Chapter 17
Kalliope
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Just try the damn dress on one last time. If she says that she needs to take it in, she knows what she’s talking about,” Khatya argued, shaking my wedding dress at me.
I frowned. “It still fits perfectly fine. I don’t need to change anything. Besides, we’re having this engagement party tonight, and I’m worried someone may see me in it.”
“How are they going to see you, if you’re up here in your bedroom?” Khatya asked.
“When I walk down to my studio where Emma’s waiting to see my dress,” I answered, referring to my seamstress.
“I promise that I’ll make sure the hallway is clear—unless you want me to bring her up here,” Khatya suggested.
I rolled my eyes. “You know how Andrès and I feel about having people in our personal space. We don’t need anyone’s energy to throw off what we’ve got going on here,” I explained, running my finger in a circle, indicating our master suite.
“Well, I’m honored that you two allowed me up here.”
“You’re my sister, goofy. I love you.”
“I love you too, Ka-Ka,” she professed, reverting to my childhood nickname before everyone started calling me Kalli.
“I wish that she hadn’t waited until now to come over for the fitting. Why couldn’t she come another day?” I asked.
“You know Emma is about to head back home to India for three weeks to spend time with her family. She’s just trying to make sure all her loose ends are tied up before she goes.
If you hurry up and change into the dress, we can make it downstairs and back up before your guests arrive for your engagement party. ”
“Fine,” I replied and snatched the dress from my sister.
Khatya crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at me. “You’re too much, you know that?”
I plopped down on the bed and stared at my sister. “I don’t know. There’s just so much going on. We’re having our engagement party tonight, my wedding could be any day now, and Drè still hasn’t made up with his parents. I won’t feel right if we hold the wedding and his mother doesn’t come, Khat.”
“That’s on her, and that’s between them. Mommy told you to stay out of it.”
“But how can I? That’s my man, and I only want what’s best for him. I want him to be happy, Sis.”
Khatya took my hands in hers and stared into my eyes.
“Beautiful, he will be happy because he’s marrying you.
I know that can’t replace the relationship he has with his mother and stepdad, but you’ve got to let God handle that.
Besides, he never had a great relationship with Leon from the time Leon moved in with them next door. ”
“I know, but he deserves to have his mom there.”
“We’ve still got time. Don’t worry. I suspect that she’ll be there.”
“Okay.” I glanced at my white dress for my engagement party for tonight, blew out a breath, and hurriedly removed my robe before I turned my attention back to my wedding gown.
I had just finished oiling myself and applying my perfume after my shower, when Andrès announced that Khatya and Emma were here for my dress fitting.
Before my shower, I had taken a three-hour nap because I was exhausted.
Andrès promised me that he had everything handled for our engagement party here tonight with Alexandria’s help.
I had trusted him and succumbed to sleep.
If I had known that Emma would have wanted to do my final fitting today, I could have stopped by her shop after I left the salon.
I had spent the day with my mama, my sisters, and Adriana at the spa getting our hair, facials, manicures, and pedicures done.
I had even had my makeup professionally done this evening at Mommy’s suggestion.
Alexandria had suggested we have a mock run for our wedding day and all the things we could expect that day.
She thought today would be perfect since we were holding our engagement party tonight.
Our wedding rehearsal was next weekend, but I had no idea when the actual wedding was.
I suspected it would be soon, though, with the way our wedding preparation activities had been amped up.
After I put my wedding dress on, I noticed that Khatya was crying.
“Why are you crying, honey?”
“Because Mommy’s going to be so emotional when she sees you on your wedding day, and I do wish she had seen me on mine.”
“Aww, poo. You’re gonna make me cry.”
“Don’t you dare. I’ll be fine.”
“Mama has been waiting for one of us to get married since you ‘stiffed’ her on her chance to show out.”
“Oh. Is that what she’s calling it now?” Khatya asked, laughing and wiping her tears.
“You didn’t hear it from me.”
“I swear that woman can be so extra at times.”
“You have to see her side of it too, though. You’re her firstborn, and she just wanted the opportunity to plan a beautiful wedding for her daughter. She couldn’t guarantee that either of us would ever marry, and she felt like you deserved all the fuss.”
“I know, Sis. I’ll include her in our renewal ceremony in four years for our twentieth wedding anniversary.”
“She’ll love that.”
“Come on. Let’s go see Emma before your guests arrive.”
“Yes, ma’am. Because I’m ready to paaahtay tonight,” I stated, clapping my hands together.
“Oh, and one more thing,” she stated, grabbing my arm and pulling me back.
“What’s that?”
“When you do get married, I want you to wear this,” she stated, removing her diamond tennis bracelet from her wrist and placing it on mine.
“Girl, you love that bracelet. He brought this for your tenth anniversary,” I proclaimed.
“I love you, and I trust you to wear this. With his permission, he said that this could be your something borrowed.”
“I love you, Khat,” I whispered, leaning in to kiss her.
“Uh-uh. You’re not about to mess up my hair with all that kissing. Besides, you’ll have me in tears in a minute, and I don’t need that.”
“Fine,” I replied, pulling back and following her out of my master suite. When we stepped on the first step, I stopped and frowned at my mother standing on the landing.
“Mommy, what are you doing here?”
She waved her hand. “Girl, you know your daddy likes to be early for everything.”
“Where is he?” I gasped.
“Down there talking to Drè.”
“Drè can’t see me yet.”
“He won’t. They’re outside in the front, running off at the mouth about the landscaping. You’d better hurry up and get in there with Emma, though, because he’ll be in here shortly demanding a tour of your new house,” Mommy stated.
“Oh my goodness. I knew this wasn’t a good idea,” I fussed, rushing down the steps with Mommy and Khatya behind me.
