Chasing Olivia, page 28
“I also have some dresses laid aside for your Maid of Honor,” she wrinkled her nose at Avery’s shirt. “As well as your mother and Lily.”
“Are they coming?” I looked between the saleslady and Avery.
“Later,” Avery answered.
“Oh, and how rude of me. My name is Louise,” the saleswoman held out a hand.
“Olivia,” I took it, giving it a light shake.
“I hope we can find the perfect dress for you and make all your wedding dreams come true,” she smiled.
I tried to hide my laugh at her words. Avery shot me a glare, which made it even harder not to snicker.
“Come, come,” Louise took me over to a rack of gowns. “Browse through these and see if anything catches your eye.”
I flipped through the dresses, surprised that most of them were fairly normal looking. Lily definitely did tell her what I liked. I would have to thank her for that later.
“Let’s try this one,” I pulled out a dress with a small train with antique lace and short sleeves.
“Seriously, Livie, that’s the one you choose?” Avery wrinkled her nose, glaring at the dress.
“It’s pretty and I like it,” I held the dress close to my body.
“It looks like something my great-grandma would have gotten married in,” she scoffed. She pushed herself up from he chair and began to look through the rack. She pulled out a tight fitting mermaid style gown with a low neckline. “You should wear something like this. It’s sexy.”
I rolled my eyes. It amazed me that Avery could confess something to traumatizing to me one second, and be talking about sexy wedding dresses the next. I wanted to talk to her about it more, but I knew that would probably never happen. Avery had never been one to sit around and talk about her feelings.
“Yes, so while we’re saying my vows my boobs can pop out and Trace can get a preview of what’s to come,” I said sarcastically.
Avery rolled her eyes and put the dress back on the rack. “It’s not like he hasn’t seen them before.”
“And I’m sure the rest of the guests would enjoy the peep show as well?”
“Whatever. Don’t try it. But at least pick something not so…grandma-ish. You’re twenty-two, Livie. Act like it.”
“I’m trying it on,” I turned my back on her and handed the dress to Louise who was currently pretending that she hadn’t been listening to our conversation.
Louise helped me into the dress and onto a raised platform. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, marveling at the fact that I was wearing a freakin’ wedding dress. I knew we were already married, but seeing myself in a dress made it even more real. I smoothed my hands down the lacy fabric and turned so I could see the back of the dress. It was beautiful and I loved it, despite Avery frowning in the mirror’s reflection, but I knew it wasn’t the one. I wanted to take Trace’s breath away the first time he saw me in my wedding gown, and I knew this dress wasn’t the one to do that.
“This isn’t the one,” I shook my head at my reflection and stepped off the platform.
Louise unzipped the dress and hung it back up.
I tried on an A-line style next but thought it was a bit too fancy and big for an outdoor wedding. Oh gosh—I really hoped I didn’t get as hot as I did at my mom’s wedding. That had sucked.
“Do you have anything…really simple…but pretty?”
Louise laughed at my vague description. “Let me go check the stockroom and see if we still have the one I’m thinking of. I’ll be right back,” she excused herself from the room.
“If I was getting married, I’d wear something like that,” Avery pointed to a dress in the corner of the room on a mannequin. It was on the risqué side with a low-cut top and high slit on the side.
“That’s an interesting dress,” I replied. I wanted to tell her it was slutty, but I thought that would be rude so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, she wasn’t getting married…yet. I could talk her out of something like that when the time came.
Louise returned, closing the door behind her. “We still have it and it’s in your size. We might need to shorten it a bit if you like this one.”
“Let’s see it,” I smiled kindly.
Louise held the dress up and my jaw dropped. It was exactly what I had seen in my head. Everything about it was me.
“Oh my,” I gasped, reaching out to finger the fabric.
“Do you like it?” Louise dared to ask.
“It’s beautiful,” I gasped.
She smiled widely and helped me into the dress. When I looked in the mirror, tears sprung to my eyes. “This is my dress.” I spun around giddily. It fit my curves perfectly and didn’t swallow me whole like some dresses. It was flowy with a small train and strapless. It had a sweetheart neckline that showed off a little bit of my chest but I didn’t feel like I was going to fall out of it. The top also had really pretty beaded detailing. I felt like a fairy princess in it.
“Excellent!” Louise clapped her hands together. “Let me go grab one of the seamstresses so we can bring this up a bit,” she pointed to the hemline I was bound to trip over. “Would you like a veil? Headband?”
“No,” I shook my head.
Louise hadn’t been gone long when the door cracked open.
“Mom!” I exclaimed, hopping off the platform and running towards her. I hugged her tightly. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until now. “Look at you!” I gasped at the size of her stomach.
She placed a hand over the bulge. “Four more months until little Abigail joins the family.”
I paused, repeating her words in my head. “Abigail?” I said hesitantly. “The baby’s a girl?!”
“Yeah, another little girl,” she smiled as I hugged her again.
“I can’t believe this,” I gasped. “Abigail is such a pretty name too.”
“We’re going to call her Abby,” she explained, hugging a teary eyed Avery. Obviously this was news to her too.
