19. Max
19
MAX
I t was an extravagance that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around.
Here I was, sitting in a posh bridal boutique surrounded by Theo’s mom Elena, Jessica’s maid of honor Rebecca, and a few other familiar faces from the engagement party, giving loud commentary as the bride-to-be modeling her choices for her second dress for the wedding. A “reception dress,” something I’d never heard of.
Jessica was on top of a pedestal in front of a three-way mirror, twisting back and forth to get a better view of the creamy gown. The simple draped column was one of eight in the running.
“Sweetheart, I’m not so sure about that one,” Elena said to Jessica in a diplomatic voice. “It’s a little … plain.”
Theo had given me a heads-up that Elena wanted me to come to the fitting, so I wasn’t surprised when she called to invite me. I’d felt a little conflicted accepting, because it felt like our charade was morphing into something more real than it was supposed to be. We’d agreed to all of the wedding-specific events, and the fitting was definitely wedding- adjacent . Elena and Jessica were so welcoming that it made me feel guilty about deceiving them. But still, a part of me wanted to experience his wonderfully overwhelming family. It wasn’t something I was used to, and I sort of liked it. Plus, Elena was really hard to say no to. I was starting to get why Theo had been willing to do whatever it took to find a nice girl to bring to the wedding.
“It’s gorgeous,” Rebecca piped up. “You look incredible.”
So far she’d told Jess she loved every dress, so it was becoming obvious that her opinion didn’t count. The two other women, Sarah and Lisa, weren’t any more helpful.
“Well of course she does, Jess looks beautiful in everything,” Elena huffed. “But it looks like a slip. Where are the sparkles?”
Jessica giggled. “Despite what you think, sparkles aren’t a requirement. And besides, my wedding gown has plenty of them. Maybe the reception dress is a chance to go a little more classic and elegant?”
“Yes, but why in the world would you turn down the opportunity to have more sparkles?” Elena asked, like she was making a closing statement in debate club. “It’s not every day a girl gets to be a bride, so live it up! Bring on the glitter, baby!”
We all laughed at her enthusiasm. As much as I wasn’t a glitter girl, I tended to agree with Elena. A wedding was the one day where every girl got to live out her princess fantasy. Hell, even I was finding myself drawn to the girlier, shinier options over the tasteful, unembellished gowns.
“Max, what do you think?” Jessica asked me. “Honest opinion.”
Everyone turned to look at me. “You do look absolutely stunning in everything, but … I agree with Elena. The reception is a party, so you shouldn’t be afraid to get loud, you know? Let me show you what I mean.”
I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the photos I’d taken of her then walked over to her.
“See this one, with the marabou trim on the bottom? This is a party dress. When you dance it floats!”
“Hold on,” Jessica studied the image. “This picture is incredible. How did you make a snapshot look like a formal portrait?”
“It’s her job,” Elena crowed. “She knows what she’d doing!”
“It’s nothing,” I blushed. “Just angles and some bokeh.”
“Bo-what?” Rebecca asked.
“It’s a filter that makes the background hazy, so you focus on the foreground. It’s sort of a cheat to make any image look better.”
“Can you send this to me?” Jess asked, glancing between the photo and her reflection.
“Of course. I have a bunch of great options from today. I’ll clean them up and send you the gallery.”
I could see Elena beaming at me in the mirror and my heart sank a little. She believed in me. She liked me. She thought her son was in love with me. I shuffled back to my seat while Jess left to change into the next dress.
I glanced around the shop while the group gossiped. Weddings. Not something I thought about much. It wasn’t like I had a good role model for what a marriage could be. My parents had had a good marriage, so far as I could remember, but I’d only been six when my dad had died. Old enough to remember him, thankfully, but not old enough to really understand the nuances of my parents’ relationship. The only relationship I’d really been able to observe was the one my mom had with Nick—and it would be a lie to say I really understood it. It certainly didn’t make me want anything like that for myself. I wanted to be there for my mom and brother, and I wanted to make my career successful. Those were my priorities. Everything else, including romance, was low on my list—which was why I’d never had anything more than short-term relationships. I’d known plenty of girls who’d been planning their weddings since they were kids, but that had never been me.
Yet as I watched Jess bop around in different dresses with her friends and family close by, I started to feel an unfamiliar pull. This tradition, this ritual , meant something. Not just to the bride but to the other members of her tribe. It was a beautiful bonding experience. Not to mention, she was so in love with her fiancé and so excited to marry him that she glowed with it. This was what a wedding should be, and it was surprisingly inspiring. And what surprised me even more was that I caught myself wondering what kinds of dresses might look good on me .
The floaty, organza gown with delicate crystal embellishments hidden in the endless layers of drapery? Yeah, I kinda liked it. A lot. But the twelve-thousand-dollar price tag nearly made me throw up.
“Anyone need more champagne?”
I turned around to find Theo standing in the doorway holding two bottles of Dom Perignon, smiling that sexy, half-cocked grin of his. He was dressed up in a blazer and slim slacks, which didn’t make sense given it was the weekend.
