"Do you want your dress to be simple?" Stephanie asked, flipping through
the pages of a bridal magazine.
"I don't know," Lita said. "I want it to be simple if the wedding is outside. But if it's inside, I think I want it a bit more done up."
"When are you going to decide which you're going to have?" Stephanie asked, trying not to be impatient with the woman who was engaged to her brother. Sometimes Lita could just dance around subjects forever. Chris could do that too. It probably ran in the family.
"I don't want to decide that without Shane," Lita said. "What was your dress like Stephanie?"
"It was simple," Stephanie said. "Well, the one I married Chris in was. Then there was the trashy one at my vow renewal and the princess-like dress for my wedding to Test."
"But the one you married Chris in? Can I see it?" Lita asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I'll be right back."
Suddenly there was a giant wail from the nursery. "I need to get Isa."
"I'll do it," Lita said, smiling at the chance to hold Isabella. She loved children and Isabella was no exception.
"Thanks," Stephanie said as they both headed upstairs. "She's just waking up from her nap, so she's probably in need of a change, but I'll do that after I grab the dress."
Stephanie walked into her closet and looked for the dress she had married Chris in. She never really brought it out, because it wasn't one of the days she really cherished. She and Chris had gone to the city hall and gotten married. They hadn't gotten married because they were in love, they had gotten married because she was trying to get back into the company.
Stephanie lifted various plastic covers off of the clothes they hid in the back of the closet. Finally she found the crème colored silk dress. It was simple, like she had told Lita. It fell just past her knees and it wasn't too tight anywhere. It was elegant really.
The dress kind of made her sad, which was probably why she hid it in the back of her closet. It reminded her of the reason she and Chris had gotten married. It almost cheapened the relationship their marriage had evolved into. Stephanie just shook her head and sighed as she draped the dress over her arm. It just wasn't in the cards for her to have a memorable, happy wedding.
Her first wedding had been a nightmare. No one expects to find out they are married to the scum of the earth when they are about to marry a really nice guy. Hunter had ruined that day for her, like he ruined her second wedding. He just refused to see that she was trying to hold onto their life together any way she could.
In the long run, her third wedding was the least eventful and probably the happiest of them all. No one had surprised her with ugly truths or elopements. She and Chris had gotten married as planned.
And she had other stuff to remember. She had the first night she and Chris made love. She had the night she went to his hotel room and told him she was in love with him. She had the day that Isabella was born. She had wonderful memories of her life with Chris and she knew there were many more to come.
"Stephanie?" Lita asked softly as she came into the room with Isabella in her arms. "We were worried about you. You've been in here awhile."
"Have I?" Stephanie asked. "I guess I was daydreaming. Here, lets switch."
Lita took the dress as Stephanie took Isabella into her arms. "Hey there Isa. Are you hungry?"
"This is really nice," Lita said as she held the dress in front of her.
"I thought so," Stephanie said. "Chris said it looked good. I haven't really looked at it since I put it in the closet after that first weekend Chris and I spent at his parents' house."
"Very simple, yet chic," Lita commented. "Of course, you can pull that off much better than I can. You were made to wear stuff like this. I wear crazy clothes."
"Not on your wedding day though," Stephanie said. "Especially not to my brother."
"Why not?" Lita asked. "It's what I always wear and he loves me."
"You're going to have those pictures forever," Stephanie said. "And you're going to look back on the day when you're fifty and wonder what you were wearing."
"That's true," Lita said.
"Do you want your wedding outside?" Stephanie asked.
"I think so," Lita said.
"Well, I know this great place on Martha's Vineyard," Stephanie said. "And in the fall it would be gorgeous."
"I like the fall," Lita said.
"Me too," Stephanie said.
"I'd like to see this place," Lita said.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "The only problem is that it's kind of like a clearing and it's not exactly huge. Not too many people could be there."
"Could forty people fit in there?" Lita asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said.
"Well, Shane wants a small wedding," Lita shrugged. She walked over to the chair that sat next to a window and draped Stephanie's dress over it. "It would make him happy."
"I've got to go get a bottle for Isa," Stephanie said. "She's going to get cranky any minute."
