The Wedding Agreement (14 page)

And right before she pressed her lips to his, all Alex could think about was how he was still coming out ahead.

Lawyer Up

Nina was bouncing up and down as much as she could with her seat belt buckled as she sat in Cass' backseat. “Can I get any dress I want?”

Cass glanced in the rearview mirror and shrugged. “Sure. I guess.” Nina had been bugging Alex for weeks about her dress, so Cass had offered to take her. But she hadn't actually discussed anything about the dress with Alex. He'd just given her his credit card so she could pay for the dress and Nina could take it home with her when Cass dropped her off at Tessa's afterward. “Do you know what color you want to get?”

Nina put a finger to her lips like she was thinking hard. “White. I want it to match yours.”

Cass diverted her eyes from Nina and focused back on the road ahead of her. There wouldn't be any matching Cass' dress because there wouldn't be
a dress at all. Unfortunately, Nina would never get to wear hers either.

Cass was thankful for a chance to change the subject when she pulled into the parking lot. “Here we are. There's Lauren,” Cass said, pointing to her best friend, who was already standing in front of the store, waiting for them.

Nina couldn't get out of the car fast enough, but Cass grabbed her hand before she ran across the parking lot toward the store.

“Hey, Nina,” Lauren said. “You excited to try on some dresses with me?”

Nina nodded enthusiastically as they entered the store.

Lauren had asked to come along so she could try on a few dresses herself, and Cass was thankful to have her there. It would give Cass something to focus on besides looking at flower-girl dresses for a little girl who wouldn't actually get to
be
a flower girl. A wave of guilt washed over her. It was the first time Cass had really second-guessed this whole thing.

But she didn't have time to harp on her decision for too long, because Nina was already moving around the store at rapid speed. “Come on, Cass. I can't find them,” she called from the side of the store.

Cass put a finger up for Nina to wait a minute.

As expected at a bridal shop, one of the consultants welcomed them immediately. “Good morning. I'm Diane. Can I help you ladies find something today?” she asked with a smile.

While Cass' eyes stayed glued to Nina, who was across the store, rifling through the racks, she let Lauren introduce the three of them. “I'd like to try on some wedding dresses, and we need to find a flower-girl
dress for the little girl over there,” she said, pointing to Nina.

“Wonderful,” Diane replied. “When's your wedding?”

“We haven't actually set a date yet,” Lauren answered. “Probably next April.”

“Perfect. So you have time then. Did you have a particular style in mind?” Diane asked as she led them closer to Nina. “All of our wedding dresses are on this side of the store, and bridesmaids' dresses are all over there,” she said, pointing to the opposite side.

“This is actually the first time I'm looking in person, so I have no idea what will look good on me. I definitely don't want anything too poofy.” Lauren gestured widely with her arms out to the side. “Just something simple that kind of flows naturally.” Lauren flipped through a nearby rack. “Something similar to this would be nice,” she said, holding a dress against herself.

“That one just arrived a few weeks ago actually. It's a French designer. Hand stitched,” Diane said.

Lauren took a look at the price tag. “Yup, definitely hand stitched.”

Diane smiled politely. “Why don't you take a look around and pull a few that you like. Once I get a sense of your taste, I'll grab some as well, and we'll set you up with a dressing room. What about your flower girl?” Diane asked. “Did you want to share a fitting room with her and both try them on at the same time?”

Lauren looked to Cass and then back to Diane. “Oh, Nina's actually Cass' flower girl, not mine. Sorry. We should've explained that.”

Diane looked surprised. “Oh, congratulations to you as well. When's your wedding?”

Never.
“October twenty-fourth.”

“Oh, that's less than five months away. I'm guessing you already have your dress. So that means we can just focus on the little one. “

Cass adjusted her purse on her shoulder, feeling the need to fidget with something. “Yeah, I've actually—”

“She's been waiting until I was ready so we could try them on together,” Lauren interrupted.

Cass turned her head slowly in Lauren's direction. She felt her jaw go rigid as she stared at Lauren's profile. Cass wished she were Cyclops from
X-Men
just so she could burn the flesh right off Lauren's face with her eyes.

