“Okay, on the count of three let’s both step out,” Lacy said from the adjacent dressing room in the bridal shop in Santa Barbara.
“Are you ready?” Eva gave up on the top half of the zipper, positive her arms couldn’t contort to that extent.
“Just about.” Lacy said, then quickly followed with “Shoot.”
“We need some help over here,” Eva spoke up. The wedding dress attendant, who’d been so helpful all afternoon as they’d tried on dress after dress off the rack, rushed to help. Lacy had insisted this was the way she always bought her clothes, and that was how she intended to find her wedding dress. Happy to share a double wedding with her twin, Eva went along.
“We both need help with our zippers and last button.” As the attendant finished Eva’s dress first, Eva called out to Lacy across the way. “I think I’ve found mine, how about you?”
“I’m positive this is the dress I want to get married in.”
Once Lacy found out Joe had asked Eva to marry him, she’d run it by Zack first, then insisted they have a double wedding. They’d finished their grouped birthday celebrations and it only made sense to share this most special day. They’d even insisted they’d walk each other down the aisle, since their father couldn’t.
“I can’t wait to see yours!” Eva said, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress.
“Same here with yours!”
“There you go, ma’am,” the attendant said, making Eva feel ancient even though she understood the older woman originally from Europe was just being respectful. “Now I go help your sister.”
“Thank you.” Eva turned side to side, admiring the chic outfit. It was the most perfect wedding dress she could ever imagine. The romantic, fairy-tale dress with jeweled off-the-shoulder straps and V-neck slit, fitted bodice and flared skirt was everything she’d ever dreamed of.
“Oh,” the attendant said taking in a quick breath after entering Lacy’s stall.
Eva’s heart sank with the worry that her sister had chosen something that didn’t agree with the fine taste of the establishment Eva had dragged her to. Lacy had protested the whole way, saying I always buy off the rack, and why should I change my habits now? With great patience Eva had explained that in essence they would be buying off the rack, just with the option of having the dresses altered to perfection.
They’d each grabbed dress after dress and tried on one after the other for three hours now. Then, after one last pass through their size section, losing track of who took what, and deciding not to look at each other’s dresses until they’d tried them on, they’d made their last trip to the changing room.
“Everything all right?” Eva called out, completely in love with her dress, worrying Lacy would never want to try a fancy place like this again if she couldn’t find the dress of her dreams.
“Perfect,” Lacy said. “It’s perfect. This is the one.”
“Oh, dear,” the attendant said quietly.
Eva hoped for the best, but her gut tightened over what she might find Lacy wearing. “Okay, on the count of three!”
Lacy started the count. “One...”
“Two,” Eva joined.
“Three!” they said together as Eva pushed open her dressing room door and stepped into the main parlor. Lacy had done the same, and Eva eagerly looked at her sister. She sucked a breath, thinking she was looking into one of the long panel of mirrors. How in the name of a hundred dresses could they choose the exact same one?
Lacy started laughing. “We chose the same one!”
“We never dress alike. How did this happen?” The irony quickly turned to giggles as the sisters stepped together and stood side by side in front of the main mirror, looking more like twins than they ever had before. Which was a big deal because they looked uncannily identical under normal circumstances. With them wearing wedding dresses, the exact wedding dresses, the effect was shocking. Especially since Eva had made up for the five-pound difference between them by the middle of the first trimester.
“Is thees a problème?” the attendant asked tentatively.
Lacy made her usual happy-go-lucky face. “Not for me. Eva?” she looked expectantly at Eva, waiting.
Taking a second to formulate her thoughts, Eva studied Lacy, knowing all she had to do was hesitate or suggest maybe they should be a bit more individual on the biggest day of their lives. The biggest day since they’d found each other. If she did, Lacy would lay down that dress. For her. She’d walk away from the most perfect dress in the world for her, just so Eva could have it all to herself. Well, no way was that going to happen.
“I think this is the best idea ever!”
Eva and Lacy put the finishing touches on their makeup and carefully placed the wedding veils on their heads, each helping the other. The veils turned out to be the one thing to set them apart. Eva’s was short and stylish, and Lacy’s longer, more traditional. They took one last look at each other and hugged carefully.
“I can’t think of a better way to share my wedding than with you,” Eva said. “And our husbands, of course,” she quickly added the most important part, the men they loved.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Lacy said, now holding hands with Eva. “Finding each other, picking up where we never had the chance to start, has meant more than anything to me.”
With Joe’s help, they’d moved forward on locating their birth mother. The name Desirae turned out to belong to the delivery nurse the day they’d been born. She was still alive but refused to divulge the identity of their mother. However, following up on the name Taylor in the birth records for the day twins were born in the small Santa Paula hospital, Joe said he had a lead. An address. Of course, it was outdated, but who knew where it might lead?
