Chapter Thirteen
Meadow
N ot only was I busy, but River and Colton had a full week as well. Colt headed preparations for the dance, busy creating decorations and overseeing everything there, and somehow managed to convince River to help him. When I couldn't hide my surprise at the mention of her joining, she said Colton had made a valid point—that even though she already has a full ride to MIT, it would look good on college applications if she chose a different path.
With everything going on, I've barely seen either of my two favorite people this week, and it was starting to wear on me. I was so relieved when Colton picked me up from the shop last night, with takeout waiting in his truck for us to take home. River was there, and we enjoyed the first meal together this week, albeit at almost 11pm, but it was still nice to spend some time together before we all crashed.
It's Saturday morning, and Colt and River left me with breakfast in bed at an ungodly hour to go do some finishing touches at the gym. I'm just finishing up a delish omelet when my phone buzzes on the bed beside me.
Wren: Hey, babe. I've got some bad news. Your client finally got back, and said they aren't able to reschedule and aren't willing for Daph or I to take the appointment.
Meadow: Ugh, well that sucks, but I'm not surprised. I'm not sure what to tell River, though.
Wren: My schedule is pretty light this afternoon and so is Daphne's. Do you think she'd be down with getting ready in the studio? That way, you can pop up when you have a minute so you're not completely missing out.
Meadow: That's a brilliant idea. I'm sure River will be down. She's at the school, helping Colton finish up the decorations, but I'll double check with her when she gets home. I need to do my own finishing touches on her dress before I head in.
Wren: Keep me in the loop so I know if/what I need to bring with me to the shop.
Meadow: Will do. Love you!
Wren: Love you too, bitch !
I was really hoping to be able to reschedule today's appointment, but I understand my client not wanting to. She's one of my regulars, and we're finishing up her sleeve that we've been working on for a few years. I've got her on the schedule for six hours today, but we're so damn close to being done that I wanted to make sure I finished it up for her if I could, if she was able to sit.
Knowing Wren and Daphne can step in and be there for River when I can't is a huge relief for me. I'm still sad that I can't fully participate in getting her ready for her first dance, but with being in the studio above the shop, I'll be able to pop up there on pee breaks since lord knows I have to do that about every hour now.
Sipping my tea, I enjoy my last few restful minutes as I go over my mental checklist for the day. First up, finishing River's dress. It's almost done; I just need to finish sewing a few more flowers on the overlay.
River decided to go with a black satin dress, with a shimmery gossamer overlay that I hand-sewed colorful flowers all over. The neckline is a sweetheart with off-the-shoulder long sleeves, which are made of gossamer, and puff out then come to a cuff at the wrist, making the material sparkle as she moves. The body of the dress is a fit and flare that stops just above her knees. We added extra fabric under the skirt to add fullness and body. It fits River's lithe frame beautifully, and the shimmer in the gossamer brings out the golden flecks in her eyes.
The fabrics alone would've been beautiful, but when we talked about adding the embroidered flowers, River's eyes lit up. She shot the idea down for fear of me not having enough time, but I knew I needed to make it happen for my girl. The dress needed that little bit of funky flare that is all River .
Rolling out of bed rather ungracefully, I'm reminded that I need to prioritize getting back into my yoga practice. I love the little shop here in town, but I haven't been in ages with how crazy my life has been. Not only is my body missing it but my mind is too. I'm not used to all the chaos that has been my life as of late. I don't know when the last time I've gone this long without grounding myself was, which needs to change ASAP.
Heading towards the kitchen, I find River's dress right where I left it. We found the most exquisite thread at the craft store in town. The colors are vibrant and have metallic hints to them that match the shimmer in the overlay fabric perfectly. I'm almost done adding the details, but I was too tired last night to get it done, and my hands hurt too much to make the final push.
Getting right to work, I'm immediately lost in my task, and once again reminded of how I've been neglecting myself and my needs. This little nugget isn't even here yet, but I've let the whirlwind of finding out about the baby and starting a relationship with Colton, along with River's first—and final— year of high school, take over. I love creating things with my hands, and it's been too long since I've done that.
