He thought having me here would make things easier for you. Besides, your maid-of-honor should be here for you every step of the way.”
“It does help,” I admit, getting choked up again. “You have no idea.”
Camila pats my leg. “Nerves are normal, Elena. I was sick for hours before my wedding, but when I walked down the aisle and saw Nick standing there, I went completely calm. You and Diego love each other … so it’ll be the same for you.”
I stare down into my coffee, suddenly feeling nauseous. While I’m glad to see Camila, having her close means I have to maintain the charade of being in love.
My sister was lucky. She left home at the first opportunity and never came back. Unlike me, she wasn’t willing to keep giving our father the benefit of the doubt. Camila was accepted into Yale right out of high school, and promptly packed her bags and moved north. She met her husband, Dominick, during her senior year, and they got married a few months after graduation. We see each other whenever we can, but Camila’s strained relationship with my father makes it difficult. I guess that isn’t an issue anymore, seeing as how my father has abandoned us both.
“We only have a few hours before we need to be at the church,” Marcella reminds me. “And the hair and makeup people will be here soon. Are you too nervous to try to eat something?”
I gaze at the spread Mariana and Antonella delivered while feeling like a cold stone was dropped into my gut. Everything looks amazing, but I know I won’t be able to stomach much.
“Maybe just a little.”
“You could always drink your breakfast,” Camila suggests. She leaves the bed and lifts the champagne from its bucket. “You won’t be so nervous after a few of these.”
“Do you really want me to stumble down the aisle, drunk, at my own wedding?” I ask, shaking my head. “In a church!”
Camila shrugs and starts peeling the foil off the bottle. “I was hammered when me and Nick got married.”
“Camila!” I exclaim with a laugh. “You said the sight of him calmed you down. You never mentioned liquor.”
She gives me a sheepish grin. “Hey … it got me through the day, and everything worked out in the end. Bottoms up, hermana.”
Marcella and Camila burst into giggles as a mimosa is shoved into my hands. I only hesitate a second before downing half the glass with one swallow. At first, I feel like I’m going to be sick, but the second sip settles me nicely. When Marcella hands me a plate with eggs and a few slices of toast, I relax and try to eat what I can.
Having them here eases my way through the rest of my morning. By the time the beauty team arrives to get us ready, we’re tipsy and laughing over Camila’s stories of new motherhood. It’s easy to relax with them here, pretending that this is nothing more than a girl’s day with drinks, manis and pedis, and hair and makeup.
It isn’t until Marcella helps me into my dress that it all becomes real again. She buttons me up, then attaches the veil to my hair before stepping back to let me look in the full-length mirror.
“Oh,” she whispers, one hand over her chest. “You look so beautiful.”
I stare at myself as if looking at someone else. My hair is piled into a ballet bun on top of my head, with extensions helping add a little more volume. A delicate tiara sparkles against the black strands, and a long, sheer veil falls behind me to trail the floor. My gown is pure white, with long sleeves and a modest neckline. The sleeves are made of handmade lace, which also covers the bodice and trails down the front of the skirt in an intricate pattern. More of the lace runs down the back and spreads out to envelope the train, which runs an entire foot behind me. Marcella presented me with a set of pearls that were passed down by Diego’s grandmother—a necklace and pair of earrings. My makeup is natural and understated, and my nails are a tasteful nude shade. I look like something out of a bridal magazine—polished and poised.
Camila gasps when she steps out of the bathroom in her maid-of-honor’s dress. “Dios Mio, you look amazing.”
“That’s what I said,” Marcella chimes in.
They stand behind me in the mirror, their matching baby blue gowns looking amazing on their skin tones