“I just wish...” Lacy continued.
“We can go on forever wishing we’d been together all our lives,” Eva cautioned. “It didn’t happen and thinking that way will keep us sad. We need to let that go. This is supposed to be the most joyous day of our lives, so let’s take every second and breathe it in.”
“I know. You’re right.” Lacy squeezed her hands.
Eva swore she saw that mischievous gaze that often crept into her sister’s eyes. “What?” She lifted her sister’s veil to get a better look.
“You said not to dwell on it, but you know we never got to dress like each other and play tricks on people, and, well, I just had a wicked idea.”
Eva pulled in her chin, easily reading her twin’s thoughts, and considering a most cruel trick that had no place at a wedding ceremony. And yet... “That would mean I walk down the aisle on the left.”
“Absolutely. And me on the right. The perfect test.”
“What’s your bet? Before or after the veil lift? Wait, no bets.” Eva would never bet money on Joe with a dare.
“Let’s see what plays out.”
“It’s risky, but why not? We only live once.”
“It’s a great test, don’t you think?”
Guilt tiptoed in. “Do we need to test them?”
“No. But it would certainly make our wedding one to never be forgotten.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be that anyway.”
“Still...”
Eva lifted her veil, not wanting to mess it up while they snickered about their devilish plans.
As the small church wedding planner reentered the room, they quickly covered their faces with their veils and stopped laughing.
“It’s time, ladies,” the planner said. “Lacy, you’re on the left. Eva, the right.”
“Got it,” Eva said, stepping into the left. Their little naughty plan was really going to happen.
A few short minutes later, with church music swirling through the air and tingles covering every part of Eva’s body, she made it a point not to look at her sister again. Otherwise she might cry her eyes out. Together, they began the wedding march as Emma led the way as both flower girl and ring bearer. Noah was still too young to be trusted.
The entrance song—from The Princess Bride—had been another unanimous choice for the sisters. The guys were quick to approve it, since the walk down the aisle belonged to their future wives, them and them alone.
Eva tried her best to keep it all together, knowing Lacy did the same. Assuring each other as they did by holding hands for support. They wore the same dresses and looked exactly alike, the only thing setting them apart being their respective veils. Eva’s was a birdcage veil that swept across her face to her chin in a fashionable style. Lacy’s was a more classic two-tier midlength that fell to her waist in the back and to her shoulder in front.
Zack and Joe had never seen their dresses, as was the custom, or the veils.
As they approached the altar, Eva’s eyes drifted to Joe standing tall, looking so incredibly handsome in his tux, his dark hair combed to perfection. His eyes fixed on... Lacy. It felt all wrong, made her want to drift into her sister’s lane, but they’d made a devious plan and would carry it out until it counted. Taking their vows.
Before Joe could notice, she shifted her gaze to Zack. Dark blond hair tamed with product, a dashing smile, sparkling green eyes. Gorgeous, but not the man she loved, though Lacy was a lucky woman, too.
They reached the spot where they were supposed to wait for their grooms to take their hand and bring them to the pastor. Deep in thought about what a mistake they’d made on their wedding day, Eva stared straight ahead, worrying about the outcome. Whose idea had it been? Lacy’s!
Since Eva had switched with Lacy, playing out what now seemed like a horrible idea on such an important day, her hands trembled. She’d lost all the bold-faced courage she and Lacy had come up with to play such a rotten trick on their men. What had gotten into them?
Years of being separated, missing out on things like pretending to be each other, that was what. Still... Today? Of all days?
She waited and looked at Zack again, who tossed a quick glance toward Joe, who happened to be searching for Zack’s eyes. Weren’t they supposed to be making googly eyes at their brides, not each other?
Eva’s fingers quavered, making it hard to hold her bouquet still. The men nodded to each other and stepped forward. Zack crossed in front of Eva, heading toward Lacy. With a little fancy footwork himself, Joe stepped into his place in front of Eva.
Even veiled, they hadn’t fooled them for one second. Apparently, it would take more than the same dress to trick the man she loved.
Joe gave a knowing wink and held out his elbow. “Nice try,” he said under his breath.
With a demure grin and full blush, feeling beyond foolish, she took his arm as he led her to their spot at the altar. Standing in front of the pastor, ready and waiting to take her vows, Eva knew without a doubt that Joe was the one and only man in the entire world meant to be her husband.
And no identical-twin elementary school prank could prove otherwise.
Don’t miss the surprising finale of the Taylor Triplets miniseries,
The Reluctant Fiancée
available May 2020 from Harlequin Special Edition!
And find Lacy’s story,
Cooking Up Romance
available now wherever Harlequin books and ebooks are sold!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Southern Charm & Second Chances by Nancy Robards Thompson.