Chapter 75

MILA

As it turned out, wedding planning was even more stressful than opening a restaurant. I was lucky to have Felix and Rowena on my side, because there was no way I could have possibly done it alone.

I had spent all week looking over floral arrangements, music playlists, and the carpet color of the aisle I was supposed to walk down. I had hand-selected the musicians for the cocktail hour, spent a very yummy afternoon tasting wedding cakes, and had slaved over seating arrangements with Felix’s help.

But now, it was time for the most important task of all: getting my dress.

Isla had become my best friend in Fresonia, so I took her with me to Marie’s boutique. There was no one else in the world I would trust my wedding dress to over Marie. She had never done me wrong.

Sure enough, Marie greeted us with champagne and macarons, a rack of white dresses behind her.

“Thank you so much for asking for my help with this,” Marie said, her voice full of awe. “It is an unbelievable honor to dress the bride for a royal wedding.”

I smiled at her. “You were my top choice. My only choice, to be honest.”

“Do you know what you were feeling?” Marie asked as we settled into the dressing space. “Tight, flowy, short, anything?”

I shook my head. “To be honest, I have no idea. I trust you have some good options pulled?”

Marie nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, I do.”

The first dress, although gorgeous, just wasn’t me. It was skintight and had a slit running up the side. I frowned as I studied myself in the mirror. The dress was so tight to my body that it made breathing difficult, and I wasn’t exactly sure how I was supposed to sit in that thing.

“I think I want to be able to eat on my wedding day,” I said eventually. Isla and Marie giggled.

“You look hot, but maybe it isn’t the most practical thing in the world,” Isla agreed. I grinned at her and gestured for help.

Marie unzipped me. “Speaking of, are you making the food? Please tell me you’ve delegated. A princess should not be cooking for herself on her wedding day.”

I laughed. “Samara is catering. It’s her wedding present to me. I don’t even know what’s on the menu.”

“And how does that make you feel, master chef?” Isla asked from the couch.

I replied honestly. “Like I should have made the food myself.”

The next dress was a short, poofy number that made me look like a shower loofah or a snowflake. Without makeup, I could have been mistaken for a Pomeranian puppy. Isla and Marie both gave their thumbs-down as I emerged from the changing room.

“I mean this in the most polite way, Mila, but you look like a sponge,” Isla said. Marie shook her head sadly.

“That’s been in stock for ages and I haven’t seen it look good on anybody,” she lamented. “I’ve been trying to find the perfect person to wear it, but maybe I should just give up.”

“You’ll find the right model,” I promised her. “It just isn’t me.”

I tried on everything on the rack–long, short, tight, drapey, loose, you name it. While there were several pretty dresses, and dresses I really liked, nothing felt like me.

Isla and Marie were both unanimous in all their feedback–although beautiful dresses, nothing screamed Mila Benson so far.

When I took the last dress off the hanger, however, something shifted inside me. Somehow, in my bones, I knew this was the one. I tried to control my shaking hands as I slipped it over my head and laced up the back.

The second I saw my reflection in the mirror, I felt an overwhelming wave of emotion.

The dress was something out of my wildest fantasies: a tight corset that flowed out into a layered tulle skirt and flowy sleeves. The back laced into a small bow where it met the skirt and showed off my small waist, while the layers of tulle just barely touched the ground. One of the layers had shimmery gold thread sewn into it, so I sparkled when I caught the light.

I looked, for lack of a better word, like a princess.

Isla and Marie both started to cry when I turned around. I knew instantly that I had made the right choice.

“It’s perfect,” Isla breathed. “You look like a dream.”

Marie nodded proudly. “I had a feeling this would be the one. You look stunning, Mila.”

I looked at the two women, my heart bursting with emotion.

“I have something important to ask you both,” I said, trying to ignore the lump of emotion in my throat.

Marie looked at me curiously. “Yes?”

“As you know, my family isn’t attending the wedding,” I said slowly. “And I don’t really have a lot of friends back in America. I don’t have a lot of friends at all, actually. That’s why meeting both of you has been so special for me. So I was wondering if maybe… maybe you two would like to be my bridesmaids.”

I thought they were going to start crying all over again.

“Yes! Yes” Isla squealed, throwing her arms around my neck.

Marie was right behind her, joining in on the hug. “I would be so honored, Mila, I really would.”

As I stood there, hugging my friends, in my wedding dress, I felt like my heart might explode. I had not been this happy in a long, long time, maybe even ever. It felt like my life was finally starting to make sense.

Isla and Marie eagerly picked out bridesmaids dresses from the boutique as well, in cheery shades of yellow. Isla immediately called her cousin, a florist, to help arrange their bridesmaids bouquets, and Marie ran through hair and makeup ideas with me.

“You’re going to be the most beautiful bride,” she said softly. “Felix is so lucky to have you. Fresonia is so lucky to have you.”

I turned my head so she wouldn’t see my tears. It had been an emotional afternoon.

“Hey, I was thinking,” Isla said. “Since we’re your bridesmaids, that means that we’re in charge of planning your bachelorette party.”

“Oh, gosh,” I said. “I do not under any circumstances want anything scandalous.”

“What?” Marie said innocently. “No male strippers for you, princess? Or penis straws? I heard penis straws are big in America.”

I laughed. “Absolutely not. I’m not trying to make headlines here. I would love a glass of wine and maybe some time by a nice pool somewhere.”

Isla’s eyes gleamed as she started planning in her head.

“I’m going to have to call in a few favors,” she said, “but I think I have the perfect idea.”

She whispered something in Marie’s ear, who gasped.

“That’s amazing!” she exclaimed. “Oh, she’ll love it. I’ll let Felix know where we’re taking her.”

I looked at Isla and Marie suspiciously.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m not telling you that,” Isla smirked.

“I’ll pack for you,” Marie offered.

I stared the two of them down. “What exactly are you planning here? C’mon, just tell me.”

“Nothing,” Isla said sweetly. “We will pick you up tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. sharp.”