“There he is, the man of the hour,” Elena cheered, rushing over to hug her son.
No one seemed surprised to see him, but I wasn’t sure what Theo was doing in a bridal salon in the middle of a sunny Saturday.
“How’s it going in here?” he asked, looking around the room and then finally letting his gaze rest on me. I gave him a smile to show that I was doing just fine.
“Terrible. The problem is Jess looks good in everything,” Rebecca said, true to form. “Hey, I just had an idea! Maybe she needs more than one reception dress?”
“I like how you think,” Theo replied as he handed the bottles to our dress attendant. “We could make that happen. But I want to see our options and I’ll be the tie-breaker. The male gaze, if you’ll allow it.”
He made his way over to me and plopped down on the plush sofa.
“You surviving?” he asked in a low voice.
“I am,” I laughed. “They’re great and you know it.”
“They’re a lot when they get together. But I also know you can handle it.” He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, sending a shiver up the back of my neck.
Jess walked back into the room in a new dress, and everyone whooped. She spotted Theo and waved excitedly.
“Yay, you’re here! It’s only fair that you weigh in.”
I glanced at him, wondering what she meant. Why would she need her cousin to help her pick her dress? What was his stake in it?
The dress she was wearing was a fabulous departure from the simple prior option. It was a sheer, iridescent, beaded overlay with a spaghetti strap mini-dress lining, and it looked like constellations of stars dancing over her body every time she moved. The room went silent as we took her in.
“Do we agree?” Jess asked, admiring herself in the mirror. “Is this the one?”
Everyone started talking at the same time, and it was obvious that the decision was made. I moved to my knees to capture a shot of how beautiful and excited Jess looked, as well as the animated expressions of the rest of the group. I even snuck a photo of Theo beaming at his cousin.
“Absolutely gorgeous , but you have to do the sit-test,” Elena barked, regaining everyone’s attention. “Can you sit in it?” She pointed at a high-back chair in the corner.
Jessica stepped off the pedestal and did as she was told, slowly lowering herself into the chair.
“Oh my God,” she squeaked as she tried to find a ladylike way to sit. “It’s so short ! Can you see my underwear?”
Everyone in the room but Theo leaned down to try to look up her skirt.
“Yikes,” Rebecca said. “I can.”
“Oh, honey,” Elena tsked. “What a disappointment. I love this dress, but you won’t feel comfortable in it all night.”
“What if it’s the end-of-the-night dress?” one of the other women offered. “For when you and Tim leave the reception?”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but the rest of the women quickly agreed with her.
“Exactly!” Rebecca said. “You can wear the one with the feather trim for most of the reception since it’s swingy and comfortable for dancing, then right before you leave you can change into this once for a few dances and photo ops, then do the sparkler send-off in it. Can you imagine how gorgeous it’ll look in those photos?”
Hold on. They were suggesting that Jessica get three dresses for her wedding?
Jessica glanced over at Theo. “What do you think?”
His brow was furrowed as he studied her. “I think it would be a crime if you didn’t get that dress. And I’ll take your word that the other one is perfect too. So, three dresses it is.”
“Theo, thank you!” Jessica hopped off the pedestal and ran over to him to hug him. “Are you sure? It feels like it’s too much.”
“Please, nothing is too much when it comes to you.”
Everything snapped into place as Jess continued to thank him. Theo was footing the bill for the entire wedding. That’s what he’d meant when he’d mentioned selecting Bloom as the party venue, and why he’d shown up today. He was the one signing the receipts.
Jess rushed over to me. “Thank you for sharing Theo with me, Max. I’m so happy that you’re a part of all of this.” She gave me a big hug then moved on as a wave of guilt washed over me.
I liked her. I liked all of them, so much. But that just made all of this feel weird on a bunch of different levels. Theo being the big benefactor to his family, them welcoming me in with open arms. No one suspected that I was yet another transaction for him, another bill to be paid. What were they going to think when our relationship abruptly ended? Would Jess hate the fact that I was hovering in the back of her family photos from the wedding? Would Elena curse my name for breaking her son’s heart?
I moved away from the group until my back was up against the wall. I liked these people, and deceiving them felt wrong. Theo spotted me and disengaged from everyone.
“Hey, you okay?” he whispered in my ear. “Are they getting to be too much?”
I shook my head. “Not at all, they’re wonderful. I just … I don’t know.” It didn’t feel right to bring up my reservations now, so I bottled them up, fixing a smile in place.
Theo studied me from beneath a furrowed brow. “Then what’s wrong? You seem weird.”
“Wedding dress overload, maybe?” I offered.
He chuckled. “That’s right. You have a decidedly anti-princess stance. Are you breaking out in hives from all of the glitz?”
I laughed to cover the confusing mix of emotions swirling inside of me. Wanting to be a part of it all but knowing I didn’t deserve to. Not being a “wedding girl” but suddenly feeling a pull to put on something white and sparkly. I glanced up at Theo because I could feel him watching me.
“I’m fine.” I managed a more convincing smile as I tried to ignore my clenching heart.