I plonk onto the carpeted flooring and stretch my legs out. As I wiggle my toes, my ankles throb from the pain of standing. I knew dress shopping would be exhausting but it's our first store and I anticipated this feeling coming towards the end, not the second hour into it.

Oddly enough, I thought it would be fun. I blame the movies for ruining the experience with their happy montage of pop-music and funny outfits. I thought visiting the higher ended bridal shops would include champagne but I can't get a cup of water in here.

"Why aren't you trying the next dress on?" Char leans against the opening of the change room.

"Because it isn't for me, and neither were the last two dresses. My feet hurt, I'm tired and I want to leave. Can't we just go to K-Mart and find a cute dress there? Blake wouldn't care if I got married in my pyjamas."

"It's okay if you don't like the dress, we'll find something else. Wearing anything but a wedding gown isn't okay. If you rock up in your pyjamas, you're going to regret it." Char raises her eyebrow.

"Hm, maybe I'd regret it a little bit." I sigh.

"How's the dress coming along?" Mum pokes her head in. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"Ava doesn't like it," Char jumps in. "But I think she's willing to try on one more dress before we leave."

"No." I shake my head. "I want to leave. There's heaps of shops along this road, can't we try another one down there?"

Mum grabs her phone and frowns. "I've only got time for one more dress, then I have to leave for lunch with your father. Are you sure you can't muster up the strength for one more dress?"

I can't say no to my mother – especially when she has that hopeful look in her eyes. A pain of guilt rattles through me. One more dress can't hurt, especially with the secret I'm keeping from her.

"Okay." I nod. "One more dress since you're leaving."

"Yay," Charlotte squeals with happiness.

The pair grin at each other which is sickening. What happy pills did they take and why didn't they share them with me? The two disappear and I remain slouched against the wall because there's no way I'm walking anywhere unless it's necessary.

Soon enough, the pair return with a dress. It takes me a second to realise why they were so happy – it's the dress from the previous store – the one I told them I'd think about it.

"How long did it take you to scheme this up?" I frown.

"Not long." Char smiles. "We checked around for the best price, then let you wear yourself down so that you'd finally admit that this dress is perfect for you."

"You're wasting your time."

"Stop lying to yourself and try the dress on." Charlotte hangs the dress on the hook and swings the curtain shut. "If you're not wearing that dress in the next five minutes, then I'm coming in there and dressing you myself."

"I'm getting dressed, no need to race in here."

I stare at the dress and smile – I want to glare but the smile grips to my lips. I undo the backing, remove my bridal robe and slip into the dress. The soft material flutters around my thighs and trails along the ground.

Charlotte is right – this is my favourite out of all the dresses I've tried on. And yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love this dress. Ugh. Getting married should be the biggest choice to make but finding the perfect wedding dress seems to be harder than saying 'I do.'

"Are you ready?" Char calls.

"Yes, I'm coming out now." I gather the front of the dress and move the curtain to the side. As I step out, the pair instantly grin. "Can one of you do the back up for me?"

Mum hurries over and does the backing. She also fixes the straps and the train before stepping back to continue smiling.

"You look gorgeous, beautiful, absolutely stunning."

"You're going to make me cry." I sniffle.

"I'm sorry." She raises her hands to cover her face. However, that doesn't stop the swirl of emotion threatening to overcome me.

I down the aisle of the change room and into a circular viewing room which is surrounded by mirrors, along with a platform in the middle. I step onto it and Charlotte fixes my dress so that it's fanned out.

My eyelids flutter as I attempt to hold the tears back. I twist from side to side as I carefully inspect the dress. For once, there's nothing to falter like the other ones. Everything about it is perfect. They're right, I need to accept that this is the dress – I'm going to get married in this dress.

I'm getting married to Blake. Oh my goodness, I'm getting married!

Tears stream down my cheeks as giggles escape my lips.

"I have no idea why I'm laughing and crying." I shake my head.

"It's okay to cry! When your grandmother and I found my dress, we blubbered like babies. It's how you know you've found the perfect dress."

"If I'd followed my gut, I'd have saved so much time and energy." I sigh.

"At least you know this is the perfect dress." Mum smiles.

"You're right." I nod.

"So, does that mean you're saying yes to the dress?" Charlotte grins.