"Okay," Lita said, following Stephanie out of the room. "I really appreciate you helping me with these plans Stephanie."
"Don't worry about it," Stephanie said. "It gives me something to do while Chris is on the road."
"Still, considering our past," Lita said. "I wouldn't have been surprised if you had laughed in my face when I asked for help."
"Hey we're cousins now," Stephanie said, sitting Isabella in her high chair when they got to the kitchen. "And we're going to be sisters."
"True," Lita said.
"We never really knew each other before," Stephanie said as she grabbed formula and a bottle. "I think we've gotten along pretty well once we let ourselves."
"Also true," Lita said. "Sometimes it amazes me that you and Shane came from Vince."
"He's not so bad," Stephanie said. "He's just really good at hiding the good."
"Really good," Lita agreed.
"Isn't this a pretty picture?" Shane asked Jericho as they walked into the kitchen from the backyard. "A year ago they would have been at each other's throats."
"Longer than that boy of mine," Lita said.
"Oh," Shane said, dipping his head to lightly kiss Lita.
Jericho picked Isabella up from her chair and brought her towards Stephanie. "You want me to feed her?"
"If you want," Stephanie said, handing Chris the bottle.
"Any headway in the plans?" Shane asked.
"I'm going to plan a trip for Stephanie, Bella, and I to Martha's Vineyard," Lita said. "Stephanie was talking about this place that would be really nice in the fall."
"Okay," Shane said. "I trust you to make a good decision."
"Thanks so much," Lita said.
"Do you want me to come?" Shane asked.
"No, I think I would have invited you if I wanted you to come," Lita said. She grinned up at Shane. "Stephanie and I will plan a marvelous, huge wedding."
"Huge?" Jericho asked. "I was under the impression that smaller was better."
"She's just trying to provoke me," Shane said, grinning at his sister's husband.
"Great," Jericho said dryly. "The bride and groom are trying to get under each other's skin."
"And clothes," Lita said.
"Hey, my daughter is in the room," Jericho teased.
Stephanie smiled as she watched Shane, Lita, and Jericho continue to tease each other. She was happy to help Lita plan her wedding. But part of her wished she was planning her own wedding.
"I don't know," Lita said. "I want it to be simple if the wedding is outside. But if it's inside, I think I want it a bit more done up."
"When are you going to decide which you're going to have?" Stephanie asked, trying not to be impatient with the woman who was engaged to her brother. Sometimes Lita could just dance around subjects forever. Chris could do that too. It probably ran in the family.
"I don't want to decide that without Shane," Lita said. "What was your dress like Stephanie?"
"It was simple," Stephanie said. "Well, the one I married Chris in was. Then there was the trashy one at my vow renewal and the princess-like dress for my wedding to Test."
"But the one you married Chris in? Can I see it?" Lita asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said. "I'll be right back."
Suddenly there was a giant wail from the nursery. "I need to get Isa."
"I'll do it," Lita said, smiling at the chance to hold Isabella. She loved children and Isabella was no exception.
"Thanks," Stephanie said as they both headed upstairs. "She's just waking up from her nap, so she's probably in need of a change, but I'll do that after I grab the dress."
Stephanie walked into her closet and looked for the dress she had married Chris in. She never really brought it out, because it wasn't one of the days she really cherished. She and Chris had gone to the city hall and gotten married. They hadn't gotten married because they were in love, they had gotten married because she was trying to get back into the company.
Stephanie lifted various plastic covers off of the clothes they hid in the back of the closet. Finally she found the crème colored silk dress. It was simple, like she had told Lita. It fell just past her knees and it wasn't too tight anywhere. It was elegant really.
The dress kind of made her sad, which was probably why she hid it in the back of her closet. It reminded her of the reason she and Chris had gotten married. It almost cheapened the relationship their marriage had evolved into. Stephanie just shook her head and sighed as she draped the dress over her arm. It just wasn't in the cards for her to have a memorable, happy wedding.
Her first wedding had been a nightmare. No one expects to find out they are married to the scum of the earth when they are about to marry a really nice guy. Hunter had ruined that day for her, like he ruined her second wedding. He just refused to see that she was trying to hold onto their life together any way she could.
