asked. “It’s not. I mean, he’s my best friend. He’s literally my best friend. But we’re having a baby so... He’s very traditional.”
“And you’re not,” Miriam said.
The other woman was probably about Sammy’s age. But there was a gravity to her that Sammy certainly didn’t possess. Her black hair was tamed into a bun, the deep rose-colored lipstick she wore matte and perfect and sophisticated. Her brown skin glowed with the radiance of someone who had the patience for a daily skin regime, something that Sammy didn’t think she would ever have.
She was probably very traditional. Though Sammy noticed she didn’t have a ring on her elegant finger. She did, however, have a very nice manicure, which also spoke of patience and attention to detail.
“Not really,” Sammy said. “I’ve never believed in doing things for the sake of tradition. That’s how people wind up miserable.”
“And, often they wind up miserable bucking tradition for the sake of it, too. Nothing should be done just for the sake of it.”
“A good point,” Sammy said.
Of course, she didn’t know what the point of the point was. She was committed to marrying Ryder and everything was going to be fine. No matter what. There was no other option. Which was great, as far as she was concerned, and she didn’t need some polished-looking woman with better fashion sense than she had to start talking about her situation like she knew. She didn’t know. Nobody did.
She and Ryder weren’t like anyone else. There were no comparisons to make. No precedent set. Maybe that was a little bit egotistical, or something. But it was true. She knew that Pansy and her fiancé, West, had found some kind of amazing manic version of true love, and she was happy for them.
She and Ryder knew each other. They had the benefit of years of caring for one another. They... They practically were married. And had been long before they had ever slept together. If any two people knew what to expect from a lifetime commitment to one another, it was them. He was right. They knew each other too well to let themselves break apart over something as simple as sex. It just wasn’t them. It wasn’t in them.
“I’ll just go try the dresses on.”
She was feeling sulky and resolved to find nothing by the time she stripped the poofy confection off and put the new dress on. But then, something really unexpected happened, and when she stepped out of the dressing room and caught a look at her own reflection in the mirror her breath got trapped in her throat. She didn’t know she could look like that. The dress was simple, made of lace and beads, clinging to her body, rather than adding any volume to it. The kind of simplicity she hadn’t known could come with a wedding dress. It made her feel traditional and herself all at once.
And suddenly, she could see it. Really see it. Walking down some sort of aisle toward Ryder. As his bride.
His bride.
And he would be her groom. Was he going to wear a suit? Suddenly she wanted him to. Suddenly, she didn’t want it to be the same kind of day that they’d had a hundred times before, only with vows instead of a barbecue. Suddenly, she wanted a whole lot more.
She looked over at Pansy, who was stunning in a dress made from soft, flowing fabric that didn’t dominate her petite figure, but made her look like an absolute princess.
“That’s wonderful,” she whispered, looking over at her friend.
Pansy looked back at her. “Sammy, you look...”
That earned her the attention of all the women, and suddenly, she was being swarmed by her friends, each clucking and touching pieces of her dress and she unexpectedly felt part of something. Traditions and a family in a way that touched her down to her soul. She hadn’t thought she wanted any of this. But to her surprise, she did. They were going to be her sisters-in-law, and that was significant. Sharing this with them was significant. She just hadn’t expected it. Not at all. She had expected... She didn’t know. To feel above this. To feel like it didn’t matter. Not when she knew that he didn’t... That he didn’t love her. Not really. Sure, as a friend, but it wasn’t the same. It just wasn’t. And that was fine; it had been fine. All of this had been fine until she had come in here.