Magnolia leveled a glare at her mother. "Not another peep about that, you hear me? I'd rather wear three layers of Spanx than get married smelling like cabbage and garlic."
Rob set his elbows on the table and rubbed his forehead. "I still don't understand why you bought a dress two sizes too small."
"It was a designer trunk sale," Magnolia replied. "It's a limited edition dress and I was able to get it for one-tenth of the price. There was no other option."
"I still don't get it," Rob grumbled. "I would've paid the other ninety percent and saved us the misery."
Diana shifted her attention back to me. "You should come with us to the fitting, Zelda."
"Did you ignore the part where I mentioned Zelda is essential to the continued functioning of my business?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, drag the nice girl along because it sounds like such a good time," Linden muttered. "Hangry Maggie, broken ribs, great balls of fire. You're really trying to put Zelda through the paces, aren't you?"
Diana patted my hand. "I didn't raise them to be such rude boys. Ignore them. I do."
"It's okay," I said, laughing. "They don't scare me."
"I like you," she said with a wink.
"You should totally come with us," Magnolia said. "You'd be doing me a huge favor by subjecting yourself to my mother's ceaseless meddling while I'm brutalized by a very small but very strong seamstress."
"Meddling? I don't meddle at all," Diana said. She spoke in a tone that suggested she truly believed it too.
Carlo pushed away from the table and collected two empty serving dishes from the center of the table. With a glance to Rob, he said, "Best of luck."
"We're not about to debate whether you meddle," Linden said. "It's accepted as fact. Let's move on."
After muttering something about her children needing her meddling in their lives, Diana returned her attention to me. "The shop we're visiting has lots of lovely pieces. I'm sure they'd have something perfect for you to wear next weekend if you'd like to browse for yourself. I'd be happy to help you look."
"Oh, that's not necessary," I said, suddenly flustered. I didn't know why I reacted this way but I could feel heat crawling up my chest and neck like an allergic reaction. "I'm all set."
"Mom," Ash warned.
"What did I say?" Diana held up both hands. "What did I do now? I'm beinghelpful."
"More than enough," Ash replied.
"There aren't many people in the world today who have a range of options for a formal seaside summer wedding with only a few days' notice," she said. "And since I want my oldest son's companion to feel as radiant as ever, I'm going to keep doing more than enough." She gripped my hand. "All right, dear? Very good. I'll drop by the office on Tuesday afternoon around four and we'll walk to the shop together."
When Diana and Magnolia fell into a discussion of the wedding reception's seating chart, Ash leaned in, brushing his lips over my exposed shoulder. "I'll handle the dress shop issue and the nineteen baby blankets she's going to knit in the next two days," he whispered. "And I won't drag you onto my lap or pull your hair and kiss you while my entire family watches which is why I need you to get your sweet ass up and assist me in making a swift exit. Can we do that?"
I blinked at him for a sweltering second before reaching for Diana's hand, saying, "Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home. The meal was exquisite and you've done a spectacular job on these cushions. I'm so sorry we have to step out before the evening is over but I know we'll have plenty of time to catch up on Tuesday afternoon."
"No apologies allowed," Diana said. "Have a safe drive back to the city."
Beside me, Ash stood and held out his hand for me. When I joined him, Diana tackled me in a fierce hug. I gave her a polite pat on the back but she didn't let go and soon I realized this wasn't an ordinary hug. It was the kind that transfused affection from every point of contact and the longer it lasted, the more I felt my parched and fractured places filling with kindness and love. My own stores of affection seemed fuller now, as if I could now give more because I'd received this.
"Please give her back," Ash said. "She's mine."
"I know, honey, I know," Diana said, bussing her palm up and down my back. I blinked hard because I could've cried if I hadn't fought it off. I was plump and overflowing with emotions that seemed too large for me to bear, too permanent for me to accept outright. "I'm just so happy, I can't help it."
"Probably because she's not Millie," Linden muttered from the table.
"None of you can be trusted," Magnolia said with a groan. "None of you."
Once Diana released me, we made a quick exit. Ash held the car door open with a glance at his watch, saying, "Four minutes. You're amazing."
Since I was still the girl who ran straight to the edge with her parachute in shreds, even after a million right choices and all the deepest hugs, I dropped into the seat and said, "I thought I was overwhelming."
