Page 36 of Promised Vows

Maybe if we met in a public place that’d give me a chance to get a feel for things. Texting was great, but it lacked inflection and tone. Maybe I was overreacting.

How about we meet for coffee tomorrow? Or whenever and wherever is good for you?

Thea stopped and faced me. “I forgot to ask. Do you mind if my aunt Helen comes along for the cake testing? She threatened bodily harm if she missed another one.” She rolled her eyes. “After telling me that I wasn’t to let her eat sweets because she was watching her figure.”

I laughed. “No, not at all. I like her.”

Thea nodded. “I love Helen. She’s the best. The kindest, sweetest woman. She runs a soup kitchen.”

Okay, now that was cool. “Rock on, Aunt Helen.”

I’d reached the table and was taking my seat when his answer came.

That will be fine. Tomorrow at a coffee shop sounds fine. Once you figure out the details, let me know and I’ll be there.

Okay, see you then.

I dropped my phone in my purse and an hour later, after going through all the options, I had my invitations. Expensive ones too. Shimmery silver paper, belly bands, and the shop would be taking care of getting them all addressed and sent out. No hand cramps for me.

Aunt Helen waited for us at the bakery. Apparently, she liked cake as much as I did. Claire had an orange sponge at her wedding, and that was great, but it wasn’t my style. I went traditional with a twist of modern. Three tiers, coated in a crisp white thin layer of fondant with a pressed floral pattern, and a cascade of watercolor sugar flowers. I’d thought about the bouquet, which I’d need to work out the floral arrangements in the next few days too—I’d almost forgotten about that—and went with anemone, peony, and roses with dried silver brunia berries. I wanted those as the flowers on the cake as well. As for the flavor of the cake, I chose vanilla with raspberry filling. That sample was delish.

Once that was taken care of, we headed to the dress shop. That was where things got tricky. I wasn’t a size two. Not that there’s anything wrong with being that size. I just wasn’t that. I didn’t have a thigh gap and I had boobs and a booty. Finding something that would fit me the way I wanted it to wasn’t going to be easy. I did have designer friends who could hook me up with alterations, but after considering the situation, I didn’t exactly want to call them.

Yeah, so hey, you see my brother is the boss of our mafia family and he’s forcing me to get married to strengthen and solidify a union between my family and another family. Just another day in the mafia hood. So can you help a girl out?

I desperately wanted to avoid that awkward conversation.

Apparently, the dress shop was the same one Claire used because Thea had liked how one of the bridal assistants had treated Claire. Over the few hours she and I had been together, I learned my new sister-in-law could be protective of her family. It made me feel good that she wanted to protect me too.

A woman with tightly curled black hair approached me with her hand out. “I’m Shanna, your bridal assistant. I’ll be taking care of you starting now and will be with you through the entire process.”

“I’m Anna Georgiou. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” She looked at Thea and then Aunt Helen and smiled. “Nice to see you again as well.”

My bridal assistant gave me the once-over and smiled. “You are in luck. We have a new designer, Wren Eden?—”

“I know her!” I nearly squealed. “Her lines are gorgeous.”

Shanna’s mouth dropped open and she gawked at me like I rubbed elbows with a celebrity. “You do?”

I nodded. “I was in one of her shows last year. One of the few designers who makes clothes specifically for curvy women. She’d said she wanted to do wedding dresses someday, and I guess she finally did it.”

“They’re gorgeous too. Classically modern is what I’m calling it.” She eyed me again. “There’s one that’s an off-the-shoulder V-neckline gown that I think would be perfect for you.”

Off the shoulder? V neckline? This woman was speaking my language. “Let’s try it.”

“We’ll go check out bridesmaid dresses. Marianna and Elana should be here in a few minutes, and Claire should be back from her birthday trip by then. I assume you want her too?” asked Thea.

“Yeah, that’d be great.” Otherwise, I’d have two bridesmaids, and that seemed pathetic. I liked Marianna and Elana too. We’d be talking about the bouquet throw, though. If they brawled like they did at Claire’s wedding, it wouldn’t be Aunt Helen taking them out by the ear. It’d be me.

Shanna led me to the room, and I stripped to my underwear as I waited for her to bring in the dress. I figured I’d be there all day trying on dresses. If this first dress turned out to be the one, I’d be floored. Ecstatic, but floored.

A knock came from the door, and Shanna stuck her head in, a clear-bagged dress in hand. My pulse jumped. The invitations and the cake hadn’t so much as moved the needle on my anxiety meter, but that dress? I had heart palpitations. This wedding was suddenly getting very real.

It was obvious who’d designed the dress Shanna hung up. I would have known without her telling me. Wren liked everything clean. She didn’t do patterns or a ton of accessories. Let the fabric do the talking, is what she’d say. “Oh, this is so Wren.”

“Well, she also made bridesmaid dresses in the same collection. I pointed your group to them. They’re dusty rose.”

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