15. A Dream Wedding #2
She looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Your turn," with a nod of her head, she urged Daisy to get dressed in her beautiful purple gown. It had an asymmetrical neckline and hugged her body before dropping into loose skirts. There was a high slit up the thigh.
The perfect combination of tasteful and sexy. The exact dress design she sketched years ago. Back then, she imagined it was going to be Holly who stood next to her. She was extremely happy to be wrong.
Daisy returned her grin and then pulled the dress down to step into it. Iris moved towards her to help zip her up, when a loud, impatient knock rung through the room.
"Iris, I need you to cover up. I've got the pip squeak with me to deliver to her mother, and I can't be the first one to see you in your wedding dress." Carson's voice was unmistakable. As was the impatience in his tone.
"You can come in. I don't mind you seeing the dress. I'm decent." Her hands reach again for the zipper, but she jerked away when the pounding started on the door again. This time, even louder.
"I didn't ask if you were decent. I asked you to cover up that dress."
"Why?" she asked, bewildered. Her hands coming to her hips while her body turned to face the door.
"Because I don't want to fucking die today. How about that?" He barked through the door. As if she was dense for not understanding him.
They heard a muffled, "Language!" from a soft voice that Iris knew was Dahlia. Daisy and she both shared a smile, before the words hit them.
"Die?"
"We don't have time for this," he growled. "Put a robe on or go hide in the bathroom."
Confused, but desperate to see Dahlia, she moved over to where she had tossed her robe aside.
She thought Nash had hired a nanny to watch Dahlia while the wedding was getting set up, and she couldn't wait to see her all dressed up in her flower girl dress.
But it was Carson who was escorting her here. When did he pick her up?
Once she shrugged into the robe and tied it closed. She raised her voice.
"Alright, come in."
"Finally," he growled as he opened the door.
Dahlia ran in and went straight to Iris. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around the little girl. It was as if she could feel the tension just ebb away. Children really were magical. Such happy, innocent souls. A hug from Dahlia never failed to make her feel better.
"You look like an angel, Aunt Lily." Iris smiled and looked down at her in the beautiful flower girl dress she was in. It had white lace on top with a full, deep purple skirt. There were layer of tulle that swished all around her. Her hair was pinned up with tendrils framing her small face.
"So do you, sweet girl."
"You're not even dressed? The ceremony is supposed to start in three minutes." Carson growled while stalking over to where Daisy stood. Iris watched as her best friend's cheeks flushed bright red and then held the bodice of her dress up with tight arms to keep it from gaping.
"If you hadn't barged in, I would have been dressed. Iris was about to zip me up—" her words ended abruptly when he reached out and spun her around until her bare back was facing him. "What do you think you are doing?" She squeaked out in a high voice.
"Zipping you. What does it look like I am doing?"
Iris and Dahlia watched as he slid her zipper up. It felt as if there was some unnamed tension in the room. Iris furrowed her brow as she tried to decipher what exactly the tension was. It couldn't be what it felt like.
It just wasn't possible.
Was it?
Before she had time to think any more about it, the door opened again, and in popped bubbly Marissa. "Places everyone! It's wedding time!"
For such a bubbly person, Marissa was an expert at herding people. Iris could barely recall the journey from the room down to the beach. But they all followed her dutifully.
They all stopped right inside the doorway leading out to the private beach.
Marissa stood in front of them both, keeping her, Daisy, and Dahlia out of sight of the wedding guests.
But Iris couldn't help but sneak a peek around her, desperate for a look at her wedding decor. What she saw took her breath away.
A gorgeous archway had been set up, creating a picturesque frame against the water in the background.
There were large white linen walls draped out, standing on a diagonal from the archway.
Giving the space a private and intimate feel but still letting the ocean be seen behind the arch.
There were flowers everywhere. Deep purple mixed with pure white, making it all the more stark than it otherwise would be.
The flowers were all a match for those in her bouquet.
Her favorite flowers dominating the scene.
When the wind blew just right, the floral scent mixed with the salty sea air, creating a heavenly scent. It was better than she ever imagined it would be. It was exactly how she pictured her wedding to be.
