Ken arrived at two sharp. He wore a dark blue suit with a starched white shirt and a yellow and blue striped tie. Her heart pounded when she looked at him. By the time he got there, she had managed to find the energy to pretend to be happy to see him and excited about the wedding.
“You look really nice,” she said.
He glanced at her purple lace dress and purple and blue butterfly necklace. “I could say the same,” he said.
He took her to Camila’s shop. When they walked in, the overwhelming scent of flowers made her gag. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she pinched her nose.
“I’m sorry,” she said to Ken. “The smell this morning.”
He put a hand on her elbow, concern etched in every feature. “I can take care of this.”
Camila came out of the back room carrying a box. “Hi, you two. Here you go.”
Daisy lifted her hand as she backed out of the door. She heard Ken say to Camila, “The flower smell got to her this morning.”
Clutching the corner of the building, she lost her yogurt. Long after she had nothing left in her stomach, she stood there, resting her face against the cool brick, listening to the rain hit the awning above her. Cold sweat broke out on her body, and she wondered if she should have brought her makeup bag. Annoyed at the thought of her appearance instead of the physical state of her body, she slapped her hand against the wall and straightened just as Ken pushed the door open.
He walked straight to her. “You okay?”
She pressed a shaking hand to her mouth. “I’ll be fine,” she snapped. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. “I’m sorry. I’m just not feeling well today.”
“You don’t need to apologize.” He set the box in the back of the truck. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“No.” The shop door opened again, and Camila came out with a bottle of water.
“You need to sit?”
“No. I’ll be fine. Ken’s parents’ house isn’t far from here.” She took a small sip of the cool water.
“Oh, yeah. The castle,” Camila said.
With her eyes, Daisy begged Camila not to say anything about Thursday. “Yeah. Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
Her cousin stared at her with concern, as if she could see the dilemma in her soul. Instead of enduring the inspection, she walked to the truck and ripped open the passenger’s door. Before she could shut it, Ken was there, blocking it.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’ll be fine. Just don’t hover.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes. Finally, he gently shut the door.
After a few minutes, they arrived at his parents’ house. While he pulled into the drive, she checked her face in the visor mirror. She still looked a little pale, but at least she felt like she could function again. Ken came around the front of the truck and opened the door as a valet approached them with an umbrella. “Good afternoon, Mr. Dixon,” he said.
“Afternoon, Charles. Thanks for doing this.”
“Beats picking up trash on a jobsite today. Plus, your guests always tip us well.”
Daisy looked up at the massive castle. “I always think it looks like something out of a fairy tale.”
Ken smiled a sheepish smile. “Helps bring that handsome prince charming point home.”
Despite the heaviness of her heart, she chuckled. He grabbed the box of flowers out of the back of the truck and led the way into the house. As soon as she stepped under the overhang, Charles shook off the umbrella and turned back to the valet stand.
They crossed the massive foyer and went to the kitchen. She could smell coffee and her mouth watered at the thought of having a cup. Shaking her head, she opened the box Ken set on the wooden table. She did a quick inventory as the door on the far side of the room opened, and one of Ken’s brothers came in.
“Hey guys,” he said. “Mom’s down in the pool house.”
“Hi, Brad.” Ken gestured at the box. “Guess we’ll leave this here for now.”
“Guess so.” Brad looked at Daisy. “It’s really good to see you, Daisy. How are you?”
Even as she smiled, it felt overly bright. “I’m great, Brad. It’s really good to see you, too.”
“Where’s the groom?” Ken asked.
“Upstairs.” Brad rooted through the box and removed a white rose boutonniere, which he fastened to his lapel. “Did Ken tell you what Jon and Alex are doing?”
Daisy focused on the conversation. “Yeah, um, they’re getting baptized before the ceremony, right?”
“They are. Never thought I would ever see Jon so settled. It’s nice.” He extended a boutonniere to Ken, who frowned. “You gotta do it, bro. I don’t make the rules.”
Ken took the flower and stared at it. Daisy stepped forward. “Let me help.”
By the time she finished pinning the flower to his lapel, she felt more like herself.
Valerie strolled into the kitchen with a barely noticeable limp. She wore a royal blue dress that flowed around her. A bright pink belt secured the waist. “Well, hi there, Daisy!” she said. “How are you?”
