Page 64 of Nashville Cowboy
“And you think that’s good enough?”
“What do you mean?”
“Two people can be together for decades and still be miserable.”
She had a point, of course. “Well, we won’t be.”
“You’ve been so in love with Lincoln for so long that you can’t even see a single one of his faults. But he does have them, believe me, and you will notice them at some point in the first year of your marriage.”
No. Nothercowboy.
Sadie was going to object that she already saw some of his faults, but she didn’t think Mom meant stuff like being messy.
“Marriage is work, honey. I know you think it’s a dream come true right now but eventually the work will come.”
“Okay. That’s good to know. I’ll have to be ready for it.”
“You will be. And with love, you can work anything out. Why, look at your father and me. We had our issues last year, but we got through them. I love him now more than ever.”
Oh, all this, and her wedding day, too! Sadie couldn’t possibly have a fuller heart. Her eyes began to water. She was glad her mother had told her all this before she’d applied her wedding day makeup.
“Other than that, the only real advice for you is to never lie to your husband. Or keep anything from him, because he’ll think of that as a lie. Men are funny that way. I speak from experience.”
Sadie froze and her voice formed in a tiny squeak once she got some sounds out. “Um, but what about a surprise?”
“I don’t mean a surprise, silly goose. That’s fine. Just nothing, you know, important. Life changing.”
Nothinglife changing.
Sadie wasn’t sure how she got through the rest of the meal, but somehow before long, she and Mom were headed back to her cabin to meet Eve.
Sadie took a shower, her hand lowering to her belly. She wanted to be happy about her baby, and deep down she was doing cartwheels. She’d always wanted children. Loved children. For goodness sake, she was teacher for a reason. But Lincoln had helped raise Jackson and Daisy and he was in no hurry. She and Lincoln had talked about a family, of course, but not right away.
Sadie slipped into her bra, panties, slimming garments, and hose. She spritzed perfume twice and walked through the mist. Even though she hadn’t yet applied makeup, she tried the dress on again. Just to make sure it still fit since this morning, when she’d last tried it on. Yes, it still zipped up as if it held only Sadie, and not Sadie with a little extra surprise in there.Surprise Sadie. That almost made her laugh. When there was a knock on her door that she knew must be Eve, Sadie wiggled out of the dress.
Eve breezed in, carrying her backpack, and a clothing bag with her dress. “Ready for this?”
“Oh, yes. My dress still fits.”
“You probably won’t start showing until another couple of months.”
Sadie still felt guilty about telling Eve about the baby before Lincoln. “Do you think you could, you know, keep it to yourself that I told you first about the baby?”
Eve made a motion as if she’d zipped her lips and thrown away the key.
In the next hour, Daisy and Lucy arrived, and Sadie’s cabin was filled with straightening irons, curlers, fake eyelashes, hair extensions (Daisy), and spandex undies. Eve set up on the kitchen counter, leaving the small bathroom to the others. Hours later, Sadie’s hair was in a beautiful bun, with ringlets pulled out at strategic places. Her makeup was flawlessly applied. The last item was the tiara, and as Eve eased and pinned it on, Sadie did feel like a princess. She was so ready to be a bride today.
Eve drove them to the church, and Sadie and her bridesmaids strutted into the bridal suite annexed to the church. Outside, the air smelled sweet with fresh-cut grass. She’d been gifted with a mild Texas day. Inside, fresh flowers lined windowsills, bright and cheery. Sadie changed first behind the amber carved wood room divider. Eve, Daisy, and Lucy followed, all looking beautiful and slim.
“See ya out there, sis!” Daisy waved and left.
Lucy gave her a hug, then left, too. Eve, of course, was last. She gripped Sadie’s shoulders. There were tears in Eve’s eyes.
“Don’t. You’re going to make me cry.”
“That’s okay. We have false eyelashes today for a reason.” And even though a tear slid down Eve’s cheek, nothing smudged.
“Thank you for everything,” Sadie said. “For being my friend when I cried because Lincoln didn’t know I was alive. For having the patience to listen to me go on and on about him. For years.”
