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“There are no price tags.” I fingered the bits of Swarovski crystals adorning hand-appliqued Italian lace as I stepped in. Sophie had offered to be my personal attendant for the wedding day. I wish I could have asked her to be a bridesmaid, but that would have made the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen uneven, and Miriam insisted the sides had to balance.

Sophie zipped me up, and both girls sucked in a breath.

“It doesn’t matter the price of this one, because when Rex sees you at the altar—wow. Chelsea, youlooklike a million dollars.” Maisy covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes welling with tears, and couldn’t speak.

“Is this the one?” I turned and gasped at my figure in the mirror. The white satin and organza gown flowed down my frame, hugging every curve with graceful lines in a mermaid style. The beadwork and satin flowers were adorned in a tastefulpattern flowing from the top down. Tears threatened my eyes.

“Let’s go show Mom,” Maisy opened the door and carefully we treaded out to the showing area. Miriam, Agnes, and Mom sat in plush Queen Anne chairs, talking and sipping champagne. All of them stopped and gasped as we took our places on a mini stage so Kleinenfelds and his staff could fuss around us, pinning the gowns to fit us.

Mom was the first to jump up, and walked around us in a circle to take in the entire view, holding her hand on her heart. “Beautiful, Maisy. And Chelsea, of the gowns you’ve shown me today, this one is stunning.”

“Yes, it’s nice, but let me take a closer look.” Miriam stood, hovering around us, donning her glasses like a magnifier, inspecting every angle.

“Let’s apply the train and the veil for the full effect,” Nicholas Kleinenfelds ordered and snapped his fingers. Two women appeared with the items and worked diligently on me to hook the obscenely long train to complete my look. Meanwhile, we all agreed the gown Maisy wore was perfect for the bridesmaids.

With a tiara of dazzling crystals and the long veil attached to my hair, and the train swirling around my body and flared out before me, everyone gave me space, leaving me to admire the full view of my ensemble in a grand floor-to-ceiling gold foil framed mirror.

I couldn’t speak, imagining Rex’s reaction when he’d eye me at the church for the first time, and it suddenly brought forth all the tears. I fanned myself with my hands. “This is it.This makes it so real. Oh, my God. I’m getting married, everyone!”

A smile split my face and finally I felt it—the joy of planning a day for Rex and me to celebrate our love. My heart burst, so full, and Mom and Maisy jumped forward and hugged me.

“My beautiful girls. You’re both so grown up,” Mom cried.

Leave it to Miriam to have more to say about the matter and to break into my hard fought happiness about this wedding.

“Hm. It’s lovely, yes. But that low-cut neckline in front dips down almost to her naval. The sheer fabric there reveals far too much skin. This won’t do for a formal wedding.” Her words cut through my sunshine like a knife and I momentarily deflated, shoulders drooping and all.

“My sister got married last year and there was a modesty panel in her dress,” Sophie piped up, saving the day. “Of course, she had it removed, but in this case, couldn’t you sew in a little satin panel, Nicholas?”

“Of course. Anything to make the bride happy,” the graying man agreed, reaching for some bits of satin from a basket nearby.

While he pinned one in place, Mom approached, holding something in her hands. “Nicholas, I saved a handkerchief Chelsea’s father gave me the day of our wedding. Do you think it’d be possible for your staff to sew this into the underside of the gown somewhere?”

“Aw, thanks, Mom. It’ll be my something old, and niceto have Daddy close with me that day,” I gushed, and reached out, fingering his embroidered monogram on it.

“But of course, madam.” He lifted the hem of my skirt. “Look, we can pull up the fabric here and attach?—”

“Egads!” Miriam screeched. “What are those?”

She pointed in horror to the floor, at my red heels sticking out below the hem. Pointy-toed genuine Italian leather red heels with rhinestones dotted across the toe and an anklet buckled around my ankle. To me, the pair of shoes were exquisite.

“Aren’t they fabulous? There’s this little shoe shop a block away from the studios and the day I got my first paycheck from the station for my cooking show, I walked by and peeked through the window. I wouldn’t normally buy myself something so pricey, but I couldn’t help it and bought them on the spot,” I explained.

“Chelsea, you’re a bride and should be wearing white. At best, even nude or champagne heels would do. But red?” She shook her head with that slicking noise she makes anytime she doesn’t approve of something, as if I’d made the biggest faux pas like picking the wrong salad fork at a seven-course meal.

With every bit of tact I could muster, I straightened my shoulders and looked down my nose at her, easy to do from atop the mini-stage Nicholas had me standing on.

“Miriam, I worked so hard this past year, and I’m proud of my accomplishments. These shoes were my reward to myself. Besides, this is a Christmas wedding, a holiday Ihappen to love, and it’smywedding. If I want to wear red heels, I’ll wear red heels.”

Everyone in the room was still. One raised eyebrow was all that moved on her for an eternity until it reached her hairline, and she stared through me as if taking stock of me, until finally she spoke. “You’re right. Wear the shoes. And, by the way, you lookbeautiful,my dear. This gown is the one that will have my son falling at your feet.”

There was a collective sigh as I finally got Miriam’s nod of approval, plus her satisfied grin. Not that I needed it, because it wasmywedding, after all.

I’d wear what made me feel special and sexy as a bride on my day with Rex. And that’d be the last time I let Miriam affect my mood about the wedding.

Agnes clapped her approval as well. “Wonderful. This wedding will be spectacular.”

“Yes. It really will be, more than I ever imagined it would,” I smiled for Sophie and Maisy, taking photos for the bridesmaids back home.