Before she could answer, Alex entered the room. She wore a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt. Daisy smiled at her and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bride less ready so close to the ceremony.” She chuckled. “I guess makeup and hair are moot when you’re going to be dunked under the water.”
Alex put a hand up to her hair, which she had pulled back in a ponytail. “It’s crazy how fast I’m going to have to get ready.”
“Don’t worry about making us wait,” Ken said. “We will have Calla food. You’ll have a captive audience.”
“True.” She gestured at the box. “Can I see the flowers?”
Camila had designed a simple but stunning bouquet of white roses with shoots of green leaves coming out, making the bouquet look like it had movement of its own. “This is perfect.” She touched the bundle of baby’s breath. “I’m going to do something with this in my hair. I’m going to do a braided bun, and I think I’m gonna put these throughout the braid.”
Valerie and Daisy nodded. Valerie said, “That will be simple but lovely.”
A couple of hours later, Jon and Alex got baptized while their friends and family watched. Their rabbi explained the history of baptism in the Jewish culture. His words filled Daisy with such wonder at how God provided such a visual representation of putting off the old, dying to oneself to become new creatures in Christ again. Beside the pool, Daisy stood in the circle of Ken’s arms and thought about the perfection of starting married life together as new creatures in Christ.
As soon as Alex went into the pool house, she looked up at Ken. “That was beautiful. It was worth getting dressed up and witnessing. I wish all baptisms were such lavish affairs.”
Ken smiled. “Just as important as the wedding, don’t you think?”
“I’m glad you understood what I was saying. I didn’t think I’d worded it well.”
He gave her a soft kiss. “I understood.”
Valerie met her eyes, and she slipped away from him. “Ready to go help Alex? She’s probably out of the shower by now.”
“Yep.” She smiled up at Ken. “I’ll be out later.”
“I’m going to go find one of those platters of hors d’oeuvres that the waiters are carrying around.”
About thirty minutes later, Daisy pinned baby’s breath throughout Alex’s blonde braid. The simple braided bun fit Alex’s style perfectly and looked great with her dress. She couldn’t believe how quickly Alex had showered, dried her hair, and put on her makeup.
“Perfect?” Daisy asked, stepping back.
Alex held the mirror up and looked at the back of her head. “Yes. Perfect. Thank you.”
She held her hands over her eyes as Daisy sprayed hair spray, then she slipped on her ivory-colored sheath style dress. Valerie helped her zip it.
“It’s a little tighter around the middle than it was just a few days ago,” she remarked, running her hands over her still mostly flat stomach. “I’m glad it still zips.”
“Oh, you still have a little bit of room,” Valarie said. While Valerie helped fasten the necklace that Rosaline had loaned Alex, and which Valerie had also worn in her own wedding, Daisy used Alex’s professional camera to take pictures. She thought about how recently Alex had come into this family’s lives, and how so quickly they made her welcome. She realized that they’d done the same for her.
Of course, they didn’t know she was pregnant with another man’s child. That would make a big difference in what they thought of her.
“I appreciate both of you. I appreciate your help so much,” Alex said. She slipped her feet into the gold sandals adorned with crystal flowers along the top strap. Daisy bent to help her fasten them. “I know the guests are probably tired of waiting.”
“You’ve only been in here for forty-five minutes. That’s probably some kind of record for a bride getting ready.”
Alex sent a text to let everyone know she was ready, then walked to the door and hugged first Valerie then Daisy. “See you out there,” Valerie said, handing Alex her bouquet then slipping out the door. Daisy followed as the minister called the guests to order.
Daisy stared up toward the front, toward Ken, who sat on the front row next to his mother, an empty seat beside him. She knew he had saved it for her.
You don’t belong up there with him. You don’t even belong here at all.
She started walking in that direction but fumbled. If they knew the way her thoughts had gone for the last thirty-six hours, they’d never want her anywhere near their family again.
As Alex and her uncle took their places in the back of the crowd, Daisy quietly made her way back into the pool house and back to the bedroom where she had just spent precious time with Alex and Valerie. Makeup containers in varying sizes and styles were strewn in a chaotic jumble on a small table. A hairdryer hung over the back of a chair, and a container of hairpins sat on the seat. A garment bag and hangar lay discarded on the bed.
With shaking hands, Daisy hung the hangar and garment bag for the dress in the small closet and then lay on top of the bed, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.