After The One (The One Series Duet) (13 page)

I laughed. “No, I didn’t forget.” I looked at each of the gorgeous women who’d had my back for my entire adult life. “I love you so much. Thank you for being here.”

We did a group hug and then walked to catch up with the guys, where they were waiting at the door for us. The closer we came to the door with the words ‘Entrance Only’ emblazoned across the top, the more the mirrors seemed to shake from the vibrations of the music on the other side.

“I am uncomfortable with one thing,” Lenny whispered.

“What’s that?” I asked, glancing at her in the mirror as we continued the walk.

“I’m kind of into James right now.”

“Uh, yeah. Obviously.” Koko’s shrill giggle-gasp combo stopped us all in our tracks.

“Where did that come from?” Keisha asked Lenny, seeming to hold in a giggle.

“Did you hear what he said to me back there?” Lenny peeked over my shoulder to where the men stood and then huddled us all closer together.

“Yeah, the knight in shining armor thing,” I answered.

She shook her head. “After that. You were talking to Adam Dean.” She looked at the other two. “Did you hear him?”

“No, I was trying to get Adam’s attention to let him know I’m newly single,” Koko admitted, running her hands through her blue hair.

Keisha shook her head. “I was in an argument with Omar and Scott. What did he say?”

“He said that both him and his dick would love the opportunity to show me just how beautiful I am. I told him I have no doubt about how beautiful I am. And his response was that his dick could tell me in ways I’d never experienced before.” Lenny gave us a look. “I damn near came right then and there!”

I laughed so hard I doubled over. Julian found his way over to us and rubbed my heaving back with a hand wrapped around my arm for support.

“What’s so funny?” he asked when I stood up straight to wipe the tears from my eyes.

“I’ll tell you when we get inside.” I looked in the mirror to make sure my eyeliner wasn’t running. I caught Lenny’s eye in the reflection and she gave me the same look, causing me to crack up all over again.

“What’s so funny?” Scott asked, looking around at all of us.

James eyed us all before his eyes landed on Lenny. “They’re laughing because Lenny’s not going to be able to walk tomorrow.” Then he opened the door and the hallway flooded with music and blinking lights.

If that wasn’t a mic drop, I don’t know what is.

I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head as we approached the boutique. I was exhausted, but Koko, Lenny and Keisha were suffering from varying degrees of being hung over. I’d hoped brunch would perk the ladies up, but they were still a little sluggish.

Lux Lounge was a success. We had a VIP space on the second floor balcony so we could overlook the packed dance floor and party privately. We only left the VIP area once so we could dance in the throng of people on the floor. The majority of the night we just spent time with each other, having a good time.

It was the first time since Julian’s birthday, the first year we were a couple, that we’d all gotten together like that. With all of our busy schedules, whenever something was planned, all eight of us weren’t able to attend because one or two had prior commitments. It wasn’t our official bachelor and bachelorette party, but with so little time before the wedding, we partied like it was.

“Here we are,” I announced, holding open the door open to Urbane Bridal.

“Why are you so perky?” Koko whined, her long ponytail swinging back and forth as she entered first.

I felt refreshed, especially after Julian had surprised me with a quickie in the shower before the ladies and I embarked on a day of shopping.

“It’s so early,” Keisha groaned as she crossed the threshold into the boutique.

I laughed. “It’s eleven o’clock.”

“Yeah, but it was a late night,” Lenny complained as she passed me.

I shook my head and followed the three of them into the boutique.

“Hi! Welcome to Urbane Bridal. Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes,” I answered, walking around my friends. “My name is Zoe. We have an eleven o’clock.”

“Yes, we have you right here, Ms. Jordan. I’m Anastacia and I will be your consultant today. Please follow me.”

We followed the clicking of her heels as she swiftly moved us through the empty boutique to one of two stark white dressing areas. One of the three walls was just one big mirror and directly across a row of free-standing curtains created the actual dressing rooms. Three antique couches and a chaise lounge were strategically situated along the back wall with a glass table with mimosas and water on the table.

“Wow,” I commented as we entered the room.

