Page 100 of The Deals We Make
And then, everyone goes quiet as Rae walks out in the most beautiful wedding dress. It’s mermaid style, and as she turns, I see it’s backless with tiny buttons over her butt and a rope of pearls that dangle down her back.
“What do you think?” she asks.
Ari is the first to speak. “It’s beautiful.”
“I don’t think my brother is gonna make it through the ceremony alive,” Gwen says.
Briar purses her lips. “It’s February, though. It’s a gorgeous dress but aren’t you going to be cold?”
“Oh, good point,” Sophia says. “But she could add a fake fur jacket.”
“Or a cape,” Iris adds.
“What doyouthink, Rae?” I say.
She studies herself in the mirror. “It’s not the one.”
I point toward the dressing room. “Then you need to go take it off and try on the next one.”
“Thank you,” Rae says to me. “Not sure why I felt that I had to love the first dress I put on. Probably plays into the wedding day princess trope we’ve been told about our whole lives. The one where we find the perfect dress and perfect shoes and get married with perfect hair to the perfect groom.”
As she walks back into the dressing room, Ari says, “Is it wrong that I’m glad she didn’t like it so I can get it?”
“You gonna run that by Daddy Halo?” Gwen asks, teasingly.
Ari flips her the bird. “He can have his say in everything except my dress, the flowers, and the bridesmaids.”
“Daddy?” I whisper to Vi.
She leans close to reply, her voice low. “Halo has a Daddy kink a mile wide. Ari’s his little.”
“Little?”
“You know, like, he likes to Daddy her. And she knows how to tease him like that.”
“But she’s a grown woman?”
Vi nods. “She totally is. You’re going to have to broaden your mind to mix with all these badass women.”
“Ow,” Iris says suddenly, leaning forward.
Briar is immediately by her side. “You okay?”
Iris winces. “I didn’t want to say anything because it’s wedding dress shopping day, but I may have been in labor since this morning.”
Gwen jumps to her feet. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything?”
Iris gestures around the room. “Because I didn’t want to miss this. Because you know babies take hours, and because we all know Spark would have wrapped me in bubble wrap and driven me straight to the hospital.”
Rae appears in another beautiful wedding dress. No, not just beautiful. Stunning. It has lace sleeves and a sweetheart neckline and hugs her to perfection. But her face is one of concern. “Is Iris in labor?”
“Yes,” Gwen says. “For hours. For all we know, the baby is clawing its way out of her vagina as we speak.”
Rae looks at Gwen. “Pretty sure it’s more of a slide.” She turns to Iris. “Is it time?”
Iris grimaces. “I’m so sorry, Rae.”
Rae turns and moves her hair out of the way as Sophia lowers the zip for her. “Gimme two seconds to get changed,” she shouts as she disappears. “This is going to be the best day.”
