My little family. Surrounded by my big family. Safe and sound.
Chapter 35
Lily
“You’ve already started planning my wedding?” I was incredulous. We were having a girls’ lunch on the patio by the pool at my parents’ house. Mom, my sisters, and I were eating, toasting my engagement, and poking over the events that had happened this summer. Well, we were talking about Violet’s marriage and my relationship with Luke, and Rose was dodging questions about Trevor. She’d spill it eventually. Or, more likely, one of us would overhear or witness something.
“Of course. Rose, Violet, and I started planning it when you and Luke went out on your second first date,” Mom said, looking at me like I was stupid or something. Like I had some nerve wanting to participate in the planning of my own wedding. I glared accusingly at my sisters.
“Don’t look at me. I wasn’t here for all that nonsense,” Holly said. I raised my glass, and she clinked it with hers. At least I had one of them on my side.
“You don’t even like planning parties,” Violet said. This was true, but so not the point.
“Um, this is my wedding. This isdifferent.”
“We decided to let you pick the dress,” Rose said. “We have a folder full of options.” What the what?
“Come on, darling. Just look at what we’ve got so far,” Mom said, pushing the wedding binder closer to me on the table. “Please? You won’t be mad once you see what we’ve planned.”
I sniffed and looked away. I took a sip of my iced tea and gave them all a good bitch face. Except for Holly, I smiled at her. She shook her head at me and grinned.
“We haven’t chosen the cake yet, or the food. That’s what you really care about anyway. Am I right?” Rose said knowingly, and Holly laughed—the traitor.
Okay,yes,she was right. I wanted to pick the cake and go cake taste testing. That was the most fun part of planning a wedding. I’d never done that before, and I had always wanted to. Will and I had eloped—no planning, no cake, no big dinner. I wanted to eat a bunch of tiny cakes, damn it. Some girls dream of the dress. I dreamed of the dessert.
“We made an appointment at the bakery tomorrow,” Violet said as a peace offering.
I perked up. “Fine. Tell me what you’ve got so far.” I decided to stop being mad. Cake went a long way when it came to earning forgiveness from me.
“Yay!” Rose yelled. “It will be veryMidsummer Night’s Dream—very enchanted forest. You’ll love it.”
Oooh, pretty, pretty. I had to admit it—they knew what I liked.
Mom chimed in. “I’ve ordered a ton of lily of the valley and baby’s breath. All the flowers will be white. We’re going to practice making flower crowns later.” She looked quite pleased with herself. “I bought white twinkle lights and flameless candles and cute little jars?—”
Violet interrupted, “It will be over there.” She pointed to the edge of the property, near the forest before the trees started to get thick. “We’ll wrap the trees in white organza and lightsand hang jars full of flowers. Oh, and evergreen wreaths wrapped with twinkle lights will be strung up too.”
“But I get to pick the food and the cake, right?”
Mom nodded. “Do you want to pick your dress and shoes too?” she asked.
“No, you guys can do that.”
They all looked at each other smugly.
Whatever.
I sat back and relaxed. I was going to have a beautiful wedding.
And it would be delicious.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my mother’s bedroom. I couldn’t look away from my own reflection. I looked like a fairy princess! This was not bragging, because I’d had nothing to do with it. I didn’t even look like myself.
Mom had hired a hairstylist to fix my hair. It was pulled back and twisted around the sides of my head to coil in thick spiral curls down my back with lily of the valley, little crystals, and tiny evergreen spikes woven throughout.
My makeup was like something out of a movie—or Instagram. I’d tried to memorize what the makeup artist was doing so I could do it myself, but it was impossible. I would never have enough skills to do what she did. Is this what having “on-fleek” eyebrows was like? I didn’t even have to suck in my cheeks to see my cheekbones. I pursed my lips at myself in the mirror and was even tempted to take a selfie.Gah! Amazing.
And my dress? The only word for it wasethereal. I was glad I hadn’t chosen my own dress, because if I had, it wouldn’t have looked this good. I turned side to side in the mirror. This fabric was shimmery and floated around my body, and even had a little train in the back. I remembered Violet’s voice on the phone with Rose when I was trying it on for thefirst time.“It’s satin under tulle. It has a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps, floral embroidery, and tiny crystal beads. It’s beautiful on her. It’s white, it’s sexy, it’s sweet, it’s perfect. This is the one. We’re getting it.”Then she’d snapped my picture and texted it to Rose. She’d been right, it was perfect for me. But it was more than what I looked like that kept me staring. I was happy. It shone through all the makeup. It shone through the satin and flowers, the hairdo, the dress, and the party to come.
