31. Liz
Chapter Thirty-One
LIZ
By the time I arrive at Maison Blanc in Chelsea, the snow has completely melted.
The bridal boutique has a quaint, white London-esque fa?ade.
My stomach tightens as I make my way inside.
While I’m looking forward to spending the afternoon with my friends Kate & Beau, I’m not thrilled about lying to them about why.
When this is all over and long past us, I’ll explain everything. I just hope they understand.
“Good morning, and welcome to Maison Blanc. May I—” The saleswoman starts then stops the moment her gaze drops to my diamond ring. “Whoa.” She quickly looks up again and she blinks as if waking from a trance. “So sorry. Your ring is just so . . .”
“Big?” I say.
“Beautiful. But yes, it is quite large.” The woman regains her composure with a smile but then tilts her head again. “Aren’t you Liz Mckenna?”
My nerves jumble at the sound of my name coming out of a stranger’s mouth. I glance around the room. Am I on a hidden cameras show? “How do you know who I am?” I ask.
“We’re Maison Blanc. We make it our business to know all the high-profile brides-to-be. And you’re marrying the last eligible Bonnaire. All of London will be talking.”
“Oh.” The news just hit the stands, and even the sales lady at the bridal shop knows who I am. And apparently, soon will all of London. I take in a deep breath, wanting to hide the ring and my face.
“Congratulations on your engagement! Kent Bonnaire is quite the catch.”
Perhaps because he’s still uncatchable. And I should know. “Thank you,” I reply.
“I’m Glenney, by the way.” She extends her hand. “Come along. Your future sisters-in-law are already here.”
I follow her toward the back of the store, walking past racks of elegantly designed wedding gowns in every silhouette.
The walls are a pretty pale blush, and shelves of ballet slippers adorn the walls.
The scent of fresh lilies and roses fills the store—a very different vibe from all of the Christmas shops with their pine and cinnamon aromas.
“Would you like to try on gowns as well?” she asks.
“Me? No.”
“Why not? Are you planning a long engagement?”
Long engagement? Certainly not. But I don’t want to give her anything. Who knows if it’ll get back to the press who’s now all up in my business. “I’m just here for Beau. It’s her wedding gown shopping day, not mine.”
She looks back at me with a slight smirk. “That’s sweet. I wish my sister-in-law was as thoughtful as you.”
Being touted as the thoughtful sister-in-law makes me feel even worse about this whole charade.
We arrive in a private room in the back with lush, white carpeting and rosy velvet sofas. Beau, Kate, and Dahlia are already sitting and scrolling through a digital catalog. Beau spots me in the doorway standing behind Glenney.
“Liz! You made it!” She beams, sets down the tablet, and rushes over with her arms wide open.
“Good morning,” I say as she crashes into me with a welcoming hug.
Kate’s right behind her, waiting to greet me. “There’s the other bride-to-be.” Kate embraces me in a warm, sisterly hug that feels somehow different than any other embrace. It’s like we’ve automatically become closer by marrying Bonnaire men. Like we’re in the same club. Or like we’re family.
Except I’m not marrying into the family. Kent and I aren’t even dating. We’re just . . . sleeping together, I guess.
“It’s good to see you, Kate.”
“You too. Did you get the gift I sent you?” she asks.
I smack my forehead. “Yes, oh my gosh. I’m so sorry I didn’t text you. It’s just been so hectic this last week.”
“Listen, you don’t need to explain it to me. I know what it means to be with a Bonnaire.” She flicks her brows, and I imagine she thinks I’ve already put her gift to good use. Now that Kent and I have slept together, maybe I will.
Dahlia catches Kate’s drift. “Ugh, please. I’ll leave if all you three are going to talk about is sex with my cousins.”
Kate, Beau, and I share a look. Maybe I have joined the club in some ways. “I’m not making any promises,” Kate says, owning her sexually-charged marriage, then takes a seat.
“She wasn’t like this before Drew,” Beau adds and sits next to Kate. Dahlia looks to me.
“I never kiss and tell,” I say, which is true.
Dahlia rolls her brown eyes. “Well, it’s not just Bonnaire boys that are great in bed. It runs in the family.”
Kate and Beau wooo in unison.
“Okay, ladies, let’s focus. We’re here to find a dress,” Dahlia says before finally taking her seat.
“Yes, immediately before I’m forced to wear elastic waistbands.” Beau pats her stomach, then looks at me and pats the space next to her on the couch.
“Would anyone care for a glass of champagne?” Glenney asks, balancing a tray with four full champagne flutes.
It’s eleven thirty but we each share a look and say, “Yes, please!” Except for Beau who simply asks for a bottle of Pellegrino.
The three of us stand by, sipping our champagne on this cold Christmas Eve morning while Beau slips into one couture gown after another. They’re all so beautiful in their own way, but none of them seem to steal Beau’s heart the way Mick has.