Diane clasped her hands together, and her eyes lit up like she'd just won the lottery. Two brides
and
a flower girl—Cass could practically see the dollar signs in Diane's eyes. “Oh, fantastic,” Diane said. “I'll get you ladies each started with a dressing room then.”

Once Diane turned away from them, Lauren made an attempt to move toward another rack. But Cass' solid grip around Lauren's forearm stopped her. “Oh no you don't.” She lowered her voice. “I'm not trying on any wedding dresses.”

Lauren spun around to face her, and Cass let go of her arm. “Oh, come on. It'll be more fun if we do it together. Pleeease,” Lauren begged. “You're just trying them on. You're not buying one. It'll be like when we were in high school and we used to try stuff on in stores that we knew we couldn't afford just to see what we'd look like in it.”

Cass rolled her eyes, but she could already feel the beginning of a smile starting to betray her. “Fine,”
she agreed. “I'll try on three. And I'll even let you pick them out.” Mainly because Cass didn't want to, though she chose not to think about why. “But that's all. I'm not staying here all day.” Cass saw Nina coming toward them with no fewer than six dresses in her hands. “I'm here to get a flower-girl dress for Nina, not play dress-up.”

The smile that had been slowly creeping up Lauren's face now seemed to cover it entirely. “Yes!” she nearly yelled before turning to the racks to pick out what Cass was sure would be three of the most ridiculous dresses she had ever laid eyes on.

Nina bounded toward her, nearly tripping over the dresses she was carrying. “I found some! Can I try these on?”

“I think the woman's getting us a dressing room. What did you pick out?” Cass asked, taking the dresses from Nina's outstretched hand. “I bet you'll look like a princess.” And it was the truth. From what Cass could see of them, most looked like they were better suited for a Disney movie than a wedding. She couldn't believe people actually let their daughters wear these things. “Where did you get them?”

Nina pointed across the store, already pulling Cass in the direction she'd just come from. “Over here.”

When they got to the section with the flower-girl dresses, Cass flipped through the rack herself, pulling out two more she thought would look pretty on Nina. Both were white, like Nina wanted. “What do you think of these?” Cass asked. Though Nina wasn't actually going to be a flower girl, Cass didn't want Tessa thinking she was throwing a tacky wedding. She was going to have to enforce
some
fashion standards.

Nina studied them for a moment, feeling the material. “I like this one,” she said, running her fingers along the satin. “It feels smooth. And I like the blue bow,” she added, referring to the sash tied around the waist.

Cass knelt down and made space on a low rack. “Okay, we'll try this one on, then,” she said, keeping the white satin dress off the rack as she hung up the rest. “Why don't you pick two more you like best from the ones you chose so you have three to try on.”

Nina didn't look sold on putting any back but agreed anyway. She examined each dress closely—and some more than once—before finally choosing two. “I think I'll pick these,” she said, taking them off the rack and handing them to Cass.

Cass put the rest of the dresses back where Nina had found them, and then the two headed toward the dressing rooms where Diane was standing with Lauren.

“I started a fitting room for you both right in here,” Diane said, holding the dressing room door open for Cass and Nina.

“Your dresses are already in there,” Lauren said to Cass.

“You're trying dresses on too?” Nina asked, obviously excited.

This is what I was trying to avoid.
Cass' head snapped over in Lauren's direction, and Lauren's expression softened as she seemed to finally understand the implications of what she'd done. “Yeah,” Cass replied. “I can't wait.”

Sorry,
Lauren mouthed silently.

Cass shook her head but gave her a small smile.
It's fine,
she mouthed back. Though Nina was obviously
excited to see Cass in a wedding dress, Lauren was probably right. Cass wasn't purchasing one, so there was really no harm done. Well, no harm done that wouldn't be done anyway. Cass hung Nina's dresses on the hook in the fitting room without looking at the dresses Lauren had chosen for her. She'd decided that those gems could wait until later. “Why don't you try yours on first,” Cass said, stepping out of the dressing room so Nina could enter.

