“You don’t have to be a girl,” she argues. “You more than anyone, know me. You understand what I like and you’ve been there for me since the beginning.”
“But shouldn’t you bring Mom or something?”
“If you didn’t want to go, you could have said no,” she reminds me.
“I know.” I take another drink. “I do want to go, but I have to be sure you want me here.
“I invited you!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop being so self-conscious about it.”
“Please do, I’m supposed to be the nervous one.”
I give her that, especially after the first marriage she had, she’s got to be worried about doing it again. “Are you having second thoughts about getting married.”
“There are some days when I worry Cutter’s not as great as I’ve made him out to be in my head. I half-convince myself I’ve made him into something he’s not, but then he does a grand gesture or he just holds me when I need it.”
Situating myself in her passenger seat, I mumble slightly. “Is that what women are looking for?”
“If you’re asking me about Shelby, then yeah, I know that’s what she’s looking for. We don’t need you to do everything for us, but making us feel safe and wanted? Those are two of the top ways you can show how much you care.”
“I hope I make her feel that.”
“How are things going with the two of you?”
I think for a second, before smiling. “They’re good. Better than.”
“Do you see a future with her?”
“Yeah.” I take another drink of my coffee. “It won’t be quick like yours and Cutter’s. She wants to get her practice off the ground, but I see a future with her.”
“Like a house and two point five kids future?”
Used to be that scared me, but thinking about it with Shelby? It’s not as scary as it once was. In fact, I do see the house and kids. “Yeah, yeah, I see that with her.”
“Oh my God, Sully. Have you told her?”
“No, not yet.”
“What the hell are you waiting for?”
“The right time?”
“There will never be a right time, Sullivan. You know that as well as I do. If you wait until the right time, you may be waiting forever.”
While I know she’s telling the truth, it’s still scary to put my heart out there for anyone. Especially after what happened the last time I put myself on the line. “I’m working up to it,” I say, trying to defend my actions.
“You better hope no one else is working up to it while you are.”
My heart rate spikes. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“No,” she laughs. “I’m just saying, how long is she going to wait?”
“It’s not like we’ve been together for years, Rowan. Jesus. Shut the hell up.”
“This is my day,” she retorts. “You shut the hell up.”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Then you tell me what you want me to do. Just don’t bring up my relationship with Shelby. I’m figuring out what I want to do.”
“Don’t take forever, big bro. We’re here.”
Sighing, I see what looks like some sort of boutique.
“Oh suck it up big guy, you get to see me get all pretty.”
I saw it once before, but she never had the spark in her eye she has now. There was no smile she now wears constantly, and I never trusted her first husband the way I do Cutter. “C’mon, Cinderella, let’s go find your dress.”
I hold out my arm to her, and together we walk into the building. We enter, and are greeted immediately.
“Hi, I’m Rowan Baker, I called earlier this week about seeing a few dresses.
“Hello.” The girl shakes her hand. “I’m Bridget, I’m the one who spoke with you. Is this your fiancé?”
“No,” she laughs looking at me. “This is my older brother. I trust him and he’s come to help me choose my dress.”
“Well we’re excited to have you here. I’ve pulled the dresses you indicated you’re interested in. This dressing room is yours.” She leads Rowan to what looks like a woman’s dream. It’s pink and white with quilted walls and other delicate-looking features.
“If you wanna sit there.” She points to a chair outside the room. “We’ll get her ready, and bring her out to show you. Would you like something to drink?”
“Water, please.”
One of the workers comes over, giving me a cold bottle. “Do you have any questions?” she asks as she hands it to me.
“How many dresses does she have back there?”
“Trying to figure out how long you’ll be here?” She gives a knowing look.
“Slightly.”
“From what I can see,” - she lifts an iPad up - “she has five dresses. If she picks one of those it shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours.”
“And if not?”
“Good luck, buddy.”
I laugh, running a hand through my shaggy hair, a smile on my face. No matter how much I act like this is annoying to me, I love that Rowan invited me.
The woman who greeted us when we came in, peeks out. “She looks beautiful. You ready to see?”
“Yup.” I nod, sitting forward with my elbows on my knees, clasping my fingers together.
The door opens all the way and the person who walks out can’t be Rowan. This woman looks like she’s stepped out of the pages of one of those wedding magazines. In front of my eyes, Rowan has gone from my little sister to a woman who looks like she has all the confidence in the world.
She comes out, twirling. I’m sure the lights are supposed to make the dress twinkle and sparkle like someone’s thrown pixie dust on her. The smile on her face is as wide as I’ve ever seen.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Rowan. Like all your dreams as a kid when you wanted to be a princess have come to life. Don’t even try the rest of them on.” I grab my phone out and take a picture. “This is it, Ro.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She clasps her hands in front of her, cheese-smiling as she comes closer to me.
“It is.” I show her the picture I took. “Looks like it was made for you.”
She grabs hold of my phone, grinning at herself. “It’s definitely the one. They didn’t even have to adjust it, at all. It’s perfect.”
“Which is unheard of,” the saleswoman says to us. “Would you like to try some more on, or is this it?”
Rowan turns, lifting up the skirt, moving over to a platform that allows her to view herself in the round. There, with all the lights around her, she appears to be on her own red carpet, camera bulbs flashing to capture her happiness.
“Yes.” She turns to all of us. “This is it.”
The saleswoman helps her back into the room, presumably to get her out of the dress. I finish drinking the bottle of water they gave me before she gets out. Rowan is beaming as she comes out. “I love it, and I’m so thankful you were here with me to see it.”
“I don’t think you needed me to know that dress was for you.”