He shook my hand in greeting before swiping back his disheveled hair from his eyes.
"So I take it things are pretty chaotic in here?" I asked.
"That's an understatement," he replied, with a pained expression in his eyes that made him look like he was suffering from an abominable headache.
"Geez, that bad eh?"
He was too polite to say anything, but he nodded.
"It's frantic up there, but I'm just here for the behind the scenes shots. The official photographer, my boss, will be here just before the ceremony, you know for the cars and all that stuff."
"Wow, no expense spared then."
"Well...Love is a beautiful thing. You get what you pay for," he said half-heartedly.
As I walked down the hall, his words hung in my mind. "You get what you pay for." I didn't realize you had to pay for love. It was a depressing thought.
Still, I could sense that Cassie was happy with her big wedding. The house was filled with flowers and balloons. Makeup artists and hair stylists were running back and forth trying their hardest to keep up with the demands.
"Dear God," I said to myself as I made my way up the stairs. "This is going to be a long day."
I poked my head around the corner of Cassie's childhood bedroom. It was comforting to see that nothing had changed. Her old boy band posters were still stuck up on the walls, and an inflatable chair from the nineties lay abandoned and partially deflated in the corner.
"Hey girls," I said, stepping into the room.
The three bridesmaids were so preoccupied with their makeup and squeezing into their dresses that they didn't even notice me. Nicky was talking nonstop. "So I said to the hairdresser that I wanted lowlights, but I swear to God she gave me highlights. Why can't these people just follow instructions? It's really out of order."
"Yeah I know," agreed Suzanne. "I was supposed to be getting a gel manicure but the girl down there, you know the one with the trashy pink top, all she could offer were acrylics."
"Eeeeeuw!" The three girls screamed in unison.
"Well I asked the makeup artist if I could get a gentle, soft contour you know more like a non-tour look," Cassie was now joining in. "But look what she's done. It's strobing! I could just cry."
I stood dumbstruck in the doorway feeling both bewildered and completely out of place. I looked down at my jeans and sneakers and thought how little what they were talking about meant to me. I didn't understand half of it - gels, acrylics, contours, highlights, blah, blah, blah. About the most sophisticated I ever got was a blow-dry and a curling wand. I could understand it coming from the bridesmaids. They'd been nothing but superficial since I met them. Cassie, though, what the hell was she talking about? That's not how she spoke. She was an intelligent, articulate girl who never used to be into superficial stuff like that. Although if there was ever a day I needed to forgive her for caring about her make-up, I guess her wedding day was it.
"Er..... Hi, ladies," I repeated, louder this time.
They turned to face me. Everyone but Cassie just looked me up and down, and it felt like they were assessing every inch of me before deciding whether I was good enough to be in their company.
"Amy!! Come and give me a hug," Cassie gestured excitedly.
"Mwah, mwah!" she air kissed me, and it felt like she was just putting on a show.
"So how are you feeling? Are you nervous?" I asked her.
"Nervous?" Cassie burst out laughing. "I've had one too many champagnes to be nervous," she said gesturing towards the bottle on ice and the half empty glass beside her.
I took my seat in one of the makeup chairs and waited for the makeup artist and hairdresser to start work. I wasn't used to all this attention. In the background, the bridesmaids chatted endlessly about a whole variety of things and people that didn't mean anything to me. It was all inane gossip, bitching, and shallow banter that masqueraded as friendship and I was glad that I didn't know anyone they were talking about and couldn't participate in the conversation.
Tuning out of their conversation I started to think about last night and what a good time I'd had with Chris until it all went wrong at the end. Just thinking about it, I felt my cheeks grow red. I felt so conflicted - it was so special when we made love but then his reaction when I told him about Bella - well that was just unforgivable. I was hurt and confused that he had responded that way.
"What's got into you?" said Cassie flinging a chocolate at me.
"Nothing," I replied guiltily.
"Come on, spill the beans," Cassie said. "It's clear that something or someone is preoccupying your thoughts."
