I had no idea where to start, so I went over to kiss my mother and sisters and then was rushed into a seat off to the side while someone curled my hair and took off the makeup I had on and then started applying more. There were a whirlwind of things going on around me as I caught up my sisters and mother on what had happened and was trying to figure out more about what was happening now.
“Is dad here?” I said to my older sister, Mila.
“He’s out in the hallway, waiting for us to get you ready.”
“We didn’t know about this until yesterday.” My other sister, Daisy, crossed her arms and pouted in the corner.
“If it makes you feel any better, I had no idea until just now.” I tried to keep the conversation light because I could see in my mother’s eyes too that she wasn’t too excited to be here.
“I just don’t think it’s right what he is doing here.” My mother, Cecily, finally raised her concern.
“I know it’s not conventional—” I tried to justify because I actually understood where she was coming from. If it weren’t Greg and I, I would be raising the same exact questions if I were on the other side of this, but my family didn’t know Greg and me.
“That’s just the start of it.” Daisy commented again. “He basically threatened Dad into being here.”
“What?!” I swung around in my chair, thankful that the makeup artist had just finished and no one was working on my hair anymore.
“Yeah, came over to the house last night and told him he was going to be here tonight for you. Didn’t give him an option so, of course, we all had to be here,” Mila chimed in.
She made it sound like it was a nuisance them having to come here, to be a part of my life, to see me get married. I hadn’t been to any of my siblings’ weddings since they were all married by the time I was born, but they couldn’t even give me today and be happy for me.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” I looked around to each of them, but their faces didn’t change. My heart dropped that even on this day they still wanted no part of being in my life.
“I think we should get you into your dress,” Erica spoke up in the awkward silence.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I made my way over to the wall where the black lace dress was hanging. Alexa and Erica took it down and then held it open near the ground as I stepped into it after taking off my clothes, leaving me in just my underwear.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to wear those in this.” Alexa spoke up just before I stepped in.
I slipped off my panties. When the inner silk smoothed over me and Erica zipped me up, the whole dress hugged my body and I understood why Alexa had me take everything off.
This dress was made for me. I turned around and looked into the mirror, seeing it hug my curves at my hips and come down my arms to just past my elbows. It lay lightly below my shoulders, with just a whisper of lace peeking up. and the best part was where it billowed out just above my thighs to hit the floor and extend out in a small train behind me. I felt like I had just stepped out of a wedding catalogue or, better yet, a fashion magazine. This wasn’t just a dress you could pick up off the rack at a wedding store. This felt like something Greg had put a little bit of extra love into making sure I had.
He might not have known exactly everything I would have wanted in a wedding, but somehow he made it all come true.
“I never told him any of this.” Alexa leaned in to whisper to Erica and me, addressing the statement I had just posed in my head.
“I don’t know how he knew then...”
“Your guess is as good as ours.” Alexa laughed.
“Because he loves you.” I turned around at Margaret’s voice and saw her standing at the opening of the room. She made her way over to me as I stepped into the stunning white heels that Greg had gotten to complement the dress. It was almost the same lace and everything. It was all just perfect.
I leaned in to hug Margaret when she was within reach, trying to make sure the tears didn’t fall and ruin my makeup.
She pulled back and held me at arm’s length.
“He did such a good job.” She lowered her hand to my left hand and raised it, twirling her finger around my engagement ring. “When he asked me for this the other night, I thought he was crazy, but then he sat me down and told me everything, and I just knew by the look in his eyes that he meant every single word he was saying to me.”
“He told me today.” I knew I sounded pained and upset, but she picked my chin up and held it high.
“It doesn’t matter when he told you, darling. What matters is what he’s done and that he finally told you.” She laughed to herself. “Looking at all of this, I’m pretty sure I know where Greg gets his romantic side from.”
“Is he here?” I knew who she was referring to. David. I agreed with her completely. David was one to always settle Margaret and always treated her like she was the only important person in his life, even though he had three children.
“He’s right outside those doors with your father.” I moved around Margaret and to the side door that led into the hallway. I burst through the door and heard strong hushed whispers coming from down the hall. My father and David were huddled together, but when my father saw me walking towards them, he pulled away and put all of his attention on me.
David turned around and took me in, an audible gasp coming from his lips. His hand went to his mouth as tears started to fill his eyes. My father stood there with no expression crossing his face.
