Trish could use a distraction from her PTSD and being retraumatized by Chuck being let out of prison. The administration at Marino High School and the police are investigating the lockdown at the school. Her wedding is nine months away, and she and Jace already have a date and venue set, a wedding planner, they've sent out wedding invitations to their families and friends, and her maternal grandmother, Guadalupe Gonzalez, and her mother invited her and her bridesmaids- Ally, Valeria, her and Ally's middle school and high school friend Kira Starr, Dez's girlfriend Carrie Lainfield, and Carrie's sister, Piper Lainfield, as well as her niece Isabela, and her nephew Emiliano, out for brunch and to pick out dresses. She has no idea that they are planning a brunch and wedding dress choice. Valeria is not only her maid of honor, but also her big sister, and because of that, Magdalena and Guadalupe put her in charge of surprising Trish, with Ally helping to facilitate the secret brunch operations here and there. She thinks her sister is just treating her to coffee, but Valeria is in charge of keeping the brunch a secret. She knew Emiliano and Isabela would blurt out the secret and spoil the surprise, so she also kept it from them.
Valeria is at her house, preparing coffee in her Keurig machine. Trish's sister has a Keurig and an espresso machine. Trish jokingly asks her sister,
"Coffee before more coffee?"
Valeria whispers,
"Hey, you try keeping up with twin six-year-olds. There's never enough coffee to keep up with them."
Trish laughs.
"Mom and Dad made it look easy."
Her older sister whispers,
"Trish, you'll understand when you and Jace decide to have kids. If you want some coffee, you're welcome to have some."
"Gracias, hermana."
Isabela, Trish's niece, and Valeria's daughter, comes in, holding a Wet brush with Cinderella on it and a pink hair tie and a blue hair tie.
"Tía Trish!"
Trish smiles and says,
"Hi, Isa. Come here, princesa."
Trish reaches out her arms for a hug and kiss from her niece. She turns to her mom.
"Mommy, can you braid my hair?"
Valeria chuckles and puts her coffee down on the coaster.
"Sure, bebé. What do you want your hair to look like?"
"Elsa braid, please."
"Thank you for getting dressed, Isa. Trish, why don't you get coffee, and then will you…"
She starts to say but then sees Emiliano walk in, dressed.
"Never mind. He's already dressed. Thank you, niños, for getting dressed."
He says,
"Tía Trish!"
"Hola, hombrecito! Ven aqui para un abrazo!"
She accepts a hug from her nephew and kisses him on his temple. Valeria brushes her daughter's hair and secures her daughter's braid with hair ties.
"Kids, we're going to leave in five minutes, so it might be a good idea to pack your bags with some fun stuff to do. Toys, books, fidgets, that stuff. I expect you two on your best behavior, or there will be consequences. ¿Ustedes dos entienden?"
The children say in unison,
"Sí, Mami."
At Austin and Ally's apartment, Austin sees Ally applying makeup to her face and tells her,
"A certain girlfriend is rocking the Bridgerton t-shirt I got her."
Ally giggles.
"Austin! You know I love Bridgerton. It was a sweet gesture of you."
Austin can't help but feel like a peasant compared to her as he is just in Nike workout clothes, drenched in sweat.
"What are you getting all dressed up for?"
"Trish is going to pick out her wedding gown today. I could also get my bridesmaid dress. But her grandmother, her mom, and her sister are treating the bridal party to brunch first. I'm kind of facilitating everything."
"How convenient is it that I'm the best man and you're the maid of honor?"
"I know right?"
"You're going to make such a pretty bridesmaid."
"I'll send you a photo when I get my dress."
"Anyway, you want a ride to the cafe?"
"Austin, you're sweating. Are you sure you want to drive me?"
"It's OK, I don't mind."
Ally goes to grab her handbag and a bridal gift she got for Trish and Austin grabs the keys to his Jaguar. In the meantime, right after Ally goes to join the bridal party, Trish is blindfolded with another sleep mask as her sister stops her Range Rover in front of Fiore Caffe Miami, a fancy breakfast restaurant in Miami.
"We're here, Hermana."
Trish asks,
"Why am I being blindfolded, though?"
Valeria says,
"You're about to find out."
She helps Emiliano and Isabela out of the car, and they both have their mini backpacks, Emiliano's looks like Lightning McQueen, and Isabela's has Disney Princesses on it. Valeria takes the eye mask off of Trish's face.
