Page 41 of Consuming Logan

Chapter 14

“Sorry I’m late.” Ava rushed through the doors of Storybook Layne’s Bridal Boutique. Mendelssohn’s Sharp Bass Wedding March remix thumped behind her. On a normal day she would’ve stopped to ogle the runway custom-designed gowns. On her left, the new editions to the wall of sequined tiaras and satin wrapped pumps caught her attention, but Ava quickened her steps. She had exactly three hours to decide on a gown. Oh, she’d picked a little lacy mermaid number a couple of weeks back. Now that she knew her stomach problems were a baby blessing, she needed a gown that would flatter her future figure.

Lucy Layne, the shop owner, appeared from behind the register. “Ava,” she smiled. “Your friends have been waiting. There’s four dresses that will grow with you already in the room.”

Her very ripped, extremely friendly husband saddled up behind his full-figured wife, wrapping his arms around her pregnant belly. “I need your help with a package, Dimples.”

At the overt innuendo, Ava blushed right along with Lucy. You go, girl! Ava certainly need to get a hustle in her bustle.

“Got it,” Ava said giving the amorous couple two thumbs up. She planned her day down to the nanosecond. This evening she and Logan had a date with the Baby Box Store specialist named Courtney.

Ava burst into the private consultation room she’d reserved this morning. She stumbled to a halt.

Whoa.

Two Louis XV Provincial Style Bergere wingback chairs framed the cream-colored space. A terracotta chandelier with teardrop crystals hung overhead casting a crisp, white lighting on the assembled gown collection. Ava felt warmth and elegance as she drank in the pride Lucy had infused in the decor. Care and beauty reflected in every detail.

With a flourish, Janna spun from the three-way mirror to face her. Ava drank in the sight. Janna’s caviar black locks were twisted into an elegant updo. A waterfall of ringlets cascaded down framing her face. She wore a pale green lace illusion body suit gown with swiping layers of white scalloped tulle. Her mint green eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

Lucy Layne and her husband, Ramsey Tadeo, had an unconventional inventory. With her seamstress skills and his graffiti artist talent, the couple had added an eclectic and at times, electric, color palette to the bridal selection. Her personal favorite hung on the wall, a jeweled turquoise, teal, and emerald peacock-feathered veil.

“Hey,” Ava said unmoving. Considering her friend had tied the knot two years ago, she wasn’t quite sure if she should broach a question.

Janna’s cheeks flamed with color. “I…I am sorry,” she stammered. “It’s just, the Marine and I got married in a courthouse ceremony. I guess,” she sighed, “I wanted to experience the feeling of a real bride.”

At the last word, Janna darted her eyes away in embarrassment. Ava swallowed the need to rush that had accompanied her during the car ride. Dawson and Janna might have skipped the traditional fanfare, but their commitment to each other was the real thing. But Janna was right. Selecting her wedding gown was a special occasion, a cherished moment for years to come. One day her daughter may walk down the aisle in the same dress she chose today.

“You look beautiful, Janna.”

“Thanks,” she said, fanning her face with one hand. “You hot?”

“No.” In fact, the acute smell of hickory smoked bacon hit Ava at lightning speed. Her mouth watered a second before she gagged.

“Oh, boy. Do you need a trash can?” Janna asked, eyes frantically searching the brightly lit bridal boudoir for a receptacle.

Studying her friend, Ava waved her off the search. “I’m fine,” she breathed, sucking in more than a few big breaths. “You sure that’s all?”

Janna’s nature leaned more to Teflon than tears. Marriage and motherhood had ushered in some changes. Mainly, the happily married mother of two had adapted her career-driven perspective to include family and fun. Two aspects Janna had minimized in the past. Her mother, Genevieve Bordelon Scott, had concealed the identify of Janna’s father for twenty-six years.

“Notso delivered her litter,” she sighed. “One of the kittens might not make it.”

“Oh no,” Ava gasped. “Are you okay? Should I pick up Jonah? Where is Lina?”

Janna cocked a thumb to the closer curtain behind her. “Trying on her dress. Crazy, right?”

“Not at all,” Ava said, giving her friend a hug. “And, Dawson would bust his zipper if he saw you looking all pretty woman.”

“Gurl, speaking of zippers,” she winked. “Did Logan make you late?”

Ava crossed her arms over her chest and winced. Her breasts were sore. Since learning of her pregnancy, she’d begun to notice the subtle changes in her body. Changes she’d attributed to general fatigue and not the miracle of life growing inside her.

“How much of that champagne,” Ava gestured to the flute in Janna’s left hand, “did you drink?”

Janna laughed. “You know Lucy’s limitless happy hour rivals Drury’s. Lina ate the last bacon-wrapped scallop.”

The brothers, Gage and Rourke Alexander, had a table in reserve for Lina, their favorite psychiatric nurse. The sound of metal curtain rings scraping against well-worn metal sliced through the conversation.

“Stop discussing my eating habits,” the woman herself exclaimed. Lina sauntered over to Ava. “Where have you been?” Even in bare feet, she looked formidable and confident. “This dress was calling me like the bridal whisperer. How do I look?”