Carolina grinned. “And your hormones must be surging.”
“That they are. But I’d think he was hot even if I wasn’t pregnant.” After the staff hustled Gray into the dressing room for a change, Evelyn turned to her. “You’ve done an amazing job, Carolina. I’m going to want to order all those clothes for Gray. He looks hot as hell in them. I would say, like they were made for him, but really, they were.”
Carolina laughed. “They do look good on him, don’t they? I’m really pleased with how everything turned out.”
“You should be. How’s your stress level right now?”
“Actually, not as bad as I thought it would be. Things are running pretty smoothly and I’m more or less on schedule.” Carolina glanced at the dressing room, and not seeing Gray, she pulled out her notebook. “Since Gray’s no doubt being stuck with pins at the moment, I have a few wedding dress concepts I’d like you to look at.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Already? I didn’t think you’d have any time to work on or even think about my wedding dress until after the launch of your line.”
Carolina shrugged. “It’s a stress reliever and takes my mind off this whole Fashion Week thing. And when an idea pops into my head, I can’t help but work on it.”
She showed the drawings to Evelyn. “These are only concepts. Not fully fleshed out yet, just a few ideas.”
Carolina held her breath, watching as Evelyn flipped through the three dress concepts she’d created. Evelyn looked at each one, studying them carefully, then going over them all again, which Carolina appreciated.
Evelyn laid her hand over the notebook and lifted her gaze to Carolina. The excitement on her face was evident. “These are gorgeous, Carolina. But how am I supposed to choose just one? Is it possible to wear three wedding dresses?”
Carolina exhaled, then laughed. “I’m so glad you like them.”
“Like them? I love them. All of them. Oh, my God, they’re amazing. I can’t believe you designed these in the short time since Christmas.”
Carolina flipped through each one, discussing how they could make subtle changes. “Anything you want, however you want it, we can alter. We can even take portions of one dress and add it to the other. And each one can be easily altered for your expanding waistline.”
Evelyn grinned. “That’ll be helpful, since I have no idea how big I’ll be by May.”
“How are you feeling, by the way?”
“Surprisingly good so far. No morning sickness. A little tired, but your father is giving me a lot of leeway in that regard. He’s already told me to hire an assistant to help me out because he doesn’t want me to work so hard.”
“Well, that is his grandchild you’re carrying. I don’t think he wants you working twelve-hour days right now.”
“I’ve been to see the doctor, who assures me I’m perfectly healthy and can carry on my normal duties for as long as I feel like it, so I’m thrilled about that. But I have a feeling your father is going to be watching me like a hawk the entire time. Along with Gray.”
Carolina nodded. “And my mother.”
“Yes.”
“How did your parents take the news?”
“They were elated,” Evelyn said with a wide grin. “They’re so excited about the baby and the wedding. We’re all getting together next weekend in D.C. along with Gray’s parents to talk wedding planning. I’ll be sure to take a lot of notes since I know you’ll be too busy to attend.”
“Thanks. I’ll get up to speed on the whole wedding-planning thing with you as soon as I get Fashion Week out of the way.”
“Honestly, Carolina, there’s no hurry. I think with your mother in charge, neither you nor I will have to do much of anything, anyway. Which gives me a huge sense of relief.”
Carolina laughed. “You’re probably right.”
“So back to the dresses. Can I get copies of these to look at?”
“Of course. I’ll email them to you.”
“And you won’t give these to anyone else until I choose one?”
“Absolutely not. You’re my first—and so far my only—wedding dress client.”
Evelyn laid her hand over her heart. “I’m so honored by this, Carolina. And I love these dresses so much. But I think I already know which one I’m in love with.”
“Which one?”
Evelyn scrolled to the second one. “This one. The scalloped edges and the sweetheart neckline. It’s so modern, yet classic and traditional at the same time. And with the empire waist, I think it’ll fit the expanding baby belly perfectly. It’s the one that’s in my head right now.”
“I’m so glad. I think a dress like that will look beautiful on you.”
“So do I. But I want to look at all of them again, just to be sure.”
“I’ll email them to you, and you can show the moms and get their opinions.”
“Oh, good idea. Thank you, I’ll do that.”
Gray emerged from the dressing room and Carolina quickly closed the file. “But not the groom-to-be.”
“Definitely not.”