CHAPTER TWELVE
Once back at the estate, things kicked into high gear as Kiara pitched in to help Angie plan the wedding. Even though it was going to be a small one, Duncan had insisted that she get the best of everything.
Kiara found she was almost more excited about the planning than Angie was. Her sister just wanted to get married and didn’t care about all the details. Same with Jude.
So Kiara phoned florists, photographers, caterers, bakers, while Elizabeth worked her connections to find someone who could make Angie’s wedding dress in a month. It was amazing the doors an unlimited budget opened.
In amongst the appointments and phone calls, Kiara wrote letters to Julian in response to the ones he sent. He seemed to be doing much better, and it seemed likely that he’d be home for the wedding.
The most interesting thing to her in the letters was Julian’s comments about the conversations he was having with his friend, Elijah. From what he said, Kiara felt like his interest in spiritual things had grown.
Because of what he’d shared, Kiara had started asking questions of her own, sometimes going to Angie with Julian’s letter in hand to get her thoughts. And she’d actually ended up going to church with Angie and Jude.
She still wasn’t sure how Christianity fit into her life, but Angie was a great encouragement, willing to answer any question she might have. And if she didn’t have the answer, they’d gone to Jude.
On that day, they were having a final fitting of their dresses. The designers and their seamstresses had flown in for the event. In addition to Angie’s gown, they had also made dresses for Kiara, Elizabeth, and Annie.
Duncan’s assistant had found a short-term rental near the estate for the team, which was where they’d stayed each time they’d come to Serenity for the initial consultation and then subsequent fittings.
“Are you ready to go?” Angie asked as she came into Kiara’s room.
“Yep.” Kiara got up from her desk, where she’d been working on a letter for Julian.
“You’re not going to have time to mail that letter,” Angie said.
“What do you mean?” Kiara asked as she picked up her phone and purse.
“Didn’t Duncan tell you?”
Kiara froze. “Tell me what?”
“Julian is coming home this week.”
“Really?” Her stomach fluttered with nerves, and she wasn’t even sure why. “That’s great news.”
“I thought you might like that.”
“I’m happy for him because it means they must have decided he was in a good enough place in his sobriety to be able to leave the center.”
“I think all alcohol has been taken out of the house, and we won’t be having any at the wedding, so there won’t be temptation for him here.”
“I’m sure Julian will appreciate that.”
They left the room and walked down the hallway to the staircase. “Also, Julian talked to Jude and Duncan about bringing his friend Elijah here.”
Kiara wondered how the man’s presence would impact things at the estate. She’d kind of hoped that she and Julian would be able to spend time together, but now with Elijah there, it seemed less likely.
It dawned on her then that perhaps she’d read a bit too much into the exchange of letters they’d had since he hadn’t mentioned anything to her about Elijah coming home with him.
The thought dampened her excitement about Julian returning to the estate, but it was probably the reminder she needed that what she and Julian had wasn’t real.
When they reached the mudroom, Jude was waiting for them. He gave Angie a kiss.
“Anthony and Lucy will go with you today,” he said. “Since you’re insisting I can’t even be in the vicinity when you’re trying on your wedding dress.”
“It’s bad luck if you see me in it before the wedding.”
Jude chuckled. “As if you believe in luck.”
“I know.” She gazed up at him with a smile. “I just want you to be surprised.”
“You’ll look beautiful no matter what you wear,” he said.
She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I love you.”
Kiara looked away, trying to ignore the ache that flared to life whenever she witnessed the deep love between Angie and Jude. She was happy for Angie, so happy, and that was what she was trying to focus on as the wedding drew closer.
She followed the pair out to the waiting SUV, where Anthony was behind the wheel with Lucy waiting by the open rear door. Elizabeth came out shortly after them, while Annie was going to drive herself with Dawn.
Once the three of them were seated inside the SUV, Lucy shut the door. It was a fairly quick drive from the estate to the rental.
The designer and her seamstresses were all set up with sewing machines and dress forms. They’d been flown to Idaho in Duncan’s plane, so they had been able to bring everything they needed.
“Welcome.” Alex of Alexandria Designs greeted them with a wide smile. “Are you ready to try on your dresses?”
They all nodded, and then they were sent off, one at a time, to change into their dresses. Annie went first, and even though she wasn’t an official bridesmaid, she was still getting a new dress made.