I stepped into my studio where Emma waited. “Come on. Hurry, I must get to the airport soon,” she fussed.
I frowned. “Well, you’re the one who wanted me to do a last-minute fitting,” I complained with a pout.
“Hush. Stand still and let me see you,” she argued, moving around me.
She had a couple of pins in her mouth, but I wasn’t certain where she was tucking anything. She kept spinning me around and adjusting my dress in different ways.
“I need to see her with her shoes on,” Emma declared.
“These are her something new from her husband. He brought her these shoes, and they were supposed to be a surprise, but I think he won’t mind for this purpose,” Mommy stated, pulling an oversized bag out with the words Jimmy Choo written on the front.
I gasped. “Are you serious?” I giggled.
“Yes. He said that he saw you looking at something like these on your phone, and he just had to get them for you,” she explained, handing me the bag.
I sat down on my oversized beanbag chair and carefully removed the box from within the bag. There were two small cards inside, one from the company and one from Andrès. I glanced at theirs and then I read his.
Mrs. Forever and a Day,
You deserve the world, and I vow to spend the rest of my days trying to give it to you.
Whatever lights your eyes up, it’s yours, baby.
You don’t even have to ask. But as you wear these fancy ass shoes, I pray that they bring you to me that much quicker.
May all your days as my wife be as fancy, as exquisite, and as beautiful as these pair of shoes.
I look forward to hearing you say, “I do.”
Always,
Your rock, your tower, your protector.
Drè
“Don’t you dare cry and ruin your makeup,” Mommy hissed.
“He’s so sweet.”
“He is. He’s a great kid, and I have no doubt he’ll be a wonderful husband and father,” Mommy proclaimed.
I opened the shoe box, peeled back the tissue paper, and removed one high heel from the cotton dust bag. They were pearl white with diamonds on the back of the heel.
“They are the perfect shoes for your dress,” Emma declared with a bright smile. “Put them on so I can see what you look like in your complete wedding attire since I won’t be here to see you.”
“I don’t want to ruin them. I have to have my stockings on, and—”
“Already got you, Sis,” Khatya declared, handing me the silk stockings I purchased.
“What are you doing with these?”
Shrugging, Khatya replied, “I know what a perfectionist Emma is, and Drè showed us the shoes before I came up to get you. Emma told me to bring the stockings too.”
“Oh. Okay.” I slid my feet into the shoes and modeled for my mother, my sister, and my seamstress.
My wedding gown’s sleek fit conformed to my body and flared below the knees. The pearl white of my dress was the perfect match to my shoes of the same color. It sported a deep V-neckline and an inset waistband that gave my bodice a sculpted look. It was both elegant and timeless.
“Oh, I forgot. I also bought this for you because I knew you hadn’t purchased it yet. Here’s your garter,” Mommy stated, handing me a tiny box. When I opened it and pulled it out, she stated, “That’s your something blue.”
“Thank you, Mommy. By the time my wedding day comes, I’ll be ready. I have something borrowed, blue, and new. All I need is something old,” I declared.
Mommy turned to look at Emma, and they both smiled as Mommy nodded.
“Your mother had me stitch a piece of her wedding gown into the pocket of yours,” Emma stated, gathering my chapel-length train in her hands. “This row of covered buttons on your gown is from your mother’s dress when she married your father.”
Everything before this moment had been touching, but this put it over the top for me, and tears sprouted out like a sprinkler being turned on to water the yard.
“Mooommmmy.” I sobbed.
She opened her arms and pulled me into them. “I love you, baby girl. You’re my last, my youngest, and you’re the one who is fulfilling another dream of mine. Thank you, sweetness.”
“If you two don’t stop all this crying and messing up those beautiful faces,” Khatya hissed, dabbing at our faces with tissues.
I pulled back and swatted at her to make her stop.
“Listen, I’ve got to go out here and check on Daddy and Drè to make sure they’re not coming in. No more crying you two,” Khatya warned, giving us a double-finger point.
“When the two of you finally get married, you’re going to make your dad and me so proud.”
“I wish that I could say the same thing about his mom.”
“Again. Not for you to worry about. Nicole and Leon will be handled. In the interim, we need to focus on preparing for your big day. Have you two figured out where you want to honeymoon at yet?”
“He’s surprising me with that too.”
“Baby, I know that Andrès is a good man, but don’t you want to have a say in anything?”
I smiled. “Don’t you get it, Mama? I’ve been telling that man what I wanted since we were in middle school.
This is his chance to show me that he’s paid attention, that he hasn’t forgotten, and that I matter to him.
From our dates, the wedding plans, to this house, he has not failed me yet, and I doubt that he’ll do it for our honeymoon.
So, yeah, I’m trusting him. How could I expect to trust him with the rest of my life if I can’t trust him with the little things? ”
Mommy’s eyes watered up again. “Girl, you’ve got me looking like a babbling fool today. I cannot imagine what I’ll be like on your wedding day if I can barely contain the tears for an engagement party.”
“Well, fix your face, Mommy. I have to go back upstairs and change out of this dress and get ready for the party.”
“What else do you have left to do?”
“Just put on my dress.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”
I stepped out of my studio and Daddy stood there.
“Daddy!”
“You look so beautiful, baby,” my father declared, hugging me.
“Thank you, Daddy. You’re not supposed to see me yet, not until my wedding day.”
He beamed at me, and my mother stepped beside him. I heard the strains of Jagged Edge’s “Let’s Get Married” playing on the speakers throughout the house. The next sound that I heard was the smooth, melodious voice of my fiancé. Andrès was singing the lyrics through speakers throughout our house.
My father stated, “Daughter, welcome to your wedding day.”