Page 61 of Unmistakably Us

Twenty

In spite of the company waiting when she arrived at the bridal shop, January was going to make the most of this occasion. She’d always dreamed of choosing her perfect wedding dress with Gus by her side. They would giggle, drink champagne, and pick her the most amazing dress.

It took some considerable effort on her part, but she didn’t let the reaction or the explanation of her hair get under her skin. Of course, her mother would bond with Chadwick’s mother over rebellious kids who made poor decisions. She was going to be like Elsa and just let all the shit go, until Melody blamed her sister’s influence.

“Mother, that’s not true. Gus is the best influence I can think of. It was you who influenced my current, and if I do say so, awesome as fuck, style.” Before her mother could scold her further, she left them in the lobby and headed to the red-haired lady who was waiting with anticipation.

“You must be the bride-to-be, I’m Lydia. Right this way. I’ve picked out some dresses in your size that should suit your style. We have champagne and anything else you might need, you only need to ask.”

“Lydia, I am a bit baffled about my style. I don’t know that I have a clue what it is, so how you should, confuses me.” Lydia paled. She seemed like a nice lady, but January wasn’t in a great mood. Not after realizing that the other five people with Chadwick’s mother were her bridesmaids and maid of honor. Not her choice, and she’d only ever met her maid of honor at a few functions. She was connected to the Rodgers family somehow, but she’d be hard pressed to recall how.

Lydia led her to an elaborate room with multiple couches and three stages, all surrounded by mirrors and lights. “Sorry, your mother came in a few weeks ago and we had a storm sesh on what style you prefer. They’re waiting in the changing room over there.”

“Of course, she did.” The sarcasm wasn’t hidden, but Lydia remained professional.

“You’ll notice we have stocked the room with champagne and comment cards for your wedding party to fill out anonymously so their opinions can’t hurt your feelings.” She then pointed toward the stages. “Each platform is equipped with a different style of lighting so you can see how the dress will look at both the ceremony and the reception, even the hotel lighting after.”

“Wow, Lydia. You’ve outdone yourself, but may I ask a favor?” A quick nod from her hostesses was all she needed. “Can you show me some other dresses in my size?” Lydia’s face fell like she had just been insulted. I may be over-annoyed by everything else surrounding this day, but Lydia really had outdone herself. It wasn’t her fault my life was in the fucking can.

Squeezing her arm reassuringly, January tried to do some damage control, especially since Lydia was the only person on Team January in the whole building. “I’m sure the perfect dress is already hanging in the dressing room, but I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. You never know. Plus, between you and me, I plan to punk my maid of honor and pretend to fall in love with a hideous dress.”

You’d think Lydia just got a puppy on Christmas morning the way she reacted. “Oh, what fun, I have a perfect dress for that. She’ll just die. Come on.” Lydia pulled her along, chattering the whole time.

They hung the dresses with the others in the humongous dressing room. “Okay, are you ready to start? I say we try this one first.”

“Um, Lydia, I’m not comfortable dressing in front of someone. Can I have some privacy?” Lydia didn’t seem hurt, so January was calling it a win.

“No worries, I’ll be behind that curtain, so I won’t be here while you’re changing, just pop in to assist. Or, if you prefer, I can wait outside that door until you need me. If you manage yourself, just knock and I’ll come around to the viewing room. You can enter through that door without going around.”

January breathed a sigh of relief. She kind of wanted to play dress-up and just live the fantasy in here. She only planned to step out for a minimum amount of time, long enough for her mom to bash all the dresses except the preferred one.

“That would be best if that’s okay with you?” Lydia nodded and turned toward the door. “Oh, by the way, which dress is the one my mother chose?” Lydia looked like she was about to protest. “Come now, we both know she is leaning toward one in particular. Mom’s are all the same, am I right?”

Lydia smiled and pointed. “That one. She had it chosen from before she even got here. It’s a beautiful dress and before I met you, I would’ve pushed you toward it. But, it’s not very you. Don’t tell her I told you, though.”

“Mum’s the word. So, which would you pick for me?”

“That one, definitely.”

January studied the dress she’d indicated. “Noted.”

After Lydia excused herself, January donned the first dress. She did need a little help with some fastenings. Before she could call for Lydia, she knocked on the door to tell her everyone was in place in the viewing room and to bring her a glass of champagne. After granting her permission to enter, Lydia gasped.

“Wow, you look…amazing.”

“Thanks, one of those for me?” January knew the answer already, but she needed that drink and had to snap Lydia to somehow. The woman was memorized, it seemed.

“Actually, they both are. With that crowd, I figured you could use it.” As soon as she spoke, the beautiful woman snapped her head up, her eyes stricken in fear. “Oh, forgive me, that wasn’t my place. I shouldn’t have—”

January relieved her of both glasses and gulped both of them down like tequila shots in a bar. “No worries, Lydia. You’re correct, that’s an…exhausting crowd.” Lydia’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “No, exhausting is too nice. They’re shitty people, Lydia. All of them, and personally, you are a fucking saint for dealing with them and not ending up with a date with a judge and a potential three-to-five vacation courtesy of the state.”

Lydia, bless her heart, took the flutes back from January and went to the curtained-off area. “I stocked in here as well, just in case.” Peering around Lydia, she noticed a bar setup with an already opened and chilled bottle of champagne and a spare. “No offense, but I met your mother before, remember? Sadly though, this was to be my stash, I…” Trailing off, Lydia returned with two full glasses.

“Thanks.” January took a sip and then tried to fill in the blanks. “Let me guess, you met my mother and my awful future mother-in-law and thought holy shit, the bride must be some piece of work. Am I right?”

Lydia blushed and studied her feet. “Well—”

A laugh sprang up from January so forceful, she doubled over, almost spilling her drink. “You don’t have to answer. I know what I would’ve thought if I were you.” For some reason, January trusted Lydia. Maybe she shouldn’t have, but she needed an ally until the papers showed up, anyway, then she could bolt and never look back. Until then, she wanted to have fun, and she needed a friend to do that.

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