The Window Seat (badLuckbrides #1)

Chapter 22

Kathlyn

"KATHLYN!" Evelyn's voice bellows out, echoing throughout the hallway. I can hear her heels clicking the tile along the way. "KATH!"

I guess it wasn't enough that she showed up late for makeup and hair this morning. She also has to run through the halls screaming at the top of her lungs and let everyone know just how dysfunctional of a relationship the three of us have. I'm too frazzled to jump up at the sound of her distressed shouts. I have too much on my plate and I don't want to be served anything more.

It's hard enough to get ready for this wedding as if it's something I still want to do. It isn't. The excitement is now non-existent. It's a chore and feels like an obligation. A commitment I never should have made because the timing is, off.

The air is charged with tension and I can't move through it. I'm exhausted. I'm done.

I spin myself around in the vintage, princess-like throne I'm sitting in in front of the large, old Hollywood style vanity I just had to have for this day. It all seems stupid now. I keep glancing over at my dress. It's hung on a rack where the rest of the bridal party dresses were dangling earlier, but everyone's already dressed and ready, except for me. I've been holding off from putting it on simply because I'm remembering it wasn't my first choice dress. That I just settled on it because Simon was pissing me off and my sisters were looking at me with urgency in their eyes.

It wasn't the one I'd been staring at for months. No. This one is embellished with jewels and is champagne colored and I just hate it.

Evelyn stomps in, the door swings back until there's only a crack of an opening left and she glares at me like I'd just spit on her lobster. "Ash is giving you away? Really?"

My head rocks side to side because I already knew she'd have something to say about it. I smooth my hands down my silky robe, sitting calmly because I don't have a word to say about it. I really didn't think she'd even care.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"Evelyn..." My voice shrinks in surrender. "What's the big deal?"

"Did you forget?"

She and I had this pact when she were twelve and I was nine. We were under the blanket with flash lights a week proceeding our fathers death and we made a wedding pact, signed 'documents' and everything. It was about as official as it could be for two kids who were mourning and needed something to distract them from all the misunderstood dejection we were feeling.

It was a plan of who would take dad's place, walking each of us down the aisle. I didn't take it seriously as an adult. I thought about it from time to time and it would provoke a bittersweet smile, but to see her coming at me with tears in her eyes over a couple of pieces of notebook paper we scribbled on as kids, left me almost speechless.

"The big deal is that I'm your big sister, if anyone should be walking you it's me!"

"I didn't think you really cared about that, Evelyn. I mean you would have known sooner if you bothered to show up to any of my rehearsals."

"That doesn't matter. What about when we were kids, Kathlyn? When dad died and we talked about this day under the covers in the top bunk. I was always the one who was going to walk you! You'd walk Ash, and when hell freezes over, Ash would walk me. That's what we agreed."

I sit up straight at the sight of my sister's quickly welling eyes. This was completely out of character for her, I can't even remember when the last time was that I'd seen her cry.

And of all things, this? She didn't even shed one tear when mom passed.

"I guess who the hell cares now, huh?" She nods, sniveling. "It's not like you do. You're marrying someone who doesn't really give a shit about you, anyway."