the arrangement | ethma

8

Emma

It was March when our seamstresses met with our family's dress designer to create a selection of wedding dresses for me to choose from.

My mother, my sisters and Amelia joined me when I was trying them all on, seeing which one suited me the best.

There were twelve dresses altogether, but based on style preferences, I narrowed it down to eight right away.

When I started trying them on, the first one was nice, but not the one. The second one was a definitely maybe, the third one was a no. The fourth one was a maybe.

The fifth and sixth ones were no, and the seventh was also a definitely maybe. The eighth was also a no.

Three dresses left.

I tried all three of them on again, and number seven out of the eight I tried on was the one.

It was a beautiful white color with a subtle blue undertone, and it was a smooth lace material that hugged my body.

The sleeves were long, and it had a little bit of a train at the bottom. It was the perfect wedding dress for a September wedding, and I felt perfectly beautiful. Like every bride should feel in her dress.

Wedding preparations were being made more often as the day was getting closer. There were six months left and still so much to do.

Obviously the venue was set because it was at the New York Palace, but things like choosing decor, picking a wedding cake, and preparing dressed and tuxes for the wedding party.

I also had to help my mother plan my bridal shower, and there were other details that had to do with family traditions, and there was so much planning to be done.

There were weekends when Ethan wasn't able to visit here on California Island, but he still made an effort to write me letters on those weekends. Once in a while he'd do something nice like send flowers or chocolates. In his words, 'something to make you smile'. 

And it always did. 

I considered myself lucky for somehow being chosen to marry him. Most island princesses don't get someone who actually wants to make their marriage work. In fact, a lot of Islander Royals marry for business terms rather than anything else. Most husbands in the royal mafia have mistresses because they aren't in a marriage for love. Some wives have lovers too, if their husbands allow for it. 

Ugh. Double standards. It's like feminist America taught our ancestors nothing.

Technically Ethan and I were marrying for business terms, but he still wanted our marriage to be more than that, and I did too. He wasn't the type of guy who'd have mistresses on the side. He wanted me, and that made me happy.

On weekends Ethan couldn't visit, I made up for it by spending the extra time with my sisters. Especially Lia. Because she was so close in age to me, we were always best friends. Since Raven was so much younger, I felt more like a mentor than a friend to her. We still had fun though.

To our surprise, our father had been talking to Prince Kristan's family about Lia marrying him. That arrangement was in the works, and I was so happy for Lia. She had already been writing Kristan letters since my engagement party, and things were working out for the two of them.

I think that's one of the only marriages I know of in real life that started with love instead of business.

Days were going by so fast, April, May, and then June. Ethan and I got to spend time together just about every other weekend. We sent each other a lot of letters though.

July was my bridal shower, and let's just say that when you belong to the royal mafia on The Islands, you get gifted a lot of lingerie for your wedding shower. 

Around here, it's all about making your husband happy.

On the other hand, I got to meet a lot of Ethan's family, and I started to feel a little bit more acquainted into the Dolan clan.

After all, I would be Queen once Ethan inherited the King's Throne of New York Island. Ethan was the eldest son of his family, so he was first in line to become King after Sean. Once Ethan inherited the throne, Lisa would become Queen Mother, which basically means just that. She's the mother of Ethan, who would be the reigning throne-holder. 

August was spent mostly with my family, and packing everything that I wanted to take with me when I moved into the Palace of New York.

The nice thing was that Ethan and I had our own quarters away from Lisa and Sean, almost like our own house if you will. I guess it could be categorized as an apartment. Perfect for a newly married couple. It had all of the space we needed, and there was a huge bathroom, a super elegant living room, a kitchenette, and a gorgeous bedroom that had an amazing walk-in closet. 

I packed up the clothes I had from various shopping trips, and I marked anything else I wanted to be shipped to New York Island with tags. 

The few mementos I had kept from my favorite memories, and a few things that were special to me. 

Finally, we were two weeks out from the wedding, and I couldn't believe this was it. In two weeks, I would have a husband. In two weeks, I would never live in California again. In two weeks, I would be a married woman. In two weeks, I wouldn't be a virgin.

Fuck.

Damn it. I shouldn't have used that word in this situation.

Shit.

There's nothing against Ethan. He's a very attractive guy. In fact, he's one of the most attractive Princes. It's just that I don't know if I'm ready for anything quite that intimate yet. I've barely even been kissed before. 

Ethan's probably going to resent that I have no experience. He's used to girls who know what they're doing. 

I hope he won't mind having to teach me everything.