“Hey, where are you going?” I call out as Lexi hustles off toward her office.
In a minute, she’s back with a clear garment bag in hand.
My eyes are watering as she approaches me reverently with the dress. “No way…” I whisper as I run my fingertips down the zipper.
Diana nods, chasing her own tears. “Yes, Iris…”
“What is it?” Lily asks, her confused gaze darting around to read our faces.
I glance up at my sister. “Diana’s wedding gown…”
On shaky knees, I head off into the changing room. There’s no way this will fit. There’s no way this will fit.
That’s what my brain keeps yelling at me. This is Diana’s dress. The gown my soon-to-be mother-in-law loaned to Alexia when she married Cannon.
Lexi’s waist is the size of a Sharpie pen.
There’s no way this will fit.
But minutes later, I’m standing in the middle of the bridal shop, draped in my mother-in-law’s gown and it fits perfectly. My friends fawn over me and wipe tears from my eyes. “This is the dress, you guys…”
Wild cheers go up around the room as I stand there in shock. I spent so much time focused on losing weight, thinking that it would somehow make me happy. But the funny thing is, when I got happy first, I didn’t even notice the weight melting off.
And at this point, it doesn’t even matter because Jude Kingston would love me at any size.
I take my future mother-in-law’s hands. “Thank you for accepting me into your family, Diana. I know I’m a bit of a mess. With my divorce and my lunatic ex and my string of failures behind me.”
“Shhh…” She scoops me into a hug. “Let go of the outdated idea that a woman has to be as pure as the freshly fallen snow to deserve love and happiness. I know I wasn’t.”
Her words sound kind of cryptic but before I can try to process them, Penny hastily sets down her champagne glass with a clink. “Groom, incoming,” my cousin announces, eyes on the front door.
I glance in that direction and find Jude’s convertible pulling up to the curb.
At the sight of him, my first instinct is to dart off in his direction. To welcome him home, to share my excitement at having finally found my dress.
But my mother jumps into my path. “The groom can’t see your dress before the wedding day!” she scolds like an army sergeant.
Giddy, Diana hurries off to accost her son at the door. “I’ll deal with him.”
Grace and Lexi team up and shove me into the changing room, ignoring my protests.
I hear his laughter when he steps into the shop. I hear my friends reminding him that it’s bad luck to see my gown before the ceremony.
As fast as I can, I change back into my jeans and T-shirt because I just can’t wait to lay my eyes and my hands and my lips on him.
When I turn the corner and see him there, the biggest smile rips across my face. “Hey…”
He steps around my friends. “Hey…”
We meet in the middle of the shop with a steamy kiss that has the girls oohing and aahing. Jude sweeps his hand from behind his back and presents me with a lopsided bouquet of wilting flowers wrapped in rumpled paper.
I take the flowers and giggle. “You made this?”
“Damn straight, I made this,” my man tells me with that brimming confidence of his. “I’m getting better, huh?”
In his very limited spare time, he’s been watching floral design videos on YouTube. Let’s just say we can’t, in good conscience, sell his designs to the general public yet. That’s okay. Jude puts in the effort, and that’s why I love him too much for words.
Since we opened our flower shop, business has been flourishing. We even had to hire part-time workers to help us out. Jude insisted that we name the place Iris in Bloom. At first, I resisted, saying that the name was cheesy and it made me look self-important but it quickly grew on me. Because I am in bloom. Every single day I spend with Jude, I grow a little more, shine a little brighter.
“They’re beautiful,” I tell him, pressing my lips to the corner of his mouth as I cradle the flowers. “Absolutely beautiful.”
He tucks a vibrant pink hibiscus behind my ear. “Still not as beautiful as you.”
We say our goodbyes to our friends and Jude ushers me into his car. On the drive home, he tells me all about his team’s latest victory. From the way he’s rubbing his knee, I know he’ll need some extra TLC from me tonight. That’s what I’m here for so I’ll gladly tend to his every need.
“Another stunning victory for the Paragons and the unstoppable Jude Kingston!” I proclaim in my best sports announcer voice.
His fingers lace with mine and he kisses my palm as he drives. “Winning is easy with your support and encouragement in my ear, Petal. You’re my good luck charm, remember?”
“Oh, baby, I’m so happy. And so damn proud of you!” I lean across the console and plant a kiss on his face. I grin.
The man’s eyes go serious. “Loving you and watching you fall in love with yourself? That has been the biggest victory of my life, Petal. You are the biggest victory of my life.” He cups my face in his hand. “Things were all fucked up for a minute. I won't lie. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life and I was scared. But I knew that with you by my side, we would figure it out together and that it would be Fucking. Epic.”
And I’m swooning. I’m giddy and I’m happy and I’m in love.
Our life isn’t perfect. Jude is still working hard with his team of trainers and therapists every day to keep his body in top form. I still deal with guilt and anger over what my ex did that night at the bar.
Kirk was sentenced a few weeks ago. Jude and I stood
