“Dude, it’s going to be okay. Everything has been good in the pregnancy so far, right?”
He nodded.
“Brad, you made a mistake. Stop beating yourself up every chance you get because you slipped up and made a bad choice. I honestly believe in my heart that you’re going to have a beautiful, healthy baby. Dude, don’t worry.”
He stood up and let out a sigh. “You’re right!”
I got up and looked at him. “Can I ask you something? Friend to friend.”
“Of course, Josh.”
“Have you wanted to…”
He grinned and shook his head. “Not one damn bit. I’ve never felt so much peace and happiness in my life. I actually love my job right now. It doesn’t hurt that it’s one of my dad’s biggest competitors! I’m looking forward to becoming a father. Amanda was so excited about starting a new career, but she’s decided she’s more interested in becoming a mom more than anything.”
I grinned. “Does that mean y’all aren’t moving to Florida?”
“Nobody knows this yet, but I talked to my boss and asked what the chances of me staying in Austin would be. I got hired on for their Florida office, but he said they are so happy with my work that they were actually going to offer me a raise to stay in Austin. This couldn’t have happened at a better time. Amanda and I talked about it, and we are still selling the house to pay my parents back what they want. Then, we’re going to look at some land outside of Dripping Springs. It’s close enough for me to get to work and for Amanda to go visit the girls when she wants.”
“Ah hell, Brad. You don’t know how happy this makes me.” I walked up and gave him a quick hug.
“Let’s keep it between us for right now. I think Amanda wants to tell the girls herself, and I’m going to tell Gunner and Jeff later today.”
“Will do, Brad. Gunner and Jeff will be just as happy.” I slapped him on the back before we left the room and made our way down to the bar.
As we walked by the windows, I looked down at the beach. I could see the white arch in front of the chairs covered in the light blue fabric Heather had picked out. I quickly turned away as my heart started pounding.
In one hour…she’s going to be mine.
Chapter Forty-One
I stood there and looked at my beautiful wedding dress hanging up on the door. I closed my eyes and thought about the day I’d found it.
“I don’t want to try on another dress. I’ll just wear jeans!” I said to Ari and Ellie.
Amanda held out another dress. “Oh hell…this is the one, Heather!” she said with a gasp. “Ouch! Motherfucker!”
We all turned and looked at her.
“Big kick!”
I sighed and shook my head. “That was what Ellie said about the last one, and Ari said the same thing about the one before that.”
Amanda handed the dress to Rachael, the sweet, patient girl who had helped me try on at least twenty-five gowns so far.
Okay, so maybe it was only ten, but it was enough to make me hate the color white now.
“Oh! This is a beautiful one.” Rachael hooked my arm and dragged me back into the dressing room.
As she helped me get dressed, I begged her to make it all stop. “Please…Rachael…don’t let them make me try on another dress! I’m starving, and I have twins to feed. I just want to go eat!”
She smiled as she did up the back of the dress. “Do you want another banana, honey?” she asked as her eyes filled with sympathy.
“No. Thank you though.”
When she stepped back, she put her hands to her mouth.
Huh…she hasn’t done that yet.
“Heather, slowly turn around and look.”
I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration about the dress. She was good at it, but this one topped all the others.
When I looked in the mirror, I sucked in a breath of air. “Oh. My. God. I look like a—”
“A princess,” she said.
I felt tears building up in my eyes. I knew why I was being such a brat. I wanted my mother here. I had Ari, Ellie, and Amanda, but it wasn’t the same.
“This one is called the Gemma, and it’s made by—”
I spun around to face her. “What?”
“What?” she said.
“What’s the name of this dress?”
She gave me a confused look. “The Gemma?”
I started to walk past her, heading straight to the girls. As soon as I came out, all three of them gasped.
“Oh my god! Oh my god! That is beautiful. I knew it would look beautiful on you!” Amanda said as she rubbed her stomach.
Ellie clapped, jumping up and down. “Holy hell! That’s perfect, Heather.”
Ari was smiling from ear to ear.
“Ari…” I couldn’t talk.
“Oh, baby girl…that is the dress. See, you’re even crying! They say when you put it on and cry, that’s the dress. Did she cry when she first saw it, Rachael?”
Rachael laughed. “Yes, but she really freaked out when I told her the name of the dress.”
Ellie laughed. “What’s the name?”
“The Gemma.”
I started crying harder. Before I knew it, I was sandwiched between my three best friends.
Amanda looked me in the eyes.
“Did you know?” I asked her.
She shook her head and smiled. “No.”
“Okay, y’all…I’m so confused here,” Rachael said.
Everyone pulled back and turned to face her.
“My parents died in a car accident a few years ago. My mother’s name was Gemma.”
Rachael got tears in her eyes and shook her head. “Motherfucker.”
Ari laughed. “Hell, I knew I liked you for a reason.”
