Chapter Twelve
Two days had passed since the girls’ night, and I was in the kitchen, washing up the morning dishes. Garrick was in his office, working.
Nothing else had been said about when we were getting married. The anticipation and the unknown thrilled me.
When are we getting married?
Garrick gave nothing away.
I hoped it was sooner rather than later.
After finishing the last dish, I picked up my phone and read the last message from Evelyn. We texted often throughout the day, but I had yet to call her.
Evelyn: I’m here any time you need me.
It wasn’t that I needed anything, but I wanted to talk to her. Taking a deep breath, I dialed the number. It only rang once before she picked up. “Hello. Knoah?”
“Hey, Evelyn. I was finishing up the dishes and figured I might…I wanted to call you.”
“That makes me beyond happy. How are things going? Any news about the wedding?”
I took a sip of tea. “No, not yet. It’s exciting and thrilling. I’m ready to be his wife.”
“The love you two share is beautiful. It reminds me of when I married your fa—Ricardo.”
The word father made me freeze for a second, but I let it go. Nothing was meant by it. “How did you guys meet? How did you know he was the one?”
“Oh, it was fast like you and Garrick. Ricardo stopped by my father’s house to speak about business. I happened to be home from college that weekend. It was love at first sight. We talked for a bit, and then he left. But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Two days later, he showed up on my doorstep and asked me out. We were married within a couple of weeks.”
The love between them was evident. In the dining room the other day, I’d seen how much he cared for his wife. “That is romantic.”
“It is. We love each other very much. Can we do lunch tomorrow? Or just get a coffee?” The hope in Evelyn’s voice brought happiness to my heart.
“I’d like that. We could go to the café on the first floor. They have great coffee.”
Sawyer and I had often gone there when we worked for Mickey.
“I would love that, Knoah.”
Me, too.
I chewed on my lip for a second before I asked, “Why don’t you ever call me Bridgette?”
For a second, the line went silent, and then she cleared her throat. “When we first found you, it was hard. But I’ve been working on thinking of you as Knoah, not Bridgette. Your name suits you. It’s who you are.”
Internally, I sighed with relief. “Yes, it is. Thank you. You’re making this transition much easier than I’d imagined.”
“That’s all I want. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, Evelyn.”
I ended the call and held the phone to my chest. Mom was right. I have enough love to share with them. I truly believed a connection formed between a baby and mother could never be severed. After only knowing my first mom for a week, I still felt safe and loved with her.
First mom.
I’d used the word mom with her. The meeting with my therapist helped me deal with this. “No one said you can’t have two mothers and two fathers. Think about kids who have stepparents. In many cases, they love them like a birth parent.”
This was definitely true. Maybe Brooke had realized I would begin blurring the lines soon.
Garrick strolled in. “Sawyer just asked me if I had any animal policies and what the protocol was for having packages delivered. Do you know what she’s planning?”
Oh no.
“No. And I’m not asking. She’s getting ready to strike, though.”
Garrick rubbed his chin. “I believe Kurt Hendrix is in over his head.”
“Without a doubt. What should we do now?”
Nuzzling my neck, he kissed the lobe of my ear. “I think I know a way to pass the time.”
“You do?” I angled my head, giving him more access.
“Come. I need to be inside of my future wife.”
My clit pulsed. I needed Garrick just as badly.
~ ~ ~
In the living room, I cuddled into Garrick’s side and sipped an iced tea. We’d only emerged from our bedroom fifteen minutes ago. “I’m going to have lunch with Evelyn tomorrow. She suggested the café downstairs to get me out of the apartment.”
“Yes, that would work. Joe already has that area under surveillance. I know it’s terrible to be cooped up here while your friends get to leave.”
I was so ready to leave the apartment. “Cabin fever is definitely setting in.”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Who’s here?
Garrick stood and walked toward the door, saying, “Come in.”
Joe walked in and held the door for my mom. “Is it time? Am I late? Oh, I cannot wait!”
“Time for what?” I got up from the couch, trying to figure out what was going on.
Right behind her was Evelyn with a smile on her face.
Mom threw a hand over her mouth, and Garrick shook his head, smiling. He took my hand. “It’s time to pick out a wedding dress.”
