Love's Not a Competition

Chapter 1

September 2013

Thirteen weeks to go...

Glancing down to check that my hands are clean, I carefully smooth down the fluid white satin fabric covering my body and take a look at myself in the mirror. My wedding dress is in no way finished, but already it looks incredible.

"I can already see it needs a few tweaks here and there," Elizabeth, the designer of the dress I'm currently gazing at myself in, tells me, "but we've got plenty of time, right?"

"Three months," I confirm, turning so that I can see the back of the dress in the mirror, the low draped neckline showing off the cherry blossom tattoo that sits between my shoulder blades. My mum wasn't that keen on me showing my tattoo on my wedding day but it's part of who I am and I want people to see it. We've agreed a compromise; I'll wear a faux fur wrap for the ceremony and then remove it for the evening reception. I don't want to fall out with my mum over something so simple. "Three months tomorrow to be exact."

Even though Calum and I have been together almost five years I'm still finding it hard to believe that in three months time I'll no longer be Miss Cherry Fraser, I'll be Mrs Cherry O'Connor – yes, I am planning on taking my husband's surname once we're married.

"Fantastic," Elizabeth smiles and takes a couple of pins from the pin cushion strapped to her left wrist. "I'll just pin a little out of the waist and then you can show your mum and... Lou... is it?"

"That's right. She's my bridesmaid, well I guess maid of honour, seeing as she's married." I lift my arm so that Elizabeth can place the pin where she needs to. "Thank you so much for this, it looks amazing already. Calum's going to love it."

"Thank you for allowing me to make your dress." Elizabeth dips her head and blushes a little as her long blonde hair falls around her face. She's young, only just out of university and is doing her best to set up her own company making bespoke wedding dresses. I'm one of her first customers – she's mum's best friends youngest daughter – and she's giving me an excellent price on the condition that I let her use some of the wedding photos in her portfolio. She fiddles with the fabric for a second or two then lifts her head and smiles at me. "Right, time to see what they think."

I pull back the velvet curtain she has hung across the end of her small workshop to create a changing area and step out into view, equal parts eager and apprehensive to find out what my mum and my best friend think. This is the first time they've seen the dress on, it's the first time I've seen the real dress on; on previous fittings I've been pinned into a mock up made from cheap fabric while we worked on the design and fit of the finished garment.

"Oh Cherry." Mum gasps, lifting her hand to her mouth and staring at me. I can see her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You look so beautiful. It's perfect."

"Even the back?" I question, turning so she can see the draped satin that exposes my back down to below my shoulder blades, and frames my tattoo perfectly. Mum doesn't like my tattoo very much, she doesn't like ANY tattoos to be honest, so I'm expecting a barbed comment about it, but none comes.

"Even the back." She confirms. "It is beautiful darling."

"What do you think Lou?" So far my friend has been silent, but I can tell she likes it.

"You're gonna give Calum a heart attack in that sweetie. It's soooo sexy." She grins at me and shoots a glance at my mum, who is still beaming and dabbing at her eyes.

It's kind of weird how mum can think I look so beautiful and all Lou sees is sexy. I guess that's the difference between a mother and a best friend.