This seems a little fancy just for getting coffee and breakfast with my sister and her kids. Jace usually takes me on more casual dates than this.
Trish says to herself, feeling a little disoriented. But she's in for a very big surprise. She finds her mother, her grandmother, and the rest of her bridesmaids sitting around a table and all shout out,
"SURPRISE!"
Every single one of these women is wearing a pink sash decorated with silver studs, stating their roles. Guadalupe's sash is rose gold says, La abuela de la novia. Magdalena's sash is rose gold says, Mother of the bride. Ally's, Kira's, Carrie's, and Piper's sashes are pink and say, Bridesmaid. Trish's face lights up.
"What's all this?"
Ally says,
"We're taking you to try on wedding dresses and treating you to a fancy brunch beforehand. Your mom and your grandma planned it. Valeria and I facilitated it."
Magdalena puts her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Te gusta, mija?"
She gives her mother a warm smile.
"Mamá, es hermosa. Me encanta."
Trish and Valeria's abuelita pipes in.
"Damas, también tenemos fajas para ti. Patricia, esta faja blanca es tuya, porque eres la novia. Valeria, este faja rosa es para tu, porque eres la dama de honor."
"Gracias, Abuelita. Te quiero."
"Te quiero tambien, mija. Jace es un hombre muy suerte."
Trish's sash is white and says, Bride to be in gold letters while Valeria's matches the other Bridesmaids' sashes. Both the De La Rosa sisters throw on the sashes. Trish thinks,
Who knew being engaged came with so many surprises? First Jace blindfolded me and then proposed, then John and Agnes surprised Jace and me with an engagement party, and now trying on dresses and fancy brunches. Damn, this shit is bougie. It's probably expensive as fuck, too. I could totally get used to this.
Guadalupe opens a large container, revealing traditional Mexican wedding cookies. She says,
"¡Galletas de boda para todas las hermosas mujeres del cortejo nupcial y mis bisnietos!"
Piper reaches into a Forever 21 bag and says,
"Oh, before I forget, Trish, I got this for you."
It's a silver metal headband that says Bride in silver metal diamond letters.
"I feel like a princess. Thank you, Piper."
She gives her a warm hug.
"I hope you don't mind that it's from Forever 21."
Trish says,
"That's cool. Forever 21 is cool."
Ally says,
"I have something for the bride, too. From one of your maids of honor."
She hands her best friend a kit with a white silk robe that says Bride in gold letters, a white sleep mask, a white silk scrunchie, a white jewelry box, white bridal sandal slippers, a white Bride tumbler, a tiny little makeup mirror, a tote bag, and a bridal makeup bag.
Trish says to her,
"Thank you, Ally. I love you."
She locks her best friend into a hug.
"I love you, too."
Kira says,
"I can't wait for your bridal shower and your bachelorette party."
Trish laughs.
"Don't forget my wedding, the biggest event of all."
Kira says,
"Right. That too."
Later on, while everyone has fancy fruit, pancakes, wedding cookies, avocado toast, chocolate croissants, brownies, almond croissants, and coffee, and in the case of the kids, hot chocolate, and is engaging in conversation, talking, laughing, taking selfies, and sharing memories, Trish picks up the spoon, tapping on her glass of ice water. Ally says,
"Ladies! and Emiliano! The bride-to-be is about to say something."
Trish says,
"I want to thank all of my bridal party for organizing this gorgeous event, and I want to make a little proposal of my own, for my adorable niece and nephew, who I love."
She reaches into her purse and holds out a silver beaded and white pearl bracelet adorned with a silver flower charm.
"Isabela Josefina De La Rosa, when I marry Tío Jace, will you be the flower girl at our wedding?"
The other women all gush and coo over it.
"Yes!"
"Yay!"
The little girl puts the bracelet on her wrist and then she turns to her nephew and gives him a blue raspberry ring pop.
"Emiliano Sebastián De La Rosa, when I marry Tío Jace, will you be the ring bearer at our wedding?"
Emiliano blushes.
"Yes!"
She drops kisses on her niece and nephew's cheeks.
"You two are going to look very handsome (she looks at her nephew) and very beautiful (she looks at her niece) at the wedding."
Not long after that, Emiliano and Isabela are sitting by Valeria in a nearby dress shop, called Casa Fashionista, one of the top-rated dress shops in Miami. There are special occasion dresses for every event from weddings, quinceañeras, proms, bridesmaids dresses, flower girl dresses, and so many other dresses and accessories. A middle-aged woman with blonde hair and glasses walks in and says,
"Now that's what I call a bridal party! Who's the bride?"
