Page 85 of Can't Help Falling in Love
Maisie
You don’t believe in signs.
Lexi
I believe in this one. I have no dress for tonight.
Maisie
Let me see if I can find someone who has something. Give me twenty. Breathe. You should have copied me. We could have been zombie cheerleader twins.
Lexi
There’s still a chance I might have to.
Doing her best to wash off a long, overwhelming day under the hot spray, Lexi knew something had to change. She couldn’t keep lying to everyone about her and Will.And you can’t keep lying to yourself. You’re falling. You’ve fallen, Lexi. You’ve slipped off a ledge you swore you never would.At least things were good with work and school. She’d aced her midterm thanks to a woman Will had put her in touch with. She’d been easy tointerview and very informative. Side Tap might not be a forever job because it was a family business at its core but the work energized her, reminded her that she had bigger aspirations.
By the time she’d dried off, pulled on a robe, and taken a towel to her hair, she was feeling slightly more human. While going over menu layouts today, Ethan had teased her about the party tonight saying he hoped she had some fun couples games planned for the evening. Will was picking her up in about an hour, which meant time was running out. She texted him quickly that there was a change of plans and she’d be going as a prom queen. Close enough. She’d never been one but hell, she’d never been a bride either. That was the whole point of pretend. That line was blurring a lot lately. She’d woken up in Will’s bed a few days ago with a cozy, blissed-out feeling like she belonged there.
She startled when she walked into her room and saw her mom sitting on her bed.
Gripping the towel between her breasts, she let out a heavy laughing breath. “You scared me. You okay? You sure you won’t come tonight?”
Gwen shook her head, looked around the room like she was seeing it for the first time. Lexi walked to the edge of the bed and sat down facing her mom.
Putting a hand on her arm, she waited for Gwen to look at her. “Mom? Are you okay?”
Gwen put her hand on top of Lexi’s. “I am. This room hasn’t changed much but you certainly have. Part of me felt like if the house stayed the same, if I didn’t change, you didn’t change, maybe it would feel less like my entire life is different.”
“It is different, though, Mom. I don’t mean just because Dad is gone. That part will always hurt, but there’s good stuff too.”
Gwen shook her head, her smile not lighting her eyes. “You’re the good stuff. I’ve held you back, held you in the past with me for too long.”
Unease trickled through Lexi’s bloodstream. “I don’t have to gotonight. I really don’t want to.” She especially didn’t want to leave her alone like this.
“Don’t even think about skipping it. This is exactly what you should be doing. Having fun, going out. Living your life. With friends. You’ll go and you’ll celebrate and you’ll keep moving forward because you’re right—that’s what he’d want us to do. Now, let’s get you ready.” Her mom squeezed her hand.
“I’m going to wear that red dress of Kyra’s. I always wished I’d worn red to prom instead of that blue dress.”
Gwen stood, pulled Lexi up. “You looked beautiful then and you’ll look beautiful tonight. The only thing is, this means you can’t wear this for your actual wedding but I think that’s okay. You should have your own, one you’ve chosen to wear on the day you marry the love of your life.”
Lexi’s brow creased, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. “What are you talking about, Mom?”
Gently, Gwen put her hands on Lexi’s shoulders, started to turn her while saying, “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony, so you won’t be able to wear this again.”
Words and air got trapped in Lexi’s throat. A strange sound left it as she stared at her mother’s wedding dress, out of its protective garment bag, hanging on a cloth hanger from the top of her closet. She’d seen pictures and once, when she was little, she’d seen the real thing. For months and months after her father died, Gwen had looked through all the photos. Lexi hadn’t realized Gwen even had the dress accessible. As much as she clung to the past, Gwen didn’t pull out the pieces of it very often.
Her parents hadn’t had a lot of money when they’d married. They’d had a simple ceremony, choosing to use their savings on the house instead of an elaborate event. She knew her mother was proud of finding her dream dress at a discount price.
Lexi walked forward slowly, looking at the timeless white gown. Atight silk halter top bodice was unadorned but elegant in its simplicity and the way it narrowed at the waist. The full skirt flared out just a little at the hips, and the bottom of the dress had a thick ribbon of pale-pink silk. Her mother had worn a dollar-store tiara and a pair of pink Converse shoes.
“Mom. It’s so gorgeous.” When she turned back, her mother was right there, tears in her eyes.
Lexi shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t wear this, Mom.” It felt wrong yet somehow so tempting. It was so beautiful she almost ached to slip into it.
Gwen smiled, her lips quivering even as her eyes swam with the unshed emotion. “You can, you should, and you will. Consider it your something borrowed.”
Lexi gave a watery laugh of her own. “That’s for the actual wedding. This is just…” She stopped, cleared her throat, and looked down at the floor.Just a ruse, a misunderstanding. A lie.
