Chapter 37
Shivana
“No. You have to make a decision,” I said, arms crossed.
“But, how can you expect me to choose? It’s not for me!” Lacy said, her eyes wide with panic.
Daisy chimed in. “It kinda is for you. It’s your wedding.”
“But, I want you to feel beautiful and confident. What if the color I choose clashes with your hair and skin!”
“Well, I’m brown, so just don’t put me in brown and we’ll be fine. Daisy and Jeannie will look great in anything, and the others are basically props for the other men,” I said.
“Shhh,” Lacy said, waving her hand in my face. “They’re just over there.”
The show must go on, or the wedding in this case, so we finally went to the dress shop. Lacy asked Jeannie to participate, as well as Penny and one of the bunnies, Katie. She was cute, but quiet. She worked the bar a lot and was the poor soul who served me all the Fireball the night I got sick in front of Jackal. She was petite, with dark brown hair just past her shoulders, hazel eyes, and very fit. She was soft-spoken and usually smiling, but I didn’t know a lot about her except she could mix a mean drink. I wasn’t sure if she was a dancer, but she stayed at the clubhouse.
“Well, you could put them in a potato sack and they’d still be beautiful. I stand by my statement,” I said. The mimosa may have been a bad idea, since I didn’t eat much this morning, but as soon as we entered we were offered beverages, and when in Rome...
“Good morning, ladies. I’m Leah and I’ll be making your day perfect! Have we made any decisions?” the sales rep asked with a huge smile. Her red hair was perfectly coiffed into a French twist and her makeup looked like it was done by a professional.
“I can’t decide,” Lacy whined.
Leah grabbed her hand. “Don’t you worry. You won’t leave until you love the dresses. Now, let’s see the colors.”
I opened my wedding binder and pulled out the swatches. “These are what we’re working with.” Lacy’s colors were very Lacy-esque–teal, pink, and yellow.
She took them and said, “Lovely choices. And who all will be attendants?”
Daisy clapped her hands to get their attention. All the women gathered and the men came closer. This shop had the wedding gowns Lacy wanted to try on, and they also offered tuxes at a deal if the bridesmaids dresses were purchased there. Plus, the prices were great for dresses, and I loved a one-stop-shop. We didn’t have a budget, but I still didn’t see any reason to have Eagle go broke. Plus, he kept saying he was taking care of everything, but I wasn’t sure if he knew that bridesmaids and groomsmen usually paid for their own event wear. I didn’t know Katie well enough to know if she would be able to pay for hers, but I figured if she squirmed, I’d just swoop in quietly and handle it.
Leah nodded. “Excellent. Are you getting tuxes with us, as well?”
“Yes. Those are the groomsmen and that one,” I said, pointing to a very cocky Eagle, “is the groom.”
“You damn right I am, right baby?” he asked, blowing air kisses at Lacy.
“Gentleman, if you’ll have a seat over there while I get them started, I’ll be back shortly to get measurements.”
There was another room, similar to the one we were standing in, with seats lining the wall, lots of mirrors, and flattering lighting. The guys all headed in there and Leah excused herself briefly. When she returned, she clapped her hands together. “Right then. Down to business, shall we?”
She waved us into another room where racks and racks of dresses lined the walls. She turned and smiled. “Are we all doing the same cut and style?”
Lacy shrugged. “What do you think is best?”
We collectively rolled our eyes, but Leah didn’t miss a beat. “I think it’s important to honor your vision for your big day. How do you imagine them walking down the aisle?”
“I guess I always thought they’d match?” she asked more than told Leah.
“Perfect. Now, ladies if you can all come stand together.” She waved her arms in front of her, instructing us where to go. “Is this an evening or daytime affair? Indoor, outdoor, or combo, and projected temps?”
I told her, “Evening, combo, and hot as fuck. It’s in a few weeks.”
Her eyes went wide, but she said. “Yes, yes. Lovely. Be right back.”
She walked to the racks, pulling dresses off as we stood and watched. She carried them toward the fitting rooms and hung them up.
“Ladies, if you’ll step over so we can try these on,” she said, waving us over.
“You didn’t take our sizes,” Daisy said as we walked over, setting down her champagne flute.
