CHAPTER 097: A Thousand Deaths
–Julie–
We’re at a bridal boutique, and Carolina’s excitement could power a small city. Baby Valeria is strapped to her chest, a tiny, sleeping bundle of calm amidst the chaos her mother is stirring up.
Carolina jumps from one gown to the next. Her enthusiasm is contagious, even though I’m already sweating from the sheer force of it.
“Isn’t Valeria heavy?” I ask, watching as the baby shifts against her chest. “Are you sure you don’t need a break?”
She waves me off. “No. You get used to it. It’s like she isn’t there.”
“Oh.”
Before I can say anything else, Carolina turns to me. She places a hand on my stomach.
“You’re already showing!” she exclaims. “Know the sex yet?”
I smile. “No, I was thinking we could work a surprise reveal into the wedding.”
“Ohhhh!” she squeals. Her face lights up. “That’s magnificent. The family’s going to go ballistic.”
“Careful so you don’t wake her,” I say, nodding toward Valeria, who stirs at the sound of her mother’s excitement.
“Don’t worry. When she’s fed, she sleeps like a rock.”
The sales attendant, a young woman with the demeanor of someone who’s seen too many bridal meltdowns, clears her throat. “Um, would you like to get started on the dresses?”
Carolina doesn’t miss a beat. She points at a massive ball gown with enough tulle to engulf a small car. “That one is great!”
I eye it warily. “Too large.”
“Too large?” She looks at me like I’ve just insulted the sacred institution of marriage itself. “Wedding dresses are traditionally round and difficult to walk in. I tripped on my wedding day.”
“That’s not exactly encouraging.”
“It was fun!”
The sales attendant interjects, clearly eager to steer this runaway train. “We have an extensive collection of fitted dresses, if that’s what you’d prefer, Ms. Jenkins.”
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+25 BONUS
CHAPTER 007 A Thousand Deale
“Sure. That would be wonderful.”
“Oh no,” Carolina says, clutching her chest as she’s been shot. “So you’re not going to look like a balloon on your wedding day?”
“I hope not.”
She pouts, disappointed. “The steady decline of round brides.”
“Right,” I say, turning to the sales attendant. “We’ll look at those dresses now.”
As we follow the attendant to another section of the store, Carolina is already on to her next topic. “Have you thought of a color for your bridesmaids?”
“Bridesmaids?”
“Yeah! I’m married, so I’m out of the list. But there’s Isabel, Sofia… one of my elder sisters isn’t married. Andrea. You met her at the Christmas Eve dinner.‘
“I did.”
“And then we’re going to have a number of cousins.‘
“Cousins?”
“I was thinking ten bridesmaids. Is that enough?”
“Ten?”
”
I blink at her, wondering if I’ve somehow wandered into a reality show. Ten bridesmaids? Who even knows ten people well enough to ask them to do that? My brain spins as I picture myself standing at the altar surrounded by a small army in matching gowns.
I swallow hard, trying to keep my voice even. “That’s… a lot.
“You think so?” she asks, genuinely confused. “It’s just the basics, really. Oh, and we can’t forget little Valeria! She can be a flower girl. Imagine her toddling down the aiste.”
“She’s not even walking yet.
“She will be by then! I’ll train her. It’ll be adorable.”
I’m beginning to regret saying no to Luke’s Vegas plan. We could have eloped, just the two of us, no bridesmaids, no flower girls, no cousins I barely know. But no, I’d convinced myself that his family deserved a celebration after everything they’d been through. Now, as Carolina’s plans spiral further out of control, I feel like I’ve shot myself in the foot.
“Julie, you’re going to need a theme, “Carolina continues. “And maybe matching robes for all the bridesmaids for the pre–ceremony photos. Oh! And custom slippers! What size are you? I’ll make a note.”