I glance over my shoulder and nod. "Yes! I'm saying hell yes to this dress."

"Finally." Charlotte beams.

Mum passes me a tissue and I clear away the fallen tears. My eyes remain glued to the mirror as I imagine how I'd look with my hair and makeup done. I'm going to need amazing waterproof makeup if I don't want to look like a racoon walking down the aisle.

"Kyle will need to pick Blake's jaw off the ground once he sees you in this." Mum chuckles.

"That'll be the best reaction." My heart flutters with excitement.

"I'll grab the saleswoman so that we can get out of here," Mum says.

"Thank you so much!"

When Mum leaves, Charlotte stands beside me and smiles. I wrestle her into a tight hug which pushes the air out of her lungs.

"Thank you for this – for everything," I whisper.

"You're welcome." She pats my back. "I'm just glad that I can be here for you."

"I don't have many friends, especially female ones, and so this means the world to me!"

Charlotte might rattle me when it comes to talking about our children, but through thick and thin, she's always there with a smile on her face, and eager to help me out. It's crazy how live pulls you down different pathways.

"If Kyle ever pops the question – please drop some hints for me – we're going to have this fun all over again." She grins. "And I agree with you, I'm so thankful that we'll get to share that experience together. I've always wanted a sister and now I have one."

"You're going to make me cry again." I laugh. "And Kyle better ask you because I already have a beautiful speech in mind."

"Thank you! I love Kyle, but sometimes he doesn't get a hint unless it's spelled out."

"He's special like that." I giggle.

Mum returns with the saleswoman – she takes my measurements and that's when the nerves kick in. I hope I've made the right choice. I suppose I won't feel truly confident until I'm halfway down the aisle.

* * * * *

"I'm happy we got your dress. Good luck with the bridesmaid's dresses, I'm sure you'll find something soon," Mum says.

"If we find any contenders, I'll send you a message."

"Thank you! Enjoy shopping and I'll see you sometime through the week." I embrace Mum in a tight hug before watching her wander down the sidewalk.

When she rounds the corner, I sigh with relief. That guilty feeling hasn't completely subsided but it's easier to breathe when she isn't around. We need to find a time to tell them about London, but I'm not sure when a good time would be.

"Ava, are you okay?" She touches my shoulder. "You aren't having second thoughts on the dress, are you?"

I shake my head. "The dress is perfect, everything is fine about that. It's just that Tori and Blake are going through their custody agreement today and I'm worried about that."

It isn't a complete lie because I'm worried about what'll happen between them. If Tori takes London from Blake, he might completely lose it. Why couldn't she pick a better time to explode Blake's life? There isn't a good time for it . . . but right before we get married is, hm. It's a typical Tori move.

Until we find the right time – probably after the wedding – I'll have tofind a way to breathe with that secret pressing on my chest.

"Don't be nervous! Are they getting legal help or just chatting? If it ends up in a courtroom, they're going to give custody to Blake without a second glance."

"Chatting about it." I sigh.

If it wasn't for the bombshell sprung upon me, I'd believe her. But since she's biologically not his daughter, I don't know where we stand.

"Everything will be fine." She smiles.

"Enough about that, let's keep shopping! I need a good distraction."

"I can do that for you." Charlotte nods.

She hooks her arm around my waist and we wander into another store. Charlotte grabs a bunch of dresses from the rack and wanders into the change room. I happily take a seat across from the change room and get comfortable.

"How's it going?" Now it's my turn to annoy her.

"Oh my goodness!" she screams.

"What's wrong?" I leap up and hover by the curtain. Charlotte whips the curtain open and she springs out to hug me.

"They found him – they found my son."

"Oh my! That's amazing." I gasp.

"He's happy and safe – everything I need to know for now. I just hope that when they tell him he's adopted, that I can slot into his life somehow. Maybe I'll see him grow up a little."

"That would be fantastic." I smile. "And I'm sure everything will work out."

"I have a good feeling about this."

She looks at the dress she's wearing and laughs. "Not about this dress though."

I shake my head. "Certainly not. Next one."

Char walks into the change room and closes the curtains.

"Don't worry, we'll find a dress soon," she cheerily sings.

I plop onto the seat and grab my phone. The screen is blank which makes my heart sink. I hope that things will really work out. 

Ava's dress ->