I look up to find them both staring at me. “What?”
“Nothing! Put your dress on!” they both say as they move to separate areas to get ready.
Something is going on, but I know these two and they won’t tell me anything until they’re damn well ready.
Pulling the dress fully out of the bag, I admire its beauty. I don’t wear dresses, but if I did, I would want to wear something like this. It has thicker straps with a fitted bodice covered in subtle jewels. The bottom is flowy enough that I don’t feel constricted, but it falls to the floor in a soft wave. I walk over to the full body mirror and turn back and forth, looking at all the angles, shocked to find a version of me I consider beautiful. It’s not that I don’t love my looks normally; it’s just not something I put effort into. This feels like an elevated version of me, and I love it.
“Shit, it’s even better than I thought it would be,” Ainsley says with a sniffle.
“Holy gorgeousness, you look amazing,” Willow echoes.
“Thank you. I assume I have you to thank for it, so high-five yourselves.”
I turn my attention to them and find them in knee length dresses, in different shades of blue but not the same style. They go together but they don’t match, confusing me even more.
“You both look beautiful,” I tell them.
“Thank you. We have two more things for you before we head out,” Ainsley says cryptically.
Willow brings over a shoe box and pulls out a cream pair of hiking boots, and I have to laugh. At least they aren’t trying to cram me into heels. I’d break an ankle for sure.
They help me lace them up so I don’t wrinkle my dress, and then Ainsley goes to her dresser and grabs a small box.
“We wanted to get you something that you could wear and remember today.” She hands me the box, and I carefully open it to reveal a stunning pair of earrings that have a main stone that looks like diamonds surrounded by smaller blue stones. They’re small and not overly showy, and perfect.
“I love them, but I can’t accept these,” I murmur as I run my finger over them.
“Yeah, we’re not doing that. Put them on, and let’s go!” They both have smiles on that light up their whole faces, and it’s infectious. I may not know what we’re doing, but I’m starting to get excited about it. I am still distracted, trying to mentally calculate when I’m going to have time to put the bed together and if I can keep Arlo out of the house until I do.
We climb into Ainsley’s car and make our way to a familiar area. I start to get suspicious when we park at the trailhead that leads to the waterfall.
“Guys…” I can feel my heartbeat racing.
“Follow us, please,” Ainsley says with a knowing smile, and the pressure of incoming tears hits behind my eyes.
It takes us fifteen long minutes to get to Arlo and my spot, but once we’re there, the tears start to fall.
Every single person in Bluebell Falls creates a semi-circle facing the falls. On the flat rock that Arlo and I frequently lounge on is an arch covered in wildflowers, with the man himself standing underneath it.
A sob breaks free as I cover my mouth in shock. I can’t believe he put all of this together. Ainsley and Willow quietly go to join the masses when another presence walks up next to me.
“Can I walk you down the aisle?” Ledger asks, and I don’t even care if I’m ugly crying because this is exactly what I’ve wanted since I was a teenager and never thought I would get.
Arlo has made every single one of my dreams come true, and I don’t know if there are enough words to articulate how I feel right now.
Overwhelmed seems to be the largest emotion, though.
“Of course,” I say, trying to pull myself together.
He holds out his elbow, and I hook my arm in his as we start walking down the split in the crowd. I don’t take my eyes off my husband, and when I’m close enough, I see his eyes glistening with tears.
We step in front of him, both of us smiling like lunatics when Ledger releases me and claps Arlo on the back.
“Take care of her,” he says with a smile.
“Always,” Arlo says, taking both of my hands.
Ledger walks away, and we’re left to face each other.
