Saturday, June 18, 2016
Lainston House
19 weeks...
"Right," Sierra muttered with a deep exhale and spun around slowly, a nervous smile on her lips. "How do I look?"
"You look great!" Lexi began.
"Absolutely fabulous!" Melissa chimed in, feeling the dress. "Look at those details," she continued with a low whistle. "How long did it take again?"
"A month," Sierra replied.
"That's fast considering the intricacy of the dress. You know, I might go into the wedding business myself because of this," Melissa replied, her designer side showing.
"You're deciding now to go into it? After our weddings?" Sierra asked.
"Isn't that just lovely?" Lexi added with a sarcastic smile.
"I said I might," Melissa corrected, backing away slowly. "Aren't you happy your dress gave me the inspiration?" They both sent a glare her way.
"Oh-kay. Girls, please. This is a happy day," Ashley said. Shaking her head, she turned to the bride. "You look beautiful Sierra."
Sierra smiled, still looking nervous.
"Please, stop it. All this faking is making me sick." They turned towards the door to find Valerie there, fanning herself. She pinned Lexi with a glare. "Why are you here you little slut?"
"This is my friend's wedding so of course I'll be here." Lexi stepped forward, determined not to let her stepmother-in-law walk over her. "The question is why are you here? Who let you in here?"
Valerie looked highly offended. "I'm Andrew's plus one seeing as I'm his wife," she said, casting a smug smile in Ashley's direction. "Plus, this is the marriage of my daughter's friend to my stepson's best friend. Of course, I'll be invited."
Melissa rolled her eyes. "I hate when you suddenly recognize me as your daughter, because it means you're up to no good, right?"
"That is no way to speak to your mother. But..." she let out a dramatic sigh, "I don't really blame you. You are friends with such a poor person who doesn't mind using her body and other tricks to make money. Why, she even trapped your brother!"
Lexi opened her mouth, but Ashley shook her head, asking her to leave it. Sierra placed her hand on Lexi's shoulder, nodding in agreement.
Lexi let out a deep breath and turned away from Valerie. "Fine."
Valerie rolled her eyes. "Just wanted you to know this." She took a step into the room. "Trey is going to be attending with Nicolysse - the perfect woman for him - as his date. Don't get between them, or I swear, you're going to hate me more than you already do," she finished with an evil grin.
"Is that a threat?" Melissa asked. She knew her mother was despicable, but this was a whole new level.
"Get out," Ashley said, the last of her patience vanishing into thin air. "You're not wanted here. Jason took the curtesy of inviting you only because you're his best friend's stepmother - you and Andrew both. So please get out. You're intruding."
"Same way you told Nicolysse she was intruding?" Valerie spat.
"Oh, so she told you."
"Of course, she told me. I suggested her for him seeing as she's the best match out there for him. She's classy and knows what she's doing unlike some people who don't know their left from their right," she fumed, eyes landing on Alexandra.
With that, she composed herself and walked out herself, chin high. Ashley released a sigh, closing the door after her.
"Well... how do I look in this dress? Does the dress look okay on my figure?" Sierra said, breaking the silence. Lexi smiled when she realised what she was doing. "I feel like something's wrong."
"Sierra - "
"Is it my chest? Am I showing too much skin? Something feels off." Melissa looked at Lexi, mouthing 'the wedding jitters are now kicking in'. Lexi rolled her eyes with a small smile and turned to Sierra who was on the verge of a major freakout—for real. "Will Jason approve? Oh God, I'm freaking out!"
"We can see that," Melissa stated in a factual tone. "All this wedding planning has got me stressed out, and it's not even my wedding." She downed a shot of tequila which appeared out of nowhere.
"Sierra," Lexi said, not tearing her eyes of Melissa as she tried to figure out where that tequila came from. Not that she could have some. She sighed, turning her attention back to Sierra. "Relax, okay? Just take deep breaths in and out, and you'll be fine."
"B-but... But what if Jason gets cold feet? What if Jason jilts me at the altar?"
"If that should happen - which I know it wouldn't - then you have three crazy women who'll hunt him down for his blood." Lexi smiled, understanding exactly what Sierra was worried about; she'd been there before.
"You'll be fine. Jason loves you... he won't jilt you at the altar. You'll get married and go on that honeymoon he's been planning for weeks. Y-you'll enjoy yourself, okay?" She smiled, adding, "Just calm down."
"Where's the honeymoon though?" Melissa queried, sprawled in a couch, not caring that her dress would get rumpled if she wasn't careful.
"I don't know," Sierra answered, regaining her calm. "He says it'll be a surprise."
"Well," Melissa breathed out, rising from the couch, "whatever you do, don't come back pregnant!"
"Mel!"
"Just the facts," she replied with a wink, walking towards her bag to get her heels.
Sierra looked at her reflection in the mirror for some time. "Are you okay?" Lexi whispered.
"My parents won't be coming. They just don't care. They disowned me because I wasn't living my life the way they wanted. I'm sure they still wouldn't give a damn if I was marrying the richest man in the world."
She fingered her necklace, looking down at her gorgeous and expensive dress. "I want them to be proud of me, but they won't be here so there's no way of knowing if they are."
"Wait. Sierra, I hope you're not doing this - getting married to Jason - just to prove a point to your parents?" The Sierra Lexi knew would never. However, she wanted to ask her and assuage those doubts once and for all.
