Empire High Betrayal (Empire High #3) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,97

could get anything you wanted,” he said and winked at me. “I’m loving him more and more every day. He’s making this wedding very easy on me.”

At least $15,000? That was too much. I wanted to run out of the store and go over to Goodwill to find something second hand. I wasn’t a designer dress kind of girl.

Sarah cleared her throat. “Well, the rush won’t be a problem at all then.” She looked embarrassed. “Do you want to head back with me, Brooklyn, and we can get started?”

I nodded.

“And if you all would like to look around for dresses you think Brooklyn would look good in, please feel free."

Justin squealed with excitement and got up right away and started looking through the dresses. Mrs. Caldwell and Kennedy laughed and joined him as I followed Sarah.

***

There didn’t seem to be a style that I liked yet. The problem was that I loved dancing with Matt and all the dresses felt…too heavy. Or too big. They were all just too much everything. It seemed like the more expensive the dress, the more it weighed.

Sarah was just unzipping me from a poofy dress when there was a knock on the dressing room door.

“It’s just me,” Justin said from the other side. “And I have the perfect dress for our beautiful bride.”

I held the current one against my chest as Sarah opened the door.

Justin was smiling and holding up a dress. “This is the one,” he said. “I can feel it.” He shoved it into Sarah’s hands and walked away with a sassy strut.

It was hard to tell how it would look on. But as soon as Sarah zipped up the back and put the clips on for it to fit my frame better, I was…speechless. It was long-sleeved with sheer and lace embellishments down the arms. The bottom was loose and flowy. And the best part? Even though it was tight enough to accentuate my waist, it was comfortable.

“What do you think of this one?” Sarah said.

There was a lump in my throat and I wasn’t sure why. I think a part of me was still worried I didn’t really belong in Matt’s world. But in this dress, I looked like I belonged beside him. “He’s going to love it,” I said with a laugh as I brushed away my tears.

"Let's go show everyone." Sarah opened the door and I slowly followed her out, holding up the soft, flowy material so I wouldn’t step on it.

I walked up onto the platform and dropped the fabric so that it pooled perfectly around my legs. Everyone stopped talking.

“Brooklyn,” Kennedy said. “You look so amazing.”

“A ten out of ten from me,” Justin said. “You’re simply glowing in that dress.”

I smiled and turned to look in the mirror. I really was glowing. It was like this dress was made for my body.

“That’s definitely the one,” Kennedy added.

"Here," Sarah said as she clipped a veil into my hair. She spread the sheer fabric across my shoulders. The lace accents matched the dress perfectly. I felt like a princess. And I could picture my wedding day better than I ever could before. Walking down the aisle towards Matt’s smiling face. Saying “I do” and promising him forever. I could see it all so clearly.

The only person who hadn’t said a word was Mrs. Caldwell. I glanced at her in the mirror to see her reaction. She’d grabbed a tissue and was blotting her eyes. I turned around to face her. “Mrs. Caldwell?”

She laughed and continued to blot her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m a mess.” She tried to wipe away the rest of her tears.

I would never describe Mrs. Caldwell as a mess. But the fact that she was crying had me worried. “Do you not like it?”

She laughed and stood up. “Brooklyn, you look stunning.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “Matthew’s going to love it.”

“Then why are you crying?” I said and tried to laugh through my own tears welling in the corners of my eyes. But it was no use. The tears started falling down my cheeks.

“Because I was just thinking about how much I’ve always wanted a daughter. And I know that the circumstances that led you to New York were awful. But I’m so grateful that you met my son.” She stepped up onto the platform with me and squeezed my hands. “I know your mom and uncle can’t be with us on your wedding day. And I wasn’t lucky enough to meet either of them. But I