Chapter 7
Clarabella
"Happy day before the wedding day!” Shelby enters the bridal suite while my hair is being fixed with two crystal champagne glasses in her hand. She is wearing a blush-pink tulle dress, with a beaded belt, that goes all the way to the floor. It flows when she walks, and the minute she tried it on, she bought it.
"Happy day before the wedding day," I respond back to her, smiling. That saying was something that we started to say at the beginning when we got our first couple of clients.
She comes and hands me a glass and clinks it with mine. "To the last penis you will ever have." She makes me laugh as I take a sip. The hairdresser blow-dries my hair into a perfect bob. I cut it a bit too short last time, thinking that it would grow back in time for the wedding, but it didn't, and we are just going to have to go with it. My mother tried to talk me into getting extensions, but she nixed that idea when I bought a wig with horrible bangs and showed up at her house. So they are going to go with my short hair that is layered in the front.
"To the last penis of my life," I say once I finish the whole glass.
The door opens, and Presley comes in, in her own blush-pink dress, but hers molds to her body. She went the opposite of Shelby and said since she was the only single one left, she had to be sexy for all of us. Her black hair is parted in the middle and pinned back into a ponytail. "I come bearing booze." She holds up the champagne bottle in one hand and a glass in the other. "Happy day before the wedding day."
"Fill ’er up," I invite, handing her my empty glass. "How is it going out there?"
"Well, the groom is already here,” Presley says, popping the bottle of champagne. "Which is already better than Shelby's wedding." I laugh.
"And you only have the two of us as bridesmaids, so it's safe to say he hasn't fucked either of us,” Shelby assures me, holding her own glass up and swallowing what was left.
"I mean, I don't know about you guys, but that’s winning in my book." I clap my hands together. "Thank you for not sleeping with him." Presley hands me my glass of champagne, and I take a gulp.
"Anything for you,” Presley teases. "I mean, it does help that he's the opposite of my type."
"That." Shelby points at her. "And I have my own pole to ride at home."
"I'm going to throw up if you keep calling Ace's dick a pole." I’m finishing my glass of champagne when there is another knock on the door.
"Can I join the party?” Harlow asks, poking her head in and smiling at us. "Actually, your brother is pinching my ass, so can we join the party?" I nod, and she opens the door and walks in wearing a long black dress that looks like lace. It has no sleeves, and when it gets to her knees, it's all see-through. "I wore black for you," she says. "So you feel at home."
"Happy wedding rehearsal,” Travis says, holding up the drink in his hand. It's a low glass with amber liquid inside, and I hold out my hand.
"One, it's happy day before the wedding day," I declare, waiting for him to give me his glass. "And two, I just want a sip." He comes over and hands me his glass.
"I thought you gave up scotch,” Presley quizzes from behind me as I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip. The burning on the way down makes me close my eyes.
"I did. I just wanted to taste it," I say, not bothering to give him back his glass. The hairdresser finishes my hair and leaves the room for me to get dressed.
"How crazy is it out there?" I ask Travis, who just smiles.
"Nothing caught on fire," he confirms, and we all gasp.
"The universe," Shelby says. "You guys messed around with that at my wedding, and look what happened."
"You became a legend and then had a week-long affair with your best friend,” Presley reminds her. "Then married him." She finishes her glass of champagne. "I call that winning."
"I'm just going to say it," Harlow says. "If this wedding doesn't happen, your mother…" She shakes her head. "She already said she's moving."
We all laugh at her now. "My mother isn't going anywhere. You have her grandkids, and this one is going to be pregnant any day now with the amount of sex they have."
"Keep the drink.” Travis grimaces as he walks over to the couch. "Why doesn't the groom's room have all this shit?" he asks, looking around the room. “There should be a comfy couch in there and a television to watch sports while we wait."
"Put that in the suggestion box right next to the ‘fuck off, we don't care’ box at the front door,” Shelby says to him. Harlow shakes her head and walks over to him. He opens his legs for her, and she steps inside them, turning and sitting on his lap. His hand sits at the base of her back as they share a smile. My stomach flutters with the nerves I didn't know I had, and I push them aside. I also push aside the voice that asks me when was the last time I looked at Edward like that.
I inhale and take another sip of the scotch. "It's going to be fine." I speak the words out loud, and even I'm shocked they came out of me. My sisters share a look, and Harlow looks at me with wide eyes, meaning that the words actually came out of my mouth. "I mean, everything is done, right? All the things are in place."
"Everything has been checked,” Shelby says.
"Double-checked," Presley fills in. "The groom is here. Nothing is going to catch on fire." She glares over at Travis. "No one slept with anyone they shouldn't sleep with." She looks at Harlow.
