Page 51 of Julian

Jude chuckled. “As if you believe in luck.”

“I know.” She gazed up at him with a smile. “I just want you to be surprised.”

“You’ll look beautiful no matter what you wear,” he said.

She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I love you.”

Kiara looked away, trying to ignore the ache that flared to life whenever she witnessed the deep love between Angie and Jude. She was happy for Angie, so happy, and that was what she was trying to focus on as the wedding drew closer.

She followed the pair out to the waiting SUV, where Anthony was behind the wheel with Lucy waiting by the open rear door. Elizabeth came out shortly after them, while Annie was going to drive herself with Dawn.

Once the three of them were seated inside the SUV, Lucy shut the door. It was a fairly quick drive from the estate to the rental.

The designer and her seamstresses were all set up with sewing machines and dress forms. They’d been flown to Idaho in Duncan’s plane, so they had been able to bring everything they needed.

“Welcome.” Alex of Alexandria Designs greeted them with a wide smile. “Are you ready to try on your dresses?”

They all nodded, and then they were sent off, one at a time, to change into their dresses. Annie went first, and even though she wasn’t an official bridesmaid, she was still getting a new dress made.

While they worked with Annie, Kiara and Angie looked at the other dresses. It was amazing the work the design team had been able to do in such a short period of time.

Her dress was a soft lavender and had an empire waist to accommodate her growing belly. It was the perfect color for a late spring/early summer wedding.

Kiara tried not to compare everything to her own wedding, but it was hard not to. Her wedding had been rushed, and she hadn’t even considered that she could have anything but an off-the-rack dress.

Maybe she’d known in her heart that this wasn’t the wedding to spend much money on. It hadn’t meant anything to Julian, so it hadn’t meant anything to her. Or at least she’d told herself it shouldn’t.

Soon, it was her turn, and the designer went into the room with her to help her into the dress.

“This looks so lovely on you,” the woman said as she circled around Kiara, gently tugging at the material in spots. “How does it feel?”

“Like a dream,” Kiara said, smoothing her hand over her stomach. “With plenty of room for the belly.”

The woman chuckled softly. “You are glowing, and this color looks perfect on you.”

She followed Alex out to the circular stand and stepped up on it with the woman’s help. They’d been told to wear the underwear they planned to wear on the wedding day, as well as the shoes.

Kiara had chosen a lower heel, but it was still higher than she usually wore.

“You look amazing, Kiki,” Angie said from where she sat on the couch. “So beautiful.”

“I agree,” Elizabeth said. “You look very lovely.”

Alex and one of the seamstresses checked the length of the dress and how it fit around her bust and stomach. In the end, they decided it just needed to be hemmed a little.

Once her turn was done, Kiara sat down and waited as Elizabeth tried on her dress. The woman moved with an elegance and grace that Kiara could only dream of having one day.

As she sat there, she wondered when Julian was actually going to arrive. And was he just coming for the wedding? Was he going to head for New York once it was over?

Things were going to change, and the realization made Kiara nervous. The only things that would stay the same were the baby growing inside her and her desire to stay at the estate. Her home.

“We’ll have all the alterations done in the next two days,” Alex said after they’d all tried on their dresses.

When they got back to the house, Kiara sat down with Angie and Annie to go over all the plans and make sure they hadn’t missed anything. With the wedding on Saturday, there wasn’t much time left.

They joined Duncan and Elizabeth for lunch, which was when Kiara got the information she’d been wanting.

“So it appears Julian and Elijah will be arriving on Thursday,” Duncan said. “I’ll be sending the plane for them.”