I finish up River's dress and sit back to admire my hard work. My girl is going to be stunning next to Brantley tonight, and I'm so damn glad she gets to experience this milestone. As brilliant and grown up as River is, she's also a teenager with a crush on a boy. She deserves to have a magical night.
I know the opportunity for her to go to MIT is huge, but I'm terrified of her being that far from me. When I first found out, I figured I'd just move with her. That's not an option with the baby and Colt. I would never take them away from him, and I couldn't ask him to move when he's just now close to his family again. Feeling the panic creeping in, I take a few calming breaths to center myself. Today is not the day to be worrying about our future. We have plenty of time to make the big decisions and figure out what will work best for all of us.
Feeling reassured, I pack up all of my sewing gear, then hang up River's dress and get ready for work.
It's a chilly fall day, so I decide to drive to work. River and Colt still aren't home by the time I leave, so I text her to let her know I have her dress and to just meet me at the shop whenever she's done.
Wren already has the studio open and music pumping through the speakers when I walk through the back door. "Hey, Mama. How are you feeling?" Wren pops out of her station, scaring me half to death.
"Whoa!" I almost drop River's dress as I bobble my bag and water bottle.
"Sorry." Wren smirks, letting me know she's really not.
"I'm tired but good."
"Here, let me help." Wren grabs the garment bag that contains River's dress and heads towards the back of the shop.
I drop my bag and water bottle off at my station then follow her.
"Fucking hell, Meadow. This is stunning! Why does Daph pay an obnoxious amount of money on those drab dresses when you can make masterpieces like this?"
"Aww, thanks, Wrenny. Probably because until Ezra insisted on paying for dresses that she actually likes, her mom bought all of her dresses, and just told Daphne what to wear and when to show up."
"Hmm, you've got a point there. Fuck her. I'm so glad Daphne doesn't have to deal with her anymore."
"You and me both."
"I'm serious, Meadow. This dress is amazing. And the fact that you made it in under a week is mind-blowing. I can't wait to see River in it. Colt's poor nephew isn't gonna know what hit him."
"I can't wait for her to see it finished. I tried to get it done last night, but I was whooped. Colton insisted I head to bed and finish it this morning once he found out it wouldn't take me long to get it done. I just had to finish up the embroidery work."
"Where is River?"
"She's at the school with Colton, finishing setting up for the dance. I honestly thought they'd be done by now. I texted them both to let them know I was heading into work and that I have her dress, so I'm sure we'll be seeing them soon."
"Nice. I'm excited to help her get ready."
"Just remember that you're doing River's makeup and not to go too wild." I shoot Wren a warning glare, needing to keep her in check.
"Easy, mama bear. I know it's River and wouldn't dream of doing anything except what I think she'd like."
"Sorry, I'm just a little grouchy that I couldn't reschedule this appointment. I want to be upstairs with you all, getting ready together."
"I know, but you'll be close and can pop up on your breaks to check in."
"My logical brain knows this, but my hormonal brain doesn't like that rationale." I pout, making Wren laugh.
The front doorbell goes off, so I head out to see who is here. The customer I have blocked in for most of the day is early, but that doesn't surprise me.
I take her back to my station, where we catch up while I get everything ready to start tattooing. We instantly bonded when she came in and told me she wanted a sleeve entirely dedicated to books. It's been a magical endeavor, and I've loved working on this piece.
About an hour in, I finish up the shading I'm working on and turn to see River at the door, Colt's arm slung around her shoulder.
"Hey, you two. Are you all done at the school?"
"Hey, Mom. Yeah, we finished a while ago. Colt and I went to his office because he needed to grab something, and then we got into a heated game of chess and kind of lost track of time."
"That sounds like a great morning. So, who won?"
River's smirk lets me know the answer before either of them gets a chance.
