Wedding Bells

Chapter 24

I let out a sigh, realizing I wasn't going to be at the shop for the next few months. This year had pulled me away from the shop more than I would have liked. Bringing me on new adventures that maybe didn't always make sense. Though this place was my home I found it was growing more sustainable. It doesn't need me around as much as I thought it once did.

It sucked to not feel as needed as I once was, but at the same time it was a blessing. I was finally able to live my life, do the things I always dream of. Find new ways to explore this world that was around me. Even though I may have done it a little backwards.

Job, wedding, baby, travel.

I shook my head, doesn't it usually go the other way around. Well I guess a different order.

Travel, job, wedding, baby.

Hopefully that's how it works out for you. I mean life is such an amazing thing that is always changing. Looking around the shop always brought back so many good memories for me. Memories with my father, my mother, dancing around in the new dresses, only the short ones of course, as the long ones would have swallowed me up at that age.

Getting ice cream cones, if a bride picked the dress I had pulled for her when I was younger, still hiding in the backroom.

I grew up here, this was my entire home. Soon my little baby girl would be here with me. We were already working on where we would put her play center. Just behind the cash registers so we could always see her.

Hopefully her hair will be blonde like her father and I, her eyes a bright beautiful green after her dad. I can't wait to see how beautiful my sweet girl will be. We were mere weeks away from having her, and I couldn't believe the time had gone so fast.

With my due date on the rise, we had a lot to do around the shop. So much that there wasn't much time to sit around and daydream. I had brides to help, to the best of my ability as I wasn't able to run through the storage room right now. Mesmerizing the numbers had been my savior the last few months. My stomach too big to fit between all the fluffy material.

Brides were always gushing about how they were so excited to have their own kids. To the point it made me uncomfortable at times. I wanted to just do my job, enjoy the day, and not have to worry about the stress of the tiny human life growing inside me. The aches and pains that were calling my name every single day.

"Erin, how bad do you think they will freak out when there is finally a baby here?" One of my helpful consultants ask, her hair cut into a short brown bob framing her face perfectly. I shook my head a little thrown off at how she knew what I was thinking about. She must have sensed my confusion as she pointed off in the direction towards a bride that was holding her stomach, staring at the long dress she was dressed in.

"What?" I stumble, still watching the bride carefully. Was she pregnant now? Or planning on getting pregnant soon.

"I swear if I have to hear one more story about a bride threatening to remove her birth control without telling her husband, I'm going to vomit." Kylie popped off, and I couldn't help but agree with her. Things were getting out of hand.

"I know, it's only going to get worse, you are right, because once there is a baby in here they will all be swarming," I smiled, laughing at the annoyance we both shared. Things were going to get worse here, but hey if it helped our sales I would deal with it.

"Just hurry up and have the damn thing already," Kylie teases, poking my stomach a few times before heading back to the bride she was helping.

I chuckle in response, I myself was ready to have this baby out of me. The pain of walking short distances had grown so unbearable. I could hardly make it up the stairs to my office anymore without wanting to break down and cry. My emotions were through the roof, I was like a ticking time bomb. Not sure when I was going to explode.

I closed the distance between Clara and I, as she cooed at my stomach begging for it to come closer.

"You are insane," I smiled, she shook her head in response, jumping from her spot on one of the couches. Any other boss would be concerned seeing one of our consultants on the couch like that, but Clara had been stood up by her second bride this week. It was frustrating, sitting here for an hour waiting, since you have to keep yourself available in case they are just late.

Though our appointments are longer than an hours, usually if they haven't called by then, they just aren't coming.

"Why would you say something as hurtful as that?" Clara questions, pretending to be offended as she continues to rub my stomach.

"Because of this," I motioned towards my belly, her hands gliding over my stretched shirt material. God I was so excited to get back into regular clothes, maternity clothes were hard to find, and even harder to find business casual in.

"Well, then call me the Joker, I'm loving being insane," Clara was trying to be witty and I couldn't help but laugh at how dumb she sounded as she did so. This was one of the many reasons why she was truly my best friend.

