The One Left Behind (The One Series) (42 page)

“Thank you so much. I wanted to get you something too, but since I can’t remember much about your likes and dislikes, I had Colby help me. So if you hate it, blame her.”

She hands me a rectangular box. I’m curious to see what she could have gotten me. I open it and see a custom engraved name plate for my desk. The plate itself is gold and is attached to a shiny piece of cherry wood. “Thanks. I don’t have a name plate for my desk, so this is perfect.”

“You’re welcome. You don’t have to take it if you hate it. I promise it won’t hurt my feelings.” She actually looks a little worried.

I smile at her, “No, really. I needed one of these so it’s great.” We sit there in silence for a few seconds and I decide this is a good time to bring up her engagement. I have yet to really see her ring, by the way, which makes me think she’s self-conscience around me about it. “The other reason I wanted to meet you was to congratulate you on your new engagement.” I give her a weak smile that I’m sure doesn’t reach my eyes.

She glances down, “Oh, thank you. I really had no idea he was going to do it. Did Morgan tell you?” She finally looks up to hear my answer.

“No, actually Pierce came by my office to tell me. He wanted me to hear it first before I got word of it through the grapevine. I was actually a little shocked that he would come to me with it, but I guess it helped me prepare for the news when Morgan got your text.” There’s a drawn out silence filled with awkwardness while she stares at me blankly. It’s clear she did not know about this beforehand.

“I’m sorry. This is sort of awkward for me. I’m not sure how to react to that. I don’t want to rub your nose in it or flaunt it around you, but at the same time I want us to be friends so it’ll be inevitable that you’ll hear us talking about the wedding and stuff.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. Just carry on like you would with any other friend of yours. I’ll be fine, I promise. I want you to be happy and it’s obvious that you are with Pierce, so I’m happy for you. Although, I did warn Pierce that if he hurt you I would break his legs. So you let me know if I need to make good on that promise.” I wink at her to let her know that I’m kidding. Sort of.

She lets out a small laugh, and just like that, the tension is gone and we’re kind of back to that comfortable place again.

We hang out for about another hour before she says she has to go home to get ready for her shift at work. We part ways and I have so many mixed emotions. Coffee went well and I enjoyed her company, but I’m still trying to get over this and seeing her makes it hard. Especially when all I want to do is hug and kiss her and never let her go. But that’s not my place anymore and it never will be.

I’M MEETING MY mom and Catherine today at the bridal shop to look at dresses. I’m actually pretty excited about this. What girl doesn’t want to try on a bunch of dresses and feel like a princess? Colby is driving with me while Lexi and Morgan are going to meet us there. I don’t mind because it gives me more one on one time with Colby.

“So Cole, how has everything been now that Damon’s parents are not living together anymore?”

“Eh, I guess you could say better. There isn’t fighting around his brother anymore but you can still tell he is hurting over it,” she replies.

“I can’t imagine. That’s got to be hard on a kid.”

“Yeah, but let’s talk about that another time. Today is a happy day so let’s not bring down the mood. How do you think your mom will act today? Like the mother of the bride or the bride?”

I look at Colby with an amused look on my face and we both say, “Bride,” at the same time and start laughing.

“Don’t worry, if she tries to overstep I’ll remind her it’s your wedding not hers.” I hope Colby can hold my mother back. I want her to be involved but I don’t want her overstepping and not give any thought to what I want to wear on the day of my wedding.

As we pull up to the bridal shop I see Catherine’s and Morgan’s cars and I know everyone is already here. I park a couple spots down since there are none in front of the store. I’m talking with Colby and see the one face I don’t want to see today.

Samantha.

I’m hoping she doesn’t look up because she really seems like a catty bitch and I don’t feel like dealing with her today. As if she hears my inner thoughts, she looks up, sees me, and stops.

“Madison, how nice it is to see you again,” she says in a fake sweetness that oozes bitchiness. I can tell she’s not happy to see me at all.

“It’s Addison.” I correct her dryly although I’m pretty sure she knows that.

“Right, Addison. So, where is Pierce?” she asks looking over my shoulder as if he’ll appear out of thin air. “Did you two break up already?” She lowers her voice as if she’s telling a secret and adds, “To be honest, I didn’t really see the two of you lasting that long anyway.”

I see Colby out of the corner of my eye and she is in fighter mode and I sense that she is about to go on the attack. Her back straightens and she leans closer into Samantha’s face before saying, “Oh, hell to the no! Who do you think you are?” I put my hand up to cut Colby off. This is Pierce’s ex and I’m not going to have my best friend fight my battles.

“Oh, don’t mine her, Colby. She must have left her manners at home,” I say sarcastically as I shoot Samantha a pointed glare. “But to answer your question, Samantha, not that it is any of your business. Pierce is at work today.” I don’t know why I feel the need to tell her where Pierce is, but I don’t like the way she was taking a dig at our relationship.

“Same old Pierce always putting his job before his relationships,” she raises an eyebrow and makes a tsking sound. She is really starting to irritate me now.

“I’m not sure what Pierce you know, but
my
Pierce always takes time off to do things with me. Especially when it comes to planning our wedding.” I hold up my left hand to show her my engagement ring.
Take that bitch.
“However, since Pierce is big on tradition and all, he didn’t want to see my dress until I was walking down the aisle. So that is why he is not here right now.” I have to bite my lip to hide the smug look that is threatening to appear.

Samantha’s mouth actually drops open but she recovers quickly. A look of anger floods her face. “You have-— He gave you his grandmother’s ring? You have got to be kidding me.” She has the ugliest snarl on her face as if the thought absolutely disgusts her. This has got to be the highlight of my week.

