Page 83 of A Very Happy Easter

I had a lifetime’s worth of feelings to unpack, and right now, I was Alice in Wonderland, having one identity crisis after another.

Was I Edith Kennedy-Renner, hard-assed feminist?

Edith Renner, dutiful daughter and people-pleaser?

Or Edie, the dumbass who’d somehow fallen for the man I’d paid in two different capacities to stay by my side?

The questions would have to wait because, for the moment, I had to be Edes the sensible socialite who supported friends in their hour of need. Constance had arrived in plenty of time for the wedding to make sure everything was perfect, and it decidedly was not. The two sides of the zipper were a good inch apart even when she sucked in her stomach and I tugged gently.

“This is definitely the right dress?” I asked. “They didn’t give you someone else’s by mistake?”

“It’s definitely mine; the lace from my grandma’s wedding gown is worked into the bodice. And it fitted me perfectly six weeks ago.” Another sniffle. “Whenever I get stressed, I start eating, but I thought I had it under control, you know? I’ve been swimming every day.”

“You look amazing, you really do.”

“Then why won’t my freaking dress do up?”

Polly swallowed the last of her cocktail. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“How can I be?”

“Do I need to explain?”

“No, no, I take pills. Every day, religiously. Neither of us is ready for a family. Maybe in five years or ten, but not now.”

“Weren’t you sick in January? You couldn’t stop coughing, and you were cursing all the sick people who came to Tabitha’s New Year bash.”

“Yes, but I still didn’t forget my birth control. I have an alarm on my phone, and I took a pill every single day—two, actually, because the doctor gave me antibiotics as well.”

Polly and I looked at each other. Uh-oh.

I offered what I hoped was a comforting smile to mask my own unravelling nerves. “Did your doctor mention that antibiotics can interfere with the pill?”

“No? I mean, I don’t think so. He didn’t say much at all, but I was in a hurry because I was running late to meet William. We had an appointment with the jeweller who designed our rings, and— Wait, what do you mean, antibiotics can interfere with the pill?”

Oh, shit.

While Polly explained basic medical facts to Constance with a touch of incredulity in her voice, I texted Heath.

Me

Any chance you could put those detective skills to work and find me a pregnancy test kit?

“I thought it was stress,” Constance was saying. “Doesn’t everyone skip periods sometimes due to stress?”

“Yes, but how stressful is it really to arrange an overseas wedding when you have a coordinator?” Polly asked.

“Are you serious? We had to pick a menu, the cake, the florals… And then there was the seating plan…” Constance burst into tears. “The seating plan was a nightmare.”

Heath

Are we talking the immaculate conception here or…?

Me

The bride’s dress won’t do up.

Heath