.”
“Any shoes?”
I cringed, dreading to have to try on heels with my sore feet. Even though I had jokingly stated wearing sneakers, I had kind of warmed up to the idea. After all, I was tall already. It’s not like I needed the extra height. But I knew between Chris, my mom, and Amy there was no way I would get away with it.
“Uh, sure,” I let Marge take me to the shoe display. She asked me my shoe size and then went to get all the pairs they had in my size. She returned with five different boxes and proceeded to remove them so that I could look at them.
I looked over the different pairs and picked one up that had tiny flowers on the back, similar to the ones on the dress. I slipped my shoes off and put the heels on. They were a good fit and about as comfortable as a high heels could be.
I modeled them in front of a mirror and said, “I think these will be perfect with the dress.”
“Excellent,” Marge said as I slipped the shoes off. She placed them back in the box and took it to the register where the dresses were waiting.
She rang everything up and I handed her the credit card. After signing the receipt, she handed the garment bags to me, and the box of shoes to Charlotte.
I hung the dresses from one of those hanger things in the backseat and hopped in the driver’s seat.
“Well, I would say today has been successful,” Chris remarked as she fastened her seatbelt.
“I have to agree,” I said, and couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off my face. “I can’t believe I found a dress.”
“It’s like it was meant to be,” Charlotte said from the backseat.
I nodded my head in agreement.
I was surprised to find that that the guys were back. I figured they’d be gone longer than us. I glanced at the clock in the car and blanched. Seven o’ clock! We’d shopped all day! I think this was a first for me.
I grabbed the garment bags and headed for the door. It swung open and Caeden stood there grinning. He leaned against the side of the door with his arms crossed over his chest. His shirt rode up a tiny bit showing off his tan stomach and the edge of his boxers.
“Did you have fun ladies?” he winked.
“You have no idea,” Chris said, walking past him, and into the house.
Charlotte turned to me; she had my shopping bags. “I’ll take these upstairs for you.”
“Thanks,” I smiled.
After she was gone, Caeden nodded to the three white garment bags slung over my arm. “What are those?”
I grinned. “I found a dress.”
His eyes widened. “A dress dress? Like a wedding dress?”
I laughed. “Yeah, and bridesmaid dresses too. I wasn’t even planning on looking, but it just sort of happened.” A blissful look stole over my face. “It’s so beautiful, Caeden. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
“Show it to me,” he reached for the bag.
I swatted his hand. “Ow! What was that for?”
Oops. Guess I put too much force behind that. “Sorry, but you can’t see this dress, yet. Not until I’m walking down the aisle. And don’t even think,
about peeking Caeden Henry Williams,” I pointed my finger at him.
He put his hand up in surrender. “Fine. No peeking.”
I went around him and started up the steps. “I’m going to hang these up.”
“We’re going out for dinner tonight, so get ready.”
I saluted him. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
seven.
Caeden wanted to eat at a seafood restaurant located on the beach. We ended up snagging a table outside. I was thankful to be able to soak in the salty sea air.
The waitress handed us menus and I perused it. Everything sounded so good. I loved seafood, but rarely had a chance to eat it. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
I finally settled on a salmon meal, my belly already growling at the thought of the delicious meal. With all the excitement from the day, I had forgotten to eat lunch.
We had just given our orders, when my phone beeped. I checked the text message and saw it was a picture of wedding invites. I took one look at the monstrosity and texted back.
No way. I wrote my mom.
She sent another picture. Promising. I leaned over and showed it to Caeden. His face wrinkled in disgust. “It’s too feminine.”
Not that one. I told her.
When the next picture came through I nearly jumped out of my seat. “It’s perfect!” I screamed and the people from around us turned to look at me. I shoved my phone in Caeden’s face. “This is the one!”
Caeden grinned. “Poppies.”
I nodded. “Poppies.”
I stared at the picture one more time. The envelopes were green and the invitations were white with red poppies and green lettering.
“Are you okay with them?”
He smiled and put his arm across the back of my chair. “They’re not pink, so it’s good with me.”
I texted my mom back that those were perfect, and also suggested that the flowers in the wedding be poppies and the cake have poppies too. She probably thought I was crazy, since she didn’t understand the significance of it.
I put my hand on Caeden’s thigh and leaned my head against his shoulder. I couldn’t believe that a year ago at this time, I didn’t even know him, and now here we are getting married. But I couldn’t be happier. Even with the whole Travis thing, this was the happiest I’d ever been, and I wouldn’t take it back for anything. It was all worth it. Caeden, was worth it.
* * *
Time was passing quickly and our time at the beach was almost over. I was almost scared to leave this sanctuary. Once we got back home, I didn’t just have wedding plans to worry about, I had something much worse. Travis.
I dug my toes in the sand, studying the variations in color, just to get my mind off of things. I wanted to enjoy these last few days of peace.
The sun soaked into my skin and I basked in the warmth. With the salty breeze, I didn’t get too hot.
Caeden got off his phone and plopped next to me, kicking up sand around us.
“Your mom?”
“Yeah,” he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I hope she never goes into the wedding planning business full time. She’s a nightmare. If she calls me one more time, I think I might explode.”
I laughed and bumped his shoulder with mine. “She’s not that bad.”
“Are you kidding me?” he turned his blue eyed gaze to me. “She keeps asking me about the cake, the food, and the music. And then she always starts crying!”
“Caeden,” I scolded. “This is an emotional time for her. Her oldest son is getting married.” I rubbed his back.
“Ugh, I know,” he rubbed his eyes. “Your mom seems a lot calmer about all of this.”
I shrugged. “She’s okay, as of right now, but I think when it’s the day of the wedding and she sees me in the dress, the altar, the whole shebang… I think it’ll hit her then.”
