she’d chosen to wear one of her own designs, a floor-length off-the-shoulder beaded dress the exact same color as her eyes. And it weighed a ton.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
“Zip me please.” She pulled the dress down off the hanger and stepped into it. It took effort to get it up over her bosom and she knew that by the end of the night, lugging around the extra weight was going to wear on her.
He fastened the zipper and she turned to the mirror to see the final effect. Not half bad.
“You look beautiful,” Roman said, stepping up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her middle and nibbled her shoulder. “Taste pretty good, too.”
“And you smell delicious.”
“Looking like you do, you might upstage the bride.”
Not a chance. Having designed Nora’s dress herself, Gracie knew her sister would be a knockout.
She turned in his arms and kissed him softly, so he didn’t end up wearing more of her lipstick than she was. “I think I’m ready.”
The way she was feeling right now, with so much happiness deep in her heart, she could take on the world.
By the time Gracie and Roman put on their coats and got into the limo her father had sent to fetch them, they were really late. It was windy and cold and lake-effect snow had begun to fall, making the surface roads slippery, adding more time to their drive.
When they finally made it to her father’s estate the limo pulled up to the front steps and a valet opened the door.
They stepped into the foyer, which was a wonderland of draped pink and white tulle and a mix of pink and white blooms. In the foyer alone there had to be thousands of flowers, so she could only imagine how the rest of the house looked.
“Wow,” Roman said under his breath. “That is a lot of pink.”
She elbowed him playfully.
Her mother was the first person Gracie saw as she slipped out of her coat and handed it to an attendant.
Celeste saw them and eyed Roman coolly.
“So,” Roman said. “She’s clearly not happy to see me.”
Gracie had wondered how she would take the news of her and Roman’s reunion. Now she knew: not very well. “Give me a few minutes alone with her,” Gracie said.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked.
“Not just yet. I need to pace myself.”
“So, no more than four?” he teased.
She laughed. “Well, maybe five.”
She crossed the foyer and Roman headed for the bar in the great room. Her mother opened her arms and gave Gracie a warm hug and an air-kiss. Celeste had always been beautiful, tall and lithe and graceful. But tonight she looked positively radiant.
“Mom, you look great!”
“I feel great,” she said. “You look beautiful. Is the dress one of yours? It’s lovely.”
“It’s mine. Have you seen Nora yet?”
“I was up there earlier for pictures. And Gracie, you’ve outdone yourself this time with her dress. It’s absolutely stunning. And Eve’s dress, oh my goodness. That’s beautiful, too. Have I ever told you how talented you are, and how proud I am of you?”
“A time or two,” Gracie said with a smile. Her mother had always been one of her biggest supporters. She’d raised her to be independent and think for herself. In part, Gracie guessed, because Celeste’s parents had made most of her decisions for her. Like marrying Sutton.
“How was your trip?” Gracie asked.
Her mother lit up like a firefly. “Exactly what I needed.”
“You look very happy.”
With a coy smile, she said, “I have reason to be.”
Could it be...? “Mom, did you meet someone?”
Her smile gave it away. “He’s Italian. And ten years younger than me. And the sex?” She fanned her face and Gracie resisted the urge to put her fingers in her ears and sing, la la la la la. But she was so pleased to see her mother happy she didn’t care. At sixty, Celeste was still young and vigorous.
Though her parents never had a great marriage, her mother had still taken the divorce and, more recently, the news of Carson’s paternity hard. There was so much residual bitterness. Gracie had worried that being here would bring all of that hurt and turmoil back up to the surface on what should be a happy occasion.
“Your father doesn’t look well at all,” her mother commented. “It’s obvious he hasn’t much time left.”
“I know,” Gracie said, her heart aching a little at the thought of losing him. He wasn’t a great man, but he had been a good father. It broke her heart to know that he wouldn’t be there for her wedding, or to see his grandchildren if she had any. That was something she and Roman needed to talk about eventually. And speaking of... “So I guess you probably heard about me and Roman.”
At the mention of his name, her mother’s smile faded. “You know how I feel about him. About the hell that he put you through.”
“I know, but I’ve forgiven him for that and we’ve moved forward.” It had felt so good to say the words, to finally let go of the past and start fresh.
Her mother’s lips dipped into a frown. “I don’t trust him.”
“But I do, and that’s all that matters.”
“You’ll have to give me time to get used to this. Don’t expect me to immediately welcome him with open arms just because you do.”
The truth was, Gracie didn’t really care what her mother or anyone else thought, because it wasn’t their decision, or their business.
“I should probably go say hello to Daddy,” she told her mother. “We’ll talk more later.”
“Of course,” Celeste said, looking a little hurt. But Gracie was so happy and she didn’t want anything to spoil her day.
As she walked through the house she saw so many familiar faces. Though a Thanksgiving wedding was a little unconventional, everyone from the guest list seemed to be there. Carson and Georgia stood chatting with Gina Chamberlain, and Graham was at the bar with Roman. She had heard Brooks would not be attending, though out of courtesy he had been invited. Eve and Nash, as maid of honor and best man, were likely upstairs getting ready. But there were countless other friends and extended family, all of whom she would get to eventually, but as Nora had told her, she was a guest at this wedding. She would leave the formal greetings to the wedding party. This being her second marriage,
