The girls had already found their bridesmaids’ gowns, and her mother picked out the perfect mother-of-the-bride gown. Now, Ari just had to find her own.
“Oh, Ari, that’s the one!” Lia gasped as she gazed at her in awe.
As Ari turned around, she was reluctant to look in the mirror, sure she would hate what she was trying on now. None of them had been what she wanted, but she couldn’t say what she wanted exactly, because she just didn’t know. When she found the dress, she figured there would be no hesitation.
As she slowly spun around and looked up, her breath caught. Yes, this was the one. It had a flattering cut to the top that made it modest, yet showed off her shoulders and neck, allowing her to wear jewelry. The entire gown had intricate beading that formed small flowers from the neckline all the way through the flowing skirt. Hugging her tightly on top, the gown then flared at her hips, flowing down her legs, and easily fluttering as she turned in circles on the big stage she was standing on.
She swished her hips, making the silky fabric swish and the beads sparkle in the bright lights of the bridal shop. There was a lot of fabric, but it was so light that she didn’t feel weighed down.
“Try this, darling,” Sandra said as she came up behind Ari and placed a simple tiara on her head with a delicate veil that hung down her back.
“Yes, I agree, baby. This is the dress,” Sandra said, her eyes filling with tears.
“Are you sure, Mom?”
“Very sure, Ari. You look like a royal princess.”
“I feel like one, Mom. This is all so unreal. Do you think we are moving too fast?” That was Ari’s biggest concern.
“If I thought you were making a mistake, I would tell you, Ari. You know that. I would never want you to be unhappy, not for any reason. You deserve the moon and stars, and I think Rafe will give them to you.”
Sandra stood beside her daughter, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. Ari wrapped her arms around her mother, thankful still to have her in her life. If the car wreck or the cancer had taken her mom from her, Ari had no idea what she’d be doing now. How did anyone survive the loss of one so dear?
She was strong enough now to make it through anything, but she hadn’t been ready to let her mother go two years ago. She still wasn’t ready, but few children ever were, no matter how young or old their parents were.
Lia and Rachel had stepped from the room to let the mother and daughter talk, but as the tailor walked in, they followed him, and they oohed and aahed some more while he put in the proper marks and promised to have the alterations ready in one week, just a few days before the wedding.
“OK. Now we have the dress and shoes. It’s time to get the lingerie!” Lia said with a wicked smile.
Ari blushed as she looked toward her mother.
“I think I will leave you young women to do this part,” Sandra said. She kissed Ari’s cheek again, then gathered up her purse.
“You don’t have to leave, Mom. We can shop for other things,” Ari said, not wanting to make her mother feel unwelcome.
“I have a date with Marco tonight. I need to go and get ready,” Sandra said with a smile.
“I’m so happy that he treats you well, Mom. Since you have been dating, you have a glow to your cheeks. When do you think I’ll be attending your wedding?”
Sandra blushed and looked down. But then lifting her chin with a shy confidence, she smiled. “I think he may ask me very soon. He’s been hinting a lot lately.”
“We could always have a double wedding,” Ari teased.
“Not on your life, Ari. Besides, I’m too old to have a big to-do if we do get married. It will probably just be the two of us in front of the justice of the peace,” she said.
“That won’t happen, Mama. You never got your dream wedding, and you deserve it just as much as I do,” Ari said.
“Well, you just quit worrying about it, Ari. Your special day is in only ten days. We will focus on me later. I had to hire some help to complete all the flowers. Your future husband has insisted on a lot of arrangements.”
“I should never have let him be in charge of flowers. I thought it was so romantic when he asked me if he could,” Ari said with a sigh. She was thrilled he’d asked her mom to do all the arrangements, though. It would be good for Sandra’s business, since a lot of Rafe’s contacts would be at their wedding.
The event was going to be far larger than Ari had ever envisioned, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that at the end of the night he would be her husband, and she his wife.
“You girls have a good time. I’m going to go and see my sweetie now,” Sandra said, and she left.
“I love your mom, Ari. She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out,” Lia said while helping Ari get out of her dress.
“Yes, she is pretty spectacular,” Ari remarked. She knew that some people didn’t have such a great relationship with their mom. It was just one more thing she was thankful for.
She began fiddling with the buttons on her dress, but she didn’t really want to take it off. Maybe she’d wear it for a week straight after the wedding. The thought made her giggle. But soon, it was being pulled off her, and she sighed as she began dressing in her street clothes.
“I feel kind of sad without the dress now,” she moaned as the tailor took it away.
“You will get to wear it all day long in just over a week,” Rachel told her.
“What’s the matter, Rachel? You have seemed upset for most of the day,” Ari asked, surprised when her friend blushed and looked down at her feet.
“There’s nothing the matter. Besides, this isn’t about me. The whole week is all about you, Ari,” she said, a false smile on her face.
“We aren’t leaving here until you tell us what’s wrong,” Ari insisted. Throwing on the rest of her clothes very quickly, she moved to the couch Rachel was sitting on.
“What is it, Sis?” Lia asked. “Ari’s right. You’ve seemed depressed all day. I didn’t want to say anything, but since Ari’s brought it up…”
“I shouldn’t talk about this right now,” Rachel said slowly, but they could see that she really wanted to.
“Please, Rachel. I can’t enjoy my day if I know something is upsetting you. You’ve become one of my best friends — and soon you’ll be my sister-in-law,” Ari said, leaning over and gave her a hug.