Page 65 of Promise Me Ever After
Miranda poked her head into the cubicle. “Okay to come in?”
“Sure.”
She stepped inside, her gaze falling on the phone which still showed the message chat between Alex and me. One eyebrow raised and she glanced back at me. “I take it your boyfriend approves?”
It still took some getting used to referring to Alex as my boyfriend.
“Perhaps you’ll be back for a wedding dress soon?”
Miranda was only making conversation, but her words brought back the reminder of two broken engagements like a slap in the face. In each case, I’d never even got as far as choosing a dress. Maybe it was a sign I shouldn’t get married. Ever.
After we’d done the final fitting and Darcy was happy with everything, we headed to the nearest coffee shop for a well-earned drink and some cake. We settled down at a table and Darcy pulled her wedding planner out of her bag. It bulged with paper, magazine cuttings, Post It notes and all manner of invitation samples.
“Are you okay?” Darcy eyed my plate as I practically inhaled the slice of chocolate cake without stopping for breath.
The fork clattered onto the empty plate. “Yeah, fine.”
“You’re not. You don’t eat that quickly unless you’re upset about something. Have you had an argument with Alex?”
Quite the opposite. He’d sent me a bunch of messages after my lingerie pics. I drummed my fingers on the table.
“Miranda asked if I’d be needing a wedding dress.” I took a swig of coffee, regretting it the moment it hit my lips and stripped a layer off my skin.
“Ah, right.” Darcy nodded, understanding before I needed to explain any further. “She wasn’t to know.”
“I’m trying to make things different with Alex. To not get hung up on what’s next and just enjoy being in the moment with him.” I sighed.
“I get that.” She reached over and patted the back of my hand. “Being so wrapped up in my big day can’t be helping either.”
“Don’t be silly. You and Fraser getting married is something you’ve wanted right from when you met him! But, unlike me, you didn’t rush into it.”
Darcy and Fraser met at university, where they lived in a house share for a year. When Fraser graduated and started in a job — him being two years older than her — they moved in together. He proposed on Darcy’s twenty-fifth birthday and they’d been planning the wedding for the past eighteen months.
Her eyes went all misty. “It’s true. Fraser’s the only guy I’ve ever been with.”
Sometimes, I longed for my sister’s simple, easy relationship. Could I have married my university sweetheart? Oh, wait, I almost did.
“What else is on the list?” I pointed to her planner. “There are only three days to go.”
While Darcy ran through the things she wanted to achieve today, my mind wandered again. Had I got married to Nick, we would have been celebrating our ninth wedding anniversary and I wouldn’t have had to deal with the shit that had been Russ.
But then I wouldn’t have met Alex. A warm glow spread through me at the mere thought of him.
“Mum and Dad will be here tomorrow. I’m going to cook dinner, can you come?” Darcy’s question penetrated my bubble.
I grabbed my phone from my bag, smiling at the latest message from Alex. “Let me check my rota.” A family dinner was honestly the last thing I wanted to attend, particularly if I had to go alone to cement my status as the spinster older sister. Sadly, the schedule indicated I had a night off. “I think I might have to work,” I bluffed.
“Oh, can’t you change it? This will be the last time I’ll be having dinner with Mum and Dad as Darcy Cavanagh,” begged Darcy.
“Christ, Darcy, you’re only changing your name when you marry Fraser, you’re not having a personality transplant! Or at least I hope you’re not. You’re not going to turn into a Stepford Wife, are you?” Images of Darcy and a gaggle of women all dressed identically came to mind. My sister had more independent sense than that.
“As if.” She tutted, forking the last piece of her Bakewell tart into her mouth. “Please, Georgie, can’t you change your shift? Why don’t you ask Alex if he’d like to come? It would be good for him to meet Mum and Dad.”
The mouthful of coffee I had just swallowed stuck in my throat. That was certainly taking things to the next level. Keeping things light and casual didn’t really fit with introducing Alex to the family. But if it was what Darcy wanted…
“I’ll see what I can do.”
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