"Alright, the music is about to start," she said in a serious tone.
Iris cast a look at her. The first time she had heard the woman speak in anything but a bubbly voice.
"Daisy, you go first. Dahlia, angel, you will follow right after your mother.
Drop your flowers just like we practiced earlier with Mr. Carson.
" She raised a brow, finally discovering why Carson was the one who escorted her to the suite.
There was never a nanny. Carson was watching her the whole time.
It seemed the all-powerful Marissa tasked him with an important mission for rehearsal. She couldn't help the smile that came over her face. The fearsome woman in question then locked her gaze on her.
"And then, when I give you the signal, you will walk down the aisle."
"Alone?" Iris murmured, anxiety climbing.
She had expected her parents to arrive at any moment.
The tension was killing her. Marissa's face dropped slightly, her eyes showing a sliver of true emotion behind her professional mask.
Compassion bled through the bubbly wedding enthusiast she'd shown thus far.
"Yes, alone I'm afraid. The only approved guests are your two siblings and Mr. Nash's father." She lowered her voice, "I tried to get your brother to walk you down the aisle, but Mr. Nash made it clear that was not allowed."
Iris pulled back slightly, surprise taking over her face.
But then she thought about it. The idea of seeing her parents that day had been terrifying.
Her stomach rolled the whole morning, worried she would need to subjected to their never-ending insults.
It was a relief to know they would not be a part of her wedding at all.
She had little desire to see them ever again.
It might be untraditional, but the longer she thought about it, the more the concept of walking alone down the aisle felt right. She lived her whole life alone. Well, her entire childhood, at least. No one wanted her in their lives.
Not her parents.
Not Holly.
And not Ash.
No one cared much for her, no one until Nash. And then Daisy.
It made sense that no one would walk her down the aisle. No one was giving her away. She was giving herself to Warrick Nash. He wasn't even giving her a choice. In truth, he was taking her.
She looked up and saw the worried lines on Marissa's face, and put her out of her misery.
She smiled brightly. "That sounds perfect.
Thank you." With her words, Marissa grinned, obviously relieved she would not need to mediate an argument between the bride and groom.
Iris just laughed softly. No doubt a duty Marissa has had to handle in the past.
"Ok, now that everything's settled, it's time to get started. Mr. Nash was very specific about when the ceremony needed to start."
"Why? When does it need to start?" Iris couldn't help but ask. Her eyes were on the horizon. She suspected she already knew. But it never hurt to have confirmation.
"Half an hour before sunset, and not a minute later," she murmured distractedly.
Iris smiled secretly, pleased to have her suspicions confirmed. He didn't miss a single detail. She had to give him that.
Daisy looked at her with a question in her eyes, but before she could badger the answer out of her, they heard the first strands of the processional march.
"Action, ladies. Go, go," Marissa shooed them out the door.
Iris tilted her head, sneaking a peak through the sliver of space left between Marissa's head and the door frame.
Daisy and Dahlia were beautiful, their dresses perfectly complimented by the flowers bursting from vases on the two ends of the aisle.
Before she knew it, the music changed. The familiar strands of Pachelbel's Canon in D rang through the air. Marissa was whispering to her it was time. She took a deep breath and then walked down the aisle. She wanted to take in the scene before her, but her eyes were fixated on one man.
Nash stood atop the dais, beneath the arch at the end of the aisle, waiting for her.
His eyes blazed out at her as she walked towards him.
The heat in that gaze caused a fire to rise within her, eager to meet his.
She never even spared their meager guests a single look.
She reached the dais, handed her bouquet to Daisy to hold, and then turned back to place her hands in his.
It felt surreal that she was there with the man she was about to marry. She never thought this day would come. Let alone that she would be happy about it.
"How did you know?" she whispered beneath her breath. Just loud enough for him to hear. His only response was a smirk. She smiled widely. She knew he wouldn't tell her how he knew all of her preferences. But she imagined the wedding binder she left behind had something to do with it.
Standing beneath the arch was even more breathtaking than she ever imagined. The flowers draped down from above them. It was more than she could have asked for. It was a perfect wedding.