Chapter 18
Emma and Gabby collapsed in a fit of giggles. Their attendant at the Ivory Lace Bridal Boutique had served them flutes of champagne as they browsed the aisles of dresses. Consequently, they were both feeling pretty silly by the time they settled into the dressing room to try them on.
Their attendant, a cheerful brunette named Eliana, bustled into the room with an armload of gowns, hung them up, and went back for more.
“Wow,” Gabby said softly. She reached out to run her fingers over the beaded bodice of the gown closest to her. “I can’t believe I’m really doing this.”
“I know.” Emma took another sip of champagne. “It’s pretty great.”
“Thanks for coming with me.”
“I’m so glad you invited me.” She and Gabby hadn’t known each other very long, not even a year, but they’d become really close.
“This is everything,” Eliana said as she hung up the last of the dresses they’d picked out for Gabby to try on. “I’ll be just outside if you need any assistance. The sample sizes will be too big for you, but I can pin them to give you a better idea of how the dress would look in your size.”
“Thanks,” Gabby said with a smile.
Eliana left, closing the door behind her.
Gabby gestured to the rack of dresses. “Where do I start?”
“Let’s start big.” Emma reached for the Cinderella-style ball gown she’d insisted Gabby try—just for the fun of it since they both knew it wasn’t Gabby’s style. “Try this one on for fun, and then we’ll get down to business.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Gabby stripped to her underwear, and Emma held the poufy gown open so that she could step into it. It was strapless, white satin with intricate beading across the bust and a ridiculously full skirt. She zipped it, then grabbed one of the pins Eliana had left behind to clamp the extra fabric so it didn’t fall down.
“Wow.” Emma grinned widely as she caught Gabby’s reflection in the mirror. “You look like a princess.”
“Like I’ve just stepped out of a Disney movie,” Gabby agreed, her eyes glossy. She ran her hands over the front of the skirt, then twirled in front of the mirror. “I never would have picked it, and I’m not going to walk down the aisle in it, but just seeing it on me is like something out of a fantasy.”
“Let me get a picture.” Emma grabbed her cell phone and snapped a few shots of Gabby showing off her best princess pose.
After that, Gabby tried on dress after dress. If they deemed it a contender, they’d leave the dressing room and let Eliana pin it properly so that Gabby could preen in front of the big mirrors outside. Emma got teary several times watching her friend try on dresses.
They made it through the first rack with a handful of contenders but none either of them felt sure was “the one.” Emma couldn’t stop admiring one of the dresses she’d picked out for Gabby. It had little pink flowers made of rhinestones sewn together with beads across the bodice and a simple, flowing white chiffon skirt.
“It’s beautiful,” Gabby commented as she stepped out of the dress she’d just tried on. “But it’s not me. It’s you.”
“What?” Emma yanked her hand back from the dress.
“You should try it on.”
“But I’m not getting married.” Emma reached instead for the next dress on the rack, an off-white gown with a delicate lace bodice, cap sleeves, and a long, flowing skirt edged in lace.
“Yet.” Gabby winked as she slipped into the dress. “Because you and Ryan…oh.” Gabby looked in the mirror, and her eyes welled with tears.
“This is it,” Emma said breathlessly, pressing a hand to her chest. “This is the one.”
“Yes.” Gabby stared at her reflection as Emma zipped her up. The sample gown was a few sizes too big, but the lace added a classic yet feminine touch that was so Gabby, and the long, flowing skirt was reminiscent of the bohemian skirts she wore almost daily.
“Let’s go show Eliana,” Emma said, lifting the lacy train to follow Gabby out of the fitting room.
Emma and Eliana helped Gabby up onto the little pedestal in front of the bank of mirrors so that she could see herself from every angle. The dress looked even more perfect out here. The creamy color complemented Gabby’s pale complexion and caramel brown hair, and the cap sleeves and lace accents suited her style perfectly.
“This one,” Gabby said, twirling in front of the mirrors. “It’s perfect.”
“Oh, I agree,” Eliana said, bustling behind Gabby to spread her train out and show the dress in its best form. “It’s absolutely stunning on you.”
“It’s you, Gabby. I don’t think you’ll find anything more perfect if you tried on a hundred more dresses,” Emma said, feeling a lump in her throat to see her friend in her wedding dress.
Gabby preened in front of the mirrors for a few more minutes before making her decision final. Eliana moved in to take measurements and then there was a ton of paperwork to make it all official. Gabby’s dress would arrive in four months, just in time to get it ready for her October wedding.
When everything had been taken care of, Emma and Gabby retreated to the fitting room.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m glad I booked us at the spa this afternoon. This was exhausting,” Gabby said.
“Yes.” Emma stepped behind her to unzip the dress. “But worth it. I’m so happy for you. This dress is perfect.”
“It really is.” Gabby ran a hand over the lace bodice. She stepped out of the dress, and Emma hung it back up while Gabby got dressed. “There’s one more dress to be tried on before we leave, though.”
