Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
A knock rings through the room before Lolly enters. As soon as she realizes that she’s about to witness me putting on Mom’s dress, she tears up.
“No crying,” I say, choking back another wave of tears myself. “I seriously don’t want to cry.”
She squeezes the handkerchief in her hands and brings it to her lips.
Markie helps me slip the dress over my head. I wiggle around to get it situated correctly on my hips and then my sister fastens the back. When I spin to show my grandmother, tears are streaming down her cheeks.
“Lolly …” I laugh, struggling not to cry myself. “Stop crying.”
She takes my hand between hers and holds it tightly. “You look so much like your mother, Mira. She would be so happy and so proud today.”
Fuck it. I’ll just sob, too.
Tears fall as Markie moves in front of me. Her cheeks are wet, too.
“Mira, you have to see yourself,” Markie breathes, taking my hand and guiding me to a full-length mirror. “You’re glowing. It’s like this dress just lit you up.”
I gasp as my reflection comes into view. “Oh, my gosh.”
“I know,” Markie says, sweeping my hair into a makeshift updo. “You do resemble Mom so much. I got Dad’s nose. Boo.”
Giggling, I switch my gaze to her. “You do not. Stop it.”
“Oh, I do. But it’s okay.” She nods for me to look in the mirror again. “How do you feel in it?”
How do I feel? If I were writing a text for someone else, I’d be tempted to use ethereal. Resplendent. Complete. They’re random words I don’t often use—I didn’t even know I knew the word resplendent—but they come to mind first.
The dress does look like it was made for my body, and the color is perfect against my skin. But more than how I look, I feel beautiful. This dress feels important.
And I can feel my mother with me.
“I feel like a bride,” I say, smiling through the tears. “That’s crazy.”
Lolly comes next to me and sighs. “You have no idea how happy this makes me. I know I kind of did you dirty on the details—”
“You think?” I ask, laughing.
“But, honey, you need to trust me on this. This will all work out. And the fact that I get to see you on your wedding day is the cherry on top.”
Markie puts her arms around both of our shoulders, resting her head against mine.
“Lolly?” Markie asks.
“Yes, baby girl.”
“Thank you for making Mira get married and not me.”
I jab her in the side with an elbow, making everyone laugh.
The sunlight shifts, centering us in its rays. It’s like the universe is smiling down on us. And maybe from the heavens, Mom is smiling, too.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Mira
“I think we’re ready,” Markie says, handing me a bouquet of wildflowers. “Are you ready to become Mrs. Adler?”
I roll my eyes, but that doesn’t stop the smile on my face. My brain can’t quite compute this situation. It should sound goofy for my sister to say this, considering the circumstances with which I’m becoming Mrs. Adler. And it does … kind of. It also sounds inexplicably exciting, a feeling I’m attributing to everyone’s positive energy rubbing off on me.
One day, I’ll be able to look back on this moment as a story from my wild youth, the best decision I ever made, or the day that I broke my own damn heart. Which one will it be? Time will tell.
“There you are,” Gray says, walking toward us. A piano begins to play, the music echoing through the halls of the small church. We’re tucked into a hallway out of sight from the guests who have already taken their seats. “I heard I’m escorting you down the aisle, Markie.”
“You heard right,” Markie answers him. “Okay, everyone. Listen up. The doors leading into the sanctuary are closed right now and will open in a few minutes. Once that happens, Gray and I will walk out slowly.” She turns to Jessica, the mom of the ring bearer. “Once we make it to the front, Lilly can make her way to us.” She smiles at the cute little blonde. “Okay, Lilly?”
“I’m gonna be great at this,” Lilly says, holding the darling pillow with our rings as if it holds the key to world peace.
We all smile.
“Then, when the bridal chorus begins, you’ll do your thing, Mira,” Markie says. “And remember to take your time. This is your moment.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I say, grinning at her.
Jessica has a question, and Markie steps to the side to answer her. Gray turns to me.
“You look beautiful, Mira,” he says.
I blush, not expecting a compliment from my almost-brother-in-law. “Thanks, Gray.”
“You know,” he says, fixing his tie, “I always wondered if this day would come. Or if you two would be so fucking hardheaded that you’d rather be miserable your whole lives.”