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“I can’t wear this,” Hannah said, shaking her head. She wasn’t going to play whatever game Jackson had going on. She couldn’t pretend to be a real bride.
“My dear, would you mind letting the groom know that you and Hannah have arrived?” the minister’s wife said with a calm smile as she nudged Allison out of the room. Allison, for the first time since Hannah had met her, actually didn’t have anything to say. Mrs. Holbrook shut the door and turned to look at Hannah.
Hannah shook her head when the woman approached her.
“I need to speak with Jackson, this wasn’t what I agreed to—”
“I’ve known Jackson since he was a baby,” Mrs. Holbrook said. She closed the distance between them, a serene smile in place, and began unbuttoning Hannah’s coat. Hannah was too shocked by the woman’s boldness to say anything. The woman had a very authoritative presence, but also calming, soothing.
“Every Sunday he would come to church with his mother and his sister,” she said, draping Hannah’s coat over an armchair. Hannah tried to picture Jackson as a child. “He always held his mother’s hand and helped with his little sister. He was such a handsome little thing even then, big brown eyes and a mop of brown hair on his head. Sometimes his eyes twinkled with mischief, but when his mother got sick, they lost their spark.” Hannah felt a lump start in her throat and didn’t protest when the woman began taking off her suit jacket.
“His mother was a wonderful woman—strong and kind and loving. She loved her children with everything she had, right up until the end. And you know, Jackson,” she whispered, and Hannah could have sworn she saw the woman blink back tears as she helped Hannah out of her clothes. Hannah held her breath, barely caring that she stood in the room in only her underclothes. Mrs. Holbrook took the gown off the hanger. “Jackson would walk his mother into church every Sunday. And when she was too sick to walk, he would wheel her in, holding his sister’s hand at the same time.” She slipped the gown over Hannah’s head with a cool swoosh of silk, but Hannah barely noticed while she listened, trying to process this glimpse into Jackson’s past. The woman zipped up the dress in a swift, gentle motion and Hannah felt it cling as though it had been custom made for her.
“The last time I saw Jackson was at his mother’s funeral. Only ten years old, and I’ll never forget his face that day. Buckets of tears poured from his eyes, but he didn’t utter a sound, just held his sister. That was the last time I saw him, until the other night, when he knocked on my door, telling me about you, about Emily, about his sister.”
The woman slowly turned Hannah around to face the full-length mirror. She held Hannah’s gaze in the mirror, her eyes sincere. “He told me how brave you are, that you were very special,” she whispered softly, smiling gently as Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. Jackson had said that about her? She barely even recognized her reflection. Who was this woman with emotion glittering her eyes, making them sparkle and shine? And the dress… The straps sat on her bare shoulders and highlighted her creamy skin, the front of the gown dipped low, much lower than she would have dared, but she had to admit looked good as it clung to curves she normally kept hidden. It fit her waist like a glove and then slowly tapered out to a flowing A-line. Jackson had chosen this for her?
“You look wonderful, my dear.” The woman beamed and Hannah truly felt like Cinderella at that moment. Would it be so bad to allow herself this fantasy? Would it be so horrible to enjoy this gorgeous gown? She thought of the night in her room, when he’d whispered to her, I’ve never had so much respect for another human being…marry me tomorrow, Hannah. She felt a delicious shiver tease her bare arms. She was fooling herself if she thought they were doing this purely for business.
“And this adorable little baby,” she said kneeling down in front of Emily, “this must be Louise’s little girl.” The baby stared at her, wide-eyed, blue eyes fixed on the woman’s smile. And when Hannah thought that Jackson couldn’t do anything else to surprise her, Mrs. Holbrook opened the small closet behind Emily and took out an angelic ivory silk dress with tiny pink rosebuds around the waist.#p#分页标题#e#
“This is what Jackson picked out for this little dear,” she said, holding the dress out to Hannah.
“Jackson picked this for her?”
Mrs. Holbrook nodded. “Yes, he picked them both out. He said when he saw your dress in the window of the custom shop he knew it was you. He was a little hesitant about Emily’s dress, asking me if it was the right size.” Mrs. Holbrook was already unclasping Emily’s seatbelt in the car seat, as if she knew Hannah was incapable of moving.