Emma turned in confusion. “What?”
Gabby held up the dress Emma had been admiring earlier, the one with the pink, beaded flowers across the bodice. “I promise I’ll never tell anyone, least of all Ryan, but will you try it on? For me?”
“Oh no. I really shouldn’t.” Because what if she loved it? A wedding was nowhere on her horizon.
“Just for fun,” Gabby said. “Come on.” She lifted the dress from its hanger and spun it so that the chiffon skirt twirled around her legs.
“All right. Just for fun. No pictures.” She pointed a finger in Gabby’s direction.
Gabby pouted.
Feeling slightly ridiculous, Emma slipped out of her T-shirt and shorts and stepped into the dress. Gabby zipped it up and clipped the back, as Emma had just done for her.
“Open your eyes, silly,” Gabby said from behind her.
Emma hadn’t even realized she’d closed them, but now she peeked through her lashes at the mirror. And gasped.
“Wow,” Gabby said, one hand pressed to her mouth.
Yeah. Wow. It was perfect. The pink flowers added a splash of color, and the chiffon skirt was delicate and feminine, but not too dressy. It would be perfect for a mountaintop wedding.
“When you get engaged,” Gabby said, “you’ve got to come and try on this dress again.”
“Maybe.” Emma resisted the urge to twirl in front of the mirror the way Gabby had. Because she wasn’t getting married, and this was craziness.
“We’ll come back here and pick out a whole room full of dresses for you to try on just like I did today,” Gabby said. “But I bet this is the one.”
Emma let herself fantasize for a moment about the vision Gabby had put in her head, of her walking down the aisle in this dress. Of Ryan waiting for her at the other end, looking so dashing in a tux… She was so busy daydreaming she didn’t even notice Gabby holding up her cell phone until it was too late.
Click.
“I said no pictures!” Emma felt her cheeks flush hot.
“But we need to be able to remember which dress it was,” Gabby said with a shrug and a grin, leaning over to take a picture of the tag. She straightened and snapped several more pictures of Emma in the dress before she could stop her.
“You could have just written it down!” Emma scrambled out of the dress and hung it up before Gabby got any more carried away.
“What fun would that be?” Gabby said, not even trying to hide the smug look on her face. “Okay, lunch. And then to the spa.”
Two hours later—after a sushi lunch and hot stone massages—Emma and Gabby lay soaking side by side in tubs fed by Haven’s famous natural hot springs. Emma sank lower in the water, letting it work out any last kinks in her muscles.
“So great,” she said, eyes closed and totally blissed out.
“Mm-hmm,” Gabby said from beside her. “I do this about once a month.”
“Really?”
“Yep. It sure has been good for my soul.”
Legend said that the natural minerals in Haven’s hot springs could calm your soul. Emma’s soul didn’t generally need calming, but these last few months were a different story. She’d been tied up in knots ever since the night Ryan had given her a ride home from The Drunken Bear. The night her friends had dared her to shake things up, and boy had she ever.
Spring in Havensegued into summer in a frantic rush. Artful Blooms always saw a surge in business once the weather warmed up, and although Lucas and Mary would be retiring in just a few months, business hadn’t yet started to taper off. The memorial had been installed last week, and Emma spent most mornings working on the gardens that would surround it. It would officially be unveiled on July first, just over two weeks away.
She’d barely seen Ryan this week either; he was so busy at Off-the-Grid. Busy was good, though, for both of them. Busy kept her mind off things, including the fact that she’d put a deposit on an apartment outside Atlanta last week. Leaving Haven felt so bittersweet, but she was a believer that everything happened for a reason. Hopefully, in this case, it meant big things were waiting for her in Georgia.
As for Ryan? He couldn’t leave Haven, not now that he had Off-the-Grid. She’d be more than willing to try a long-distance relationship, but only if he was ready to make a commitment. She wasn’t going to let him rip her heart slowly to shreds by coming home to Haven over school vacations so that they could have casual sex.
Nope. She needed a commitment or a clean break.
She sank her hands into the warm earth, pressing into place one of the many dazzling red poppies she’d selected for the memorial gardens. She scooped fresh potting soil over the roots and sat back, dirty hands on her knees. She still had dozens of poppies to go, but already she could see her vision starting to unfold, and it was perfect.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Ryan said from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see him standing there, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. “What are you doing here?”
“Saw you as I was driving home. Thought I’d stop by and see how the memorial was coming along.”
“It’ll be finished this week.”
He came to stand beside her. “These red flowers remind me of your tattoo.”
“They’re the same. Red poppies.”
“You told me they represent fallen troops.”
“Yes.” She touched the flower she’d just finished planting. “Derek’s birthday is next week. I haven’t been to visit him in a while. Thought I might go.”
“His grave?”