Kate takes my left hand while Beau’s changing behind the curtain and admires the rare royal rock on my finger. “I’m so happy you’re marrying Kent. He’s such a great guy. I think he’s perfect for you.”
“You do?” My heart races at Kate’s sincerity. A big part of me wants to come clean. And at the same time, I want to hear more. Is Kent perfect for me? How could he not be after last night? Every touch, every kiss, every part of him felt so incredible.
“Yes, I really do. And this ring!” Kate lifts my left hand. “Girl, he would not have given you this rock if he wasn’t head over heels in love with you.”
Or head over heels in love with his promotion. “He’s a special guy,” I say. And that’s not a lie.
Kate’s face lights up. “You see that?”
“What?”
“That look on your face. The light in your eyes. You didn’t have that before with Jeff.” I hardly ever hear my ex’s name anymore. And it’s strange to hear it now because he feels like a distant memory. A past life. “This is it, Liz. You’ve met your match. And it’s all thanks to me.”
“Thank you, Kate,” Beau says, stepping out of the dressing room.
“Yes, thank you, Kate,” I say, and she lovingly squeezes my hand.
Beau steps up to the platform in a sexy yet elegant gown. A lacy plunging v-neckline with lace straps that fall just below her shoulders and an A-line skirt made of layers of delicate chiffon. “What do you think?”
“Now, that’s a wedding gown,” Dahlia says.
“It’s gorgeous, Beau. But I’m not sure it’s you.” Kate scrutinizes the dress with her very honest answer. I guess that’s what best friends are for. To tell the truth.
“Yeah, I don’t think so either.” Beau gives a dissatisfied look in the mirror, posing this way and that. “But you know who it might be a good fit for . . .”
“Who?” I ask, only to realize they’re all staring at me. “Me?”
“Yes. Come on, you’ve been such a good sport watching me try on dress after dress. But now it’s your turn. Get in here and get in this dress.” Beau waves me over to the curtained room.
“No.” I send her a dismissive wave. “This is about you and your dress. There are tons more for you to try. I don’t want to take up your appointment time trying on dresses when we don’t even have a date yet.” And we never will.
“Honestly, I’m kind of tired. Ever since I’ve been pregnant, I can’t shop the way I used to. I have to take naps now.” She yawns.
“Yeah, Liz. It’s just one dress. You had fun trying on all those evening gowns the other day.
” Dahlia does her best to coax me into the dressing room.
They all do. So I relent, even though the last thing I want to do is put on a wedding dress.
The last time I did, everything fell apart.
But this one-of-a-kind designer gown is nothing like the wedding dress I picked out for myself.
And I’m not really getting married. So I tell myself this is just another excuse to play dress-up.
Because it’s all dress-up. But as I rise from my seat and walk toward the dressing room, I wish I didn’t have to pretend.
Glenney kindly helps Beau out of the dress and helps me into it.
The moment she zips it up the back, my arms prickle with goosebumps.
It’s like I’m getting married for real. The thing fits like a glove.
Kind of like this engagement ring. The fabric feels dreamy against my skin.
Kind of like Kent. I step out onto the platform and watch everyone’s eyes grow wide.
“Liz,” Kate says, nearly breathless. “You look like a princess.”
“Yes! A real-life Rita Hayworth, only better,” Dahlia adds.
“At least one of us found a dress,” Beau says.
“That looks like the one,” Glenney says, standing off to the side.
“Really?” I turn to look at myself in the tri-framed mirror.
Then I see it. That special thing when it fits just right.
I hate to say it, but this is my dress. I can feel it deep inside my gut.
It was made for me. I take it all in and allow myself to imagine what it would be like to walk down the aisle in a gown like this to a man like Kent.
I can see it clearly in my mind—him in his tux, giving me that same dreamy look he did last night when he kissed me in the cellar and this morning when I woke up next to him.
How can I keep faking it when all of this feels so real? But it’s not. I’m not really a bride-to-be and my real wedding day may never come. The truth stabs me in the gut and my eyes fill with sad tears that soon spill onto my hot cheeks.
“Are you crying?” Kate asks.
“Yes.” I cover my face with my hands and allow myself to let out this sob surrounded by my friends and Glenney.
“Are you okay?” Dahlia asks.
No, I’m not okay, but I’m wearing a ten-thousand-dollar wedding gown and crying in the middle of a bridal boutique in Chelsea.
I’m not marrying Kent. We’ll never actually be together.
And all of this is a sad, sad sham! As much as I want to admit it right here, right now, I can’t.
Especially not with Glenney standing nearby.
The thoughtful saleswoman hands me a tissue.
I thank her and wipe my tears. Then, I simply do what I’m best at. Faking it. “I’m just so happy!” I say.
“Aw! I was beginning to think you were pregnant like me. I get so emotional these days,” Beau says, fanning her face as her eyes grow misty too.
I wonder if they’ll all shed a tear when they know what I know.