While they worked with Annie, Kiara and Angie looked at the other dresses. It was amazing the work the design team had been able to do in such a short period of time.
Her dress was a soft lavender and had an empire waist to accommodate her growing belly. It was the perfect color for a late spring/early summer wedding.
Kiara tried not to compare everything to her own wedding, but it was hard not to. Her wedding had been rushed, and she hadn’t even considered that she could have anything but an off-the-rack dress.
Maybe she’d known in her heart that this wasn’t the wedding to spend much money on. It hadn’t meant anything to Julian, so it hadn’t meant anything to her. Or at least she’d told herself it shouldn’t.
Soon, it was her turn, and the designer went into the room with her to help her into the dress.
“This looks so lovely on you,” the woman said as she circled around Kiara, gently tugging at the material in spots. “How does it feel?”
“Like a dream,” Kiara said, smoothing her hand over her stomach. “With plenty of room for the belly.”
The woman chuckled softly. “You are glowing, and this color looks perfect on you.”
She followed Alex out to the circular stand and stepped up on it with the woman’s help. They’d been told to wear the underwear they planned to wear on the wedding day, as well as the shoes.
Kiara had chosen a lower heel, but it was still higher than she usually wore.
“You look amazing, Kiki,” Angie said from where she sat on the couch. “So beautiful.”
“I agree,” Elizabeth said. “You look very lovely.”
Alex and one of the seamstresses checked the length of the dress and how it fit around her bust and stomach. In the end, they decided it just needed to be hemmed a little.
Once her turn was done, Kiara sat down and waited as Elizabeth tried on her dress. The woman moved with an elegance and grace that Kiara could only dream of having one day.
As she sat there, she wondered when Julian was actually going to arrive. And was he just coming for the wedding? Was he going to head for New York once it was over?
Things were going to change, and the realization made Kiara nervous. The only things that would stay the same were the baby growing inside her and her desire to stay at the estate. Her home.
“We’ll have all the alterations done in the next two days,” Alex said after they’d all tried on their dresses.
When they got back to the house, Kiara sat down with Angie and Annie to go over all the plans and make sure they hadn’t missed anything. With the wedding on Saturday, there wasn’t much time left.
They joined Duncan and Elizabeth for lunch, which was when Kiara got the information she’d been wanting.
“So it appears Julian and Elijah will be arriving on Thursday,” Duncan said. “I’ll be sending the plane for them.”
“Isn’t it weird that Julian is bringing a stranger here?” Annie asked. “You don’t usually let someone we don’t know come here to the estate.”
“This was a request from Julian,” Duncan said. “And I had Jude do a background check on Elijah. He seems like a genuine guy.”
“I’ve actually met his mother,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve served on a charity board together in the past. She was a lovely woman.”
“Though his father has made significant money through his… church, Elijah’s mother has her own wealth,” Duncan said. “I get the feeling that her husband wouldn’t be where he is today without her. Thankfully, it appears Elijah is closer to his mother than his father.”
“His father is definitely… questionable in his beliefs,” Annie said. “So hopefully Elijah holds different ones.”
“I don’t know anything about him,” Angie said.
“I’ll tell you about him later,” Annie offered. “It’s a bit of a crazy situation with delusions, power, and, I believe, brainwashing.”
Kiara’s brows rose at that, wondering how much Julian knew about Elijah’s father. Not that she was going to hold who his father was against Elijah. She knew better than most that who a person was didn’t always reflect who their parents were.
“Kiara, you should be able to move into your house within the next month,” Duncan said, shifting the conversation in the way he usually did when he wanted to change the subject. “You and Julian need to discuss how you want to work out your living arrangements.”
“Our living arrangements?” Kiara asked.
“Well, your house was designed with two master suites because Angie was initially going to live there with you. Now that she’s going to be moving in with Jude, there would be room for Julian.”
Kiara had always assumed that Julian would split his time between New York and the estate, and that when he was at the estate, he’d stay in the main house.
Would he even want to stay with her?
She had actually tried not to think too much about the fact that when she moved into the house, she would be living alone for the first time in her life. It wasn’t something she was eager to experience.
“I’ll talk to him,” Kiara said. “And we’ll figure it out.”