Luke's mother was a pleasant surprise, quietly spoken and well mannered. She had imagined a crass, loud woman wearing some gaudy twinset. She obviously doted on Ellie, and they walked arm in arm around the aisles of flowers, deliberating on what would be most suitable. Luke disappeared to a bridal store to check on a few alterations for the groomsmen, and she felt she could breathe far easier without his juvenile comments. The three women decided that a spray of pink and white roses would be traditional, and compliment Ellie's dress yet, which she hadn't seen, but if she had to guess it would probably be Vera Wang and the most stunning dress ever created.
As if she could read Emily's mind, Ellie decided their next port of call would be to visit her mother in law, Laura's home. She kept her bridal gown there, and was staying in her home for the duration of the wedding planning. Ellie's own mother Penny was arriving the following Monday and would also stay with the ladies. As they left the flower shop, fizzing with excitement, Emily was glad that they would be travelling in Laura's car. Luke was preoccupied and that suited her just fine. As they drove past palatial homes, they pulled up in front of a beautiful two storey mansion, with a beautiful terracotta tiled roof, reminding Emily of Spanish summer holidays.
As they stepped out of the car, a middle aged man with dark hair and a kindly weather beaten face held out a tray, three glasses of iced tea ready for them.
'Thank you Miguel' Laura smiled, warmly.
He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, and the two friends followed her into the house.
'Wow, this place is incredible, like something from a Hollywood movie!' Emily said in awe, as they stepped into a cool marble reception hallway. Stunning marble figures of mythical figures lined the walls, with a beautiful water feature in the very centre of the space, an exquisite aquamarine tiled mosaic, giving the water a serene, Caribbean blue colour. If a million pounds suddenly fell into her lap, Emily would most certainly replicate this stunning feature in her own home. She'd swap her pokey flat for this expansive mansion any day of the week. As they climbed the stairs, Laura talked fondly of how her two sons would often play by the water feature, and at the bottom there were some coins. They had often made wishes and dropped a quarter into the fountain, like a well. She spoke so warmly about her sons that she felt a little tug in her heart, she wasn't close to her parents. They weren't that kind of family. She didn't hate them, and they didn't abuse her or treat her unfairly, but they had always had a distance to their relationship. Laura was so animated in her tales, and as she pointed out photographs trailing the walls, leading up to the second floor, Ellie couldn't help but laugh at candid shots of her husband to be. In one he was wearing what appeared to be a dress. Emily chuckled as she spotted one where Luke wore some sort of robe at Church, his floppy brown hair unmistakably him.
As they reached the second floor, suddenly the photos were later on in their lives. She spotted one of Luke, wearing some kind of martial arts outfit, then one of him posing awkwardly next to a young girl wearing a peach meringue dress. His expression was devoid of emotion, and she snorted with laughter as she noticed another one. He was standing in front of a swimming pool wearing a speedo, and the image was so absurd that Ellie joined her, and Laura shook her head in amusement as they noticed how embarrassed he looked in this shot.
'I love my boys! I must have three million photographs. I'd display them all if I could!'
She disappeared into a bedroom, and the girls stayed in the hallway, looking at each photo and giggling wildly. As they walked further down the hallway, towards the bedrooms, Emily froze. The photographs of Luke had ended, and the photographs of Mikey began.
This cannot be happening.
'Ems! Look at this one! Mikey's prom date, oh my gosh look at this girl! Her hair is like four feet high!'
Emily tried to smile but she had the sudden urge to race down the stairs, down the driveway and call Luke. Even he would be preferable to being in this hallway, right now.
'This one is so funny! Look Ems, he's showing off his muscles here, only problem is, he doesn't have any!' Ellie hooted with laughter, slapping the wall in hysterics.
Emily remembered back to the Summer, six years ago. Ellie had started her internship with the newspaper, and she barely saw her at all that year. Annie was backpacking across Europe with her then boyfriend, Gustav. She'd been working at a book shop, when one sizzling July afternoon, the most alluring man she had ever laid eyes on, walked into her world. He milled amongst the self help books, then loitered in the romance section, before she asked him if he needed any help. He was buying a birthday present for his mother, and he told her she loved poetry. He wanted to get her something memorable, something he could scribe a note inside. His voice was soft, masculine, and unmistakably American.
From that day on, it had been a whirl wind romance. They'd dined in Hyde Park, and talked for hours about anything and everything all at once. He had delivered her flowers, and taken her to little restaurants she had never heard of nor seen before, little back street places where the food was ravishing. Where candlelight illuminated his well sculpted jawline, and his deep, sea blue eyes. It had been like her little secret, and in a way she wanted to keep him for herself. Their time together was precious. He was a property developer, seeking new real estate for his portfolio overseas, and she knew he would be here for just nine months. She supposed that in a way, their short time together was the reason why she never introduced him to anyone. She always knew it wouldn't last, but as the months went by she fell more in love with him, and with Annie not yet living with her, he enjoyed free rent living in her apartment.
He was the first man she had ever said 'I love you' to, the first man that had claimed every inch of her heart, and he always knew exactly what to say, to have her wrapped around his little finger. Looking back, she knew that this had been her downfall. Infact, if she had introduced him to her friends and family, if she had stepped outside their honeymoon phase, she would see that perhaps they weren't as well suited as she initially thought. He was a smooth talker, and she imagined this was one very large reason why he was so successful in business. She fell hook line and sinker for every line uttered, until the week before he left for home.
