15. A Dream Wedding
fifteen
A Dream Wedding
Iris
The room that Marissa had led them to was one that Iris rarely saw to be put to any use.
Iris had been it, of course, but had very little use for it.
It was nicer than the other rooms. Larger, with lavish furnishings.
Iris thought the whole room was a bit ostentatious.
Nash used it primarily as a guest bedroom, but he rarely allowed guests to stay in the beach house, so it was empty most of the time.
His father, however, was another story. Before Nash took over the running and managing of the family's massive trusts and real estate portfolio, his father would use this house to host networking events.
Inviting other members of the wealthy elite to gather and make themselves all the more richer.
Nash shut that down, preferring this property to be a remote getaway for himself when he wanted to get away from the busy city life.
But this room in particular? This is where his father let his mistress sleep after he finished showing her off at one of his parties.
Nash told her once that while his mother died when he was young, he was under no delusion that his father ever grieved for her.
There was little love between his parents.
Their marriage was more a business deal than a love match.
Thinking about her soon to be father-in-law caused a shiver to roll over her.
Jameson Nash was a cold man. He never seemed to warm to her.
It was no secret he thought she was beneath him.
Unworthy to marry into the Nash family. With effort, she shook those negative thoughts off determinedly.
His opinion didn't matter. Nash wanted her, and that was all that mattered.
Marissa guided them towards the two stylists who were waiting for them.
Each starting their work immediately once they took their seats.
They worked quickly, and before Iris could believe it, both she and Daisy were wedding ready.
At least, their hair and makeup were. She was still in the robe Marissa had hustled her into when they left the patio.
"You look beautiful, Iris." Daisy's voice saying her birth name felt strange. She had always been Lily to her before. But now, she felt like she had lived two lifetimes since those carefree years in Arizona.
"Thank you, Daisy. You do as well." Her words were warm. She was happy in a way she'd never experienced before. In no small part because Daisy was here with her on her wedding day.
Gratitude for Nash bringing her and Dahlia here flooded through her.
"I am so glad you are here. You and Dahlia are my family.
It wouldn't be the same without you by my side.
But I am sorry that you have been away from home for so long.
Dahlia has missed so much school, and I am sure the business is suffering.
I am so sorry that my problems and my life have so affected yours. "
Daisy walked over and wrapped her arms around her, the familiar floral scent of her favorite perfume comforting Iris.
"Don't worry about that, Iris. Don't you dare.
You and I are sisters. Maybe not by blood, but that doesn't change a thing.
" She pulled back and forced Iris to look into her eyes.
"We are not suffering. Your Mr. Nash has been busy.
The day after you both left, a woman I had never met walked into the store and told me she was hired as my new assistant manager. "
Iris's eyes bulged. "She what?"
"Yeah, and following right behind her was some tech guru with wires and interfaces and screens galore.
" She said with a roll of her eyes. "It was like nothing I had ever seen.
But he was there to upgrade our website, our client portal, our maintenance logs, payroll, everything.
He had it done within half a day, and our productivity has more than doubled.
More rentals, more upgrades and extra packages purchased with each reservation.
We bring in more revenue in one week than we used to bring in a month.
And the numbers seem to be growing each week. "
"And Nash hired them?" Iris asked in confusion.
"Yes, he did. He has streamlined everything, so now I can just focus on what I want to do.
Which, as you know, is not have to do anything administrative or business related.
" She said with a light chuckle. "I like to meet with the customers and buy more boats.
" She said with a gentle smile, before her face sobered.
"So, while I miss you desperately, it is not as my business partner.
Things have never been better. Nash invested money into the company upfront so I could hire an employee to handle the day-to-day operations.
It's allowed us to handle more business.
I pop in after Dahlia is dropped off at school, and then leave when she is out. "
Iris smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"That is so great." And she meant it. Knowing that her absence was not causing a financial strain on Daisy helped relieve the guilt that ate away at her.
But a small part of her could not help but feel inferior.
She had been there for three years, pouring her everything into that business right alongside Daisy.
She was proud of it. But they had never had the extra money to hire more staff.
Or, at least, hiring more staff wasn't a big enough necessity to justify the expense.
With the two of them, one of them could always care for Dahlia while the other worked on the site.
But, still... Dahlia played in the office far too many afternoons.
Instead of spending her afternoons at the park or at home, she was set up with coloring books and a tablet.
Guilt ate at her. Maybe she didn't do enough.
She'd only been gone a month, and for most of that time Daisy was here in New York with her. She flew home two weeks ago after they settled into the beach house. And then flew back yesterday.
How did Nash accomplish so much in so little time? He completely overhauled the business in a day or two, and now it was practically self-sufficient.
Her mother's snide comments came roaring back in.
You really just aren't suited for the family business, dear. Not enough intelligence. Luckily, if you keep that weight off, you're pretty enough to attract a decent husband. That's where you need to focus.
Maybe she was right, she thought, with her stomach twisting into knots.
Her hands came together over her stomach, clasping together tightly.
A nervous habit she developed in childhood to stop nail biting.
Her mother slapping her fingers with a ruler every time she bit her nails was too painful.
She learned a new coping skill quickly after the second set of black and blue knuckles.
The anxiety threatened to overtake her, but a knock at the door broke its hold on her. It opened and Marissa walked in, carrying two dress bags carefully.
"Oh, you both look stunning!" She burst out happily. With a bounce in her step that sent her ponytail flying, she marched over and hung up the dresses. "These are for you both."
The two ladies watched her while she unzipped the bags. Iris's eyes bulged when she caught sight of her dress. It was exactly the one she always dreamed of. Marissa walked over to the en suite and then carried in two beautiful bouquets, tearing her eyes away from the dress.
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall and ruin all the hard work that the makeup artist went through.
But it was a hard fought battle. That was her bouquet.
The one she designed. The one she spent weeks scouring through floral catalogues and picking out what she wanted to include in her bouquet.
It was made up of white Picasso calla lilies and irises, then deep purple roses were the focal point.
Their dramatic color stood out against the stark white petals.
The large lilies combined both colors, with a deep purple center surrounded by white petal tips.
It was perfect. Exactly what she always imagined. Well, almost. Like everything else, he did this even better than her. She locked her eyes on the unexpected flowers and felt her eyes burn.
Lilies. He added lilies.
Everything from her first life here with him shown through. But he went a step further and incorporated her new life with Daisy as well. And the dress. He did all of this for her. He must have. There was no other explanation.
"Well, I will leave you two to get dressed. We have about ten minutes until the ceremony. I will be back then." She then turned and left in a cloud of efficiency, already murmuring into her headset.
"Here, I'll help you get dressed." Daisy offered with a smile.
They walked over to the garment bag and lifted her stunning dress off the hanger.
There was some weight to it. There must have been five pounds of crystals sewn across the bodice.
Holding it up between them took both of them.
But, finally, she stepped in and slid the gown up her body.
It hugged her curves perfectly, and the trumpet design gave the illusion she was taller than she really was.
The long, billowing train was everything she ever dreamed it would be.
How did she ever doubt him? He might not flower her with pretty words, but his actions showed he always listened. He knew her, in a way no one else ever had.
"Iris..." Daisy said before letting out a low whistle. "You look absolutely stunning," Daisy said, her voice dazed. Iris moved over to the floor-length mirror leaning against the closet, and she had to agree. She looked just like she always dreamed she would on her wedding day.