Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
MELLIE
PRESENT DAY
“Ididn’t realize it until just this moment, but wow, burnt orange is really not my color.”
I scrutinize my reflection in the mirrored wall at the rear of the dress shop. The orange shade I have on clashes with my strawberry-blonde hair and the result is…not good. My skin looks pasty and washed out.
Catalina laughs. “Okay, no orange for you,” she says as she walks over to where I stand on a raised platform. “Let’s try this red one. I think it’ll be very pretty against your hair.”
“We’ll see,” I say, eyeing the dress she holds out to me. “Nothing can be worse than this one, I assure you.”
I’m skeptical, but I take the dress and re-enter the fitting room assigned to me.
One of Cat’s other bridesmaids takes my place on the platform, and their “oohing” and “ahhing” bleeds through the curtain.
Cat’s middle sister, Gabbie, wasn’t able to get away from the hospital, but Cat’s mother, my mom, her younger sister Minnie, and two of Cat’s close friends have gathered here to help each other pick dresses, and of course, to help Cat find her gown.
There are five of us bridesmaids altogether, with Gabbie as Cat’s maid of honor.
Cat still hasn’t tried on any wedding dresses yet, wanting to help us all choose ours first, and I’m anxious to see her in some soon.
I still can’t believe my little brother is getting married. When Cat asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, I cried. Evan poked fun at me for it, but chimed in that he couldn’t imagine their wedding without his sister up there with them.
I hang up the cursed orange dress and step into the red one. It’s a deep, wine-red. The skirt flows loosely down to my feet, and the top is off the shoulder with the sleeves looping delicately around my biceps.
My mom sees me first as I step out of the dressing room. She gasps, a hand covering her mouth for a moment before giving me two thumbs up, nodding her head and smiling.
Cat’s friend Olivia finishes up in front of the mirror, so I step back up onto the platform. Minnie and Cat’s other friend, Alex, have already chosen their dresses, so it’s just down to me and Cat now.
“Oh, yes, this is the one,” Cat murmurs as she runs her hands down the skirt. “Mellie, you look stunning!”
I do a little swirl, swishing the skirt around my legs.
“Ronin is going to absolutely lose his mind when he sees you in this.” Catalina smirks at my reflection in the mirror.
“Oh, he most certainly will,” Mom agrees, coming up to stand on my other side. “Cat, make sure Evan puts him in red so they match.”
Something pulls in my chest at their comments. “Don’t be dramatic. It’s not like we’re dating or anything.”
“Yet,” Cat stage-whispers to Mom, and they both giggle.
I roll my eyes at our reflections, but I’m smiling. “Okay, enough about me. I’m not the one getting married here. Cat, you’re up.”
I change back into my regular clothes and take a seat on one of the plush couches scattered around the dressing area.
There’s champagne and mineral water set up on a table in the center, so I help myself to a glass of bubbly.
My job here today is done, and now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy Cat’s fashion show.
The first dress she comes out in is an immediate no from everyone.
“That one makes your ass look too flat,” Minnie calls out from her spot on the couch next to me.
“Hey, tell me how you really feel,” Cat retorts, laughing.
“Next!” I call, holding up my glass.
And so it goes. For the next hour or so, Cat tries on dress after dress. Some are big hits, but none have that magical moment you see in movies or read about in books when the character sees their reflection and everyone around them goes silent, speechless.
There are only three dresses left on the rack for Cat to try on. A discouraged expression flits across her face as she pulls one off the hanger and disappears into the changing room, the shop attendant following her in to assist.
“This one will be the one,” Minnie whispers to me. “I can feel it.”
Everything changes when Cat steps back out.
“Oh, mija,” Cat’s mom murmurs, her hands covering her mouth.
We all stand from the couches to crowd around her as she steps onto the platform and turns to the mirrors. Her face immediately lights up, her eyes shining with tears, and she can’t seem to help the sweet smile that stretches across her face as she gazes at her reflection.
This. This is one of those magical moments.
A lacy, ivory gown hugs her curvy body, the beads sewn throughout sparkling under the dressing room lights.
Long, elegant sleeves reach her wrists. The back dips down into a deep vee, similar to the front’s low neckline, showing off her cleavage in a sexy, yet modest way.
Down her hips, the skirt is fitted before billowing out in a luxurious train.
It’s absolutely perfect.
“I can’t stop smiling,” Cat says, laughing at her reflection before turning to us. “It’s all starting to feel so real now, standing here in this dress!” Happy tears slip down her cheeks, and her mother and Minnie move in for a group hug.
Watching them, a feeling blooms in my chest. It’s not jealousy—no. I’m beyond happy for my brother and Cat. It’s more like a yearning, something I’ve never felt before now.
An image of me standing up there—Mom, Bree, Cat, and Sydney all around me with smiling faces as I twirl in a beautiful white gown. A vision of walking down the aisle, Ronin’s face waiting to greet me at the altar.
I flush, embarrassed at where my thoughts have wandered. My mom—with her typical mom-intuition—comes to stand next to me and wraps her arm around my middle.
“You’ll have your time soon, my Amelia. I can feel it,” she whispers to me. She gives me a squeeze and I wrap my arm around her back, hugging her tightly to my side.