She had imagined they would continue their romance, a long distance relationship, but one she knew could flourish based on their mutual attraction and the magical moments they had shared. He unfortunately, had other ideas. She remembered him packing his bags and telling her what a wonderful time he had had with her.
'It doesn't have to end' she purred, stroking her fingers along his forearm. He had snatched his arm away, rolling up a towel and tucking it into his suitcase. 'I can visit you, I'll come over as often as I can....'
'I'm very busy' he had said, distractedly.
'But we love each other, right?'
'Of course', he replied, without turning to face her.
'We can use technology too, webcams are amazing these days, like being right there.' She had based his reluctance to talk about this on his emotional dilemma about leaving her. There was something happening in the business back home, a board member was severing his contract and he needed to be there to pick up the pieces. Whatever the fall out might be. Their goodbye's had been brief, she had wanted him to take her in his arms and ask her to come with him. To get down on one knee and confess his undying love for her. She had known somewhere, all along, that this was too good to be true. The day was always going to arrive when he had to leave.
'Emmy are you coming?'
Emily didn't realise she was gazing out of the second floor windows, at the end of the hallway. Somehow, deep in thought, she had ended up here, looking out at a perfectly landscaped garden with tennis courts, and a kidney shaped swimming pool.
'Emmy?'
She shook her head, trying to shake away her thoughts. She was here for Ellie's wedding. Ellie was marrying Mikey. There was no way this was the same man. His name had been Drew. She had dated Drew Donnelly from Baltimore. Not Mikey from Florida. These photos showed nothing more than his doppleganger. An incredible likeness but little more. She was jet lagged, and emotional. Weddings always reminded her she was thirty years old, without a relationship, let alone a significant one. No husband, no baby and inches away from losing Annie to marriage, too. Drew had been her best chance. A connection, a chemistry she never found with anyone else.
'Sorry Ells' she said, sheepishly, running her hands through her hair. 'I'm really tired. You don't think I could get a bit more of that iced tea?'
Miguel appeared promptly, holding a tray of iced teas, and she carried them into the most sumptuous bedroom she had ever laid eyes on. It was decadent and majestic, a crystal chandelier glinting as the sun streamed in. Long white silk curtains adorned the floor to ceiling windows, the white wooden distressed floors perfectly complimented by the king sized white wooden sleigh bed.A silk Persian carpet decorated the dressing area. A white wooden screen enclosed a free standing bath tub and led to an adjoining walk in wardrobe the size of Emily's flat.
Laura held out Ellie's dress, and Emily heard a sob escape her lips. It was beautiful. A traditional A-Line dress in the purest white, glinting with what seemed to be a million Swarovski crystals. This was exactly what she had imagined, it was quintessentially bridal. Completely Ellie in every way. She found herself placing the iced tea down on an armoire and touching the silk gently. It felt like water under her touch, soft and impossibly delicate. Her eyes met Ellie's and they shared a moment, as they knew what this dress symbolised.
'I am so happy for you!' Emily threw her arms around her friend. 'Can I take a photo? Annie will actually kill me if I don't!'
'Yes, go ahead!' grinned Ellie. 'As long as she doesn't upload it to Facebook. Do you like it?'
'No!' exclaimed Emily, pausing dramatically for effect. 'I freakin' love it!'
Ellie tried on the dress and there were more tears, she looked like a princess, spinning around in the dress as she imagined she would have in a party dress, as a little girl. There was something perfect about the moment, the sunlight the perfect backdrop for this moment. Her thoughts of Drew and Mikey faded away as she helped lace up the dress, and she and Laura hung back, hands clasped over their hearts as they stood in awe of her beauty.
Emily remembered the night they had had a formal dance at University. Each of them chose a ridiculously ornate dress to wear, certain they had hired bridal gowns, and had so much champagne before leaving Annie's house, that they spent the entire evening giggling. She vaguely remembered trying to do the running man whilst Annie did her best version of break dancing in the two tonne dress. Somewhere along the line Annie propositioned one of their professors, and they ended up being escorted home. She smiled as she recalled the three of them waking up in the garden, with no memory of how they got there.
As Laura helped Ellie undress, there were more giggles as Laura showed them a videotape of Luke in a tutu at his fifth birthday party. There was nothing suitably embarrassing for Mikey and so in the absence of any incriminating videos, she picked on her other son. Miguel's wife Jennifer created them a platter of salad and chicken wraps, which was beyond divine, before Emily felt her eyes straining to stay open. It was approaching three pm, and she hoped Annie had received her note left at reception. As they indulged in some of the most delectable chocolate cake that Emily had ever experienced, even in spite of the fact she ate chocolate cake religiously, Luke strolled in, God awful sunglasses around his neck on a chain.
Extra points for hideousness, Luke!
'Aunt Madeleine is arriving at half three.' He directed towards his mother, 'She said you wanted to discuss the cake?'
This was directed at Ellie.
'Yes! Gosh I forgot! Ems, Madeleine is baking our wedding cake, she has her own business in Long Island, and she's flying out to stay here and work on my design! Ah I want a Cinderella cake!'
Laura chuckled, shaking her head. 'Ah my son would bend over backwards for you darling. Even if it means relinquishing his plans of an NFL inspired cake!'
The ladies laughed heartily.
'Luke you wouldn't mind driving Ems back at The Star, would you?'
Emily shot an exasperated look at her friend, but she was too busy showing Laura a cake design in her wedding planner book.
'Of course, would be my pleasure' grinned the annoyance that was Luke. 'Let's skiddadle Miss Emily, leave these ladies to their planning.'