5 - Kacie
Wedding planning was in full swing and I was on a roll.
- Invitations picked out? Check.
- Flowers picked out? Absolutely, mostly by Alexa, but she had fantastic taste.
- Band picked out? Done.
The day I’d been most excited about was finally upon me. Wedding dress shopping! We had an afternoon appointment in the city at one of the most sought after shops in all of the Midwest, but first my mom, Alexa, Lauren, and I were having lunch at the cutest little tea shop right down the street. Tea, scones, and chicken salad sandwiches were just what I needed to calm my nerves about finding a dress.
“I’m sorry again, guys,” Lauren apologized for the twentieth time that morning as Max’s hand barely missed the water glass he’d swung for.
“Lauren, stop it.” I laughed. “It’s really fine.”
“I just had no idea that Tommy had agreed to work. I thought he’d be able to keep Max.” She wiped the drool from his chin.
Reaching across the table, I scooped Max out of her arms and set him in my lap. “Are you kidding? I’m glad my godson gets to be here on wedding dress day. Let’s just hope I can make a decision before he’s walking, huh?”
“You’ll be fine,” Alexa said confidently. “Trust me, when you put it on, you’ll just know.”
“That’s good, because right now I truly have no idea what I’m looking for.” I sighed.
“And that’s okay,” my mom reassured me. “Like Alexa said, when you see it or try it on, you’ll just know.”
Alexa huffed and raised her water glass at me. “See? Alexa’s always right.”
“So, wait. Who’s with the girls today?” Lauren reached over and handed Max his favorite plastic key ring.
Mom and I looked at each other and laughed, most likely thinking the same thing.
“Brody and Viper are babysitting,” I answered nonchalantly, planting a bunch of kisses on Max’s chubby cheek.
I looked up and Alexa’s and Lauren’s mouths both hung open as they stared at me blankly.
“What? Stop looking at me like that.”
Alexa started to giggle while Lauren shook her head quickly. “Sorry, I’m just trying to picture Viper watching the girls, and the things that are popping into my head are scaring me.”
That only made Alexa laugh harder. “Yeah.” She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “They’ll probably know how to spell the F-word by the time you get home.” She whooped louder than she had before.
I rolled my eyes. “Brody’s there too. They’ll be fine.”
Was I trying to convince them, or myself?
We walked into Belle’s Bridal, and it was like walking into a fairy tale. What the off-white walls lacked in color, the chandeliers, fancy chairs, and ambiance made up for ten times over.
A woman in her mid-thirties, who clearly had it all together, met us at the door. “Hello. Welcome to Belle’s Bridal. How can we help you?” Her pale pink suit jacket and matching pencil skirt were completely wrinkle free, and not one hair in her perfectly executed bun was out of place.
“Hi, we’re a little early.” My heart thumped nervously in my chest. The place was intimidating. “We have an appointment at two. My name is Kacie Jensen.”
“Oh!” Her eyebrows shot up and her smile got a little wider. “You’re Kacie Jensen.” She said it like she knew who I was. “Come in, come in. It’s so great to meet you. I’m Kate Porter, the store manager.”
She extended her hand and I shook it happily.
I introduced her to my mom and the girls before she led us down a long hallway. The smell of roses filled the air, though I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, and huge pictures of the most elegant brides I’d ever seen hung on the walls. She opened a big white door and stepped back, waving us in. “Come on in. This will be your private bridal suite for today.”
We stepped in and I immediately loved the room.
“Wow! This is amazing!” My eyes darted around, wanting to look at everything all at once.
It was very different than the main part of the store, reminding me more of a trendy New York City loft than a bridal room. The walls were painted a cool, rustic shade of bluish-gray and had funky artwork covering them. A white couch sat in the middle of the room, anchored on each side by hot pink, oversized chairs and a large weathered coffee table in front. The whole setup faced a wall of mirrors that had a small stage in front of it.
We all filed in and were talking about the room when Kate picked up a phone on the wall. “Send Chloe in here, please.”
About ten seconds later, a young girl appeared in the doorway carrying an envelope.
“Thanks, Chloe. Be on standby in case we need you.” Chloe offered a smile before she nodded and walked away.
“I’m going to be assisting you today, with anything you need. Please, make yourselves comfortable.” She motioned toward the seating area. We all shuffled over and sat down. “Before we begin, can I get anyone anything to drink? Sparkling water, champagne, a mimosa?”