"Obviously, I was supposed to sleep with him." Harlow wraps her arm around Travis's shoulders and leans down to kiss him when there is another knock on the door.
"It's Grand Central Station," I mumble, taking another sip of the scotch when the door opens and Ace comes in.
"I was told that I needed to come in here and see if everything was okay," he announces, walking in and smiling at everyone until he sees Shelby, and his smile gets even bigger. "Edward is getting anxious outside waiting for you."
"At least he isn't beating down her door." Presley looks at him and raises her eyebrows. "Like a barbarian." She laughs. "Me man, you my woman," she says in a caveman's voice, making us all laugh.
"She called me and said help," Ace says, putting his arm around Shelby. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Ignore her like any proper groom does," I reply, getting up out of the chair. "Okay, time to get into my outfit."
"I'm out," Travis and Ace both say at the same time.
"I'm going to go make sure your mother is okay,” Harlow states, coming to me and hugging me. "Take your time."
They walk out of the room, and I walk over to the curtain, pulling it open and seeing my outfit hanging in the middle of the room. "You going to put that glass down to get dressed?" Shelby asks from beside me, and I look down and see that my hand is gripping the glass so tight my knuckles are almost white.
"Yes," I mumble, putting it down on the table. I slip off the white satin robe that my sisters got me for the day. I'm already in my bra and panties set that they also got me for this night. "I'm nervous, I think." I look at Shelby and wait for her to tell me it's normal.
I slip into the white pants that are tight on top and then go straight down. Zipping it closed at the side. The pants reach midcalf and are tailored to me. "Like my heart is beating so fast," I say, putting my hand on my chest as I grab the beige and white top, putting my hands in the delicate sleeves that have hand-embroidered flowers that go all the way up my arm flowing to the front of it. Neither of them says anything as they watch me get dressed, which isn't helping my nerves. "I need someone to button me up," I inform them, looking over and seeing Presley wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. She comes to me and fastens the five buttons at the base of my back that lead to a train that goes down to the floor with hand-embroidered flowers scattered all over it. I put my hand to my chest and turn around, looking at them. "Is this okay?" I ask about the pantsuit I picked out to wear tonight.
"It's so you,” Shelby confirms.
"Thank God it's not black." Presley walks over to the table, grabbing the glass of scotch and handing it to me. "How about you finish this, and then you can come out." I nod my head.
"That grand entrance,” Shelby says. "And it's totally normal for the nerves."
"Were you nervous when you were getting married?" I ask. "Either time works."
"With Joseph, I was," she admits. "With Ace, I just wanted to get it over with." I nod at her and take a sip of the scotch. "Everyone is different."
"Put your shoes on and then come out,” Presley instructs, and the two of them leave me alone in the room. I slip my feet in the nude shoes I bought to go with this outfit, then walk over to the mirror and look into it.
I look at myself from head to toe. "You are getting married," I remind myself. "Edward is perfect." I close my eyes for a minute to think back to when we met. I only said yes to his date to prove to myself that Luke meant nothing to me. I kept going out with him to spite him, if I'm honest. The first couple of dates, I made it a point to go to the restaurant, hoping to run into him, hoping to show him that he didn't break me. That was my goal, but Edward was so kind and loving. He was attentive and just everything that you want in a guy, and then it was a disservice to him to keep thinking about Luke, so a month after we started dating, I put him in a black box at the back of my mind and refused to think about him until my thirtieth birthday party.
Until Edward stood there in the middle of the venue on bended knee, asking me to marry him. I was caught off guard, and I didn't have a chance to block Luke out. Instead, while he was on his knee, the only thing I saw in my head was Luke smiling at me and laughing. I forced him back into the box and agreed to marry Edward. He was my choice. He was the right choice.
The knock on the door makes me look up, and I realize I have a tear running down my face. I use my palm to wipe my face, avoiding looking in the mirror. "We said grand entrance." Presley sticks her head in. "But this is overdoing it, even for you."
"I'm coming," I say, gulping down the rest of the scotch and putting the glass down. "Can you do me a favor?"
"No.” She shakes her head and opens the door so I can walk out with her.
"Good, can you give me a glass of wine but make sure it's scotch?” I say, and she just looks at me.
"They aren't even the same color," she tells me.
"They will be if you use a black wineglass," I suggest, and she gasps at me.
"Wow, she gets married, and all of a sudden, she becomes devious." She shakes her head. "I'm on it." She squeezes my hand. "Now go in there and pretend you're happy," she says and walks away from me.
"I am happy," I mumble to myself. I take a deep breath before walking out, the whole time pretending I'm happy.