“Hi, Lily,” I smiled at my mother-in-law as she entered the room.
“Hey gorgeous,” she chuckled. “Oh my God! That dress is beautiful!” Lily exclaimed, looking the dress up and down, and then forcing me to turn around so she could see the back. “Please tell me this is the one you’re getting. It’s exquisite.”
“Yeah, this is the one,” I spun around in circles so the dress fanned around me.
“It’s so gorgeous, Liv,” my mom gasped. “You couldn’t have picked a better dress.” Avery would probably have liked to argue that I could have found something better, but she kept her mouth shut, resolving to the fact that I wasn’t going to wear anything scandalous.
Louise joined us once again, wheeling in another rack of dresses. A seamstress breezed in behind her and over to me. I stood on the platform and let her measure me and begin to place pins where adjustments needed to be made.
“Olivia?” Lily asked, shuffling through the dresses on the new rack. “What color were you thinking for Avery’s dress?”
“I don’t really have anything specific in mind…something light colored though.”
“I think this will be perfect.” Lily pulled a dress out and held it up. “Do you like this one?”
It was a short blush colored dress with flower detailing on the side and a black ribbon around the waist. “That’s perfect!”
Louise took the dress from Lily and helped Avery into it.
I thought the dress looked absolutely gorgeous on Avery. It hugged all of her curves and the color looked pretty with her pale skin and red hair.
“What do you think?” I asked her, hoping she didn’t turn into a total diva.
“It’s perfect…as long as you like it,” she replied, looking at her reflection wistfully.
“I do love it. We’ll take it,” I told Louise.
The seamstress finished marking the alterations and informed me I needed to change. Once I was out of the dress, she took it and hurried from the room. “I’ll have the alterations done in an hour or so,” she called before the door closed behind her.
Since we’d found a dress for Avery and me, that left Lily and my mom. I hoped they had something my mom would like and still be comfortable in.
Louise pulled a few dresses for Lily. The first two were horrible and so I decided to intervene.
“Do you have anything that isn’t so…frumpy?” I asked. “Lily isn’t old, and even if she was, she doesn’t need to dress like it,” I explained, hoping I didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. But honestly, the current dress she had on looked like a box. I never knew fabric could look so…square.
Lily laughed. “Oh, Olivia, I love you so much.”
I blushed. “It’s the truth.”
Louise left the room and returned with a floor length amethyst colored gown. I knew as soon as it was zipped that it was the one.
“What do you think, Olivia?” Lily asked as she assessed her appearance in the mirror.
“I think we’ve found a winner.”
Finding a dress for my mom took a longer amount of time, but Louise finally found a maternity gown that fit and looked good on her. The Kelly green color looked amazing with her glowing complexion and the Grecian style fit her growing belly.
I was so relieved that in a matter of hours we’d managed to find dresses for everyone. I’d been really worried that planning something so last minute would result in less than satisfactory dresses. Thank goodness for Lily and her connections.
By the time we’d left, all the alterations had already been made and we were able to take the dresses with us. We all stopped to eat a late lunch together before heading our separate ways.
When Avery dropped me off at the apartment, I left my dress with her so that Trace wouldn’t see it, and headed inside.
I called out for him but there was no answer. It didn’t look like he’d been home to shower or anything. I hated to think he’d been stuck in the depressing hospital all night and day.
I tended to Ace and grabbed my car keys.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into the hospital and up to Gramps’ room.
Gramps wasn’t lying in his bed. Instead, he was sitting in a chair and they were using the bed as a table.
“What are you two doing?” I laughed as the door clicked closed behind me.
“Playing chess,” Trace chuckled. “I’m going to win.”
“Not a chance,” Gramps warned.
I pulled up a chair and sat down to watch them finish their game. I wasn’t surprised when Gramps won.
“What are you doing here?” Gramps asked me as Trace helped him back in the bed. “Surely you’re not just here to see me. I’m not that handsome to look at anymore.”
“I think you’re very handsome. I know where Trace gets all his looks from,” I poked my husband’s cheek.
“Yeah, well, he certainly didn’t get his smart mouth from me,” he chortled.
“Oh, please, Gramps. Don’t act like you aren’t a smartass,” Trace chuckled, adjusting the blankets around Warren.
“Can you believe my grandson talks to me like this? I don’t know why you married this fool,” he shook his head. “You could do so much better.”
“Thanks, Gramps. Way to make me feel loved,” Trace put a hand to his heart.
Ignoring them, I gripped the footboard of the bed in my hands and leaned forward. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh,” Warren cleared his throat. “Of course.”
Trace eyed me, wondering what was going on.
“I know you’re sick and probably aren’t up to it but…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t have a dad to walk me down the aisle and I was wondering if you would…?” I bit my lip nervously as I waited for him to reply.
He pushed himself up in the bed. “I don’t care if it takes me ten whole minutes, I will walk you down that aisle, sweet Olivia.” There was a determination in his eyes that had been missing before.
