Page 122 of Heartbroken Husband
Charlotte and Eliza weren’t being kept out of the loop either. Despite having a newborn, Charlotte was constantly on video call with us. Eliza was always busy at the castle but she insisted on being kept up to date with messages and pictures in our group chat. The girls had one of those too, and I’d instantly been added to it.
Meanwhile, my kids were being included just as enthusiastically as me. Jennifer, even at seven, was always being cuddled on someone’s lap while Lu operated more on banter and having her opinion at least considered, if not the final say, in every matter.
They were currently having the time of their lives with their new aunts while poor Colette, the stylist, risked cardiac arrest trying to keep them from touching thousand-dollar fabrics with every new dress she pulled out.
Jennifer lunged at the next option Colette showed me while Lu sat cross-legged on the floor beside a mountain of tulle, squinting at me critically. “I don’t like that one.”
Colette’s face fell like she’d been shot through the heart. I flashed her an apologetic smile before I glanced down. “Why?”
“It’s too fancy.”
“I think what she means is that you usually look softer,” Kate said diplomatically. “As much as I love that dress, she does have a point. It’s a really structured look.”
Lu nodded. “It doesn’t look like you. You should look like you.”
Even Colette softened at the explanation, but something strange happened to my chest when I noticed the warm, fond smiles on every last one of my sisters-in-law to-be’s faces. For so long, it had just been me and the girls, trying to survive.
Every decision had felt heavy and lonely, but now, I had three women here and two on the other side of a phone standing up forme. Listening. Loving my kids while we all played princess in a mansion that was somehow becoming home.
None of it felt real.
“Okay, next one,” Jane announced, clapping her hands and snapping me out of my thoughts. “I’m going to make an executive decision here and nix everything too structured.”
“Wait,” I protested as Colette descended again. “I need a break. I’ve lost circulation to my ribs.”
“Nonsense,” Jane said with a knowing smile. “Beauty is pain and we need to get this done today. We’re on the clock, remember? If we stop now, we’ll just have more to do tomorrow.”
Colette started undoing the ties at the back of the dress and I exhaled in relief, only to tense again when Jennifer piped up. “Mommy should wear sparkles. Are there any sparkly dresses?”
“No to sparkles,” Lu groaned. “It should be poofy!”
Jennifer pouted. “Yes to sparkles. They’re so pretty.”
“No.” Lu crossed her arms. “Poofy, yes. Sparkles, no.”
“Well, this is promising,” Jacqueline muttered. “A stage three sister showdown. I’ve had so many of these.”
“What’s stage four?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Someone cries and someone bites,” Jane declared immediately. “At least, that’s how it worked in our house, but to be fair, I only had brothers. I know all about sibling showdowns, but I might have a bit to learn when there are only sisters involved.”
Jennifer frowned. “I do not bite anymore.”
Kate smiled at her. “That’s encouraging.”
I laughed, tears suddenly filling my eyes when I realized I’d been missing this kind of banter and sense of belonging for years. It’d only been about a week since these women had descended on me at our first official Westwood family dinner, but it already felt like we belonged here, the girls and me.
Jane winked when I caught her eye in the reflection of the mirror, offering me a soft smile that said she understood what I was feeling. I’d felt that from all of them too, understanding, empathy, and a very real desire to make us feel like part of the family.
“A princess dress,” Lu was arguing when I refocused on the room around me. “That’s what she should have.”
“Yes!” Jennifer agreed enthusiastically. “A poofy one with sparkles.”
Colette brightened up. She glanced at the girls, suddenly smiling and seeming completely invested in turning me into Cinderella. “Oh. I have just the thing. You’re going to love it. It’s enormous.”
“Enormous?” I blinked at the other women in the mirror, noticing that none of them seemed convinced either, but Colette and the girls insisted, and the next thing I knew, I was in what looked like several thousand pounds of layered satin and tulle. “Don’t you think I’m a little old for this?”
“No,” Jane said without even thinking about it. “I think it works, actually. It’s gorgeous.”
