Inferno Part 4

~56~ Blushing Bride

Ellie's POV

I get the kids ready and when Meg gets here at 9, we leave.

We take Megan's car and the boys climb in the back while the girls sit in the middle seats.

"Mom, we're hungry," Luke whines from the backseat.

"Lucas, you just ate."

"I ate an hour ago. I'm a growing boy, mom....."

"I swear," I mutter as Megan pulls out of the driveway.

"Wanna go through McDonalds?" Megan chuckles.

"That's fine," I say, and the boys high five in the back.

"Did Wes calm down when you got home?"

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but he's serious about calling Bristol. If we can't get Izzy's dress fixed, he won't pay for another one."

I look at Izzy in her car seat, and she's singing to herself as she looks out the window.

"We'll do our best," I say softly.

~*~

When we get to Hobby Lobby, Sasha pulls on my shirt. "Momma, Emma and I wanna go look at the crafts. Can we?"

"No, you're staying with me."

"But moooom it's Hobby Lobby!"

"I will take you if you behave after we get the stuff we need." I say as we head to the fabric section.

As Megan holds the dress, we put it against all of the tulle they have to decide what matches the best. I'm so busy concentrating, that I don't notice what the boys are doing. When I look over, I'm appalled.

Luke has tulle over his head to look like a veil, and he's making kissing faces to Trace. Trace clasps his hands to his chests and shakes his head, wiping a fake tear.

"I do!" Trace says dramatically as he kisses Luke on the lips.

The two are laughing so hard, Luke trips over his bolt of tulle and tears it, falling and getting the beautiful material dirty from the floor.

A worker comes over and looks at me as if I'm the worst mother in the world as she clicks her tongue.

"You will have to pay for this," she sneers as my child is rolling all over it, belly laughing while his sidekick takes the torn pieces and throws them like flower petals, humming the 'Here Comes The Bride' tune.

I set my bolt of tulle down and grab Luke by the bicep, hoisting him up and putting him roughly against the rack of fabric. The look on my face immediately makes him sober, and he audibly gulps as he looks at Trace for help.

Trace is no help as he looks down at his shoes, covered in pieces of the destroyed material. When he makes the mistake of looking at Megan's irate face, he flinches ever so slightly and looks back down at his feet.

"I'm so sorry. The boys will clean up the mess and then I will pay for it. Will you let me know what I owe you?"

"Oh I sure will!" She snaps as she walks back to the fabric counter and gets on the phone.

When I look at my son, he gulps again. "Sorry," he says as he bends down and starts picking up the mess. Trace does too, and Meg and I swap looks.

"Must be nice to go fishing with absolutely no responsibility while we, once again, do it all," I snap as I take a big breath and put away the tulle I was looking at.

Megan nods as she grabs another bolt.

"If you are not PERFECT the rest of the time we're here, I'm dragging your butt to the bathroom. Hear me young man?"