Leah smiled. “I may occasionally measure for undergarments to be sure, but I’m usually good at dress sizes.”
As she directed us which rooms to go into, she handed us each a dress. They were classic A-line and strapless, but the color wasn’t any of the shades we provided. Still, I went to try it on. I managed to get it zipped by myself and definitely needed a strapless bra, but it fit perfectly. My breasts looked fantastic.
I stepped out of the room and we all stood in our dresses, squealing and giggling.
“Um, Leah. One thing,” I said as I gently pushed her to the side, out of earshot of the others. “The color. I love the dress and obviously they do, too, but with such a tight turnaround...”
“If I can get all the sizes from you, I can have these in by the middle of next week. The groom said not to worry about the cost. We simply don’t have any style with the shades she chose, but we can get them in.”
“Perfect. Whew. I was a little nervous there.”
Leah waved me off. “I checked with my vendor on the colors and shipping before finding the style. That’s where I snuck off to after seating the men.” She gripped my shoulder lightly. “I promised she’d be happy before you all left. Now, let me get my tablet so I can get your sizes plugged in.”
Lacy came over, beaming, but her eyes were nervous. “Shiv, you look so pretty. But, umm, didn’t we give those other color swatches to Angie for the cake and stuff already?”
“She’s ordering the shade of your choice. Which means you need to choose. She promised they’d be in by next week, thanks to Eagle’s loose wallet.”
Her eyes softened. “Oh my God. This is so cool,” she whispered with a huge grin.
“Once she gets our sizes entered in, you’re next.”
“Oh, I think I got two. I found the ones from the website but one of them just didn’t wow me in person. But it’s going to be hard to choose between the other two.”
“Well, maybe she can have Eagle measured for his tux first, then he can wait outside. It’s bad luck to see you in your dress, but you’ll have to go out on the pedestal over there so we can really see you.”
“Right. This is so crazy. It’s so soon. I still can’t believe we pulled this off.” She grabbed my hands. “And I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” I said before pulling her in for a hug.
After Leah took down our sizes and Lacy painstakingly chose the shade of Medium Turquoise for our dresses, the bow ties, and vests for the guys, she had some help getting measurements for the tuxes so we could start fitting Lacy.
“Keep him occupied while we get her dress sorted out, okay?” I asked Jackal.
He pulled me close, a low rumble in his chest. “I took a peek. I can’t wait to tear that dress off you.”
“Hey, no tearing of the bridesmaid dress will be happening. That thing is $300, thanks to the timeline we’re working with.”
“You aren’t paying for it, Lil Bird. But maybe I don’t have to rip it. I can pull that top down then flip that fluffy skirt up.”
My pussy fluttered at the mental image. “Shhh, not in front of the dresses. Now go.”
“Do you know how long? It’s hot as fuck outside.”
“She said two dresses. But they’ll probably have to take some measurements of the final option to alter it.”
“Alright. Let me go keep this boy busy so you can finish up.” He dipped his head, parting my lips with his tongue and kissing me so hard my knees went weak. As always, he held me up.
“I’ll try to hurry,” I said breathily. It should be illegal to kiss like that in public because my thoughts were probably loud enough for everyone to hear, and they were completely indecent.
Once they were out of sight, Leah went to help Lacy try the first dress. It was a sweet and simple A-Line, also strapless, but white with a sheer overlay, and they paired it with a heavy crinoline skirt.
We all gushed and she smiled, twirling on the pedestal and checking each angle in the mirror. But she had another she wanted to try on, so we all snapped pictures so we could compare.
When she came out in the second one, we gasped. This one was tea length, also with a crinoline, and strapless. But it sparkled with each step she took. She stepped onto the pedestal and stared at the mirror. We were all quiet, like we collectively were holding our breath, waiting to see what she thought.
Leah stepped closer, adjusting the back before asking. “Well, what do you think?”
Lacy spun around. “This is the one. This is it. I’m getting married in this.”
We all squealed, standing and gathering around her. It felt so good to celebrate something after all the tension happening lately. And to see all of us, even Penny, get a little teary eyed was heartwarming. We all needed this so badly.
I just hoped this wasn’t the calm before the storm, because something was definitely happening. We just didn’t know what.