I wasn't sure if Cassie was playing games with me or not. If she'd seen me with Chris, she'd know damn well what I was thinking about. But as it had been her rehearsal dinner last night and Cassie had been the center of attention, she might not have noticed what was going on in the background.
Cassie sipped on her champagne. "Amy Donaldson, I know you well enough to know that look. You're keeping a secret, and because it's my special day, I demand that you tell me what you've been up to!" she said in mock seriousness.
"I'm doing no such thing!" I said, in mock outrage.
The mere whiff of gossip and secrets had caught the bridesmaid's attention and they gathered around the two of us.
"Come on Amy, do tell," said Claudette sitting down beside me and acting as if she was suddenly my new best friend.
I had no intention of telling them anything, good or bad, about my night with Chris. But I couldn't resist leading them on a little.
"You're right Cassie," I replied. "I do have a naughty secret, but it's my secret, and I'm not at liberty to say anything," I said, smiling to myself.
"Nooooooo!" they all screamed.
"You can't keep us hanging on like this," screeched Cassie. "You can't torture me like this," she said, waving her champagne flute in the air.
"I'm sorry, but my lips are sealed," I said smugly.
It was then that a look came over one of the bridesmaids. She came and sat on the other side of me as though I'd known her all my life.
"I'm Suzanne, remember me from last night?"
"Kinda," I said, narrowing my eyes and wondering where she was going with this approach.
She grabbed one of my hands. "If I'm not mistaken, Chris Taylor left dinner last night only a minute or two after you did," she said.
"Yeah..." Claudette nodded. "I remember that."
"Oh don't be ridiculous girls. There's no way Chris Taylor would have hooked up with her," Nicky said disparagingly, apparently enraged at the suggestion.
Her voice could not have been more insulting in the way she talked down to me. But I knew the truth; Chris Taylor did hook up with me, and he wouldn't be seen dead with one of them. But I wasn't about to stoop to their level of gossip and tell them that. And I also wasn't about to tell them the real secret - that Chris was the father of my daughter and now that he knew he was Bella's father, I wasn't sure whether he was happy about the news or not.
"Girls please," I shook my head. "I know it's fun to guess who might have been in my bed, but it's none of your business, and if we don't get a move on, we're not going to be ready for the wedding," I said firmly.
"Ah, Amy the organizer..." Cassie raised a finger. "What did I tell you girls about Amy being a born organizer? She's right, though we do need to get on with things. First things first, though, I need one of my maids to refill my glass," she said, holding her champagne glass out to the side of her.
From behind me, I heard the pop of another champagne bottle being opened. These girls were quickly going to get out of control.
"Ladies, it's not even twelve o'clock, and you're all almost hammered," I said.
"Oh, loosen up Amy," Cassie laughed. "It's fine. You think the guys won't have been up drinking all night?"
In all honesty, I didn't want to think about what Daniel and his friends had been doing. As I looked at my oldest friend I wished I could be alone with her for a few
minutes, just to talk to her properly. There were loads of things I wanted to say to her, but one question kept swirling around my head. I wanted to know if she was genuinely happy with Daniel. I couldn't help but feel that if I got her to speak frankly that she'd admit that she wasn't. From where I was sitting, it seemed that New York had turned her into a false version of herself that was almost a husk of what I knew her as. I was worried that one day she'd wake up and realize that an apartment in Tribeca was not the meaning of happiness, nor was a perfectly contoured face, or marriage to someone who treated women appallingly.
I watched Cassie and her girlfriends get ready, and over the space of a few hours, a great sadness swept across me. I knew I should be happy for Cassie, but it felt as though I was grieving the loss of someone. She was finally taking that big leap to become someone's wife, and I knew should be pleased for her but... Daniel? I was scared that he'd chew her up and spit her out in the same way all these bimbo bridesmaids would. But as I sat there watching the carnival of preparation around me, I vowed that just like the good friend I'd always been, I'd be here and waiting to pick up the pieces whether that day came in six months or twenty years.