In the long run, her third wedding was the least eventful and probably the happiest of them all. No one had surprised her with ugly truths or elopements. She and Chris had gotten married as planned.
And she had other stuff to remember. She had the first night she and Chris made love. She had the night she went to his hotel room and told him she was in love with him. She had the day that Isabella was born. She had wonderful memories of her life with Chris and she knew there were many more to come.
"Stephanie?" Lita asked softly as she came into the room with Isabella in her arms. "We were worried about you. You've been in here awhile."
"Have I?" Stephanie asked. "I guess I was daydreaming. Here, lets switch."
Lita took the dress as Stephanie took Isabella into her arms. "Hey there Isa. Are you hungry?"
"This is really nice," Lita said as she held the dress in front of her.
"I thought so," Stephanie said. "Chris said it looked good. I haven't really looked at it since I put it in the closet after that first weekend Chris and I spent at his parents' house."
"Very simple, yet chic," Lita commented. "Of course, you can pull that off much better than I can. You were made to wear stuff like this. I wear crazy clothes."
"Not on your wedding day though," Stephanie said. "Especially not to my brother."
"Why not?" Lita asked. "It's what I always wear and he loves me."
"You're going to have those pictures forever," Stephanie said. "And you're going to look back on the day when you're fifty and wonder what you were wearing."
"That's true," Lita said.
"Do you want your wedding outside?" Stephanie asked.
"I think so," Lita said.
"Well, I know this great place on Martha's Vineyard," Stephanie said. "And in the fall it would be gorgeous."
"I like the fall," Lita said.
"Me too," Stephanie said.
"I'd like to see this place," Lita said.
"Okay," Stephanie said. "The only problem is that it's kind of like a clearing and it's not exactly huge. Not too many people could be there."
"Could forty people fit in there?" Lita asked.
"Yeah," Stephanie said.
"Well, Shane wants a small wedding," Lita shrugged. She walked over to the chair that sat next to a window and draped Stephanie's dress over it. "It would make him happy."
"I've got to go get a bottle for Isa," Stephanie said. "She's going to get cranky any minute."
"Okay," Lita said, following Stephanie out of the room. "I really appreciate you helping me with these plans Stephanie."
"Don't worry about it," Stephanie said. "It gives me something to do while Chris is on the road."
"Still, considering our past," Lita said. "I wouldn't have been surprised if you had laughed in my face when I asked for help."
"Hey we're cousins now," Stephanie said, sitting Isabella in her high chair when they got to the kitchen. "And we're going to be sisters."
"True," Lita said.
"We never really knew each other before," Stephanie said as she grabbed formula and a bottle. "I think we've gotten along pretty well once we let ourselves."
"Also true," Lita said. "Sometimes it amazes me that you and Shane came from Vince."
"He's not so bad," Stephanie said. "He's just really good at hiding the good."
"Really good," Lita agreed.
"Isn't this a pretty picture?" Shane asked Jericho as they walked into the kitchen from the backyard. "A year ago they would have been at each other's throats."
"Longer than that boy of mine," Lita said.
"Oh," Shane said, dipping his head to lightly kiss Lita.
Jericho picked Isabella up from her chair and brought her towards Stephanie. "You want me to feed her?"
"If you want," Stephanie said, handing Chris the bottle.
"Any headway in the plans?" Shane asked.
"I'm going to plan a trip for Stephanie, Bella, and I to Martha's Vineyard," Lita said. "Stephanie was talking about this place that would be really nice in the fall."
"Okay," Shane said. "I trust you to make a good decision."
"Thanks so much," Lita said.
"Do you want me to come?" Shane asked.
"No, I think I would have invited you if I wanted you to come," Lita said. She grinned up at Shane. "Stephanie and I will plan a marvelous, huge wedding."
"Huge?" Jericho asked. "I was under the impression that smaller was better."
"She's just trying to provoke me," Shane said, grinning at his sister's husband.
"Great," Jericho said dryly. "The bride and groom are trying to get under each other's skin."
"And clothes," Lita said.
"Hey, my daughter is in the room," Jericho teased.
Stephanie smiled as she watched Shane, Lita, and Jericho continue to tease each other. She was happy to help Lita plan her wedding. But part of her wished she was planning her own wedding.