Anastacia tossed her auburn hair over her shoulder and smiled. “I take it you like the set up.”

I nodded. It looked like something from the movies.

Is this where they filmed ‘Pretty Woman’?
I wondered, trying to think back to the movie I saw my freshman year in high school.

“This is your area for the next ninety minutes. You are free to choose up to four dresses per person at a time to bring back to this dressing area. I will be your main consultant, but Kim will also be assisting. The brides who choose Urbane Bridal are usually looking for something different. Your chart said you were looking for black dresses so I’ll have Kim bring in our suggestions. Do you have any questions?”

“No, thank you. I’m just excited to get started.”

“While we wait for Kim, tell me a little about you and your fiancé. What song are you walking down the aisle to?”

The corner of my mouth quirked up as I thought about the plans Julian and I had made. “An acoustic version of Chele King’s ‘Always The One’.”

Just thinking about Chele King’s voice singing those lyrics instantly made my eyes sting. Somehow, without knowing me or my relationship, Chele King managed to encompass every single thought, feeling, and emotion that I had about Julian. “Always The One” wasn’t just a song to me; it was my heart, fully exposed. Having my feelings represented through Chele King’s song as I walked down the aisle to the man I wanted to spend my life with felt right to me. On my wedding day, I wanted to shout my love for Julian from the rooftops and with that song, the love that filled my heart would be completely on display for everyone to see.

“Check out the expression on her face. Awww,” Keisha teased wistfully, both of her hands on her chest.

Anastacia looked over her shoulder, seeming to look for Kim. When she looked at me again, her brown eyes bore into mine with feigned interest. “So, how did the two of you fall in love? How do you know he’s the man you want to spend your life with?”

I knew she wasn’t sincerely interested, but fortunately, I loved talking about how much I loved Julian.

“Well we fell for each other fast and even though I knew it was real, I also knew it was way too soon for marriage and he felt the same way. Once we officially became a couple, we spent a lot of time at home, just the two of us. He was out of town every other week for a couple of days for work and I was studying for the bar exam so we were busy, but we made it work. Even though we already felt that ‘in love’ feeling, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other on a deeper level. We took the time to build what we had. We didn’t just want to give each other butterflies; we wanted to give each other a future together. He is the best man I’ve ever known.”

“Awwww,” my friends cooed, causing me to giggle.

Anastacia’s face softened. “He sounds perfect.”

“He’s not.” I had a huge grin on my face as I shook my head. “He’s not perfect at all. Occasionally he’ll get it wrong just like I do. We argue and fight just like anyone else, but the difference between him and any other man I’ve ever known is that he understands me. He gets me completely and I understand and get him too. And because we communicate so well, every argument has ultimately just brought us closer. I wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world.”

“Well, you sound happy and he sounds like a catch,” Anastacia commented.

“I am and he is.” I looked down briefly, feeling a swell of emotions come over me. I swallowed them back. “I’m blessed.”

A blonde I assumed was Kim pushed in a rolling cart full of black dresses and then disappeared. Once the dresses arrived, my friends shifted from giggling school girls to fashion week fashionistas.

Anastacia pulled each of the dresses from the cart and showed them to us. I wasn’t impressed, but I was more interested in the feedback from my bridesmaids. They were also unimpressed.

“These are lovely.” I gestured to the tulle, silk, and satin fabrics. “But I am looking for something different. I want it to be interesting without being distracting. Would it be okay if we looked around?”

Anastacia did a horrible job of hiding her displeasure. I could tell she was excited about the dresses she’d picked, but I knew what I wanted. With a sad smile plastered on her face, she said, “Of course. Feel free to roam around.”

She turned on her heel and the clicking of her shoes on the floor alerted us to how fast she exited.

“Great job, Bridezilla,” Koko joked as she poked me in my side.

I jumped away from the tickling and smacked her hand playfully. “I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings. That was not my intention at all.”

Keisha put her arm around me. “No, you were sweet about it. I think she was just really proud of her selection and when you shut her down, she was disappointed.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Lenny added. “It’s your wedding day. You have to pick what you want.”