Soon the car arrived outside the house, and we all rushed to the windows to see it. One long and decadent limousine was waiting for us. Bright white and covered in pink ribbons, it looked more like a cake than a car.
"Oh, God!" Cassie screamed. "I'm not even in my dress yet."
She had been sitting in her chair for the last twenty minutes sipping on yet another glass of champagne wearing nothing but her dressing gown and a full face of makeup.
There was a knock on the door. "Cassie? Can I come in?"
Cassie's Mom, 'Mommy Two' to me when I was growing up, stepped into the room. She began crying as soon as she saw her daughter. "Oh Cassie, you've never looked more beautiful," she said sniffing.
"Aaaaw," the room erupted in emotion while the photographer took photographs of mom and daughter hugging, then laughing, then crying once again.
"Cassie, we'd best be getting you into your dress," her mother announced. She turned to the three New York bridesmaids. "Ladies, could you give us a moment and wait for Cassie downstairs?"
Cassie plonked down her glass and stood up. "Woo! I'm a little bit tipsy," she said, playing it up a bit. She was always good at being the center of attention.
"If it's all right with you, Mrs. Taylor," said Nicky, leader of the pack as always, "we'd rather stay up here and go downstairs with Cassie."
"Thanks for the offer," said Cassie's mom diplomatically. "But, the bride needs her space, and I'd like you all downstairs. Cassie's Dad needs some company." She grabbed my arm, "Except Amy of course..."
"Not you, you're staying with us" she whispered to me as she shut the door behind the other girls.
"Cassie, I thought it would be nice just to have your oldest friend in the room to help you into your dress," said her mother, looking at me as she spoke.
Cassie's gown was a long trailing magnificent piece of work. With white lace and embroidered with pearls, it was the most beautiful dress I'd ever seen. I couldn't even imagine how much it cost, and I couldn't wait to see Cassie put it on. Her mother stood in between us as she squeezed her daughter into it then laced up the back. Stepping to the side, she revealed Cassie in all her wedding day glory.
"You look beautiful Cassie," I said hugging her. I finally started to feel the positive emotion of the day. "You look like a princess."
"Oh Amy," said Cassie, sitting down suddenly on the bed. "Mom and I meant to ask you last night if you would bring your princess to be part of the bridal party. I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you this morning. I know it's late notice, but do you think you could still manage it?" She looked at me pleadingly.
"Bella?"
Cassie nodded.
"I don't know," I said looking at Cassie's mom. "Do you think we'd have time? And what would she wear?"
Cassie and her Mom exchanged a glance before Cassie's mom answered, "Amy, we'd love to have Bella as part of the ceremony. We should have mentioned it earlier. But the bride is always late, so it's no problem - as long as your Mom can bring her here quickly."
Cassie interrupted, "and she can wear whatever princess dress she likes. She always looks gorgeous."
Cassie looked at her mom before saying, "My day wouldn't be complete without my miniature Amy there. I almost feel like Bella's a part of our family," she said as both of them looked at me.
And I realized at that moment that Cassie and her mom knew my secret. They had worked out that Bella was also a miniature Chris. I wondered if Chris had told them or if they'd just worked it out when they'd seen Bella this week. Given what Chris had told me about how she was a double of him as a child, it wouldn't have been hard for them to work out.
"Amy," Cassie's mom interrupted my thoughts. "We need to get moving?" she prompted.
"Yes, yes, of course. I'll get on the phone to mom now. They'll have Bella here right away."
When Bella got out of the car, I heard Cassie and her mom squeal at how cute she looked. She was dressed in her favorite Disney princess dress and her blonde curls fell around her shoulders. She held her precious fairy wand in her hand, and a tiara sat precariously on her head.
"Aren't you just precious," Cassie kissed Bella's face as the little girl giggled.
I was sure that Bella would be thinking that Cassie looked like a real-life princess.
"Amy," Cassie said. "You are the luckiest person the world. What I would do to have a little girl like this."
