Page 20 of Very Special Forces

"Nomaiming small dogs," I said and Solomon laughed.

"If Iwork hard at it, we could get a double stroller," hesaid.

The ideaof pushing a double stroller with two junior Solomons in it, a bigdog on a leash, and heading out to brunch somewhere was a veryappealing fantasy. In my head, I added a very glamorous mommyoutfit that did not involve wearing a gun, pedestrians that wouldcoo at our delightful progeny, and absolutely nothingdangerous.

"You'resmiling," said Solomon.

"Adouble stroller, huh?"

"Myswimmers are like the Navy SEALS. They can penetrate anything. Tenbucks says triplets, first go."

Thistime, the air knocked out of me was for real. There was no way onearth was I letting that happen to me, unless it was a lot offun.

ChapterSix

"I loveit!"

"Beautiful!"

"Gorgeous!"

"Stunning!" The compliments came quickly andenthusiastically.

Standingin front of the mirror, on top of a little podium that I guessedwas supposed to make me feel like a princess — news flash, it did!— I checked my reflection. The dress was lovely. White,floor-length lace with a tiny train, a nipped-in waist and asweetheart strapless bodice. It was everything a wedding dressshould be: feminine, elegant and accentuating all the right assetswithout being too va va voom.

Yet, itwasn't quite perfect. Try as I might, I couldn't imagine walkingdown the aisle in it, or Solomon's face as he looked up and sawme.

It wasexactly the same with the first dress I tried on. That gown wassimpler than the other two I'd chosen for my final try-ons. Acolumn of white satin with a fluted skirt, a fitted bodice and acrew neck. It made me feel long and slinky, like an old-fashionedmovie star. Only something was missing.

"I thinkI want to try the other dress on," I said, echoing the same words Isaid ten minutes before... and ten minutes before that.

"Absolutely," grinned the perpetually happy-looking salesassistant dressed in black. A shiny, rectangular name plate on herchest read "Cherry" but I'd already renamed her "Cheery" in myhead. "We are trying on the last dress," she announced to the smallcrowd assembled on the two velvet sofas that bookended thepodium.

"Greatchoice!"

"It's anamazing dress!"

"Spoiledfor choice!"

I halfturned, smiling at my mom who held my sister Serena's daughter,Victoria, Lily with baby Poppy in her arms, and my sisters-in-law,Traci and Alice. They chose not to bring their daughters who wouldserve as my flower girls.

The onlyperson missing from the group was Serena and being on herhoneymoon, she was forgiven. Also, I was pleased to be spared herbarbed comments. Although she had softened substantially since shemet her husband — thanks to me — there were still frequent tracesof her acerbic nature. Plus, she would have surely voiced herconcern at anything that might outshine her own recent wedding. Notthat she had to worry. Her wedding was intimate and chic with alovely outdoor ceremony under an arch of cream and pink rosesfollowed by one of the most delicious meals I'd ever eaten, all tothe accompaniment of a string quartet. Since it was her secondwedding, she deviated from tradition with a dress in the softestblush pink and wore tiny roses in her hair. Delgado complementedher in a gray suit and pink tie with a pink buttonhole. He spentthe whole day with a huge smile plastered on his face. The entirething was delightfully romantic.

"Do youprefer the first gown?" asked Mom. She bounced Victoria, made somecooing noises that had the little girl laughing and lookedup.

"I don'tknow," I said hesitantly. Then I sighed. Who knew that buyinggorgeous dresses would be such hard work?

"This isnot supposed to be hard work," said Lily, apparently reading mymind.

"Youcould buy them both," suggested Alice. "I had two dresses. One forthe ceremony and one for the reception."

Irecalled the price tags. "I'm only buying one," I decided. "I justneed to make sure it's the right one."

"If thiswere the right one, you wouldn't want to try the first one onagain," pointed out Lily. "Go and get changed. We'llwait."

"Thankyou," I said, hoping my appreciation seeped through. We’d alreadybeen here an hour while I pranced and preened in front of themirror, turning this way and that. Cherry eagerly brought a steadystream of tiaras, veils and jeweled hair clips for me to try on. Sofar, the only thing I was dead certain about were my vertiginoushigh-heeled sandals in a deep sapphire blue. They would serve as“something blue” to peep out from under my gown and also forwearing long after the eventful day was over.

Igathered up the skirt and stepped down from the podium, hurrying tothe changing room, which was the size of a small bedroom. Decoratedin soft, shimmering white wallpaper, a series of large, glossyframes held photos of models in stunning gowns. An armoire offeredan array of props, silk bouquets, lace parasols, imitation pearland crystal jewelry, and everything a bride might need to give hera finished look. Obviously, I played with everything because ifever there was a time to indulge in dress-up, it was thisday.

---