Nina's only answer was her entrance into the dressing room. A few minutes later she came out in her first dress, an off-white one with a lace overlay. “What do you think?” she asked, lifting her hair so Cass could help zip the dress the rest of the way. Nina stepped up onto the small platform so she could look at herself in the angled mirrors.

Though the dress was a bit big, Cass thought Nina looked adorable. “You look pretty.” I like the pink,” she said, referring to the small embroidered flowers.

“'Kay. Next one,” Nina said, hopping off the platform and turning away from Cass so she could unhook the dress and pull the zipper down a bit. Nina came out of the dressing room quickly the next time, but she didn't seem nearly as excited. “I don't like the sleeves on this one.” She pulled at one of the capped sleeves and let it snap back into place.

“Okay, that one's out then,” Cass said simply. She was glad that the first one had looked nice, in case they didn't like the last.

But there was no need to worry. Nina nearly squealed with delight when she emerged from the dressing room a third time. “Can I get this one, Cass? Please?”

Cass smiled. “Hang on. Can I at least see you in it first?” she asked, zipping Nina up again and then
watching her spin around on the platform while she admired herself in the mirrors. Cass took a step back so she could get a better look at her. The dress fit Nina almost perfectly. She was in a floor-length white dress made of satin. A light blue sash was tied around her waist, and the bow with flowing tails came almost to the floor when she spun around. “You look beautiful,” Cass said.

Lauren and Diane both agreed.

Nina beamed.

“Guess we'll take this one,” Cass said.

While Diane went to bring Nina's dress to the register, Lauren and Cass made their way into the dressing rooms. “Stay right there, Nina,” Cass called.

“Okay.”

Cass turned toward the hook where Lauren's dress choices hung. “Uh-uh. There's no way I'm trying this on, Laur.” But Cass knew her friend wouldn't let her off the hook that easily, so she began undressing.

She heard Lauren laugh. “It's your fault for letting me pick them.”

“This looks like an ivory version of my mom's prom dress.” Behind her back she pinched the excess fabric between her fingers as she reluctantly exited the fitting room.

Lauren was already waiting for her in the gown she'd tried on—one that someone would actually want to be seen in. She burst out laughing when she saw Cass. “That's better than I pictured.” The entire dress was lace and had long sleeves that extended down past Cass' hands. “You look like Morticia Addams.”

“Who?” Nina asked, making the girls laugh even louder.

“Just a woman on TV,” Cass answered. Then she rolled her eyes and headed into the dressing room
again, thankful to see that at least one of the gowns Lauren had chosen was appropriate for this century. It was a simple sleeveless dress with a V neck and lace detailing that got sparser toward the bottom. She was definitely trying this one on next. The white Cinderella knockoff behind it would have to wait until later.

She put the dress on as well as she could, but had to let Diane help her with the buttons that ran the length of her spine over the sheer back. Cass stepped up onto the platform this time, after Diane had pinched the excess fabric with a clip, and from the front it looked like it fit her perfectly. The floral lace hugged the curves of her breasts, torso, and hips before flowing down naturally toward the floor.

“It's gorgeous,” Lauren said. “
You're
gorgeous.”

Cass had never seen herself like this before. Sure, she'd gotten dressed up plenty of times. And she'd been in other people's weddings. She lived by the old adage “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Or at least she used to. But now, as she stared at her reflection—her blond hair falling delicately over her shoulders, her eyes staring back at her—she couldn't see herself any other way. She looked like a bride. And more shocking was that she
felt
like one.

The stinging that developed in the corner of her eye as she blinked back a tear told her all she needed to know. That this would've been
the
dress.
Her
dress. She wondered if this was what all brides felt when they found the perfect gown to wear down the aisle to marry the perfect man.

Because she was pretty sure she'd found both.

*   *   *

The ride to Tessa's house was mostly silent. Nina had probably tired herself out with all the excitement, and Cass was glad, because she didn't feel
much like talking anyway. She wasn't sure what to make of the feelings she'd experienced at the bridal shop. She hadn't expected herself to feel so . . . connected, maybe? She'd thought she could try on the dresses and it would all just be a joke—one that she and Laur could laugh about when they told everyone about it later.