Page 45 of Yours, Truly

“Don't answer my question with another question. I've seen that look before. That's you’re ‘in love’ look,” she teased; my heart skipped a beat. Ivy knew me so well that she could read my emotions.

“There's no such thing!" I argued back, Ivy chuckling from the changing room. Now definitely wasn’t the time to answer this.

“And anyway, this day is about you, so no more questions. It’s Ivy Day!” I playfully teased; I wanted today to be all about her.

“Ivy Day? I can live with that.” She backed down as she wandered out of the changing room in yetanother dress.

It was a smaller dress, a slim line which looked great, but it

still wasn’t right. We assessed the dress, added on accessories and even sipped the complimentary champagne.

Another couple of dresses in and they just weren’t working for Ivy, they didn’t feel special enough and I could tell that all of Ivy’s visions were fading. She was getting deflated; she thought she knew what she wanted.You know Ivy; we need to find something.

“I’m going to go and have another browse at the dresses” I stated, as she tried on the last one she had chosen. I found a dress that wasn’t what Ivy had looked at but taking in the reactions she’d had about the dresses she tried on so far, it wouldn’t hurt to give it ago. So, I called the assistant over.

It was on the mannequin we had seen and it was beautiful but it wasn’t in Ivy’s vision. This was a wildcard; I could see Ivy in this and the dress screamedher.

“Gi, this is stunning, but it isn’t my vision,” she looked at the dress, admiring its beauty but remaining very hesitant to change her mind. She ran her hands down the fabric and over the details. I could see her eyes light up but she was still determined to find something that she had set her mind on.

“I know, but the dresses you’ve tried have been your vision and

they have not been right. I think you should try this. Remember to keep an open mind,” I reassured her.Please try it, trust me.

“It’s okay to try something different. Something you haven’t thought of going for.”

She gave a small nod and took a breath, carrying the beautifulmaterial into the changing room. It went silent and Ivy hadn’t come out yet.

“Ivy? You okay?” I was now worried; Ivy hadn’t taken this long when she tried the others on and I worried this dress didn’t fit her well and she was battling with her insecurity. Even the strongest and most confident people can be insecure and this was a big decision. These photos were forever. It needed to be perfect. It needed to be comfortable and she needed to feel like she was the most beautiful person in the room.

“Gi…” she said, I got up ready to walk to the changing room just as she came out. Ivy was a vision; the dress was perfect. It wasthedress. “This is the one!” she said, stunned, before she started to cry. My hands covered my mouth in shock at how breathtaking she looked.

I couldn’t help but get emotional too. I could see this in the venue, I could see the guests admire her, but most of all I could see Jude’s reaction; Ivy wore it perfectly. This dress was made for her and, even though it wasn’t what she’d had in mind, the wildcard was the one.

“This is the one,” I smiled, hugging her tightly as she cried into my arms, relieved that her manifestation had come true after we began to lose some hope.

She pulled back, wiping the tears and running her hands all over the dress, admiring herself in the mirror and taking a moment to take it all in. She chuckled as she ran her eyes over her figure, caressing the fine details. We added in some accessories and Ivy was transformed to the final look, theperfect bride. She didn’t hesitate, not even when it came to the price. This washerdress.

33

INTIMATE MOMENTS

It was the morning of Ivy’s wedding. I left Nate's house in the early hours after he got all the passion out of his system.

“I need to go, baby! It’s Ivy's wedding day,” I said as I laid beside him, struggling to leave his side, glancing into his eyes, stroking his cheek. His arms wrapped tightly around me, I just wanted to stay in his embrace forever.

“We will tell her soon, I promise” he told me, and I nodded. He knew I was nervous. “It's going to be so hard keeping away from you today. I can't wait to see you in your dress,” he grabbed my arse and pulled me into him. I giggled, stroking the hair at the nape of his neck and pouted. He pecked my lips.

“I can't wait to see you in another suit.” I took a breath as the anxiety returned. “I just hope Ivy isn't mad at us. She means everything to me and so do you. I don't know what I would do if I lost you both.”

The day for revealing the truth was getting closer and closer. The realisation was hitting me hard that this little bubble wouldbe no more, and the anxiety of losing both my best friend and the love of my life wasn’t an easy pill to swallow. I sighed pressing my forehead against him.

“Hey… that's not going to happen. I'm not going anywhere and I'll bring Ivy round if that happens. She may be mad at first, that we didn’t tell her, but she loves us both too much to stay mad. She would want us to be happy,” he reassured, planting a delicate kiss on my nose. I just hoped that he was right.

“Promise?” I asked, still unsure whether it would all be okay.

“I promise,” he smiled, as I watched the admiration beam from his eyes. It made all this worth it. “Now let's get going before we never leave this bed,” he instructed, giving my arse a final squeeze and rolling away.

I drove to Ivy's venue, making my way up to the manor house that she had stayed in last night to get ready. My floor length, apple-red bridesmaid dress was hanging in the spare room, waiting for me.

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