Page 15 of Holiday Hitch

Clarissa sighed, “Well, if we were certain it wouldn’t blow your secret, maybe we could. But the paparazzi would be everywhere. And I really think everything you’ve tried on looks incredible. You just have to find what makes you feel the best.”

Of course every designer in New York swore that they would be able to keep Jamie‘s nuptials a secret if she came in and got fitted for a suit. But Jamie had gotten used to the quiet of her small town and had no interest in risking their quiet ceremony for the sake of an expensive suit.

Even if the dim lights in the boutique made it impossible to judge the color of the suits correctly.

Besides, Jamie was excited to support a local, queer business who specialized in making suits for different bodies.

“Do you think Dani will like it?” Jamie asked, blushing.

She could see her mom’s face light up at the question, she loved how much Jamie thought about Dani’s opinion. It was a behavior Clarissa had never seen in Jamie before Dani came into her life.

“I think she’ll love anything you show up in because it’s you in the suit,” Clarissa said. It was the most mom thing she could say, and it was exactly what Jamie needed to hear. She wanted the day to be perfect, and Dani loving the suit would be a huge part of that.

Jamie rolled her eyes as she walked across the cat walk and looked in the mirror, “What a copout.”

Jamie took a deep breath as she got one last look at the dark blue suit. Her leg began to shake, her heel tapping against the large format tile. Something about it wasn’t quite right.

Maybe the blue was too basic.

“There’s one more I want to try,” Jamie promised

Clarissa smiled and laughed, “Honey, I’m here for you. You take your sweet ass time, because we’re not leaving here until you find a suit you love.”

Jamie smiled as she made her way back into her dressing room, so thankful for her mother and her infinite patience. Trying on the suits had made Jamie wish she had had the confidence to wear one to prom, knowing she would’ve been more comfortable in her own skin if she had.

She pulled the curtain closed and began to take off the suit, first pulling off the jacket and hanging it back up.

Her mom had insisted that there be some fanfare in looking for Jamie’s suit. “You’re my only child, and if you’re not gonna do dress shopping, I do insist on being there for your suit shopping,” Clarissa had said in her kitchen when Jamie first mentioned trying to find a suit quietly.

Originally, Clarissa was insistent that Jamie invite Malack as well, but Jamie was nervous about picking her suit in front of so many people.

It already felt strange to have the tailor fiddle around with each piece as she tried them on. But Jamie was more used to that than an audience… at least when she was trying on clothes.

She unbuttoned the shirt that accompanied the blue suit, careful not to wrinkle it and create more work for the tailor.

Dani’s cooking had definitely softened the muscles Jamie had gained from her last tour. All the time spent working out and dancing around on stage was no match for the incredible meals waiting for her back in New Winford.

But Jamie loved letting Dani take care of her, almost as much as she loved taking care of Dani. Even after all this time, Dani was still reluctant to allow anyone to take things off her plate, but Dani always let Jamie help.

She had quit her job at Dirty Dee’s over a year ago, but Dani always found a way to fill her days, especially with her dog grooming business starting to take off. Jamie shook her head as she thought about Dani’s insistence on hosting a holiday adoption drive for the New Winfford Humane Society the same week of their wedding. Even after Arden offered to run the event herself.

Jamie still wasn't sure why Dani had been insistent about cramming so many things into the short time before she went back on tour. She'd rather spend the time relaxing and getting to enjoy one another's company before she was back on the road instead of racing to plan all of these events. But she could tell it was important to Dani for whatever reason, so she decided to go along with it. After all, Dani was taking on the bulk of the planning, and if all she had to do to make her happy was answer some questions about bouquets and pick out a nice suit, she could do that happily.

Jamie slipped on a black button down and carefully did up each button. The collar was stiff around her neck as she did the top button. She carefully slid her arm into the evergreen suit jacket and pulled up the matching pants.

Well that’s better, Jamie thought as she looked in the mirror. The trousers fell at a perfect spot on her hips, and the color felt perfect: seasonal, but not too Christmas-y.

“Okay, I actually like this one,” Jamie called out to Clarissa as she smiled at herself in the mirror.

Clarissa let out a squeal as she clapped her hands and waited to see her daughter.

As Jamie peeled back the curtain to reveal the suit, Clarissa’s mouth dropped open immediately.

“Wow, honey. It’s perfect,” Clarissa said, tears building up in her eyes.

Jamie smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror and saw exactly what she wanted to: a woman who was ready to make Dani Crawford her wife.

“Do you think it’ll be warm enough?“ Jamie asked.

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