A laugh escapes Colby’s mouth. “I assure you this is no joke. As you see,” I point to the building we are standing in front of, “I have an appointment to keep, so unless you would like to join us while I try on wedding gowns, I have to go. It was really nice chatting with you. Give Max my regards,” I say with a smile on my face.

Samantha huffs and storms off down the street. I see her grab her phone from her purse and she starts yelling at someone on the phone. I don’t know what that is all about and I really don’t care.

“Who the hell was that rude bitch? I really wanted to punch her in her throat just to get her to shut up,” Colby asks.

“That would be Samantha, Pierce’s ex.”

“The one who cheated on him?”

“The one and only,” I reply.

“I can’t believe he dated her. She looks like she has a permanent stick up her ass. Did you see her face when she saw your ring? I thought she was going to have a heart attack.”

We both giggle as we enter the bridal shop. We are greeted by Catherine who has a big smile on her face. “Hello, girls, what is so funny?” she asks. I am about to tell her it’s nothing until Colby opens her big mouth.

“Just our run in with Pierce’s ex, Samantha. A real lady that one is,” her words are dripping with sarcasm.

“I always preferred the word bitch,” Catherine retorts. I’m stunned that Catherine would say anything negative about anyone, let alone call them a bitch. It’s actually pretty funny. “Did she give you any trouble, Addison?”

“No, I think I gave her more trouble than she did me. She assumed Pierce and I were no longer together, so when I corrected her by showing her my ring, I think she was about to keel over.”

Catherine lets out a tiny snort, “Oh dear, I’m sure she did. I wish I could have seen you put her in her place. I’ll bet it was priceless. She was always eyeing my ring when she thought I wasn’t looking. I knew there was something I didn’t like about her, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Once I found out about her and Max, I knew my gut instincts were right.”

“And what does your gut tell you about me?” I half joke. It’s important to me that his family like and trust me.

“Well, you got my mother’s ring on your finger. If I didn’t like you or feel you were the right woman for my son, I wouldn’t have approved of him giving you that ring. Now, let’s go and try on some dresses. I’m afraid everyone got into the champagne a little early so I’m sure they’ll all have an opinion today.” She gives me a little smile with a wink and I know she’s referring to my mother.

We go back to where everyone is waiting and am handed a glass of champagne. I am introduced to Shannon who will be helping me today with all the different dresses. She takes me back to my room to get a feel for the wedding and what I’m looking for.

“So, tell me about the groom?” She’s smiling so brightly that her happiness is rubbing off on me.

“His name is Pierce Whitmore. We’ve known each other for about a year. I met him on the beach when I was struggling through a hard time in my life. He was very supportive and helped me through it. He’s so caring and understanding and strives to push me to do new things. I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”

“Where’d you guys get engaged?”

“He took me to New York and got us a horse and carriage ride. We took it to Central Park and as soon as we got out, he dropped to one knee. I’ve never been so surprised in my life. I honestly never saw it coming.” I glance down at my ring and smile at the memory.

“How sweet! Now for the fun part: what do you envision yourself to look like on the day of your wedding?”

“I want to feel like a princess, but not look like one. I don’t want something super puffy or with too much going on. I haven’t tried any dresses on yet, but I know I don’t want a big ball gown. However, my mother insisted I try some of those on, so I will to make her happy.”

“Okay, no problem. I’ll pull a couple of those as well as other styles. Are you looking for a form fitted dress or more A-line?”

“As long as I can move and breathe in it, I’m open to try it on.”

“Hang tight and I’ll be right back.” I’m sitting alone in the dressing room in a robe they gave me waiting patiently. I start to drift off and wonder if I had a day like this planned during my engagement to Colin. Did I have a particular dress in mind? Did we already pick out a venue? Was he as hands on with the planning as Pierce is or was he going to leave it all up to me? I have no doubts about marrying Pierce, but did I feel the same way with Colin? It seems weird to me that I could be so certain about two completely different men. My internal battle is interrupted as Shannon comes walking in with a selection of dresses trailing behind her.

I try one princess ball gown on that has a gigantic tulle skirt that makes me feel like a cupcake. As soon as I walk out Colby starts laughing. Yep, this is definitely not the one. My mother, of course, loves it so I try to break the news to her gently.

Next, I try on a couple mermaid-style gowns. One was simple with diagonal ruching down the bodice, another one was completely blinged out. There are pretty, but I’m not in love with them since they’re very form fitting and I don’t feel like I can move freely in them. I rule this style out and go to the next.

Shannon holds up a few A-line gowns for me next. As soon as I see this silhouette, I know this is what I’m looking for. The dresses are classically shaped with clean lines without being too tight. I really like these a lot. I try a couple on but they’re either too busy or too plain. I put on a third one and after Shannon zips it, I turn and look at myself in the mirror. I know this is the dress I’m going to walk down the aisle in. I feel beautiful and I know Pierce will love it. Imagining the look on his face now almost makes me want to never take it off. It is simple with a diagonally-ruched bodice and a sweetheart neckline. There is a thick crystal encrusted belt that goes around the slimmest part of my waist adding just the right amount of bling to it. The white of the dress is soft and gorgeous and makes me feel like I’m floating on clouds. I glance at Shannon who is smiling from ear to ear nodding her head.

As I walk out to my group, I get butterflies in my stomach. I really hope they like this dress because I am in love with it. I really don’t want to hear anything negative about it because I have already made up my mind. This is the dress I’m going to marry Pierce in. I round the corner and see my mom’s eyes immediately go wide and begin to flood with tears. That puts a smile on my face knowing that my mother already loves it. I step up on the platform as Shannon fixes the gown making sure the skirt and bodice look perfect. Everyone is silent as she takes a step back to let everyone admire it.