Her eyes softened, and she gave me a true smile. “You’re more than welcome, Rebecca. And no matter what color your eyes are, or how many people are stressing you out in this house, you’re going to be a beautiful bride at a beautiful wedding. With a perfect dress,” she added.
I chuckled and wandered into the foyer, only to run into Amanda at the base of the stairs.
“Hey—I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I couldn’t get into the ‘sewing room.’ I honestly think they have a secret knock.”
“It’s a definite possibility.”
“Well, the rehearsal is starting in about an hour, so everybody’s going to clear out except the wedding party themselves. The second we’re finished, we’ll head right inside to change for the big party. Guests get here at six. Press gets here at seven.”
“So we’ve got to get going—”
“Now.”
Chapter 22
For the rehearsal itself, I wore a tee-shirt and jeans. My mother was appalled, but there were just friends and family present. Even Billings had been relegated to the house, where I could see him glowering through a window. To make me laugh, Marcus had worn swim trunks. My mother made him change promptly. I thought it was hilarious.
We went through the motions, timing out our steps to the music and figuring out exactly when we were to turn and hold hands. For the most part, it felt like we were just playing pretend.
This couldn’t actually be happening, could it? We couldn’t actually be getting married tomorrow…starting a marriage…having a baby?
Then, before I knew it, it was over, and we were whisked inside by the staff to change into our gowns before the big shower-engagement-press party. I stood behind the curtains at a second-story window, peering down as hundreds upon hundreds of guests flooded down the lawns. As strange as it may sound, I felt almost as if I was just one of them. It was still too surreal to imagine that they were coming to my house and this big party they were attending was for me.
The sound of the band drifted up through the open window, and Amanda jumped a little as the strings on her corset were suddenly pulled tight. That’s right, you heard correctly. She had been talked into wearing a corset.
“I can’t believe women used to wear these every day,” Amanda panted, loosening it up the second time I wasn’t looking. “It’s no wonder they were all known to faint.”
“Yeah, well,” I tightened it all over again, “beauty is pain.”
Amanda helped me get into my gown. I couldn’t wait to see it. When I was finished, she took a step back and spun me around toward the mirror. “And you do look beautiful, Bex.”
I had to admit, it caught me off guard. I had tried on the dress beforehand, of course, but that was just to make sure it fit. I hadn’t really had time yet to examine it on me.
It was a waterfall of sleek, flawless satin—stained a deep amethyst with little trails of lace sneaking up the slitted sides. One of those kinds of dresses that could almost pass as lingerie before you did a double take and saw it was actually just couture. The sleeves fell loosely off my shoulders and the back laced up my bare skin like a c
orset in thick, black ribbons.
“Marcus is going to love it!” she beamed, straightening the little train. “He’ll probably just make you wear this tomorrow…if he doesn’t rip it off you tonight.”
“Would you stop?” I laughed, smacking her. “None of that talk in front of the baby—and, you know perfectly well that Marcus and I won’t be seeing each other tonight. He’s sleeping in the guesthouse since it’s the night before the wedding.”
“That, I don’t get.” She adjusted the bodice on her own dress, tilting this way and that to examine the finished effect. “I mean,” she cocked her head toward my stomach, “the cat’s kind of out of the bag.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I raised my head stiffly.
“Ha—yeah, sure! Where was that on Good Morning America?”
There was a knock on the door and Marcus stuck his head inside. “Hey, girls, the rest of the party’s starting to get underway and I…wow.” His eyes widened as they took in every inch of my dress. “Bex…you look…wow.”
“Told you.” Amanda winked and swept out the door. “I’ll meet you down there.”
The second we were alone, I twirled the fabric playfully. “You look handsome.”
“Thank you. And you’re ravishing.”
“It’s not too much?”
“Too much?” he repeated incredulously. “Are you kidding—it’s perfect! You look…” He crossed the room and planted a huge kiss right on my lips. “You look perfect, heavenly like an angel.”