Keisha bumped me with her hip before letting me go. “Even if you are a bridezilla.”

I pointed at each of them as they laughed at me. “You’re all in a three-way tie for the worst!”

We spent twenty minutes searching for dresses that could be purchased same-day since they were leaving in a few hours and there wouldn’t be a lot of time for alterations if we had to wait for shipping. Another group of bridesmaids entered and I felt pressure to find something before they started looking as well. I didn’t want my perfect bridesmaid dress to wind up in the ‘no’ pile in the other dressing room.

If this place doesn’t have the dresses, I don’t know—

My thoughts stopped almost as abruptly as I did.

“That’s it,” I mumbled after being in a daze for at least a minute.

I grabbed the dress from the wall and held it in my hands. The black satin gown was short in the front and long in the back. It had a deep V-neck with a sheer and black lace panel that carried over the shoulders and down to the small of the back. The dress was sexy without trying too hard. It used traditional fabrics in a unique way.

It was completely me.

“Hey, I found it,” I called out to my friends. As they got closer, their eyes widened. “Anastacia!” I swept my eyes around and heard her shoes clicking the floor before I actually saw her.

“Oh!” The surprise in her voice as she stared at the dress gave me pause, but I didn’t let it deter me.

“Do you have this dress in stock?”

“Well we just got it today. It is an original design concept from Urbane’s couture line. It’s at market price and will be for the next eight weeks. We get new shipments of the mass market dresses every day though.” She made a face. “Sorry.”

“Oh okay. It sounds as if you’re making some assumptions.” I flashed a tight smile, not trying to be rude even though I felt like she was trying to talk me out of looking at the dress. “So to be clear, I looked at the price tag and I’m aware of the cost, but I appreciate you letting me know.”

“Not a problem.” Her smile matched mine. “I can find some similar styles for you just in case. Now that I know what style you’re looking for, I’m sure I can find you some great alternatives.”

I paused, grinding my teeth from irritation. My eyes narrowed, challenging her. “No, this isn’t the style I’m looking for. This is the dress. This exact dress.”

“Oh,” Anastacia replied, her thin auburn eyebrows relocated to the center of her forehead. She pursed her lips before casting her gaze to my friends. “I’ll need to take measurements and then I can check.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

She gave me a tight smile as she turned and stormed off to the back of the store.

“What was that about?” Koko asked with her hands on her hips.

I carried the dress in my arms like a small child. “I have no idea.”

“If she wants the commission and doesn’t want to lose it to Kim, I suggest she fixes her attitude,” Lenny snapped.

Keisha laughed. “I was thinking the same thing! We will call Kim over to do our measurements in a heartbeat.”

A few minutes after we entered our dressing area, Anastacia reappeared with Kim on her heels. I sat on the couch directly in the middle and picked up a bottle of water. Anastacia and Kim took Koko and Keisha behind the curtains first.

“So…?” I pried, dying for an opportunity to ask Lenny about the conclusion of her night. “I saw you and James talking in the kitchen before Julian and I went to bed. What’s going on with you two?”

“And speak up so we can hear you!” Keisha yelled out.

Koko started laughing which just made me laugh. A second later, all four of us were cracking up.

“Well…” Lenny started, a glimmer of something devious in her eyes. “James talks a big game, but he’s nothing like he seems.”

I covered my ears and recoiled from her. “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”

Koko’s curtain opened first and then Keisha’s. They were both wearing white oversized robes.

“I think I’m thinking the same thing Zoe is thinking,” Koko vocalized in a singsong voice.

Anastacia gestured for Lenny to come to her. “I’m ready when you are.”

Lenny got up and winked at us in the mirror. “To be continued.”

The three of us loudly speculated until Lenny was done with her measurements and exited in the same white robe the other two wore.

She strutted across the room toward us. “I’ve been around James maybe ten times over the last couple of years and even though I think he’s sexy, I was never interested in him. I mean, there was always a woman all over him. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a woman trying to attach herself to him, so I thought he was a playboy, you know?” A small smile played on her lips. “But last night, we just talked.”