Marry Me

Part 6

Okay, this is it, you're getting married.

You're doing this, you're going to walk down that aisle, kiss Ricky on the lips, proclaim your love, tie the knot. Break the dish.

Right, you can do this.

You're not on the verge of hyperventilating.

Ironically, you've been pegging Ricky as the one who'll bail out with a panic attack at the last minute, but it might be you.

Oh god.

Okay.

You can do it, you got this. You're not going to trip in your wedding dress going down the aisle, you're not going to embarrass yourself. It's going to be fine, and it's going to go smooth, everyone will show up, he won't ditch you at the altar and mortify you.

Maybe that's what you're really worried about.

You swallow hard, staring at your reflection in the floor length mirror of the dressing room in the church, biting your lower lip. Your hair is already done, twisted up on the back of your head with white crystals decorating here and there, just like the clear ones dangling in your ears. Your aunt painted your lips with a red that you think is a little bright, but she says it compliments your features, so that's fine.

Maybe you shouldn't have picked a white dress, maybe that's taboo. You're obviously not a virgin, but it is your first wedding; does that mean if you have another should it be a different color? You just like tradition.

You twist your fingers together nervously, feeling sick. You almost think you're going to puke, to be quite honest, the way your stomach is flip-flopping on you.

You hope you don't ruin your dress, it's so pretty, and you like how it trails behind you when you walk. You almost feel like a princess, especially with all the attention you're getting, but that's what a wedding is about, isn't it? You have a little veil that tucks into your hair but doesn't cover your face, but you kind of wish it did now, to hide how nervous you must look.

You glance over as Chloe suddenly darts into the room, wearing the white dress you picked for her, flowers decorating the hem, her white shoes gleaming in the pale lights. Her mother actually let her come, she even put a white bow in the back of her hair to keep it out of her eyes, and it does match the dress perfectly; you're sure Claire is upstairs in the pews seething right now, though.

"You look so pretty!" she says with a grin, and you smile down at her. She is the most precious child, you're not quite sure how Ricky and his ex-girlfriend managed to create such a beautiful little girl when both of them can be so hateful.

"You think so?" You smooth at your dress anxiously. You were starting to worry you just look silly, that it didn't look as good on you as you thought it did. You've been second guessing everything all morning, even the decorations you put together!

"Like a princess," Chloe says, reaching forward to hug around your waist and squeeze, which actually makes you feel a little better. You sigh, letting your hands rest on her shoulders, squeezing lightly. "Daddy is gonna think so too!"

"He's here, right?" You ask hesitantly, and Chloe nods her head when she steps back, looking up at you with those unnervingly bright blue eyes. You know it's a weird question but you also know she'll answer honestly, she's a kid, that's what they do.

"Yeah, he's upstairs with Uncle Ryan. He looks fancy too."

Good, so he's at least dressed.

You relax a little, turning to give yourself one more look. You do hope you look okay, the wedding will start soon and you're so worried something will go wrong. What if someone spills the beans? What if your plan is discovered?