“That’s it,” CC said instantly, satisfaction radiating from her like sunlight. “That’s the one.”
“Yeah,” I whispered because I knew she was right.
As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I felt it. This was the dress. It wasn’t flashy or formal, but soft, strong, and hopeful—like me.
“We’ll do a rush on alterations,” the attendant promised, already surging toward me with a container of pins in her hands. “If you’d like, we can update it a bit, adjust the hemline, and bring it more into this century, but keep the bones of the original.”
Still too emotional to speak properly, I glanced at CC, who nodded like a queen about to issue a decree. “That sounds perfect. We’ll need it by close of business tomorrow. Have you got a veil to pair it with?”
The attendant smiled. “Of course. I’ll go pull some and be back in a moment. More champagne while you wait?”
“I’ll have some more of the sparkling juice,” Laney said and Sadie nodded her agreement. CC took my glass and had it refilled with champagne while the others stuck to the non-alcoholic options.
The attendant disappeared and Laney turned to me, holding her fancy champagne flute in her hand but not sipping just yet. “While we wait, have you got any baby pictures of Brody? I’d love to see them.”
I chuckled. “You’re in that phase, huh? Where it’s becoming real. You’re starting to itch to hold that baby in your arms, and you’re broody as hell?”
Her eyes widened like she was surprised, but then she laughed. “I didn’t know that was a thing, but that’s totally it. It’s starting to feel like this baby is taking forever to grow and I just want to meet her already.”
Sadie grimaced. “I’ve felt that way from the very beginning. I wonder if my phases are accelerated because there are two of them.”
“I don’t know,” I mused out loud as I reached for my purse and rummaged around until my fingers closed around my phone. “It would make sense, though. Sort of, anyway. Or maybe you’re just naturally impatient.”
She laughed. “I’m definitely guilty of that. It kills me when I have to wait for things to get done. That’s why I just try to make it happen myself.”
“I get that, but this isn’t something you can rush, so in the meantime…” I trailed off and clicked into an album in my gallery to show them pictures of Brody as a newborn.
Both girls leaned in, oohing and aahing over the memories I’d captured of those early days. My heart warmed as we moved on from the newborn stage to photos of him on a playmat having tummy time and, later, of his gummy grin in his highchair.
“Oh my gosh, look at those cheeks!” Laney laughed. “I just want to squish him.”
“That little smile,” Sadie added. “He looked exactly the same as he does now. He was just shorter and more compact.”
I was smiling too, until CC suddenly gasped and clutched my arm, her nails biting into my skin. I hadn’t even realized that she was looking at the pictures with us, but as she leaned closer, studying the picture like she was playing a game ofSpot the Difference, my blood ran cold.
“Gosh, he looks just like Callum as a toddler,” she said, her voice slightly hushed with awe. “I mean, identical except for the eye color. It’s uncanny.”
I blinked hard, my stomach dropping. Laney leaned closer too. “Really? I guess I can see it. What are the odds?”
“That’s so wild,” Sadie said, glancing at me with a definite thoughtfulness in her eyes. She didn’t come right out and ask, but I could see the suspicion brewing there. My world suddenly felt like it was tipping, the truth so heavy that it was throwing off the equilibrium of my entire existence.
Laney and CC didn’t seem to notice. They were still studying the picture. CC shook her head as she looked up at me. “I wish I could show you what I mean, but we barely have pictures of Callum at this age. Middle child syndrome, unfortunately. Jameson had just gotten his first big boy bicycle and he was trying to kill himself every other minute. Sterling wasn’t able to do homework completely by himself yet. Between those two, we didn’t really get around to taking many pictures of Callum, but I’ll see if I can find one sometime. The resemblance is almost eerie.”
They laughed, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. My heartbeat was roaring in my ears and panic was threading itself around my organs. I managed to keep my smile firmly fixed on my mouth, but I felt like I was about to unravel right there in the middle of the bridal shop.
By the time I got home, my hands were shaking. My phone was already in my hand. My thumb hovered over Callum’s name.I should’ve done this ages ago.Should’ve faced it, said it out loud, stopped running from the truth before he left.
But I was scared. Terrified. I hit call anyway.
The line rang. Once. Twice, then it went to his voicemail.
My heart sank. He was already on the flight to Michigan. With Brody, which meant I was alone until we got to Scotland. Alone with my thoughts, the guilt, and the all-consuming fear that, when he found out, I would end up being alone forever.
CHAPTER 37
CALLUM
The flight should’ve worn Brody out, but he bounded off the plane with that same, unstoppable energy he always seemed to have. Chattering about hockey practice and what his class was doing for a fair coming up at school, he also still didn’t seem to have run out of things to talk about.
