CHAPTER 21
The following morning when Cate woke up, Kian was already up and dressed. She turned her head to look at the clock and saw the tinfoil ring on the bedside table.
“Morning,” Kian smiled, when he realised she was awake. “I ordered breakfast; it should be here in a minute.”
“Thanks,” Cate said. “I’m just going to use the bathroom.”
When she came back, the doors to the balcony had been opened and Kian was sat at the small metal table, pouring himself some coffee. There was so much food: three different types of cereal, toast with butter and jam, scrambled eggs, croissants and pastries. “I didn’t know what you’d like…” Kian explained.
Cate sat down at the table opposite him. She filled up a plate with a little of everything to be polite.
After they’d finished eating, there was a knock at the door. Kian got up to answer it and when he came back, he wasn’t alone. It was the glamourous stewardess Cate had seen him talking to yesterday at the baggage carousel.
“Hi, I’m Lauren.” She sat down in Kian’s chair and helped herself to a slice of toast with jam. “Mmm, so good.”
“I’m going to pop out for a bit,” Kian said and kissed Cate on the top of her head.
After he’d gone, Lauren smiled and said, “come on, eat up. We’ve got a lot to do today.”
“I don’t…”
“You’re getting married this evening, aren’t you?”
Cate didn’t know it was that fast. “Uh yeah, I guess so.”
“Well, you can’t walk down the aisle in your jammies now, can you? We’ve got to find you a wedding dress.”
When they got down to the lobby, there was a driver waiting for them. Kian had hired a car to take them wherever they needed to go. Lauren gave the driver the directions for their 1st stop.
The car pulled up outside Le Marriage and Cate followed Lauren inside. Cate thought of her paltry savings account and winced; there was no way she could afford even a garter belt from this boutique. A haughty-looking woman appeared from the back and Lauren said, “we have an appointment with Nicole.”
“Of course,” the haughty woman said and disappeared again.
Nicole appeared and immediately came over to Lauren and gave her a double air-kiss. “Sweetie, how’ve you been?”
“I’m good,” Lauren smiled. She pushed Cate forward. “We need to find this one a dress; it’s kind of last-minute.”
Nicole frowned, “you know how I hate doing things last-minute. The dress is the most important element of any wedding, it’s all anybody talks about afterwards, good or bad.”
“I know, I know but look at her, she’s so skinny; she could easily fit into one of your samples.”
“Humph” Nicole made it known that she was not best pleased.
She came back with a rack of dresses and they pushed Cate into a dressing room. “Try this one first,” Nicole said, handing her a clear plastic garment bag. “Champagne?” she asked Lauren, who nodded.
Cate took the dress out of the bag and hung it up on the hook. There was a discrete label attached to the hanger and if that was the price, Cate knew there was no point even trying it on. There was no way she could afford this or any other dress from here. She poked her head out of the dressing room.
“Have you got it on?” Lauren asked eagerly. Nicole wasn’t there.
Cate blushed; she didn’t know quite how to say this. “I can’t, I mean… These dresses are lovely but I can’t afford any of them.”
Lauren started laughing. “You are adorable,” she said, putting a hand on Cate’s shoulder.
Cate didn’t understand so Lauren opened up her handbag. She handed Cate a small, black credit card. Cate looked at the name on the card. Kian Warner. “Why do you have Kian’s credit card?”
“Silly, he gave it to me this morning. I’m under strict instructions to make sure you get everything you need for this wedding, regardless of the cost.”
“Why did he give you the card?” Cate wondered aloud. “Doesn’t he trust me?”
Lauren stopped laughing. “No honey, I promise it’s nothing like that. You’ve never been here before, right? I know this place like the back of my hand. If you need something, anything, I know the best place to get it. That’s all.”
“Okay.”
Cate went back into the dressing room and tried on the dress that Nicole had given her. She turned around and looked at herself in the mirror and it was just awful. It was clearly designed for a woman with bigger breasts and the fabric kept slipping down, exposing the cups of her bra. She quickly took it off, without giving Lauren and Nicole chance to critique it.
“It’s lovely but not for me,” Cate tried to be polite as she handed the dress back to Nicole.
“I know it’s lovely,” Nicole huffed. “Try this one instead.”
Cate obediently tried on all of the dresses but none of them were right.
After Le Marriage, they went to Sophie Mazar but none of their dresses there were right either.
As they got back in the car, Cate saw a brightly-coloured building a little bit further down the road. “Can we go in there?” She asked Lauren.
Lauren shrugged her shoulders, “if you want?”