Garrick knew I wanted the Monroes involved in our wedding.
Wait.
I’m picking out a dress.
“Today? Today, I’m picking out a dress?”
“Yes. This is the only part you’ll be involved in.” He rubbed his thumb along my cheek. “I wanted you to pick out your dress.”
“That is the perfect idea,” I said.
And that meant the wedding would be sooner rather than later. I jumped into Garrick’s arms, hugging and kissing his with everything I had. “I’m so happy. So, so happy. Thank you.”
As usual, Evelyn looked stunning in her blue dress suit. “Knoah. Garrick. I was thrilled to get the invitation. Thank you for letting me be part of this day.”
Mom and Evelyn seemed familiar with each other. If this were their first time meeting, I would have imagined it to be more uncomfortable. “Have you guys met?”
“Yes, we decided to meet for coffee when Garrick invited us,” Mom said. She stepped closer to me and grabbed my hand. “Don’t worry. It was a wonderful talk. Evelyn is a remarkable woman.”
“As is your mother,” Evelyn replied.
My mother. The word meant more than I thought. I doubted Evelyn mentioned anything about the Monroe lifestyle, or Mom would not be this calm.
“Both my mothers are amazing. Thank you.”
Mom hugged me, and Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears. Another weight was lifted as my world continued to right itself.
“This way, ladies. Everything is set.”
I turned to Garrick. “Where are we going?”
“Follow me.” He gave me a wink, and my heart sputtered.
We followed the hall to the left, and I saw white rose petals sprinkled in front of the sitting room doors of our apartment. Before he opened the door, he handed me a white rose. “For you.”
The first night we had been together, Garrick had had every surface in the house covered in white roses. To Garrick, they symbolized an untouched perfection. This is what I was to him.
I brought the rose to my face to smell it. The soft petals felt like silk against my lips. “It’s beautiful.”
“I can’t wait to see you on our wedding day.”
“I can’t wait to be seen.”
He leaned down, kissed my lips, and then turned to the women with us. “Take care of her. Let me know if she needs more to choose from. Or if you ladies need anything.”
They agreed and the door opened. I put my hand on the doorknob to stop its momentum. “Wait. Have you seen the dresses? That’s bad luck.”
“No, I told them your taste and they sent gowns accordingly. They also offered an attendant if you want one. She’ll be here until you’re done.”
I looked at Mom and Evelyn and decided I wanted this to be for us only. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“That’s what I thought.”
We entered the room and I noticed there were more roses strategically placed throughout the space. I touched one of them and smiled. The room was awash in white. Beautiful dresses hung neatly on racks.
I noticed Evelyn hanging back behind Mom. In the same instant, Mom noticed, too. Circling back, she looped her arm with Evelyn’s and brought her forward. Mom said, “Isn’t it amazing what Garrick put together?”
“He was always a thoughtful young man.”
I touched a few of the dresses before I found one that I loved. It was like a Grecian goddess design. I pulled it off the rack and held it up to my body. “What do you think?”
Evelyn touched a hand to her heart. “I wore something similar on my wedding day.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I wanted something simple that made me feel like a goddess.”
“I want to try this one on first.”
Mom lit up with a gorgeous smile. “It’s going to be phenomenal. Evelyn, would you help her change? I’ll get us some tea.”
For the first time, I noticed there were tea and appetizers on a round table off to one side. Mom’s offer took Evelyn by surprise. I touched her hand. “Would you mind helping me?”
“I would love to.” Her voice was thick with emotion.
Behind the silk screen, I undressed, and Evelyn helped me get the dress situated. After the last button, she stepped back. “Oh my! I’m going to step around the screen so I can see you come out.”
Taking a nervous breath I walked around the corner. Both women looked at me with love. Evelyn had tears in her eyes. “Absolutely breathtaking.”
I went over to the mirror and looked at myself. It was magnificent as the chiffon fabric flowed out. The embellished waist matched the straps. The fabric had an intricate pattern woven through the fabric. As it turned, it had a slight glimmer. “This is the one.”
“I think so, too,” Evelyn said.
Mom nodded. “It’s beautiful. You definitely look like a goddess.”
“Just to be sure, let’s try on some more.”