“We better make sure they stock up on tissues,” he chuckled.
“Maybe, we can make Bryce carry a tray of tissues around,” I laughed at the image my mind had conjured up.
Caeden rubbed at the stubble on his jaw. “Ugh, enough wedding talk,” he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me down into the sand.
“Oh no!” My eyes widened and I feigned shock. “Please tell me you aren’t going to be one of those guys.”
He laughed at my sarcasm. “And what’s one of those guys?”
“You know… the ones who put everything off on the bride-to-be and are the real reason she turns into a bridezilla.”
He rubbed his nose tantalizingly against my neck. “Nah, I wouldn’t do that to you. I just know that once we get home, it’s going to be non-stop wedding talk. I’d prefer not to think about it right now.”
I laughed. “I kinda have to agree. My mom’s already reminded me six times that we have an appointment at the bakery when we get back.”
Caeden smiled. “Now, cake is something I can handle.” He rubbed his flat stomach.
“Don’t get too excited,” I warned him. “I already know what flavor I want.”
He shook his head. “Just don’t tell them that. I still want to eat some free samples.”
“You and your stomach,” I pushed his sun-warmed shoulder.
He draped his arms over his knees. “I don’t know any sane guy that would pass up the chance to eat free cake samples.”
“You’re probably right,” I picked up some sand and watched it fall through my fingers. “Caeden…” I swallowed, suddenly serious.
“Yeah,” he looked over at me, his eyes squinted from the bright sunlight.
“Promise me nothing’s going to change,” I reached over and cupped his face with my hand. “Please promise, that once we’re married, we’ll still be Caeden and Sophie.”
He leaned into my hand. “Babe, that’s an easy promise to keep.”
“Good,” I licked my dry lips and pulled away. I hated broaching this subject, because I knew it upset Caeden, but I wanted, no, I needed to know. “Would your dad have liked me?” My voice was soft, almost child-like, as I asked the question.
“Of course,” he answered immediately, one brow raised. “He would’ve thought you were wonderful. I’m sure he would’ve tried to drag you fishing with him. He could never get mom to go with him. You know, I’ve been thinking,” he said slowly, like he was almost afraid to voice his thoughts aloud. “I think they were mates all along, and didn’t know it. They were always so in love,” he stared off at the ocean. “When they were in a room together their eyes never strayed far from one another.” He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed. I rubbed his back, knowing he was getting emotional. My hair blew around me and tickled my shoulders. “I’ve seen my mom look at my dad the same way you sometimes look at me, and it’s a look of the purest, most true love out there.” A tear slid down his cheek.
I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. He didn’t shake as he silently cried into my shoulders, but I felt the tears staining my skin. I tangled my fingers in the edges of his hair that was hidden by a baseball cap he’d flipped backwards.
I knew Caeden was hurt by his dad’s death but he’d never shown me. I was thankful that he was finally letting me see this part of him. We may turn into wolves but at the end of the day we are human.
He pulled away and gave me a sheepish glance. “Sorry about that.”
“Never, ever, apologize for that,” I massaged his neck. I removed my hand from his neck and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Never be afraid to show me that side of you.”
“Thank you,” he breathed, and in his eyes, I knew he meant those words.
eight.
I sat on top of my suitcase trying to get it to squish down to the point that I could zip it.
Caeden came out of the bathroom and snorted laughter. “Sophie! What are you doing?”
I wiggled my butt around. “Ugh! It’s Christian’s fault! If she hadn’t convinced me to buy all that stuff, my suitcase would close just fine.” I twisted my butt again and this time it could b
e zipped. “Caeden! Come here and zip this up!”
He chuckled, shaking his head, but did as I asked.
When the suitcase was zipped, I climbed off of it and let out a breath. “I am never going shopping with her ever again.”
Caeden leaned towards me until our eyes met. “But if you hadn’t gone shopping, you would’ve never found such a beautiful dress.”
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. “You didn’t!?”
He grinned. “Nah, I didn’t peek but your reaction was awfully cute.”
“Cute? Cute?” I put my hands on my hips. “I prefer to think it was ferocious.”
“What ever floats your boat.”
I laughed and grabbed my suitcase off the bed. Despite the fact that I was perfectly capable of carrying it on my own, I shoved it at Caeden’s chest. “Take this to the car.”
“Yes ma’am,” he kissed my cheek and disappeared from the master bedroom.
While he was gone, I took the time to look around the master bedroom. Right now, it looked like a hurricane had hit it. We’d removed the bed sheets, so that the cleaning service wouldn’t have to when they stopped by. Items still needing to be put in the car were strewn across the room.
And yet, it was still beautiful.
I really hoped we could make it a tradition to come back here every summer.
I scurried around the room, making sure we had packed everything, and grabbed the dresses from the closet. I didn’t trust Caeden to carry them and not peek, so I was going to take them myself.
I hung the dresses up in the backseat of the Jeep. Chris would just have to sit in the middle.
Caeden came out the door with Murphy and Archie at his heels.
Caeden led Murphy to the trunk and helped the large dog into the cage.
Archie sauntered over to me, wagging his tail, and I picked him up.
Bentley and Chris came out with their dogs and closed the door behind them.
My heart began to race. We were leaving. Going home. In one week, I wouldn’t be Sophie Beaumont anymore. I’d be Sophie Williams. Wow.
Once all the dogs were in the car, we started down the road. I slept most of the way with Archie snoozing in my lap. Sometime, during the ride home I felt Caeden’s hand reach for mine. He entwined our fingers and lifted my hand to his lips where he placed a single, soft kiss.
Fighter (Outsider Series) Page 6
