Page 18 of Our Unexpected Beginning
Graham:
Oh really?
Julia:
Yeah, woke up wishing your head was between my thighs.
Graham:
I think I can honor that request
Damn, he talked a good game. Between their casual banter and the skilled way he made her body purr, she hit the gold mine. Unfortunately, she was wired to think that all canaries sing.
“Oh my god, where the hell did you get this dress?!” Mia squealed in Julia’s living room. Julia invited Mia over to go over her wedding dress before they headed to the club for the evening.
“You’d be surprised what you find thrifting. The color is that perfect cream we were going for and I picked out some samples of the beading we could do.” Julia got up from her bucket chair and brought Mia the three swatchesof fabric she’d imitated the same pattern they’d picked for Mia’s dress.
Julia stood next to Mia and held up each swatch for inspection. “The fabric is the same as the dress is, the difference between them is the beading colors. We have the traditional cream with white accents. The second one is the iridescent beads your mom brought.” Julia paused and held the third one to her chest. “This one was my crazy idea, and I know it’s different.”
Mia inspected the two in front of her, running her fingers over the delicate detailed flowers that Julia had sewn by hand. “Okay, what’s the third?”
“Is there anything you don’t like about those?”
“No.” Mia winced and sounded unsure. “They’re beautiful, the pattern is the same that my mother had for her dress before it was ruined in the house fire. The colors,” Mia shrugged. “It doesn’t feel me.”
“Okay, remember I said something different. Lexi and I thought this would be more your speed.”
Julia held out the final piece of sample fabric. It wasn’t much different than the first two. It held the same pattern of stitching, but along with the beads from her mother’s dress, Julia had incorporated a lace panel in the accent color of the wedding. The contrast between the bone and teal blue would look beautiful against Mia’s light complexion and dark hair.
Mia’s eyes widened as she took in the unique combination of cream, teal blue, and lace on the fabric. She gently traced the intricate design with her fingertips,feeling the love and care that Julia had poured into every stitch.
“This is stunning,” Mia whispered, her voice filled with emotion. “It’s perfect. It feels like me.”
Julia beamed with pride, knowing she had captured Mia’s essence in the design. “I’m so glad you like it. I wanted to create something that honors your family’s tradition and reflects who you are.”
Tears welled up in Mia’s eyes as she looked up at Julia. “Thank you, Jules.”
Julia hugged her and let out a sigh of relief. She was always anxious before getting client approval, no matter how many times she’d done it.
“I’m so glad you like it.”
As they continued to admire the fabric swatch, a sense of excitement bubbled between them. Mia could already envision herself walking down the aisle in the stunning dress, feeling like a true queen on her special day.
“Thank you, Julia,” Mia said softly, turning to her friend with gratitude shining in her eyes. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect than this. What else do you need from me to make this happen?”
“Don’t elope and don’t get pregnant because I don’t know if I could find another panel to match.” Julia teased.
“Oh god, after the last one, we’re going to have to find some form of birth control besides my butt.”
“Time for knee pads?”
“I’m thankful that Ben sleeps through the night and Zander is an amazing older brother.”
“So I’ve heard, Mel tells me all the time that Zander gets to the baby before she does.”
“He took Ben to his bedroom the other night because he was fussy. I woke up to a note facing the baby monitor.”
“He’s keeping you on your toes, and he’s not even a teenager.”
