I Think I Love You

In the month that has passed - other than Quellie and Peter becoming a couple - nothing has really happened. Mom called my yesterday to give me good news about the baby - she heard the heartbeat for the first time. I'm excited for my parents, I truly am. I just wish I could be there for the milestones in the pregnancy.

With the wedding being less than three months away, Abby and Stefan have been working with Ez and I to make sure everything is perfect. We're going to have the wedding at MountainGate Country Club and we're having the reception on the beach. Our honeymoon destination is unknown to me, since Ez was in charge of planning that. Today, Abby and Quellie are taking me to Kleinfeld's to shop for a dress.

After showering and getting dressed, I did my hair and makeup. I shoved my phone in my purse and went downstairs, where Abby and Quellie were waiting for me. "Are you ready, sweetheart?" Abby asked. I smiled at her and said,

"Yeah."

"Wait!" Ez yelled from the top of the stairs. He ran down and took me in his arms. "I just wanted to tell you to have fun shopping," he said. Ez knew we were going shopping, just not what we were shopping for.

"Thanks, I will," I said. I went to follow Abby and Quellie out the door, but Ez pulled me back to kiss me. I was shocked at the amount of intensity he put into the kiss, right in front of his mom and sister. When he pulled away, he was grinning at me. "What was all that?" I asked.

"Your shirt? Since I don't ever want to leave you, I decided I'd kiss you." I laughed.

"Well, I'm glad."

"Nikki, we have to leave," Abby said. I smiled at Ez and said,

"I'll see you when I get back. I love you."

"I love you, too."

When we arrived at Kleinfeld's, I was amazed by all the beautiful wedding gowns. "Holy crap, this place is every bride's dream!" I said.

"Welcome to Kleinfeld's, I'm Janessa," a tall woman in a red skirt suit said. "Who's the blushing bride today?" I raised my hand.

"What might your name be, sweetheart?"

"Nikki," I said.

"May I help you find what you're looking for, Nikki?" I looked to Abby who smiled at me.

"It's your wedding, honey!"

"Is there a certain price range we're looking at?" Janessa asked. I, agian, looked to Abby.

"Don't worry about it. Just find your dream dress." I grinned and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks, Abby. For everything," I whispered in her ear. When I pulled away, I turned to Janessa. "I really want something with lace," I said. She smiled.

"Okay, follow me!" She lead me to small fitting room, where she asked me some more questions. "I have to ask, what's your dress size?"

"Two," I said.

"Okay, and you want something with lace?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like strapless? Halter? Cap-sleeve?"

"I was picturing something with sleeves, but that has an open back. If that makes any sense." I laughed.

"That makes perfect sense! You stay here, I'll be right back with some dresses for you to try on." I nodded. Janessa came back a few minutes later with three dresses. "Okay, I found three dresses that are what you described." She hung two of them up, then unzipped the clear bag from the third. I stripped down to my bra and panties and stepped into the pale, pink, ball gown. There were crystals on the train and on the neckline. "Are you ready to show your family?" I smiled.

"Yeah."

"Okay, they're right through that door." I opened the large, white door and walked out to stand on the round platform. Abby and Quellie both had smiles on their faces.

"What do you think?" Abby asked.

"It's pink and puffy," I said, not too pleased.

"You don't like it?"

"Not really."

"Well, go and try on another one." I went back into the room and changed into the second dress. It was a cream-colored, tulle gown with a satin bow under the bust. I wasn't really a fan of the bow or the tulle. Neither were Quellie and Abby. Just when I thought I'd never find my dress, I tried on the third on. It was a pure white, mermaid style gown with no crystals and no bow. It was simple. It was beautiful. It was my dress.

"I think someone found her dress!" Janessa said.

"I think she did!" I swung the door open and walked out to the platform. I did a spin for Abby and Quellie, and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"I think you're glowing," Abby said.

"You look amazing, Nikki," Quellie said.

"Is this the one?" asked Janessa. I grinned.

"This is the one!" Quellie and Abby cheered and I danced around the platform.

Janessa rung the dress up at just over a thousand dollars. Abby paid for the dress, and we went home. I don't know where he was, but Ez wasn't home. So, I hung the dress up in Abby's closet. Why Abby's? The answer is simple. Ez won't go through his mom's closet, therefore he won't find the dress.

Quellie came into my room in here bikini, with a pink towel draped over her arm. "Do you want to come down to the pool with me?" she asked. I smiled and said,

"Sure, just let me change." She nodded and exited the room. I shut the door and changed into my bikini. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and went out to the pool. I grabbed a raft from the pool shed and threw it in the pool, then climbed on top of it. Quellie was already floating on the other raft.

I heard a car pull up in the driveway and I got out of the pool to go see if it was Ez. I looked out the kitchen window, seeing Ez and Valerie. Where the hell did she come from? They seemed to be arguing, and I wanted to know why. I went back outside and ran over to the closed gate. Thankfully, the gate was taller than me. I peeked through the crack and listened in. "Val, why the hell would you apologize to me now?" Ez asked.

"I needed to let you know I was sorry. I never meant to hurt you," Valerie said.

"Bullshit!"

"Ez, why can't you accept my apology?" Valerie looked and sounded as if she was going to cry.

"I can, I just won't."

"Why?" She actually started crying.

"Valerie, you need to dry up those fake tears. They don't work on me anymore. As to why I won't forgive you, you know why. I loved you more than humanly possible, but all these years we dated, you never truly loved me. I saw the passion in your eyes die a long time ago. It hurt me. To be honest, I didn't want to marry Nikki. I still wanted you, even though you hurt me. I had hope that you would come around and see that you were my everything." His words were like a dagger through my heart. Did he still love Valerie?

"I do see," Valerie said, stepping closer to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and leaned in. I wanted to run out there and beat the hell out of her, but I also wanted to see how Ez reacted. So, for that reason, I stayed hidden. When her lips met his, I didn't see any sign of him pulling away. In fact, he pulled her closer. The tears in my eyes didn't take long to spill over. I ran inside and up to my room, locking the door. I buried my face in a stack of pillows and screamed. I can't believe I had been so fucking stupid.