"I need you to come help me with the nursery this weekend, or week, whenever you have more time, since I know things with you and David are getting pretty steamy," I jokingly grab her hand with the wedding ring sitting happily on her ring finger. I was so happy for my friend, grateful that she had found someone that loved her as much as Carter and I loved each other. She deserved a man that would look after her.

"Of course I will be there, what about tonight? This weekend David and I are going to go look for a few apartments, or houses that we can move into together, hoping to have a place before the wedding." Clara jumped from the couch, checking her watch to make sure her hour was up before we make our way to the cash registers.

It wasn't too busy today, not very many people needed dresses at this very moment. In the next few weeks we would be hitting our rush of brides for the next season, and lucky for me I will be hitting my rush of mommy and me time.

"So you guys are going to stay here in New York then, I figured David would want to move to California," I was merely just pushing for answers, the thought of my friend leaving me to go live in another state terrified me. The shop wouldn't be as sustainable if it weren't for her. She was my everything, besides of course my husband and my child, but she was a part of my family.

We weren't a family of three, we were a family of six, my mother, Clara, and David would forever be including in that number.

"Of course, David loves it here and you know this is my home. I wouldn't be able to leave you, or the shop. Your mother definitely needs me to keep making her parties difficult for her, she is still mad at me for the whole cake incident,"

"You cut the cake and then told half of my guests what gender I was having before the huge reveal, of course she is angry with you!" I couldn't help but laugh at the idiotic we would always get into, and it was good to know things hadn't changed since high school.

"Hey, I really needed to know, and come on your mother pretty much set me up, she left extra frosting on the table as if she knew the cake was going to need fixing." Clara folds her arms, huffing out a breath of air as if that made her correct. I chuckled once again, brushing the hair out of my face.

"Yeah, okay that must be how she knew you had touched it in the first place," Finally the pieces were falling into place.

"Yeah maybe, oh well when will I ever learn?" She shrugged her shoulders before shuffling through a few stacks of paperwork.

~*~

Later that night once the work day was finally open I locked up the shop, looking back at all the memories of the years. You'd think I was closing it forever with all the emotions I was feeling, but another chapter was opening, and hopefully the new bridal shop prodigy would soon be here. Enjoying the store as much as I had when I first started hanging around.

The ride home wasn't bad either, but I was really filled with excitement for the moment Clara would show up and help me with this dreary room. I glanced around the nursery for a moment, realizing the paint was mostly dry, the mess we had made from it still all over the floor.

The walls were painted a cute bubblegum pink shade, light enough it wouldn't be over powering when we were in here for hour. Whether the baby wouldn't stop crying or we were just cuddling for a few minutes before our sweet little girl would lay down and take a nap.

"Are you finally ready to be a mom?" Carter whispers, probably trying to not startle me as he enters the room. I nod my head, wrapping my arms around his waist. I was thankful for the man that put together all of the furniture, happy that it was all in the room and ready to be set in it's place. Our sweet child would be here so soon.

My nerves about labor were building up as I could feel my body start to prepare itself for what was soon to come. But I was so proud of the man I had married, even through all of these struggles he still managed to find a way to get his degree. Working hard towards his medical classes, the ones he had to retake because he moved out here to marry me. All of it.

Carter had done amazing and later this week he would finally be a graduate. Done with classes and ready to jump into a job here. One that he doesn't have to sit on his computer and deal with emails all day. I could tell he was excited about that.

"You ready to walk across that stage?" I question, his hand rubbing my back gently. It felt amazing, reminding me of all the love we shared, his fingers like little fireworks against my skin.

"I'm ready to be done with school, so I can get a job and be done with those damn computers. I don't know how people spend days upon days on those things, get outside and live a little," He was annoyed, and most of that was from another day spent staring at a screen. He wanted to travel, to go outdoors and explore things and that was hard when you always had a screen in your face.

"You did good though, and only a little while longer with your job and you will be able to quit. You just gotta push through the last little bit," I leaned forward, kissing him gently before pulling away and taking a seat in the rocking chair that was still sat in the middle of the room. Glancing at the time.

