“It is.”
“You have your wedding dress fitting today,” he said, wincing as he sat back down on the side of the bed. His arm that was holding onto the IV pole was trembling.
Oh shit. I completely had forgotten about that.
“Matt,” I said gently, “I don’t need to do that today. I’m going to call and cancel.”
His gaze flew up to my face. “Emily. Come on. You told me that you and Beth are meeting at the bridal store for your final fittings and then you're going out for dinner.”
“I don’t feel like it,” I said with a sigh.
He swung his legs with effort back into his bed. “You need this. You've been sitting beside my bed forever. Come on. Get dressed and get out there. You deserve a break. Take a night off with Beth.”
I stared dubiously at him. “What about you?”
He shrugged and smirked. “Well, I'll eat a delicious dinner on a blue plastic tray and then I might get adventurous and watch some TV with my mom. I think there might be a rerun of Law and Order tonight.”
I didn’t give a shit about my wedding dress fitting but the thought of spending some time with Beth sounded appealing. “Are you sure?”
He winked at me. “I’m sick of you. Get out of here.”
Two hours later,I stood in the bridal store with Beth. I stood on the podium while the seamstress yanked at my dress.
“What have you been eating?” she grunted.
I looked down at the beautiful white wedding dress. “Why?”
She stood up and yanked at the embroidered bodice. “Getting tight in the boobs and too loose in the waist.”
“I think it's fine.”
“Must be fixed,” she said in her thick accent. “Stay there, and I'll be right back.”
In the mirror, I looked like a bride. I owned the most beautiful wedding dress in the world, but I felt sick to my stomach. I was marrying the wrong man.
My hands flew to my face. And there it was. I didn’t want to marry Matt. Tears started streaming down my face.
“You know, I never really thought pink was my color but I think this particular pink makes me look very dewy and fresh,” Beth walked into the room and checked herself out in the mirror. When I didn’t answer, her eyes met mine in the reflection.
She spun around. “Emily.”
“I’m fine.”
She rushed towards me. “You're fine? Is that why you’re standing here crying?”
The seamstress came bustling back in and stopped at the look on my face. “Tears are normal for the bride. Trust me.”
That only made me cry harder. What was I doing? I couldn't marry Matt. Matt was wonderful, but Jackson owned my heart. How could I lay beside Matt on our wedding night when I would only be thinking of another man? It wasn’t fair to Matt, and it wasn't fair to me.
“I can’t do this,” I managed to speak.
Seamstress shook her head. “That’s okay. I have new measurements. You come back soon, and your dress will be perfect.”
An hour later,Beth and I sat in a booth at the back of some dimly lit bar. We wanted privacy, and I needed to talk.
“I thought things were going well for you and Matt,” Beth asked cautiously.
“They are. He’s a changed man.”