“This is highly unorthodox,” Julie whispered to her fiancé.
Jason just shrugged and gave her a smile. “Since when have I ever cared about rules?”
“All the time. You live by a highly structured set of rules, actually, steeped in tradition. Not dissimilar to the long held idea that the groom shouldn’t see the wedding dress before the big day.”
“But I like to watch you try stuff on.”
That he did. And it wasn’t like his outfit would be a surprise—he was getting married in his dress blues. She’d only seen him in them once before, and the memory was enough to melt her.
“Okay. But…remember, these are just samples. The sizes are going to be wrong, and I might look like an elephant in some of them.” It wasn’t like she was a standard size six.
“You are gorgeous.”
“That doesn’t change the laws of physics and limitations of lace.”
“Now you’re just stalling.” He flicked his gaze up to the bridal salon sign above them. “Let’s go in.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Do you want to get married in that blue strapless dress you bought last year? Because I have very fond memories of stripping you out of that after your friend’s wedding…”
She wasn’t that brave. Or that modern. “No. Right. Fine. Let’s do this.”
“You gotta move your feet, babe.” He chuckled and slid his hand to the small of her back, urging her forward. “This is why I had to come along.”
It was true. In every other facet of her life, Julie was confident and enthusiastic. But there was something about wedding planning that had her totally freaked out. A little part of her didn’t quite believe this was really her life. After five months of long-distance dating, Jason had popped the question—accidentally—via email.
The least romantic proposal ever, but when he realized what he’d done, he’d driven through the night to show up at her house with breakfast and a diamond ring he’d apparently been carrying for seven weeks.
The bell chimed as they stepped inside and a tiny, birdlike woman swept toward them. “Hello,” she said, a gracious smile brightening her face. “Welcome to Anastasia’s.”
“Thank you.” Julie took a deep breath. “I’m looking for a wedding dress.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place! My name is Hannah. Can I get you something to drink while you tell me about the wedding?”
Two cups of tea and thirty minutes of grilling later, Hannah was guiding Julie into a change room. Jason picked up a magazine and gave her an amused smile.
“I’ll be back with the first few dresses in a minute,” Hannah said, already disappearing down the back hallway.
Julie set her purse down on the lounge chair and took a deep breath. Her hands shook, and she pressed them to her hips. He loves you so much, she told herself. And he really did. She carried a copy of his email proposal in her purse to remind herself how comfortable and right he obviously thought this was.
From: Jason Steyner
To: Julie Collins
Subject: RE: this weekend
That sounds good. And maybe we could look at some of the wineries up there, too. I bet a lot of my friends would like to get away for a weekend. A wedding is a good excuse.
From: Julie Collins
To: Jason Steyner
Subject: RE: RE: this weekend
…What?
From: Jason Steyner
To: Julie Collins
Subject: RE: RE: RE: this weekend
What? Nothing. I love you.
From: Julie Collins
To: Jason Steyner
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: this weekend
I love you too.
She traced her finger over the worn paper. Okay, she could do this. She carefully folded the note back up, tucked it back in her purse, and slipped out of her sundress.