Page 123 of Heartbroken Husband
Kate nodded. “This is your actual princess moment. You might as well embrace it.”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “It’s my second wedding.”
Jacqueline waved a hand dismissively. “That just means you know what you’re doing now, not that you have to look like any less of a princess while you’re doing it. Trust me on this, I’m British. We know what we’re talking about when it comes to royalty.”
I sighed and glanced at Colette, but she seemed ridiculously pleased as she looked me over. “That neckline is timeless and it’s been much too long since I’ve had a bride interested in anything other than sleek and slinky. This is fabulous. Classic bridal. It’s only one day. You might as well play it up.”
Jennifer bounced excitedly off Kate’s lap and ran over to me. “Spin, Mommy!”
“I physically can’t,” I said. “There’s too much fabric. I’ll create a tear in the space-time continuum.”
Lu circled me slowly with narrowed eyes, then pointed decisively at the cathedral-length veil Colette was suddenly holding. “That’s the one.”
“You know, I actually agree completely,” Kate said after a moment. “You should play this up. In fact, you might’ve inspired me to talk to Nate about renewing our vows. I suddenly feel like I missed out.”
“Youmissed out?” Jane scoffed. “I wore a pantsuit I already owned because I didn’t have any time or money to look for anything else.”
“It’s settled then,” Jacque said happily. “Vow renewals all around. Do you think Eliza would let us do it at the castle? It could be a group vow renewal. We’ll be like real princesses.”
The girls went nuts at that idea, suddenly shouting and smiling, pleading with Jacque to make good on what they’d decided was a promise. I groaned and looked back at my reflection.
The dress was the biggest ballgown I’d seen in my entire life, sparkling subtly under the lights with layers of ivory tulle cascading outward in dramatic waves. The bodice was fitted, at least, but I could probably hide three full-grown adults underneath the skirt.
It was, absolutely and in every sense of the word, a princess dress. Nothing about it was demure or understated, but I kind of loved it.
My daughters looked so happy when they started fussing over me as Colette fastened the absurd cathedral-length veil. The women on the couch, my self-appointed peanut gallery, all seemed to approve.
And I could finally marry the first prince, looking just like the princess from the story.So maybe I shouldn’t focus on the fact that I’m thirty years old and this is my second wedding.Maybe it should be about finally getting my very own love story.
I swallowed hard and looked back at myself again, deciding to let the girls choose. “I think this is the one. Good choice, babies.”
Squeals of joy and laughter rang out. Another bottle of champagne was opened and someone even found sparkling grape juice for the girls. By the time we finally escaped Westwood Manor that evening, my feet ached and my face hurt from laughing, but I was happier than I had been for years.
Thankfully, the girls were exhausted, crashing approximately ninety seconds after I’d tucked them into bed. I watched them for a beat, strangely nostalgic about the fact that soon they wouldn’t be sharing a bedroom anymore.
Zach and I had decided against moving in together immediately, opting to take it as slow as we could despite the fact that our wedding was being actively planned without our input or opinions from us about whether we’d wanted a wedding at all.
The girls were excited about the eventual move, but we’d wanted to give them as much time as we could. Even if only a couple weeks.
After changing into my pajamas, I got ready for bed, then called Zach as soon as I pulled back the covers. It rang for only a second before his voice sounded at the other end of the line. “That took much longer than I was expecting. How bad is it?”
“It’s…” I trailed off and rubbed my forehead. “You have to promise me something.”
“Okay? I might, but I’ll be honest, it kind of depends on what it is. I don’t like making promises I’m not sure I can keep.”
“You cannot laugh when I come down the aisle. Promise me.” There was a pause. Then I heard a muffled, breathy sound fromhis end and I sat up a little straighter. “You’re already laughing, aren’t you?”
“I’m trying not to,” he admitted. “It can’t be that bad, though. I’m sure you’re going to be breathtaking.”
“You only say that because you haven’t seen it yet.” I drew in a deep breath. “You’re going to think a Disney princess escaped into downtown Chicago.”
“Honestly? That sounds kind of hot. I’m getting into princesses, haven’t you heard?”
I buried my face in a pillow. “Jennifer and Lu chose it.”
“Then I’m definitely going to love it.”
My heart melted as I finally sank down fully into the bed. “Do you really think that?”
