Present
Engaged.
What an odd word to describe the period of time between saying yes to a marriage proposal and the act of becoming married.
For Rose, the time between their engagement and their wedding was stressful.
For Lannan, it was pure bliss.
The double standard of engagement left most of the planning to Rose.
Without a mom to help, she was lost until Tannar and Lannan's mom stepped in to help organize everything.
She was absolutely lost without them.
They were only six months to the wedding date when they discovered she hadn't even booked a venue.
Past
"Rose, how much of this wedding is actually planned?" Tannar and her mom sat across from her, looking through the notebook that she had been scribbling in.
"I have.....options?" She looked down at the ring on her left hand, fiddling with it.
"Honey, why didn't you ask us for help?" Lannan's mom reached across the table and gently laid her hand on Rose's wrist.
"I really thought I could do it on my own." She groaned.
"Okay, well let's start with your ideas."
"I love baby pink and white for the colors. I know I want the flowers to be baby's breath and light pink roses. I have zero clue what kind of dress I want and I have absolutely no idea on venues."
"Well, some ideas are better than none." The next two weeks were a blur as they whirled around her, getting more planning done then she had in 8 months.
Invitations were printed and sent out, place settings chosen and all the small details began to follow.
Wedding party dresses and tuxes were found and altered.
It wasn't until two months before the wedding that Rose finally caved and allowed them to drag her to a wedding dress shop.
Present
Rose had put off this moment for as long as possible.
It wasn't that she didn't want to find a wedding dress.
It wasn't that she had any qualms about marrying Lannan.
It was just that, without her mom, trying on wedding dresses was even harder than she thought.
Tannar had convinced Cara to fly in with Grace for the big trip. Cara had been astounded to discover that Rose had left one of the most important elements of a wedding to the very last minute.
They were sitting in a high end wedding boutique, sipping champagne and waiting for Rose to come out in her first dress option.
Rose, however, was sat on the floor of the dressing room, having what could only be described as a storm of emotions.
She was dry sobbing, her chest heaving, but no tears came out.
The poor saleswoman who was dressing her was fussing around her, rubbing her back gently and offering tissues even though they weren't needed.
"Sweetheart, do you want me to get your maid of honor?"
"No, I'm s-sorry, let me just c-call my fiancé." She reached out towards her phone on a nearby table and the saleswoman handed it to her, stepping outside the room to give her some privacy.
The line rang twice and Lannan picked up, his voice a comfort as she sniffled.
"Rose? Honey?"
She stayed silent, taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself.
"Baby, I know this is a hard day for you."
She whimpered quietly.
"Your mom is watching you from heaven as we speak. I bet she already sees the perfect dress for you."
"Thank you, Lan." She said, standing up shakily. "I need to go find a dress to marry you in. I guess it's like a requirement or something."
"You're something else, Rose. Love you, have fun."
"I love you too, babe." She hung up.
"Feeling better?" The saleswoman poked her head back in.
"Yes, thank you."
"I looked over your notes and some of your inspiration pictures and I think I picked the perfect dress." She held out a delicate white dress and Rose sucked in a sharp breath.
She stepped into it, pulling the delicate lace over her shoulders. The lace continued down the skirt with a sheer overlay of tulle.
She smoothed it over her thighs, tearing up, "This is it. This is the dress."
"Do you want to go show your bridesmaids?"
She nodded, wiping under her eyes gently.
Cara and Tannar looked up as Rose glided into the room.
Suddenly there wasn't a dry eye in the room.
Rose had an almost otherworldly glow about her and it seemed as though her feet didn't touch the ground.
"That's the one." Cara said, wiping tears from her eyes.
"It's absolutely stunning." Tannar grinned, "Lannan is going to lose his mind.
"That's pretty much the idea!" Rose winked at them.
Tannar took the dress home to her apartment as there were far less chances for Lannan's curious nature to betray him there.
Rose bounced through the front door of her house, scooping up Willeh and dancing around the living room.
Lannan chuckled from the couch, "Someone's in a good mood now."
"I found a dressssss," She stuck her tongue out him giddily, "And you can't see it for another two whole months!"
Lannan sat back, basking in the glow of her presence.
Two more months.
Only 61 days stood between her becoming Rose Eacott.
a/n hey everyone! this story is slowly coming to an end! i'm not sure exactly how many more chapters are left, but i did sit down and plan out the last chapter, it's just writing what goes in between it that i need to work on.
thank you so much for all of your continuing support!
as always, you can find me on twitter @/icalusfalls
please don't be scared to send me a message if you have any questions or just want to chat!
