It was another beautiful day in River Valley, and I drove to the bridal shop with all of the windows down. California could get quite hot, but as long as it wasn’t too humid, then I preferred breathing in the fresh air over air conditioning.
My stomach growled as I drove by a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Still, I reminded myself that junk food was for special occasions only.
As I pulled into the bridal shop parking lot, I started getting excited about seeing my niece, Caley, and seven-month-old nephew, Jude. Caley and I had always been so close. It was me who’d been able to cheer her up whenever Julianna and Jake were spending alone time together. Her baby brother had my heart now, too.
Sure enough, as soon as I walked through the door, Caley came running over to me. I couldn’t believe how much she had grown. It seemed like only yesterday she was struggling to form full sentences, but at almost ten-years-old, she was starting to blossom into a beautiful pre-teen.
“Aunt Annie!”
Caley’s sweet, tender voice always pulled at my heartstrings.
I folded her into a hug, happy to have her back in my arms. Then, I walked over to baby Jude. And I picked him up and held him close to my chest, enjoying the fresh smell of baby lotion as I planted a few kisses on top of his hairless head.
Just then, Julianna came out in her wedding gown, and my mouth fell wide open. She looked stunning. Even the saleswomen had to take a moment to collect themselves, admiring the way her long, white satin gown curved in at the waist and then billowed out at the bottom. It allowed a little bit of cleavage, but nothing that would offend the more conservative guests at her wedding.
“Mommy, I love my dress,” Caley yelled, running over to Julianna.
Caley’s violet dress was a beautiful contrast against the white fabric of the wedding gown. As a saleswoman walked over and smoothed out the back of the gown, Julianna placed her hand on her stomach, looked into the mirror from over her shoulder, and smiled.
“Jake is going to cry,” I said, wiping tears away from my eyes. “If I didn’t know you, I’d mistake you for a model right about now!”
“I’m so happy that I’ve gotten rid of all of that baby weight.”
“Yeah, your hard work has really paid off,” I remarked, nodding.
In addition to changing up her diet, Julianna had committed to a strict exercise routine with only one rest day. She had often incorporated Caley into the workouts, too, giving her daughter the health nut bug early. Caley had told me on the second day that one day she would become an “exercise boss” just like me. Even though I knew she was a bit too young to commit to a career choice, hearing the words still brought a smile to my face. I’d even promised to hire my niece at my yoga studio if she did.
I looked over at Jude, who was too young to understand what was going on, but still seemed amazed at how his mother looked in her wedding gown.
“The baby weight and then some,” I said as the saleswomen came over to check all of the measurements.
“The ab workouts are the worst, but it’s worth it to be able to pull off this dress.” Julianna put her hands on her hips, and it was easy to see what she meant.
It was the perfect dress for a curvy woman like her.
“Turn around, Mommy!” Caley started to jump up and down, all the while clapping her hands.
At her daughter’s request, she smiled and turned around so we could see the backside. The train looked to be about nine feet long.
“Simply stunning,” I sighed, admiring the delicate lace stitched along the hem of the train. Caley got a little too close to the dress, so I put my hand up. “You don’t want Mommy’s dress to have footprints on it, do you, sweetie?”
Caley put her hands to her mouth. “Oh no, Aunt Annie! No way, because she needs to be beautiful for Jakey!”
The way she threw her hands in the air gave Julianna and I a big laugh.
“Why don’t you try walking in it, dear?”Julianna nodded to the saleswoman and stepped down from the pedestal. “It’ll be much harder in high heels.”
I looked around for her bag. “Do you have them with you now?”
Julianna shook her head.
“No,” she said with a sigh. “They’ll be arriving sometime this week, though. I’m nervous about walking in them down the aisle. You know me, Annie. I don’t do well in heels.”
Even when we were in high school, Julianna stuck with flat shoes. She had never been able to walk confidently in anything else.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” I said. “Plus, you’ll have Daddy to hold onto as you’re walking.”
“What about when I get up there, though? I can’t exactly lean on Jake while we’re saying our vows.”
