The Engagement Arrangement (Boots and Bouquets #2) - Jaci Burton Page 0,8
Erin deserved some happiness. Even if Owen dumping her two days before their wedding had been for good reasons. They’d all worked it out and everyone was back to being friends now. Owen was just about finishing up with his chemotherapy treatments and seemed to be on the road to beating his cancer.
Now it was Erin’s time for her happily-ever-after. They had all finished up work early that day, then piled into Mom’s SUV and took off for the city.
“I’ve already made contact with two bridal shops that are willing to work with me on such short notice,” Erin said. “I’m really lucky because normally they require a minimum of six months, preferably a year.”
“You’ll have to get a dress off the rack, though, right?” Honor asked. “It’ll be too late to order one.”
Erin nodded. “Yes, but that’s all right. I can’t have everything I want and I know that. And if the dress needs alterations, I know a wonderful seamstress who’s agreed to do the job.”
Brenna was glad Erin was so at ease about this. And she knew her sister was organized to the max, so if something needed to be done, it would.
They got to the first shop forty minutes later and parked in the lot.
“Are you nervous?” Brenna asked as they all got out of the SUV.
“Well, it’s not my first time trying on wedding dresses.”
Brenna laughed. “True. And hopefully it’ll be your last time.”
“No hopefully about it. This is definitely my last.”
“It had better be,” Mom said. “My heart can’t take any more stress.”
Erin wrapped her hand around their mother’s arm. “Trust me, Mom. Jason will be standing at the end of the aisle on our wedding day.”
“I know he will, cailín leanbh.”
They walked into the store and were greeted by a tall, dark-haired woman by the name of Alexandra. Erin introduced everyone to her.
“Erin, it’s nice to meet you and your family,” Alexandra said. “I’m ready to get started if you are.”
“I am.”
Erin had told them she’d sent some ideas to Alexandra earlier in the week, so she’d already pulled some dresses for her to try on. They took seats and waited while Erin went into the dressing room.
The first dress was lace and tulle and looked totally overwhelming on Erin’s slender frame. They all thought it was a no, including Erin.
The second dress was a very pretty satin and clung to her curves.
“It’s pretty,” Brenna said.
“Agree,” Honor said. “It’s pretty.”
Mom shook her head. “Too plain. You need something more wow.”
Erin smoothed her hands down the dress. “It is nice and I like the fit, but I agree it needs something . . . more.”
“Back to the dressing room,” Alexandra said.
The third dress was entirely too poofy. The volume swallowed her up.
“Absolutely not,” Erin said as soon as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Even Alexandra wrinkled her nose. “You’re right. Let’s move on. I think I have one you’re going to love.”
After Erin left, Brenna turned to her mom and sister. “Have you noticed she’s trying on dresses that look absolutely nothing like her first wedding dress?”
“Can you blame her?” Honor asked. “She wants nothing to remind her of that first disaster, including the dress.”
“It was a beautiful dress,” Mom said.
“Yes, it was,” Brenna said. “But it wasn’t the right dress. Or the right guy.”
“True that,” Honor said.
Brenna knew how that felt. She’d had a lovely dress for her first wedding. If she was going to get married again—which she wasn’t—the last thing she’d want to wear would be anything resembling her first dress. It would seem unlucky somehow.
“She’ll pick the right dress,” Mom said. “The one that’s meant to be hers.”
A few minutes later, Erin floated out on a dress that made them all gasp. A white crepe with off-the-shoulder lace sleeves, it clung to her body and floated down to a mermaid shape, with a lace cathedral train. When Erin stood up on the platform with her back to them, they all gasped again.
The back was adorned with see-through lace and crepe buttons and Brenna could swear this dress was made just for Erin because it fit her as if it had been created for her body. If it was going to need alterations, they would be very minor.
“Damn,” Honor whispered.
Brenna caught the telltale glitter of tears in Erin’s eyes as she stared at herself in the full-length mirrors.
“Erin,” their mother said. “That dress is breathtaking.”
She finally turned. “I love it. I love it so much.”