“Oooo, I’d love a mimosa,” Lauren said eagerly.
“Can I do a vodka and cranberry?” Mom asked.
“Sure thing,” Kate nodded.
“Just water, please,” Alexa groaned.
I laughed at her pouty face. “I’ll just take water too, please.”
“Kacie, you sure?” Mom questioned. “Have a cocktail if you want one.”
“No, thanks. I need to be as sober as possible when I pick out a dress.” I laughed.
Kate smiled. “Let me go grab those. I’ll be right back. Feel free to start looking at some of the catalogues on the table, unless you already know what you’re looking for.” She winked.
“Okay, thank you.” I leaned forward to pick up a magazine as she turned to leave the room.
“Oh, wait. I almost forgot. This is for you.” She handed me the envelope and walked away quickly.
“What is it?” Mom sat up straight, craning her neck to see.
I shrugged, staring at my name on the envelope. “I have no clue.”
Sliding my finger under the seal, I gently pulled to the side. Like a perfect envelope should, it popped open willingly.
I pulled out the folded piece of light blue paper.
“Oh my God.” I rubbed the tears from my eyes and read the letter again, hoping my brain wasn’t playing a trick on me.
“What? What is it?” Lauren asked, gently rocking Max back and forth.
Unable to form a verbal response, I took a tissue out of my purse and handed the paper to my mom.
She read it and gasped.
“Will someone read the damn thing out loud?” Alexa growled impatiently.
Mom cleared her throat and started reading, “Kacie, roses are red. My jersey is white. Pick any dress you want for our big night. Hey, babe. I hope you’re having the best day with your mom and friends. Like my award-winning poem said, I’ve arranged everything with the shop in advance. All you have to do is pick out your dream dress, maybe something in a nice ice blue. Winky face. Have fun. Love you. Brody.”
Tears streamed down my face as she read the letter out loud. It blew me away that not only had that crazy man called the salon and arranged the payment of my dress, but he actually took the time out to write that note, and poem, and drop it off before I got there.
“Awww, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.” Lauren reached over, grabbed a tissue from me, and dabbed at her eye.
“Wait. Ice blue? I don’t get it.” Alexa said, blinking quickly.
I thought back to that night and giggled. “Last year, we went to that charity banquet for Wild Kids, remember?” I cleaned the mascara out from under my eyes as they all nodded. “Well, I borrowed—”
“Yes!” Lauren pointed at me when she remembered, nearly dropping Max in her excitement. “You borrowed that ice blue dress from me.”
“Yep, and he loved it… like… a lot.” The look on Brody’s face as he stood in his kitchen said it all that night. I asked him what he thought on a scale of one to ten. I would never, ever, ever, as long as I lived, forget the number he said. Six hundred fifty-two.
“Obviously.” My mom took Max from Lauren and bounced him on her lap.
I took out my phone and texted Brody.
HEY. I JUST GOT THE ENVELOPE. I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Within seconds, my phone chirped.
B: I’M GLAD YOU LIKED IT. YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE HOW LONG IT TOOK ME AND VIPER TO COME UP WITH THAT DAMN POEM.
HAHA! WELL, IT MADE ME LAUGH.
B: GOOD. I’D DO ANYTHING FOR MY GIRL.
AND I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
B: I JUST SENT YOU A PIC. REMEMBER HOW MUCH YOU LOVE ME WHEN YOU OPEN IT, OKAY?
Uh oh.
The image came through and I stared at the little hourglass spinning round and round, waiting for it to open. When it did, I squinted to get a better view. At first glance, the tiny image just looked like Lucy and Piper making silly faces, but when I blew it up with my fingers, it was a whole different picture. Their sleeves were rolled up and fake tattoos covered their forearms and biceps. They were both flexing, just like Viper was doing behind them, and they had their tongues sticking out. Brody had typed Having fun with my tattooed Twinkies above the photo.
“Oh my God.” I started laughing so hard I could barely breathe.
“What now?” Mom looked at Alexa and Lauren, who just shrugged at her. Clearly, they all thought I’d lost my mind. Without saying a word, I handed my phone to my mom, who angled it so that Lauren and Lex could see too. Watching all of their faces when they saw my tattoo-covered twins only made me laugh harder.
“Well,” Lauren finally said once we’d all finished laughing, “it’s probably better than the F-word, huh?”
Just then, Kate came back in the room carrying a silver tray with our drinks on it. “Who’s ready to start looking at dresses?