"Babe, is that even a serious question?" Colton huffs, making River and I let loose the laughs we were holding in.
"In his defense, he put up one of the best fights I've had in a long time. He's even better than Ezra."
"Oh, that's high praise, Colton."
"Your family is beautiful."
I startle, forgetting Jessa is sitting here, watching our exchange.
"Thank you, Jessa. How rude of me! That's Colton, my partner."
Colton waves a hand at Jessa.
"Do you remember River? It's probably been a minute since you've seen her."
"I do. It's nice to see you again, River. Did I hear something about a dance?"
"Yes, it's homecoming tonight."
"Oh, that's fun, and now I understand why you wanted to reschedule, Meadow. I'm so sorry we couldn't make something work." Jessa worries her lip.
"It' s okay. The girls are going to help River get ready in the apartment upstairs, so as long as you don't mind, I figured I'd pop up and check in on my pee breaks." I point at my belly, indicating the need for said pee breaks.
"I don't mind at all."
"River and I went to the diner for lunch. I grabbed you some food and left it in the breakroom for whenever you get a break. Jessa, if you need anything, I can grab something for you as well," Colt adds as his cheeks flush from not thinking about offering any food to Jessa.
"I'm fine. I've got snacks in my bag, but thank you for offering. That's really kind of you."
"Alright. We'll get out of your hair." Colton walks over and gives me a chaste kiss before heading out of the shop to let me get back to work.
River walks out of the front door of the shop into the soft fall sun.
"Oh my goddess!" I cry.
She looks absolutely breathtaking and far older than her almost fifteen years. Wren did an amazing job on her makeup, highlighting her natural beauty while giving her eyes a funky, fun look. Her hair is in one of her signature intricate-braid styles but made softer by the voluminous curls Daphne added.
And her dress… It's perfection, if I do say so myself. It fits her like a glove and looks absolutely amazing on her. The subtle shimmer catches in the sun as she walks around the sidewalk, anxiously waiting for Brantley and his family to arrive .
Colton slings his arm around my shoulders as he pulls me into his side. I catch him running his hand over his heart, which makes mine skip a beat. I glance up, and tears spill over my lids when I see Colton's eyes glistening. He's such a softy when it comes to River that I can't help but melt into a puddle.
"You did so fucking good, Dow." His voice is gruff as he looks down at me.
I lean up on my tip toes, my lips finding his. What was meant to be a sweet kiss quickly turns heated. What can I say? I find Colton irresistible on any given day, but seeing him emotional over my baby girl really does things to me.
"Ow, ow!" Someone—probably Wren—yells, breaking us apart.
"Brantley's here. Do I look okay?" River asks anxiously at my side.
"You're perfect, baby."
"You look so beautiful, River. You're gonna knock poor Brantley on his ass when he sees you."
"It's not like that, Colt."
"I wouldn't be so sure, kid." Colton nods towards Brantley.
River whips around to find him standing slack-jawed, a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand.
"River, you— I mean— W-wow," Brantley stammers as he stares at my girl.
My hand shoots to my mouth to hide my giggle, but Wren's snort rings loud around our circle, breaking the tension.
"I mean, you look beautiful. These are for you." He thrusts the flowers to River, who's blushing furiously.
"Thank you."
Jackie walks over, and we greet each other then confirm the plans for the night. The kids share quiet, sweet words then take a million pictures. I have to stay at the shop, so Colton takes them to eat at The Tavern before driving them to the dance he’s chaperoning.
As much as I wish I could be there with Colt, I'm loving the pictures and videos he's able to sneak me throughout the night. River looks like she's having a blast, not only dancing with Brantley but with a few other girls from her school. It makes my mama heart happy.
When the night is over, I head back home to find Colt and the kids lounging on the couch. They've got pizza, popcorn, and a movie queued up, ready to go. I change into my comfy clothes then find my spot beside Colton on the couch. I don't make it the whole way through the movie, but I'm not mad about it.
If all of my nights could end like this, I would be extremely content.