way and Missy landed inside. I almost pitched onto my knees, but Nick caught me and half lifted, half shoved me into the car as well.
So far, so good.
Missy’s mom snapped away with her camera, capturing our heads and arms sticking out of miles and miles of satin and chiffon for posterity, and all too soon, it was time for our trip down the aisle. The train weighed a ton, and bending forwards to pick it up was impossible. I had to do an awkward little curtsey and pray nothing ripped. My own dress was so tight I could barely breathe, and when we reached the altar, my face must have been as pink as my outfit.
Still, the way Missy’s face lit up when she saw Clyde standing at the top of the steps, looking slightly uncomfortable in an ill-fitting white suit with half a florist’s display stuck in his buttonhole, made all the effort worth it.
“Will the bride and groom step forward?” the pastor asked.
Oh, thank goodness. That was my cue to sit down. I stumbled over to my allotted space on the front pew and tried to sink gracefully onto the seat. Tried. The dress was so big I slid off the edge, and only Nick’s quick thinking kept me from landing on the floor. He clung onto my waist for the whole ceremony, smirking on occasion, while I willed myself not to melt into a gooey puddle at the feel of his arms around me.
Then Clyde and Missy were husband and wife, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of happiness. Well, everyone apart from me, because inhaling was a problem, but the sentiment was there.
The reception didn’t start for an hour, and after I’d grimaced for the official photographer, desperation set in. I had to get out of this freaking dress. Quite apart from the breathing issue, I needed to use the bathroom. Where the heck was Theresa?
“Nick, have you seen Theresa anywhere?”
“Theresa?”
“From the bridal shop. In her forties, blonde hair, and a dark suntan.”
“You mean the peroxide blonde with skin like leather and an indecently short skirt?”
“That’s the one.”
“She got in a convertible and drove off ten minutes ago.”
“Did she say when she was coming back?”
“No, she didn’t say a thing. Why? Is there a problem?”
“I need to get out of this dress. Like, I really need to get out of this dress. And I really, really need to find the little girls’ room.”
“Can’t one of the other ladies unzip you?”
“Theresa sewed me into it. It’s a nightmare! I’m gonna be stuck in it forever. When I die, they’ll have to give me a super-sized casket so it’ll all fit in.”
“What about scissors? Someone must have a pair. Most of these women are carrying purses so heavy it could be an Olympic sport.”
“They were handing out free champagne before the ceremony. Half of them can hardly stand. If I let them near me with scissors, I’ll end up scarred for life.”
As if on cue, a lady wearing a rather adventurous pair of heels tripped over and narrowly missed landing in the font.
“Shit. Okay, wait here.”
He hurried out of the church, then came back a few minutes later carrying a small bag.
“What’s in there?”
“A spare dress. Somehow I couldn’t see you making it through the reception in that one, so I thought we’d better have a backup plan.”
Wow! The man was officially a saint. Or a genius. No, both.
Nick found a tiny storage room at the side of the church and led me in there, locking the door behind us.
“Turn around,” he whispered.
I tried, but I was stuck. “I think I’m caught on something.”
Nick unhooked my dress from a sack truck and helped with a hand on my waist. I swivelled to face a stack of dusty chairs and a table that had seen better days, and now I had more butterflies than Missy’s dress.
“Hold still. I’ve got a penknife in my hand.”
I suppressed a shiver as Nick’s warm breath touched my bare neck.
He got to work, and the stitching soon gave way with a quiet pop. Slowly, slowly, he slid the zipper down, and I clutched the front of the dress against myself as his fingertips caressed my skin, tracing across my shoulder blades. He dipped his head and his lips fluttered against the back of my neck then moved slowly, slowly up to my jaw. The trail of kisses was so soft, yet my skin was on fire everywhere he touched.
My legs trembled as one