Cassie's mom took control again.
"Right team, at the moment, we're fashionably late, but if we leave it any longer, the guests may give up on us. Into the car everyone!"
And the show that was Cassie's bridal party was definitely on the road.
CHAPTER 15
CHRIS
Cassie was late, but that was no surprise.
But the waiting seemed to go on and on. Guests started to get restless in the church, and a few of them began to walk around.
"I reckon she's still struggling with her false lashes," I joked to my cousin Charlotte sitting next to me. But I was glad Cassie was late because it gave me some valuable thinking time. "I'll be outside," I told Charlotte as I stood up and made my way towards the side door.
Daniel was standing at the altar as if everyone should be looking at him. His best man stood beside him, an obnoxious wing man with slicked back hair and a fake tan.
"Urgh," I blatantly grimaced at the two of them as I walked past to get to the side door.
"Hey Hollywood," the best man called out. "Where do you think you're going? Too good for us?"
I ignored the taunt and stepped outside into the neighboring cemetery. From there, I would see the wedding cars when they approached and be able to make it back inside the church in plenty of time.
I'm sure some people would think that a graveyard was a morbid place to sit - especially on a wedding day, but I'd always found the Mayfield Springs cemetery to be an incredibly peaceful place. Situated next to the church on top of the hill, there was a view of the whole town which was picturesque and naturally simplistic. I took a seat on the stone wall that circled the graveyard and tried to process the events and revelations of the last few days. My mind was in turmoil.
Bella was my daughter.
Amy had struggled to bring her up for the last three years, too proud to tell me the truth and to ask me for money to support her. It made me feel guilty for not being in touch over that time, but also proud of Amy and her strength of character.
No wonder she was still so angry with me. No wonder she didn't want to forgive me. I knew she loved Bella more than anything in the world and would never change the fact that she was a mother, but it had come at great cost to Amy - the sacrifice of her dreams of being a famous painter which had been put on hold.
And I had compounded things last night. I shouldn't have asked her so bluntly about Bella when Amy had been so angry
earlier in the evening. I'd had my suspicions, of course, when Amy showed me the photo of Bella on her phone, but it was Mom who got me thinking when she asked if I was seeing Amy again and then asked in a very pointed way if I had seen Amy's daughter. I wondered how long Mom had known for and admired her for respecting Amy's decision not to tell me about Bella.
So, now what? What would the future hold for us?
For me, I wanted nothing more than to carry Amy and Bella away with me, to our happy ever after. But would Amy even speak to me again after my gaff last night? You've got mold on your ceiling - what was I even thinking?
I'd always had a tendency under pressure to say the first thing that came into my head - it had got me into trouble before but this time, it might cost me everything my heart desired.
All I could do was apologize (again) and ask Amy's forgiveness (again) and promise that I would make it up to her any way I could.
A cheer behind me signaled that the bridal limousine had arrived. I'd been so lost in my thoughts I hadn't seen it coming up the hill. I raced inside the church and took my seat.
There was a loud hubbub as everyone hurried to take their place. Daniel was keeping his cool, a smarmy grin plastered across his face as though he was looking forward to all the attention he was about to get. When the organ music began, we all instinctively looked to the back of the church. And there was Cassie in lacey, white splendor with good old dad on her arm.
I wished the people in the congregation weren't so distracted. They were so intent on looking at me, knowing that they were at a wedding with a famous actor, that some of them barely looked at Cassie. This thought was confirmed when a woman on the other side of the aisle, a member of Daniel's family, snapped a phone picture of me as if I was the main attraction. I scowled at her and shook my head in disgust, and she turned away red-faced.
Cassie, however, had never looked so happy. In front of her were the bridesmaids, led by Amy. Amy looked superb. Effortlessly beautiful and naturally stunning, I thought she outshone the rest of them. All except the little princess whose hand she held as she walked down the aisle.
Small Town Secret: Mayfield Springs Book 1 Page 7
