I shrugged. "Okay, I'll try yours next." I followed Anna back to the dressing room. She grabbed a lace dress with some diamonds embroidered into the design. It had elegant thin straps that were just wide enough to accommodate the diamonds embellished on them. And the front looked like it plunged way past where my breasts would be. There was a tan material behind the lace at the top, which gave it an even sexier look.
"I'm not sure I'm going to be able to pull this one off," I said as Anna unzipped the poofy dress.
"I think this really might be exactly what you're looking for. The lace is so delicate and it has just the right amount of sparkle. And the top is indeed sexy. Plus this one is actually in your size, so you get to see how it would really fit."
I stepped out of the poofy dress and into the other one. "I guess we'll see."
"The top goes down too much in the middle for you to wear this, though," she said as she unhooked the corset.
I instantly felt more relaxed as she began to pull the dress up. I wanted to be comfortable on my wedding day. There was going to be enough stress without the added element of not being able to breathe. There was a layer of silk underneath the dress that felt soft against my skin. I closed my eyes as Anna zipped up the back.
"You look beautiful, Penny," she said as soon as she let go of the zipper.
I opened my eyes and swallowed hard. I don't think I had ever looked this good. The dress hugged my waist and thighs and was a little looser past my knees. Even though it was tight, it didn't look raunchy. It looked elegant yet casual. And the top made it sexy. There must have been some kind of built in bra, because it had pushed up my breasts despite the fact that I had ditched the corset. The V down the front stopped a few inches above my belly button, but it didn't look over the top. It was very narrow and the lace made it look fancy.
"What do you think?" Anna asked.
"He'd love this." My voice came out as a whisper. There was a lump in my throat, and I wasn't sure why. I felt like I wanted to cry. I was always so worried about disappointing him. There wasn't a chance I could do that in this dress. I'd look like I actually belonged beside him.
"Let's go show everyone." Anna opened the door and I slowly followed her out, holding up the delicate lace so I wouldn't step on it.
Everyone stopped talking when I stepped up on the platform. I dropped the fabric so it pooled perfectly around my legs.
"Penny," Melissa said. "You look like a movie star."
I laughed.
"Seriously," Bee said. "You look like a million bucks."
I turned and looked in the mirror. I felt like a million bucks. It was hard to believe it was me in the mirror.
"That's the one," Jen said. "It was made for your body."
"Do you think James will like it?" I asked.
"James won't be able to keep it in his pants," Melissa said.
I laughed and turned back around to face them.
"Ew." Jen smacked her arm. "Don't be gross. That's my brother. But yes, he'll love it."
Melissa laughed and stood up. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Penny, this is definitely your dress. Look at yourself." She spun me back around to look in the mirror.
I felt like I wanted to cry again.
"Here," Anna said and clipped a veil into my hair. She spread it across my shoulders. The diamonds in the clip matched the ones on the straps of the dress. I could picture it all. Walking down the aisle. James' smile.
"Mom?" I turned around to look at her. She was the only one that hadn't said anything.
She had grabbed a tissue out of her purse and was blotting her eyes. "You look so grown up, sweetie. You're absolutely stunning."
I could feel my own tears welling in my eyes. "Do you think it's the one?"
They all said yes at the same time.
I ran my fingers under my eye where a tear had rolled down. "You don't think it's too sexy?" I looked down at the rather revealing front.
"It's sexy, but it seems more elegant than anything else," Melissa said.
"And it's so fancy, but you look so much more comfortable in this one," Bee said.
"And happier," Jen added.
"That's because I'm not wearing that corset thing anymore." I laughed and turned back to the mirror. I thought I'd be here all afternoon. But they were right. And I knew it before they had said anything. This was the dress that I wanted James to see me in when I said I do. There wasn't a doubt in my mind.
Chapter 5
Sunday
"So, what do you think?" James asked. He was staring at me intently.
"It seems so...cold." It didn't feel like a home. And I didn't mean that the air conditioner seemed to be at full force.
He laughed. "That's because none of our stuff is here yet. Use your imagination." He stepped past the foyer into the main room. "Our couch can go here. And the picture of the beach we have can go on the wall there." He pointed to the one spot of wall along the far side that wasn't a window. He looked so excited. As if he could picture our life here together. "And you have to come see the view. It looks right out onto Central Park. It won't even feel like we're in the city."
I walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "I love it."
"You didn't even see the view, though."
"I like my view right now."
He laughed and pulled me into his arms. "You really like it?"
"I'm happy wherever we are, as long as we're together. Aren't you?"
He raised his eyebrow as he looked down at me. "Is that why you're upset? Baby, I didn't buy this place because I wasn't happy in our old apartment. You know that. I just want a fresh start."
"From what exactly?"
"We moved to New York to get away from all the rumors. But it was hard to put it all to rest while you were still in school."
My stomach churned. I was a burden.
"Now you're not. Your graduating puts it all in the past. I want to start our life together."
"James, we already have."
"You know what I mean. As husband and wife."
"We could have just rearranged the furniture or something."
He laughed and pulled me toward the wall of windows. "But then we wouldn't have this view."
I could feel my jaw drop. Dusk was just settling over the city. A few lights had already turned on in Central Park. We were so close that it almost seemed like the building was in the middle of the park. I could see the Tavern on the Green in the distance. That was where we were getting married. Every day, I was going to be able to look outside and remember our wedding.
I knew that James didn't care about having this view. He had picked out this apartment because he knew it would make me happy. I felt him wrap his arms around me and kiss the side of my neck. I leaned my head back against his chest. Maybe we did need a fresh start. It was time to brush off the chip on my shoulder whenever people snickered about how we met. I was ready to let it all go. "When did you want to move our stuff in?"
He rested his chin on top of my head. "I took the whole week off."