“Thank you,” I swallowed thickly,
Having Gramps walk me down the aisle meant the world to me. It was a memory I would be able to hold close to my heart and cherish for the rest of my life. Looking at him now, it was difficult to believe that the doctors didn’t think he’d live past the end of the week. I didn’t want to say goodbye. In fact, I refused to. Saying goodbye implied that something was ending, and I knew that Gramps’ life was really just beginning.
“Don’t cry,” Gramps frowned at me.
I reached up and felt my cheek. My fingers came away damp. I hadn’t realized I was crying. Maybe my body had become so used to the emotion that it didn’t even register it anymore.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, taking the tissue Trace handed to me. “I don’t mean to cry. I want you to know that it means a lot to me that you’re going to do this.”
“I’m honored that you’d ask me, Olivia.” His words ended in a cough and when he pulled his hand away from his mouth, blood stained his lips.
“Gramps!” Trace exclaimed, jumping up and cleaning his mouth free of the red stain. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Gramps waved his concern away. “That happens sometimes. It’s normal.”
“That doesn’t seem normal,” Trace said.
“What’s normal about cancer?” Gramps countered.
Neither of us could argue with that, but Trace still told me to find a nurse.
The nurse I found was quick to come and check on Gramps. She assured us that he was fine and we had nothing to worry about. I wanted to argue that the man was dying so we had plenty to worry about, but that would’ve been rude.
“Trace,” I rubbed his arm, “you should really go home and get some rest.”
He took a deep breath and let his head fall forward into his hands. “I can’t.”
“How about this, go home and shower, eat, take a nap, and then come back in a few hours? I’ll be here. You know I’ll take care of him,” I assured him.
Trace looked between Gramps and me. “I don’t know.”
“Trace, the last twenty-four hours have been extremely stressful. Go home and relax for a little bit. You’re no good to anyone if you’re dead on your feet,” I eyed the dark circles under his eyes. I hated seeing him this tired and stressed.
“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed. “I’ll be back tonight.”
He hugged Gramps goodbye and gave me a soft kiss. I handed him my car keys and he chuckled. “I get to drive the purple chick car?”
“Don’t diss my car. It’s cute,” I laughed.
“Kittens are cute. Cars are meant to be sexy.”
“Whatever,” I laughed, taking the seat he had vacated so I’d be closer to Gramps.
“See you guys soon,” he called as he left.
Once the door was closed, Gramps let out a pent up breath, and said, “Good, he’s gone. I thought he’d never leave.”
I snorted at that. “Was he driving you nuts?”
“Are you kidding me? He was like a silly little nursemaid.” Miming Trace’s voice, he continued, “Gramps, are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Can I fluff your pillow? Do you need anything? I was tempted to ask the nurse if she could give him a tranquilizer so he’d shut up.”
“Gramps,” I laughed, “that’s not very nice.”
“At least you’re pretty to look at!” He exclaimed.
“I’m glad I can be of some service to you,” I leaned forward. “Are you thirsty?” I asked to mess with him.
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t start now.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” I giggled. Crossing my legs, I asked, “Are you really okay walking me down the aisle? If it’s too much just say so.”
“I’m walking you down that aisle, sweetheart. Don’t even try to talk me out of it now that you’ve asked. I don’t even know why they still have me in here,” he pointed to the bare white walls of the hospital room. “There’s nothing more they can do for me,” he looked at me sadly.
“We can hope,” I reached for his hand. “When you think there’s nothing left, there’s always hope.”
“I wish that was the case, Olivia. But my time has come to an end. I’m not ready, but I’ve accepted it. I am going to see you and Trace get married, though. I will make it through that.”
I scooted the chair closer to the bed, so that I didn’t have to reach so far for him.
“How can you be so sure?” I asked, my eyes roaming over all of the wires hooked up to him.
“Because I’m a Wentworth, and we’re a stubborn breed of male. I may be dying, but I’ll go when I say I’m ready.”
“You’re something else,” I shook my head.
“My grandson is a lot like me,” he chuckled. “Are you prepared to handle that for the rest of your life?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
“Good…I do have one request of you…okay, actually two,” he coughed.
“What is it?” I asked.
“First off, I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t name your firstborn son after me. Warren is a really bad name and I’d hate for the poor fellow to be stuck with it just because I had to go and die before my time. Don’t name him Trey either. Give the kid his own name,” he said gruffly, shaking a finger warningly at me. “Trace will want to be sentimental and that isn’t fair to the kid.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “What name would you suggest for this future firstborn son?”
He pondered that for a moment. “Dean,” he finally said. “Dean Wentworth has a nice ring to it.”
“I like that,” I smiled. “Dean is a good name.”
“Glad you like it,” he smiled and there was a twinkle in his eye that had been missing earlier. “The second thing I need you to do, is take these,” he reached over to the opposite nightstand and grabbed two letters in envelopes. He handed them to me and I saw that one had my name on it while the other had Trace’s. “I want you to read these when…when I’m gone,” tears pooled in his eyes. “I’m giving them to you, because I knew Trace would rip them up if I gave them to him.”
I stared down at the letters in my hands and my heart felt even heavier than it had before.
“Gramps,” I choked, overcome by emotion.
“I don’t mean to make you cry.” He pressed a shaky hand against my cheek. “But I had to give them to you.”
