Something Forever(49)

Chapter 19

Matthew



There was something strange about our conversation. I knew Becca wanted to be with me, so then what was it? Becca didn’t know I was looking through the window when I came out of Starbucks. I could tell she was wiping her tears. Wanting to comfort her, I was about to go back in, but decided not to. Whatever was going on with her, she didn’t want to share with me yet, and knowing Becca, I couldn’t force her to tell me. She’d only close up even more.

Her pain was my pain. It hurt me to leave her, but I had no choice. All I could do was wait and give her space. Needing to get ready for Australia, I headed back to work with a stabbing ache in my heart.



Jenna

“Oh, Jenna, you look…” Ellen’s eyes beamed with happiness, or were they tears? “So beautiful. Wait until Max sees you in your wedding dress.”

Becky had already started tearing up. She turned her back on me to wipe them, then looked up at me again with a smile. “Gorgeous, Jenna.”

“Thanks.” I smiled shyly. “Becky, go try on your dress.”

As Becky headed to the dressing room, I stared at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t believe I was wearing an actual wedding dress. It was form fitted on top with spaghetti straps, and flared out from the waist. I felt like a princess.

“Here you go,” Tina, the saleslady, said. She helped me put the tiara on, along with the veil that hung to my waist.

Something was different about the tiara. Although it looked just like the one I’d picked out, it had tiny sparkling crystals from one end to the other. It glistened just the right amount against the light, but not too overbearing. “I really like this, but I don’t think you gave me the right one. This might belong to someone else.” I turned to her just as she was headed to the customer that had walked in. Since she didn’t stop, I assumed she didn’t hear me.

“Jenna,” Ellen interrupted, “I actually brought that tiara from home. I told Tina to give it to you. I was hoping that you might like it enough to wear it. I think you and I have the same taste. We like things simple yet elegant. And this tiara means a lot to me. It was my mother’s. She’s no longer with us.”

Happiness filled my heart. I knew Ellen approved of me, but I never knew to what extent until today. I didn’t mean to, but my eyes became glassy with tears. “Ellen,” I gushed, and wrapped my arms around her, “it’s beautiful. Thank you so much. This means a lot to me.”

“I don’t have a daughter,” she said, as we let go of each other. “I wanted to have more children, but we were so busy. Rob and I hardly had any time for our sons. It wouldn’t have been fair to the third child, the one I would have wished to be a girl. But we were very lucky. Max and Matthew turned out to be fine gentlemen. We are very proud of them both. Just like how your mom is proud of you.”

“She is. She can’t wait to meet you. They will be here a week before the wedding.” I paused to change the subject. “Ellen, you can think of this as gaining a daughter. You’ve been so kind to me since the moment we met. I was worried that you wouldn’t approve of me, but you welcomed me with open arms. You have no idea how relieved I was. And you have no idea how much I’m grateful for all of your help.”

Ellen chuckled lightly. “How ironic. I was worried you wouldn’t like me. Because to tell you the truth, I didn’t like my mother-in-law.”

“Really?” I let out a snort.

“Don’t tell Max that. He loved his grandmother. But as a mother-in-law, she wanted things her way. So the reason why I try not to say too much is that I don’t want to be like her.” Ellen smiled. “Enough of my mother-in-law. Now, you have something old. Do you have anything new, blue, or borrowed?”

“I have a blue garter,” I blurted, then became shy. I didn’t know why, but any topic that related to sex was not something I wanted to talk to Ellen about, even if it was just a garter. After all, it was her son she would be referring to. “I just need something new and borrowed.”

Just then Becky walked out in her lavender bride’s maid dress.

“You look beautiful,” I said, smiling. Becky’s dress was very similar to mine, but it didn’t flare out like a wedding dress.

“I love the dress on you,” Ellen said to Becky.

“Thank you.”

“When I was getting married many years ago, the bride’s maid dresses were horrendous. Thank God they improved over time.”

“I have to agree with you there,” Becky said.

Tina came back to make sure our dresses fit perfectly. Last week’s alteration on my dress made the dress a little tight, but not unbearable. I had lost several pounds last week from not eating well, but I was glad to have gained it back. Having the morning sickness disappear as quickly as it came made me happy. I was finally starting to enjoy having a baby inside of me.