Down the Aisle by Christine Bell Read Free Book Online Page B

sand now, but they’d find their way back to each other in the same place they’d started. Puerto Rico.
    And everything would be okay.
    It had to be.

Chapter Four
    The rest of the week went by in a whirlwind, with one appointment after another. Last-minute fittings with Cat, who had designed and sewn her wedding gown, and then going over final guest lists and seating arrangements kept Lacey busy. Exactly the right amount of busy that she didn’t have time to think about that devastating phone call from Stella Martin or the near blowout with Galen afterward.
    Much.
    Except every time she laid eyes on him, she wanted to tell him. And every time they lay in bed at night, ignoring the elephant in the room, and she opened her mouth to do it, the words froze on her tongue. How could she break his heart just so hers didn’t have to be the only one breaking? Just a few more days. Once they got through today and the five days in Puerto Rico for their honeymoon, she’d tell him. She knew Galen better than she knew herself, and he wouldn’t be mad at her. He would only be sad that he hadn’t been able to share the pain and support her. It was exactly that sweet selflessness that made her keep her mouth shut. She was going to find a way to make this the best day of their lives in spite of the news hanging over her.
    “I forgot to ask you, how was The Admiral when you told her that you didn’t want to have the rehearsal dinner at the yacht club?” Cat asked, shoving another bobby pin into her hair and examining her work.
    Cat’s pet name for Lacey’s mother was an apt one, and she’d responded exactly as Lacey had expected her to. With disdain and annoyance. “About the same as she was when I told her we were having the wedding at your parents’ lake cottage.”
    Cat pulled the last of the pins from her pursed lips and let out a low whistle. “Well, she handled herself well last night. I saw her talk to three of my relatives and none of them left crying, so that was a bonus.”
    Actually, it had gone pretty smoothly, now that she thought about it. Even the fire Rowena had spit initially over the issue of where to have the wedding had seemed a little less passionate than usual. Sure, there were a few half-hearted insults about the “stock” Galen came from and her friend’s expecting better than some “crawdaddy shindig” at a “shack on a pond”, but it felt a little phoned in. Maybe it was resignation, or age, or maybe she was just tired from so many daughterly disappointments. Whatever it was, Lacey wasn’t about to complain.
    Cat turned her to face the three-way mirror and smiled. “You look like a motherfucking princess.”
    Lacey stared at her reflection and her eyes stung. This dress was everything her last dress hadn’t been. The other had been quiet, tasteful and sophisticated, just like her mother had wanted. This was celebration. The silvery-white lace fit her like a glove to the waist where a baby-blue sash sat, tied into a neat bow in back before the whole thing exploded into a princess ball gown with wads of tulle and sparkle. It was fabulous.
    “You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for,” she whispered.
    Cat sniffed suspiciously and turned away, muttering about allergies, which made Lacey smile. Cat had always been the tough one. The one she could count on to hold her up when she was falling.
    “We didn’t get picked.”
    The words were out before she could stop them, and Cat straightened, the question plain on her face.
    “For the baby. The girl Sarah we interviewed with.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and pressed on. “She picked another family.”
    “I’m so sorry, honey.” Cat held out her arms and Lacey stepped into them, letting her friend’s hug warm her from the inside out. It was such a relief to say the words out loud. Like maybe she could start to get past the disappointment now that she’d acknowledged it.
    “So what now?” Cat asked, plucking a tissue from