The outside of the building was painted violet like her ceiling back home and when they stepped inside, it was a riot of colour. The thick, shag carpeting on the floor was a bright-green colour and it swallowed their feet as they walked around. There was a Mexican woman sat on a chair behind the till with an adorable, black-haired baby in her arms drinking from a bottle. “Let me know if you need any help?” She smiled warmly.
The stairs creaked as Cate walked up them and at the top there were even more racks of clothes and accessories. “What about these?” Cate joked to Lauren, picking up a pair of red, glittery pasties with tassels.
“They’re, um…” Lauren smiled. “They’re very Vegas. Why don’t you get them for your wedding night? Give Kian a little show.”
Cate blushed and dropped the pasties back on the counter. The wedding night. She’d forgotten about that.
She was about to head back downstairs when she saw a rack of white over in the far corner. At the front of the rack was a simple white lace dress. Cate fell in love with it instantly. It was simple and classy. It had little cap sleeves and a modest v, the skirt stopped just below the knee and there was a champagne band around the waist. “I’ve found it,” Cate said breathlessly to Lauren. “This is the dress.”
Lauren studied it from every angle. “It’s lovely. Why don’t you go and try it on?”
Cate stepped into the dress and already it felt like hers. It fitted her around the breasts meaning that she wouldn’t have to wear padding. The modest v showed a little bit of cleavage. The skirt swayed softly as she moved. For the first time since Kian had asked her to marry him, she could actually picture herself doing it.
She stepped out from behind the curtain and Lauren clapped her hands together. “That’s the one. Who would have thought we’d find it here.”
It’s magic, Cate thought. It’s my Magic Dress.
As they stood looking at the dress in the mirror, Lauren lifted Cate’s hair and twisted it into a soft chignon. “This would look really cute.”
Everything fell into place after that. Lauren found her the perfect pair of shoes to go with her Magic Dress and they were back at the Belvedere even before Kian.
Kian texted Lauren to say that he’d booked another room for the night and would be getting ready there. He’d see Cate at the chapel. “Which chapel?”
“The Belvedere has their own wedding chapel,” Lauren explained. “It’s on the edge of the grounds. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful.”
Lauren did her hair and make-up and zipped up her dress. “Are you okay?” She asked softly. Cate looked really pale all of a sudden. “Do you need to sit down for a minute? Can I get you some water?”
She took hold of her hands and they were trembling a little. “It’s just nerves, hon. All brides get nervous before their wedding.”
But what Cate felt was more than just pre-wedding jitters.
Kian has never told me he loves me. We’re getting married and I don’t know if he loves me or not.
She got up from the bed and walked out on to the balcony. Lauren guessed that she needed a few minutes of alone time. Cate pressed a hand to her stomach and murmured a quick prayer.
Please tell me I’m doing the right thing. Tell me that if he doesn’t love me now that eventually he will and we’ll make each other happy?
Lauren put a hand on her shoulder. “Hon, it’s time to go.”
Cate took a deep breath and stepped back inside the hotel room. She touched the tinfoil ring once more for good luck.
Can I love him enough for both of us?
They took the lift down to the lobby and then walked out of the back of the hotel into the grounds. The sun was starting to go down and there were tiny white lights wrapped around the trunks of the trees. A little while later they came across a small wooden chapel. The doors were opened and inside there were no lights apart from a plate of candles at the altar. Cate looked up at the altar and Kian was stood there, watching her. Her heart felt like it was doing somersaults inside of her chest. He looked so handsome in his dark, grey suit. There was nobody else in the chapel apart from Kian and the minister who was going to marry them.
Lauren slipped into the background as the wedding march began.
Cate walked up the two small steps into the chapel and then walked slowly down the red, carpeted aisle to where Kian was stood.
The ceremony was brief and then the minister announced, “you may now kiss your bride.”
When he looked at her, there were tears in her eyes but she was smiling. “You OK?” he mouthed, reaching up to wipe away one of the tears that trickled down her cheek.
Cate nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
The minister disappeared and suddenly it was just the two of them alone in this wooden chapel. Kian cupped her face in his hands and gently brushed his lips against hers. Cate felt like it was their first kiss all over again. He kissed her again, sucking on her bottom lip. She ran her fingers through his hair and he parted her lips, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. His kisses made her forget everything; all she could focus on was the gentle pressure of his lips, the slow exploration of his tongue inside her mouth.
When eventually they parted to catch their breath, Cate buried her face in his strong, muscular chest. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked the small of her back; Cate felt safe there.
When they stepped outside, it was dark. Lauren was waiting to sprinkle them with confetti. “Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Warner.”