She nodded. She visited Arlington National Cemetery every few years. It was a special honor that he was buried there, but sometimes she wished he were here in Haven, beside their mom, where she could visit him more often. Of course, that wouldn’t matter soon anyway…
“I haven’t been in a while either,” Ryan said. “Mind if I tag along?”
“I’d like that.” She stood and let him pull her into his arms. “I know he would, too.”
Ryan’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
Stubborn man. “He would. You know that, right?”
No,Ryan wasn’t so sure about that at all. He had a good idea Derek might turn over in his grave if he caught Ryan and Emma fooling around together in DC. But it had been too long since he’d visited his friend’s grave. He could clear his schedule at Off-the-Grid for a few days next week and go with Emma. He owed his old buddy that.
“You got plans tonight?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “Girls’ night.”
“In that case, I’ll see if I can convince Trent to stay home from the club and hang out with his boring big brother.” He cracked a grin.
She laughed. “Who’d have thought anyone would ever call you boring?”
“Not me.”
“You’re settling down,” she said.
It’s what he’d come home to Haven for. He’d wanted to leave his nomadic, hell-raising lifestyle behind. But to hear Emma say it? While she was looking at him with those big, blue eyes that seemed to see right into his soul? He had the sudden, irrational need to take off on his bike, go in some seedy bar somewhere for a cheap beer and…no. Even in his imagination, he couldn’t fathom picking up some random chick and sleeping with her the way he used to. “I’m the same guy, Emma.”
“Just with a pickup truck so you can take your brother out for burgers, a business that’s one-third yours, and the first girl you’ve ever dated long enough to call her your girlfriend.” She tipped her face up to his, still smiling, but there was an edge to her words.
An edge that sliced deep into his chest. “That sounds awfully?—”
“Domesticated? It’s okay, Ryan. Your secret is safe with me.”
“I—”
“Sh.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t say anything stupid right now to ruin the moment, okay? I promise I’m not fishing for anything more from you. I’m leaving town in a few weeks anyway.”
“I wish you weren’t.” The words just slipped out, and he immediately wanted to take them back. “But I mean, I’m glad, too. You’re chasing your own dreams for once, and I’m so happy that you are. It’s just…I’ll miss you.”
“Me, too.” Something incredibly sad slipped across her features. “It doesn’t have to be good-bye, though.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we’ll talk more when the time comes.” Her gaze never wavered from his. “But in the meantime, think about what you want. Really think, Ryan.”
And without elaborating, she dropped to her knees in front of the memorial to resume planting flowers.
Rather than ask what she meant—because he wasn’t sure he wanted to know—he took a step back. “Let me know about next week, and I’ll shift my schedule around.”
“Okay. Bye, Ryan.”
“Bye.” He strode across the commons and down Main Street, not slowing until he’d reached his front door.
“Someone chasing you?” Trent asked with a smirk, leaning over the railing from the second floor.
He dodged Trent’s question with his own. “You looking for me?”
“Yeah.” Trent waved some papers at him. “I did that ancestry test you suggested, and I just got the results back.”
Ryan gestured for him to come in. “So what’s the verdict?”
Trent bounded down the stairs and followed him into his condo. “I’m half Korean.”
“Just as you suspected.” Ryan smiled as he went to the fridge for a couple of Cokes. He tossed a can to his brother. “Feel good to know for sure?”
Trent nodded, popping open the can. “It really does. I’ve been looking for Korean communities around here. I’d like to get to know more about my culture.”
“That’s great. Modern science rocks, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. There’s a pretty big Asian community back home,” Trent said, looking down at his soda.
“You given more thought to re-enrolling at Missouri College?”
Trent shrugged.
“You know I love having you here. I want you to stay. But I also want you to go back to college. Don’t waste the opportunity to get an education.”
“When I’m ready.” Trent squashed the empty soda can between his fingers. “I have an opportunity here, too, that I don’t want to waste. I’m spinning tunes once a week. That’s a pretty big deal at my age.”
Ryan drew a deep breath. “Yeah, it is. And I’m so friggin’ proud of you. I am.”
“Don’t worry, bro,” Trent said, and Ryan’s chest tightened at the endearment. He used it often with Mark and Ethan, but on his actual brother’s lips… Well, it was pretty fucking amazing.
“I’m young.” Trent tossed his can in the trash and headed for the door. “I’ve got time. I’ll figure it all out eventually.”
He would figure it out. Ryan was sure of it. Trent was motivated and hardworking, in the areas that interested him anyway. Passion like that, it took people places. The real question was…would Ryan figure his own shit out? Because Emma was leaving town in a few short weeks. Trent would have to go back to Missouri soon, too. Ryan was losing his newfound family, and he had no idea what to do about it.
“Hey, you want to stick around?” Ryan asked. “Maybe order a pizza, watch the game?”
“Um.” Trent stopped by the door, indecision written all over his face. “Yeah, okay. Sure.”
“Great.” Ryan had no clue what to do about the future, but right now, he was going to keep his family close and, like Trent, hope he’d figure the rest out eventually.