Page 22 of Pretend To Be My Cowboy
And besides, it wasn’t like she wanted what Lizzy had. Connor sounded great, and he was clearly Lizzy’s ideal, but he was the opposite of what Emma wished for. He was older, and while he’d been married before, he’d never had kids and didn’t seem to want any.
Since kids and a family of her own was all Emma had ever dreamed of, she definitely wasn’t envious of what Lizzy had.
She just wished she could find her own version of that happiness.
Lizzy’s chatter about the amazingness that was Connor, and how her wedding was going to be the best Chicago has ever seen, ended with a sappy sigh. “I wish I could just fast forward until my wedding day.”
Emma smiled as she leaned against the window frame and looked out. The sight was more soothing than any hot bath or distracting TV show could ever hope to be.
“It’ll be here soon enough,” she reminded her sister. “And if it was any sooner you’d be freaking out about how much there was left to do.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Lizzy said. “Speaking of, Mom’s going with me to the next fitting.” She paused. “I love our mother more than anything, but you know she’s gonna go behind my back and try to have the seamstress raise the neckline by three inches.”
Emma burst out laughing, picturing Lizzy’s dress and the plunging neckline. It was a stunning design, but their Mom looked about ready to faint when she first saw it.
“Wow, Lizzy, honey. Is that maybe just a little… revealing?” Her voice had squeaked and Emma had covered her mouth to muffle the laughter.
“Mother! Please! It’s not 1901. This dress is the latest fashion, inspired by a Gucci design.”
Lizzy laughed as Emma recalled the conversation. “Honestly. You’d think I was trying to walk down the aisle in my birthday suit the way she was going on.”
“Well, the good news is, you can redo whatever the seamstress does...and probably do a better job of it,” Emma assured her. “You did design the dress yourself.”
“I am pretty amazing with my ideas and my sewing machine.” She giggled at her own brag, but then her voice became serious. They were talking fashion after all and, according to Lizzy, this was no laughing matter. “Sometimes I wonder if I should have just made the dress myself, but Yolanda is the best seamstress in Chicago and this wedding dress is the most important thing I will ever wear. It needs that professional touch.”
Lizzy was adorable.
Emma tipped her head to the side and smiled. “Oh, sis, I miss you already.”
She sighed. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this alone. I had no idea the lawyer would have such… unexpected news.”
Emma stayed quiet. Her automatic response was to say ‘it’s fine’ but right now they’d both know it was a lie.
Nothing about this situation was fine.
“When you get home, I’ll be waiting at the airport to give you the fiercest hug you’ve ever gotten,” Lizzy said.
Emma’s eyes teared up. Again. She gave her head a shake of annoyance. She’d never been a big crier, and she almost never lost her temper. The memory of her outburst in the truck made her wince.
“You are still planning on coming back in six days, right?” Lizzy’s voice was wary. “You’re not going to let this whole sister search change your plans, are you?”
Emma’s gaze caught on a deer in the distance and her lips curved up in a small, rueful smile. What her darling sister meant, of course, was would this search for the other O’Sullivan daughters change Lizzy’s plans.
Not that Emma could blame her. Planning a wedding was stressful, and without her far-more-organized maid of honor, it was no surprise Lizzy was in a panic at the thought of her getting delayed.
She opened her mouth to reassure her sister that she’d still be home on time, but hesitated.
“I mean, you can make calls from Chicago, right?” Lizzy persisted. “You don’t have to be there to do it.”
Emma nodded, but Lizzy couldn’t see her and she couldn’t quite bring herself to make any promises aloud.
She wasn’t sure what other secrets this sister search would reveal, or what new surprises would come her way.
The thought should have added to her tension, but the view was working some sort of magic on her heart. The way the land seemed to stretch on forever, the way the sun setting in the west kept subtly changing the colors of the sky and the landscape. The wildlife that moved so freely.
“Em?” Lizzy prompted. Anxiety was clear in her voice and Emma felt another stab of guilt. Her sister needed her.
The newfound family she’d never known now needed her too, though they might not know it.
