Free Lovestruck Forever by Rachel Schurig

my dad—he had cared enough
about this wedding to go ahead and start planning already. He’d
put a deposit down, apparently planning to pay for the reception
himself. How could I throw that gift back in his face?
    “We
should probably make an appointment with Margarita ASAP,” Maria
mused, now in full-on Maria Control Mode. “You know how long it
took to get our dresses done for Laura’s wedding.” She
smirked. “Of course, that might have more to do with Laura
gaining and losing the same ten pounds three times before the
wedding.”
    I
spluttered. “Margarita?” The dressmaker had indeed made
our bridesmaid dresses for Laura’s and Maria’s weddings.
She’d also made my quince dress—the fuchsia nightmare
Thomas had taken such delight in making fun of. I wished I could say
my quince dress had been the polar opposite of the dresses we’d
had made for the weddings, but they were more similar than I wanted
to admit. That was the style Margarita designed—loud, tight,
big, and covered in beading. The exact opposite of what I would pick
for my bridesmaids to wear. I had a sudden image of Callie in one of
her dresses and would have laughed if it weren’t so real.
    “Which
means you need to pick out your bridesmaids,” Maria went on,
oblivious to my silent horror. “It’s going to be tricky
with Laura’s baby bump. I’ll see if I can get us in next
week for the first consultation.”
    “Wait,”
I finally managed to say. “Maria—”
    She
looked at me, eyebrows raised. “There’s really not a lot
of time to wait, little sister. October is five months away. And
Laura won’t be much help with the baby coming at the end of
August.”
    “I
know.” I took a deep breath. “I know there’s a lot
to do. But I’m not ready for dress fittings yet. I don’t
even know if I want to use Margarita.”
    Maria
looked like she was about to argue, but my mother, mercifully,
stepped in. “You’re right, dear. You just set the date!
You and Thomas take some time to discuss what you’d like. We’ll
be ready to help when you’re ready.”
    I
felt a rush of gratitude toward her. Maybe there was time to rein
this in after all. Maybe I could still sit down with my parents and
figure it all out, before Hurricane Maria took complete control and I
ended up walking down the aisle in fifty yards of tulle and beading.
    “Better
get a move on,” Maria muttered, slipping her phone into her
pocket. “These things take time, Lizzie.”
    I
stared down at the table, doing my best to ignore the feeling of
Thomas’s gaze boring into the side of my head. I couldn’t
look at him right now, couldn’t see the disappointment I was
sure would be in his eyes. He had spent the past year and a half
helping me work on standing up to my family. He’d been so proud
of the progress I’d made, always reminding me of how strong I
was. But now, when push came to shove, here I was, ready to give into
them all over again.

Chapter Six
     
    It
was several days before I was able to talk to Sofie about what had
happened at the party. Sarra, Meghan, and Carter were all staying in
town for a long weekend, keeping us busy. The Harpers, on the other
hand, were staying in the States for a full week. They spent the
first part of the week with us in Detroit before heading to New York
City to see the sights. “Might as well take the chance to see
some of the world while I can,” Anne had told me with a sigh.
“Heaven knows I’ll have a hard enough time getting that
old grump out of Britain again anytime soon.”
    “I
heard that,” Gilbert called from the den where he and Thomas
were both reading the paper.
    “I
know you did,” she called back. “Because you’re
spending this precious time abroad sitting around reading the paper,
just like you do at home.”
    “A
man must stay up to date, Mum,” Thomas replied, and Anne and I
shared a good eye roll at their expense.
    By
week’s end, however, they had moved on to New York, Bryony in
tow.