Page 122 of Bourbon Bliss
“Wait, don’t let her look until she gets dressed,” Leah Mae said. “It’ll be like a makeover reveal.”
“Good idea,” Cassidy said.
They blocked me from the mirror and ushered me into my parents’ bedroom, where our dresses were laid out in garment bags on the bed.
We’d all gone dress shopping together over in Perrinville—me, Cassidy, Mom, Scarlett, and Leah Mae. The clerks had looked at us funny as we’d tried on dozens of prom dresses, but we hadn’t cared. We’d made a day of it, including lunch with mimosas.
I’d chosen a peach dress with a subtle vintage look. Leah Mae had taken it home with her, saying she wanted to add a little flair. Make itmore June, whatever that meant.
Now she took the garment bag with my dress and lowered the zipper. “I’m so nervous all of a sudden. I hope you love it.”
The dress that emerged from the black bag was like something out of a dream. The top still looked similar to its original design—light peach with cap sleeves and a V-shaped dip at the neck. Leah Mae had added a gold ribbon along the neckline that tied in a small bow in the center. The gold set off the peach perfectly, adding a sparkly touch to the dress.
But it was the lower part of the dress that made my breath catch. She’d sewn on dozens of little gold butterflies all over the skirt. Beginning at the waist, they were sparse, growing thicker toward the hem. The bottom swarmed with them, their tiny wings glittering in the light.
I touched my hand to my mouth. “Oh.”
“Do you like it?” Leah Mae asked.
“Put it on,” Scarlett breathed.
I couldn’t find the words to answer—just stood in stunned silence while the girls helped me out of the button-down flannel shirt I’d been wearing, and into the dress.
“Careful of her hair.”
“Oh my god.”
“Oh, Juney.”
Leah Mae zipped up the back. “What do you think?”
I stepped into the bathroom and gazed into the full-length mirror. I didn’t recognize the woman staring back at me. Her dark blond hair was down, soft curls framing her face. Her eyes stood out against her pale skin. Long lashes. Shiny peach lips.
But the dress. It hugged my curves—look at that, I had curves—and the color made my skin look as if I was illuminated from inside. The gold touches at the neckline were lovely, but those butterflies. They sparkled when I moved, making the dress look positively magical.
“I’m almost without words,” I said, my voice soft. “Telling you it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen would be the truth, and still not adequate to describe how much I love it.”
Leah Mae clasped her hands at her chest and scrunched her shoulders. “Really? As soon as you tried this on in the store, I had a vision of what it could be. I kept seeing you as a butterfly, emerging from your cocoon.”
“Damn it, Leah Mae, now you’ll have to fix my makeup,” Scarlett said, wiping tears from her cheeks.
“Mine too,” Cassidy said, sniffing.
I brushed my hands down my waist and hips. “I can’t imagine how much time this took. The workmanship is incredible.”
“I had some late nights,” Leah Mae said. “But I loved making it. And look at you. It was worth it.”
“Thank you,” I said. “This means so much.”
We finished getting ready together in my parents’ bedroom. Cassidy did Scarlett’s hair while Leah Mae did hers. My mom came in and burst into tears when she saw me in my dress. She and my dad were attending the dance as well—it seemed just about everyone in Bootleg who was over the age of twenty-one would be there. Cassidy and Leah Mae fussed over Mom’s hair and makeup until they were all satisfied.
“Ladies,” my dad called from downstairs. “There’s a fancy limousine outside. I believe your dates have arrived.”
My mom descended the stairs first, dressed in a beautiful blue gown that set off her eyes. Dad, looking dashing in his suit with his mustache neatly trimmed, watched her in awe. He took her hands when she reached the bottom, and stared at her for a long moment.
“You look more beautiful than ever,” he said, his voice soft.
The other men congregated near the front door, eyes trained on us. Bowie wore a sleek black tux, complete with a purple bow tie to match Cassidy’s purple dress. Devlin looked like a model in a magazine with his slate gray suit and ascot. Even Jameson had dressed for the occasion, in a black tux much like Bowie’s. He had a pale pink handkerchief in his jacket pocket, sparkling with tiny sequins, just like Leah Mae’s dress.