"No, God no." Sierra said, drawing the attention of the others. She looked appalled. "I love Jason, and I'm ready and willing to spend the rest of my life with him. Don't ever think of me that way, okay?"
"Don't worry, I won't. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing," Lexi replied with a sweet smile, pulling Sierra in for a hug. "You'll be okay."
"Group hug!" Ashley shouted, dragging Melissa who had only one heel on toward the pair. Of course, Melissa cursed up a storm but joined the hug anyway.
When she pulled away, she took off the one heel and looked everyone over, impressed. But when her eyes landed on Lexi, she realized something.
"Lexi?" Alexandra hummed in response, turning to her. Her face creased with worry when she saw Melissa's concerned expression.
"What's wrong?"
"The bump is showing." Then she looked up. "Are you okay with that?"
Lexi moved to the full-length mirror to see how she looked in the dress. "Looks fine to me. It only peeks out once a while," she said, turning from side to side. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Besides, we're going to the beach, so I'm not changing my outfit."
"A beach resort-Trey's beach resort, as a gift to us. But my point is, we'll do everything inside, not out on the beach," Sierra corrected.
Melissa cast her a look. Sierra made a zipping motion across her mouth and sat down so Ashley could help her with her shoes.
Melissa turned back to Alexandra. "What if the dress starts sticking to you?"
"If he finds out, then so be it," Lexi said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "Can we stop talking about me and the babies? Today is Sierra's Day."
"But Lexi, all Melissa wants is for you to be safe and okay. If this is okay for you, we support you. We're on your side no matter what," Sierra said from her chair, finishing up with a smile. Ashley nodded with a smile as well before continuing with the buckles on.
"I still don't get why you girls are bothering with such high heels when they'll be missing under your clothes," Ashley muttered.
"Let us do it," Lexi said, bringing Mel along. She sat on a low stool to buckle up one of Sierra's shoe.
"Thank you, girls," Ashley said. They finished it up and stood, helping Sierra to her feet. "C'mon let's go or we'll be late."
* * *
Aqua Resort
The wedding went on without a hitch. Jason did not jilt Sierra and they got married, being all lovey-dovey in front of everyone.
And when Jason's tongue had slipped during the vow recital, Sierra had laughed, all other attendees joined in. Felt like everyone had been holding in their laugh. Even the invited dignitaries laughed, albeit controlled. Valerie only faked a smile.
It had been a good thing that Jason's tongue had slipped, because that laugh had dissolved the tension in the room. It actually took quite some time to calm everyone so the ceremony could go on.
The wedding wasn't a small affair though it was by invite only. There were business partners, renowned journalists, former class and schoolmates who'd kept in touch... everyone was related to them in one way or another. It was grand.
They moved to a ballroom that Trey had prepared for them for the reception. It was all on Trey. In addition to handing over the whole resort to Jason & Sierra as their wedding gift, the whole reception's planning had come out of Trey's pocket. All they had to do was be there.
When the bouquet had been thrown, Melissa had caught it and they'd cheered for her, telling her it meant she'd be the next to get married. They were yet to see how that would turn out, considering Melissa had no intentions of settling down any time soon. She didn't do love... at least she hadn't in a very long time.
At the reception, while sipping on her juice, Lexi saw Trey and Nicolysse enter, both fashionably late. Painful as it was, Lexi had to admit they looked good together. She excused herself from the group and went to the bar to sit alone.
As if seeing her husband happy with some other woman wasn't enough, Ethan showed up, sending the media into a frenzy at the entrance. He posed for a few pictures like the perfect gentleman, and Lexi found herself rolling her eyes.
"Hi." Alexandra jolted in surprise, wondering exactly when he'd gotten to her side. "You okay?" he asked, flashing her his signature cocky smile.
She turned away, answering, "The nerve of you to ask if I'm okay. Didn't you ruin my life? Did you expect me to be alright?"
"Ah, that's no way to thank someone who did you a favor," he murmured, leaning in to cup her chin and making her look at him. He turned her stool and pointed to the dance floor where Trey was dancing quite close to Nicolysse.
She tried turning away, but he grabbed her jaw to keep her in place and made her watch them together. "I saved you from that man who doesn't even care about you. Look how quickly he moved on." As if sensing her stare, Trey looked up and made eye contact with her, his body tensing.
She looked away first and swatted Ethan's hand away, keeping her anger at bay. "Exactly how is what you did a favor? Please, do tell. Because all it has done is cause me pain. If you truly love someone, you let them go if they're not happy with you."
"Is that so? Were you not happy with me?" He didn't wait for her to answer. He snatched the drink and placed it on the table with a thud. Then he lifted her off the bar stool by her waist and set her on the ground, pulling her along with him to the dance floor.
"What are you doing?!" she yelled over the music. "Let me go you - "
Ethan turned and silenced her with a short kiss which made her gag. He looked over her shoulder and smirked victoriously at a livid Trey.
He looked back down at Lexi and whispered in her ear, "You try another stupid thing like that, I'll kiss you again. Understood?"
She remained quiet, not wanting to offend this man. "Nod if you understand," he hissed with a malevolent smile that looked loving to the onlooker.
She nodded frantically and let him lead her to his preferred spot. He smiled at her like he hadn't been threatening her a few seconds ago and said, "Let's dance."