“True Lies?”
She snapped again, but only once, ending it pointing at me.“That one.What if he’s that?”
“A secret agent?”
She nodded.“One that gets me dangling from a helicopter.Girl, you know I’m scared of heights.”
“No, you’re scared of how happy you are right now and thatit’s going to end.Sorry to say, honey, it’s going to end.”
She blinked at me.
“Then it’s going to come back.Then it’s going to end.Things are going to get hard.Then they’re going to smooth out.And before youknow it, you and Tony are going to be watching your grandchildren open theirChristmas presents, knowing you don’t have to cook that big dinner anymore, butyou are going to be critical of your daughter-in-law’s ability to do it right,and then you’re off on one of your many retirement cruises for New Years’.”
She turned to face forward, folded double and dropped herhead in her hands.
I reached out and rubbed her back.
“What if I fuck it up?”she asked her lap.
I caught sight of Toni’s mom, Vanessa, leaning to peer intothe passenger window, backed by Lena, who was wearing the same straplessauberginenumber as me, skintight, with a filmy bunch ofmaterial in the same color at the left side of our waists that drifted down thecenter of the skirt in a flirty ruffle.
Toni wasn’t playing with the bridesmaid dresses.They werevery pretty and demurely sexy.
Her gown, an ivory, off-the-shoulder column, with morestructuredruchingto the more nuanced ruffle at herhip, was understated and sophisticated.
And her most important quality when she’d been searching forthe perfect dress, she could dance in it.
I shook my head at Miss Vanessa so she wouldn’t spook Toniby opening the door.
She nodded hers, but still looked freaked and didn’t movefrom the window.
“You’re not going to fuck it up,” I said to Toni,considering the circumstances, dropping the F-bomb when I did my very best notto curse, since my son had superpowered hearing, and he picked up everythinganybody laid down, and I didn’t need my kid F-bombing his way throughelementary school.
“He loves me so much,” she whispered.
I smiled because he did.
So much.
“Yeah, he does.”
She lifted her head and looked at me.
Her hair was smoothed severely back into a big, intricatebun in the back, the veil now attached to it.
The perfect move, letting her beautiful face do all thework.
“You look gorgeous,” I said quietly.“He’s going to lose itwhen he sees you.”
“Yeah?He likes my hair full.Should I—?”
I set the bouquet on the parking brake and reached for herhands, holding tight.
“You’re perfect.Every inch, perfect.”
She stared into my eyes.
I bounced our hands, “Let’s do this, okay?”