"Clara should be here soon," I muttered, Carter smiled, nodded his head as he begin working on cleaning up the last of the paint mess. Throwing away the now dried brushes, and putting the can back in the garage for the first time we will need to touch up the walls.

"She's here," Carter shouted, as she opened the front door, sending my beautiful brunette friend barreling through our home. A smile beaming on both of our faces as she nearly strangles me in the chair I was sitting.

"I'm so glad you are here, finally we can get some decorating done!" I shout, removing myself from the chair before leading her to the bag of things I had bought earlier this week. A bunch of cute little pictures, of pretty ocean waves, and palm trees. A sweet little cavana for our baby girl.

Clara ruffled through the bag, taking inventory of everything we had to place on shelves and on the walls. Carter entered the room once again as he needed to be around to be our handy man, and our muscles. He collapsed onto the rocking chair waiting for his first task.

"These are all amazing," Clara muttered to herself, stuck in her own little world. There wasn't much you could do to distract her, as she was designing an entire room in her head. From the placement of the books to even details as small as the way the carpet was vacuumed.

I was happy to have a friend that was able to go crazy about this stuff. Clara was always there to decorate any room of my house, whatever theme. She just had an eye for the beautiful, and most comfortable room decor. I had learned a few things from her along the way, mostly just how to match colors, but for the most part I left all the hard work for her to fiddle her fingers in.

After seperating the piles she finally jumped up taking a look at the room. She'd been in here countless times before, planning and prepping for this very moment. Now it was game time.

"Diaper table here, crib over there, rocking chair right here, the rug obviously stays where it's at and you need the rocking horse in this corner," She started pointing waiting for Carter to jump up and move the things to their proper location. After he didn't move and inch, she folded her arms over her chest, clearing her throat at him.

"Oh you were talking to me?"

"Yep, chop chop." She sliced the air with her hands before turning back to the smaller decorations. I chuckled lightly, which apparently warranted the death glare from Carter. I couldn't be happier right now, having my two best friends in here helping me with this very special moment in our lives.

"So Clara, when do you think you guys will have the wedding?" Carter was such a sweetheart, making small talk even though I knew he wanted to be anywhere else but here. He didn't have any issues with Clara, just wasn't interested in our girl banter, and would rather be out doing anything else. He had a few chores he needed to get done in his garage and I told him he had to help us first, so he was already a little annoyed about that.

"We can't decide, we wanted to do a winter wedding but didn't want it to be too close to yours, so we were thinking of doing a summer wedding but then we will have to wait another year," She shook her head, but never lost her focus on the decorations. Holding them up in different spots until she finally picked it's final home.

I watched carefully trying my best to learn whatever little tricks I could from the master while she was at work.

"Don't worry about the date being close to ours, you guys should get married whenever you want, and Carter and I will be right there for you as happy as can be," A wave of excitement shoots through my body at the thought of picking out Clara's dress with her. Unlike me she hadn't tried any on, wanting to save the feeling for when she was actually getting married. Who would have thought it would take us this long to get here.

"That's sweet of you to say that, but we will just have to talk about it a little bit more, we don't really want to rush things, but we are ready. I'm half tempted to just go get eloped," She chuckled, grabbing the hammer and a nail before hanging up a tiny little palm tree. Once all the big furniture was in place Carter began working on hanging up the floating shelves, installing them to the wall where Clara had told him they should go.

"You can't elope, you work for Little White Dress Bridal, get your head in the game and get you a dress," I teased her. Watching thoughtfully as the room started to come together. A little paradise wrapped in a pretty pink bow.

Within no time the nursery was starting to look like an actual nursery. Our conversations helped us get through the work. Laughing about weddings, teasing about dress shopping, and working at one of the most elite bridal shops in the entire world.

It was amazing how far we had come, especially together, the three of us once a trio in high school, and still a trio almost ten years later. My heart was filled with so much love it felt like it was going to explode at any minutes, and as we walk around the room taking in our final looks, I couldn't be more excited to put a baby in it.

"There's just one more thing I need to know, I see you have these letters here for her name, and we need to put them together," I glanced at the large black letters, letting Clara's words drift through my mind. The final decoration that needed to go up before we would be ready.

"Her name will be..."