Darlene shuffled into her bridesmaid dress, the peach coloured material straining over her swollen belly. With hindsight, she wished she'd dropped out as soon as she found out she was pregnant but it was too late now.
"I'm sure it can be let out a bit more," Charlotte said tentatively while Judy stood beside them with a deep scowl on her face. Darlene knew she wanted everything to be perfect but she'd become a real pain in the ass.
"If I could put the pair of you together I might have two halfway passable bridesmaids," Judy said with a forced laugh. "Seriously, Charlotte can you please not lose any more weight? Darlene's got an excuse for getting fat but there's no reason for you to get so skinny."
"You think I'm fat?" Darlene asked placing her hands where her hips should have been. If Judy didn't drop the attitude she was going to kick her butt out of the house before much longer.
Judy's cheeks turned pink and she turned her attention back to Charlotte, nipping in her dress around the waist. "Of course I don't think you're fat, you're pregnant," she said with a conciliatory smile. "It's Lottie I'm getting pissed off with."
Charlotte's jaw dropped and Darlene regretted opening her mouth. "Lighten up Jude, the only dress that matters is yours. It's kinda traditional to have your bridesmaids looking terrible, that is why you've put us in peach isn't it?"
Judy laughed. "Be grateful you're not in frilly pink! But I want us all to look our best and we won't if your dresses don't fit properly."
"Fine I won't lose any more weight," Charlotte said grabbing a safety pin. "I didn't realise I had until we tried the dresses on. I guess life has been a bit hectic lately."
Judy opened her mouth but Darlene shot her a warning look, lest she put her foot in it even further. She turned around to face the mirror, grimacing at her reflection. She looked like an over-ripened tangerine with a ribbon around her waist. There was no chance of her upstaging the bride!
"So what is going on with you Lottie?" Judy asked while Darlene tried to shush her.
"I honestly don't know where to begin," Charlotte said looking critically at herself in the mirror. "This only needs taking in an inch or so, I'll do it myself this weekend."
"Okay, but you haven't answered my question." Judy gave her a sly look. "Have you been seeing Louis? You two looked pretty cosy at the funeral."
"I've seen him, I guess we're friends."
"That's all?"
Charlotte sighed. "That's all it ever can be with me, it's a waste of time me getting involved with anyone."
"Don't be stupid," Darlene said putting her reservations about Louis to one side. "You've got to stop thinking like this."
Charlotte glared at her, her lips pursed. "How can you say that when you're stood there pregnant? And Judy will no doubt soon be starting a family of her own. That's over for me, it's more than just leaving my husband; the possibility of ever having another child has gone." Her eyes welled with tears and Darlene felt ashamed, she was guilty of trying to make light of Lottie's situation.
"Look you don't know for certain that you can't have another child," she said putting her arms around her. "The doctor said it would be difficult for you to conceive but not impossible."
Charlotte shrugged her arms off. "That's pretty much what he meant. After what happened he said there was trauma and probably lasting damage, plus my womb is the wrong shape so the baby will more than likely implant in the wrong place and I'll miscarry." She let out a strangulated cry. "The odds are massively against me, I was lucky that I even had Jamie."
YOU ARE READING
Shattered Hearts
Romance(On adultfictions reading list) Can you fall in love with the same person twice? "I can't be with you, I just can't," she said turning away. "Why not?" She let out a heavy sigh. "It didn't work before when we had everything going for us, there's no...