After Rachael got her composure, she began telling us about the dress. “This is a strapless A-line taffeta gown with an exquisite hand-draped sweetheart bodice. The band is garnished with Swarovski crystals with matching floral embroidery and beading throughout the full skirt, corset back bodice, and chapel-length train. It is designed by Sophie Tolli, an Australian designer.”
Ari looked at her and frowned. “Why can’t y’all just say it’s a beautiful dress with crystals wrapping under her breasts—which, by the way, your big-ass tits fill out very well—and it has a gorgeous train? That I get. All that other talk is like wah, wah, wah.”
Poor Rachael. Girl never stood a chance.
“You’re lost in thought, baby girl.” Elizabeth placed her hand on my shoulder.
I smiled. “I was thinking about the day I found this dress.”
“You mean when I found it!” Amanda called out.
Jenny walked up with a huge grin on her face. “It’s time to put it on now, Heather.”
I turned to Elizabeth. “Would you help me?”
She smiled with tears in her eyes. “It would be an honor.”
I took off my robe and looked at myself in the mirror. I placed my hands on my stomach, and I could just barely see a little bump. I glanced at the pale blue strapless bra with the matching panties that Ari had bought and then the matching garter belt that Ellie had given me. The beautiful blue antique hairpin that Amanda had let me borrow looked beautiful in my hair. She said she had worn it on her wedding day, and before her, her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother had worn it on theirs. It held up half of my hair while the other half fell down in soft curls falling around my shoulders.
I reached up to touch it.
“Don’t touch your hair!” Jenny yelled out.
“Do you think Josh will like all of this?” I asked without even thinking that I was asking his mother. “Oh my god! I didn’t mean to ask you that, Elizabeth.” I felt my face flush from embarrassment.
She laughed, looking at my reflection in the mirror. “Sweetheart…I think he’s going to pass out when he takes off your wedding dress.”
I peeked up at her and smiled.
After the dress was on and everyone had smoothed it out, I slipped on a pair of white flip-flops adorned with crystals. They were Ari’s idea since there would be no way I could walk on the beach in heels. Next came my mother’s wedding veil. She had given it to me when I turned eighteen. I smiled as Ari placed it on my head.
“Oh, Heather! It looks beautiful on you,” Ari said.
I tried so hard not to cry.
I glanced over at my three best friends and smiled. They were each dressed in a beautiful light steel blue strapless bodice with a taffeta knee-length skirt.
Jenny walked up and handed each of them a bouquet of bright blue hydrangeas. I smiled because hydrangeas were my mother’s favorite flowers. The stems were wrapped in a beautiful bright blue satin fabric with white lace and silver accents. Then, she turned and handed me my bouquet.
I sucked in a breath of air. “Oh, Jenny! It’s beautiful.” I fought to hold back the tears.
The bouquet was filled with light blue hydrangeas and white roses. The stems were wrapped in a white silk fabric and pinned with mother-of-pearl pins.
“Jenny, did you make these?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Thank you so much. All I had to do was leave the flowers up to you, and I knew you wouldn’t let me down. How did you know about the hydrangeas?”
“I asked Ellie.” Jenny smiled over toward Ellie.
I walked over to Ellie and hugged her. “Thank you, sweets,” I whispered.
“I love you, Heather,” Ellie whispered back.
I pulled back and stared at the three of them for a few seconds. “Y’all ready to do this?”
Ari laughed. “The question is…are you?”
“Never been more ready in my entire life.”
Jenny turned to me. “You have your vows written down?”
“Um…I decided to just wing it.”
“What?” all four of them said at the same time.
Elizabeth started laughing.
“Oh. My. God. Heather! It was your idea to say your own vows. Poor Josh probably spent days on his, and you’re going to just wing it?” Amanda said.
I laughed as I shook my head and started toward the door. I stopped and turned to them. “I’ll bet each of y’all that he doesn’t have his vows written down. He’s going to do the same thing as me.”
“Shit, I’ll take you up on that. A hundred bucks says that boy pulls out a piece of paper or stumbles on his words ’cause he forgot them,” Ari said with a laugh.
“I’m in,” Ellie said.
“Oh hell yes! I’m in, and I’ll double that shit!” Amanda said.
Jenny laughed. “Come on, ladies. Let’s get a move on, shall we?”
Amanda walked out first, then Ari followed, and Ellie was last.
Ellie turned and kissed me on the cheek. “They’re with you, sweets,” she whispered in my ear.
I smiled and nodded. “I know. I feel them with me.”
I watched as Ellie started to walk around the corner. I took a deep breath, looked up, and saw Josh’s dad standing there.
“Greg, what are you doing here?”
He smiled as he came up to me. “Heather, you’re breathtaking. Josh is going to…well, to be blunt and honest, he’s going to shit his pants when he sees you.”