Page 140 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

I bring a hand to my chest, smiling at her honest question. “Absolutely. You’re going to be my maid of honor—if you want to be, that is.”

“I get to wear a pretty dress?”

Amusement bubbles up inside me. Clearly, the dress is what she cares about most. “Of course.”

She nods succinctly. “Then count me in.”

My mom clears her throat, garnering my attention. She’s buckled, purse sitting primly in her lap. “Your father sends his love.”

I flinch and face the windshield. “I’m sure he does.”

For months, I’ve been doing my best to avoid thoughts of what a mess my relationship with my dad is. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, and not talking to him has been hard. But we’re both annoyingly stubborn, and I refuse to apologize when I did nothing wrong.

My mom reaches over, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

There’s no point in rehashing this, so I unlock my phone and click on the map icon. “What’s the address for the first place?”

She gives me a concerned frown, but she goes easy on me and simply rattles off the address so I can put it in my phone.

Twenty minutes later, I pull into a parking spot at a small boutique.

Show time.

I take my coffee with me, knowing I’ll need the caffeine to get me through the day.

The boutique is small but cute, with walls lined with dress after dress in varying styles.

My mom goes straight for the sleek, fitted dresses, while Grace is drawn to the big princess ballgowns.

Me?

I park my butt on a chair and simply wait for my mother to pick dresses she wants to see me in.

I know her well enough to understand that this is purely about her living out her own fantasy. What I like won’t matter, so why get my hopes up?

If Daire and I are going to have a real wedding, I’ll have to find a dress on my own another time. Maybe I can convince Bertie to come too.

I cross my legs, smiling when I get a text from Daire. It’s a photo of Sammy’s mostly gummy smile. His bottom two teeth are fully in, and he has one coming out on the top that’s been giving him a fit. Drool clings to his chin, but he’s still the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

“What are you smiling at?”

I turn my phone around so my mom can see. She wrinkles her nose. “Your kids will be cuter.”

“Mom!” I scold, tucking my phone away. That one simple sentence sends fissures spreading through my heart.

She sniffs, lifting her chin. “It’s true.”

I shake my head and stand so I can get away from her. “Sammy is a beautiful baby,” I mutter as I walk away.

Can this day be over yet?

Stopping in front of a rack of dresses, I browse through them mindlessly, distracted by anger and disappointment.

A throat clears nearby, catching my attention. A woman dressed in head-to-toe black approaches, wearing a friendly smile. “I’m Amy. I’ll be helping you today. Has anything caught your eye?”

I open my mouth to tell her I haven’t even really looked yet. That this is for my mom’s benefit not my own. But, of course, my mother beats me to it.

“I have a few over here I want you to pull for her to try.”

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