Hope looked slightly embarrassed. “Let’s just say I’ve decided to embrace the moment. I must confess that when I was a little girl, my friends and I often played wedding dress-up. I’d imagine myself in a beautiful white gown . . .”
The light from her eyes faded but a hint of a smile remained on her lips. “Kid stuff.”
He wondered if a high-school prom dress in red had ever been part of her wedding fantasies. He’d guess running away in the darkness, lying to family and friends, and being married by a guy with a goatee named Buddy had never played a part . . .
Strange he’d never considered any of that at the time. Proof that he hadn’t been as mature as he thought.
John returned to the dressing room to change. As he tugged off the shirt and vest, he found himself wishing that he could give Hope the wedding of her dreams.
But it was too late now. Ten years too late.
Stacee, the salesclerk on the bridal side, was a pretty young woman in her midtwenties with light brown hair and big blue eyes. She stared at John with a horrified expression. “You—you’re going to help her pick out the dress?”
John angled his head. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”
The young woman hesitated and cleared her throat. “Some consider it bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony.”
“I’m not—” Hope saw John pause as Aunt Verna leveled a long, pointed look in his direction. “—superstitious.”
“Me either,” Hope chimed in.
Stacee’s smile froze on her face. “Well, then let’s get started.”
Hope tried on so many dresses that after a while they began to blend together. Still, she had to admit she was having fun. Verna’s mood was upbeat and she insisted on helping Hope into the gowns. John played the part of Luke-the-attentive-groom to perfection.
He sat in a comfortably stuffed gray chair, with a glass of iced tea, and watched her parade in and out of the dressing room in her finery. Hope felt like a princess in all the dresses. But when she strolled out and John gave a low whistle, she knew she’d found THE ONE.
The strapless lace dress in a circular tea length had a timeless, classic feel. The short satin gloves only added to the allure.
“I love this.” Hope fingered the flower and feather attached to the silk cummerbund around her waist, then cast a worried glance at her aunt. “But what if Laura would prefer a long gown with a train?”
“What do you want?” Aunt Verna asked.
“This dress,” Hope said, puzzled by her aunt’s seeming disregard for Laura’s wishes. “But I’m not the bri—”
“I have been given carte blanche on all decisions,” Verna announced.
“You or John could take a picture of me in the dress, then text it to her,” Hope said. “See what she thinks. This is, after all, her special day.”
“But if this were your special day, you’d be happy with this one?” Verna pressed, her expression intense.
“Absolutely.” Hope gently stroked the skirt of the beautiful dress, her smile wistful. “I envy Laura getting married at Christmas. To me, that’s the most wonderful time of the year for a wedding.”
“I remember you once telling me that,” her aunt said with a little smile.
John rose from the chair and pulled out his phone. “Smile pretty,” he said to Hope.
After considering where she should put her hands, Hope settled for resting them at her sides and smiling as John snapped pictures of her from all angles. He even took several pictures of her and Verna.
Finally, Hope laughingly held up a hand. “Enough. We should have at least one good picture for Laura in all of those.”
He smiled back at her, making her heart skip a beat, then pocketed the phone. Pausing, he cocked his head. “Do you think we should have taken some shots of me in the tux?”
“I don’t think Luke will care,” Verna said dismissively. “Now, if you’d chosen something flashy, I’d say yes. But I believe we’re okay.”
“It’s a great tux,” he said. “I liked it.”
“It looked as if it were designed for you,” Hope said, then flushed when he gave her a sardonic smile.
She wondered if he’d choose something similar whenever he married in the future. The thought was so disturbing, she cast it aside.
“I’ve had a wonderful time,” Aunt Verna said.
Hope glanced at her aunt’s flushed cheeks and love swamped her. In many ways, Aunt Verna had been more of a mother to her than her own.
No, she wouldn’t ruin the day by focusing her thoughts on the future. She would have plenty of time for that later.
That night Hope’s dreams were filled with images of her wearing the dress they’d chosen for Laura. John stood in the parlor by the ornate marble fireplace. He wore the dark tux and she saw love in his eyes as she walked toward him, clutching a gorgeous bouquet of red roses.
His hand reached for hers and she quickened her step. Only inches separated them when he vanished and was replaced by Chet. Horrified, she stopped midstride.
“Where’s John?” she demanded.