Page 38 of Then Came Love
Jordan laughed. “Hey.”
“I’m only kidding.”
“I know. I met Emiko, who does the beadwork, and I just about died when she showed me Amber Montgomery’s dress. I mean, wow. That woman deserves an award.”
“She’s so talented, and don’t you just love Jonathan?”
“Yes! I want him as my best friend. He’s hilarious.”
They both laughed.
“I want to see your wedding gown designs,” Trixie said.
“I’ll text them to you right now.” She grabbed her cell phone from the desk, navigating to the sketches she and Jax had drawn and texting them to Trixie. “Todd and his mother want me to have an extravagant gown, and you know I want something simple.”
“It’s your wedding day. You should wear the dress you want.”
“I’m going to. I talked to Jax about it, because I want Todd and his family to be as pleased with my gown as I am, and we think we’ve nailed it with these designs. Jax called them demure elegance.”
“I love the sound of that. Let me put you on speaker while I look at them.” A second later, she said, “Ohmygod, Jordan. I love the first one. It’s sexy and classy.”
Jordan looked at the picture of the mermaid gown with a Queen Anne sweetheart neckline and lace cutouts along her ribs that widened at the bottom, giving the illusion of a heart on her chest. The lace from the cutouts continued over the white satin down to her hips, then trailed inward, giving it an extra dose of femininity.
“Jax and I love it, too. Who am I kidding? We love all three! They all have open backs and—”
“Wait! The other two pictures just came through. Oh, Jordan. The off-the-shoulder one is like a fairy-tale gown with that flowing skirt and deep neckline.”
“I know! I love it so much. The skirt would be hand beaded so it sparkles.”
“That sounds gorgeous. I love the row of beads that looks like it’s floating above the neckline and the way the three rows come together on each side and rest just off the shoulder. Okay, hold on. Pull back on the reins. The last one you sent is to die for! But if you wear that one, you’ll have to get married on a beach, because the bodice looks like a seashell with the embellishments you’ve drawn, and the fishtail is stunning as is, without any embellishments. You’ve got the body for it, too.” The gown had an intricately beaded strapless bodice that rose in the center and a long fishtail skirt.
Trixie’s enthusiasm made it even more exciting to talk about. “I would love to get married barefoot on a beach or in a simple garden wedding.”
“Why don’t you? You haven’t chosen a venue yet.”
“Todd and I talked about it. His family doesn’t like the idea of anything too simple, and I don’t want to be too pushy and start our marriage on a bad note. We’ve already had to compromise on a number of things, like getting married here instead of in the city. You lucked out with Lily and Clint. They’re so easygoing.”
“I know I did. You haven’t said much about his parents. They’re not nice?”
“They are, but they’re big-city nice.” She winced. “Did that sound mean?”
“No, just honest. I think I’m starting to understand your cold feet.”
Unfortunately, so am I.
They talked for a while longer, and Jordan finished up for the day and then headed home, excited to see Todd. She stopped to pick up a bouquet of daffodils, because a little extra hope for a romantic weekend wouldn’t hurt. When she got home, she straightened the living room, putting away her lavender- and peppermint-scented candles, even though they were also symbols of hope, and lighting Todd’s favorite applewood-scented candles instead, which she’d bought to use the weekend of Trixie’s wedding. She put the daffodils in a vase on the dining room table and set the sketches of her bridal gown around them in a pretty display. She hadn’t told Todd that she was designing the gown with Jax. She wanted to surprise him.
She placed tomorrow’s itinerary, which she’d prettied up using Photoshop, adding wedding bells and garland, on the table and retrieved the gift box with the gloves. As she set it by the drawings, she remembered she hadn’t texted a picture to Jax, and she did that quickly. Then she showered, primped, and dressed in the new lingerie she’d bought before Trixie’s wedding, cream slacks, and a sexy wrap sweater. She was putting on her makeup when her phone vibrated with a message from Jax. What a thoughtful gift. Let me play with the designs tonight and see what I can come up with. A call from Todd rang through, and her heart skipped. “Hi. How close are you?”
“Pretty damn far.”
“Oh no. Traffic?”
“No, babe. I was two hours into the drive when I got a call from a client whose life has basically imploded. He’s being sued and divorced and all sorts of shit. I just got off the plane in Atlanta to meet with him and his lawyer.”
“Atlanta?” The pit of her stomach sank. “So you’re coming tomorrow morning instead?”
“No. I’m sorry, babe, but I’ll be here until at least Monday.”
Anger clawed its way out. “But we’ve had this scheduled for weeks. You promised you’d make it. We have the venues to look at, and the cake tasting, and—”
“Jordan, for Christ’s sake. This guy’s entire world is crumbling around him, and you’re worried about cake?”
“It’s not the cake,” she seethed. “It’s everything. You cancel on me all the time, and I know your clients are important, but what about me, Todd? What about us?”
“We both knew what we were getting into when you chose to stay in Maryland. If I had it my way, you’d’ve moved to the city with me right after college, so cut me some fucking slack. Do you think I like being yanked around like a damn puppet and working a million hours?”
She blew out a breath, trying to calm herself down. “No. I’m just disappointed. I feel like we never see each other anymore. We’re finally moving forward with the wedding and I’m doing it alone.”
“My mom offered to help with the arrangements. Do you want me to get her a flight?”
God no.“No, thanks. This is our wedding, and I thought you were excited to be part of it.”
“I am excited, and I hate disappointing you, but work has to come first. You know I trust your judgment, babe. It’s just cake and a roof over our heads while we say our vows. Five years from now we won’t remember what flavor the cake was or what the damn venue looked like, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
She was gutted by his cavalier attitude, but she was sick of begging for time, and she didn’t have it in her to argue for what should be a given. “Mm-hm.”
“I mean it, babe. I know I screwed up by missing your friend Tracey’s wedding.”
“Trixie.”
“Who names their kid Trixie?”