Trish is drowning in pride and she holds up her hand with her engagement ring.
"That would be me."
The saleslady comes closer to her, measuring the short, curvy Latina bride-to-be, recording the girls' measurements, and writing them down.
Kira asks,
"Are you the owner?"
The lady says,
"Not exactly. I'm the manager."
Ally whispers to Magdalena,
"I think I might cry when she wears her dress."
Magdalena says,
"The feeling is mutual, Ally. I'm going to cry watching my princesita walk down the aisle to Jace."
Ally laughs and wipes a silent tear from her eye.
"Magdalena, you're about to make me cry right now."
Magdalena insisted Ally stop calling her Mrs. De La Rosa and start calling her by her first name a long time ago. Another sales associate comes in and asks,
"Can I offer this bridal party some complimentary champagne and food?"
Carrie says,
"Don't have to ask us twice!"
Piper jumps in while the manager places the tray on the table.
"Easy on the champagne, Carrie. Dez gets high and drunk a lot and I don't want that rubbing off on you."
Ally says,
"At the engagement party, Dez got drunk and Austin and I had to drive him home. I have to admit, it was kind of funny to watch him get drunk. But he also brought a cake shaped like a penis and that was gross. And kind of tasteless."
Piper scoffs.
"Who brings penis cakes to engagement parties?"
Carrie says,
"Dez is my boyfriend and I love him more than anything else, but he should save cakes shaped like penises for bachelor parties."
Valeria asks,
"Do you have any non-alcoholic drinks? For my kids?"
The sales associate
"Yes, we do. I'll be right back."
She returns with Juicy Juice boxes and Valeria looks at them.
"What do we say, niños?"
Both the twins say in unison.
"Gracias, Miss,"
the twins say.
"De nada. Allison, if you need me, I'm on the floor."
"Alright. Thanks."
Trish yells out from the dressing room,
"I already have five dresses here! May the best one win!"
She comes out in the first dress she picked out- a white sleeveless gown with lace appliques on the top and a bit of lace appliques on the skirt, a thigh-high slit, and a bit of a low neckline revealing some of her cleavage. She slowly turns while standing on the platform. Ally instantly starts to exhale shakily and excitedly, as if she were the one being proposed to, and Valeria comes up to her younger sister.
"You look beautiful, hermanita. You look like a reincarnation of when you dressed up in princess dresses as a kid."
She giggles and blushes and locks her sister into a warm hug. Ally goes up to her and says,
"You're literally the love child of my aesthetic!"
Trish says,
"So I'm like a combination of Disney Princesses, Bridgerton, and Downton Abbey?"
Ally says,
"Yeah…"
Trish says,
"I'll take it! The compliment, not the dress, at least not yet."
She accepts a group hug from both her sister and her childhood friend, who are also her maids of honor. She comes out again in a strapless, white, lace-adorned dress with subtle jeweling on the top that hugs her body, but she can breathe in it. Trish is short and the bridal dresses are bigger and longer than her, but she doesn't care. She feels beautiful with the dress hugging her curves and showing the right amount of skin and cleavage and she doesn't want a dress that she will constantly have to pull up over her chest during the ceremony or the reception. Besides, she can wear heels on the big day, anyway.
After that, she comes out in another strapless wedding gown with silver crystal jeweling on the waistband. Ally wipes a tear from her eyes.
"Trish, why did you have to pick so many wedding dresses and look gorgeous in all of them? and the fact that you and Jace are getting married in and of itself is just… so beautiful."
Trish looks at her best friend and allows her to give a warm hug.
"You're so sweet, Ally."
Magdalena comes over to her daughter, putting her hand on her shoulder.
"Mija, you look beautiful. Jace is a very lucky man."
Trish gives her mother a warm smile.
"And I thought my Quinceañera dress was puffy. But I feel beautiful in this dress, and I can breathe,"
Her abuelita goes to her and says,
"Ay, mi amor, vas a llorar en su boda. Siempre lloras en las bodas."
Magdalena whispers,
"Mamá!"
"No te estoy juzgando, mi amor. Es la boda de tu hija, llora si quieres."
Trish turns to her grandmother.
"¿Qué opinas, Abuelita? Te gusta?"
"Es muy hermosa, mi amor. Me encanta."
Trish's grandmother is a bit old-fashioned, but she is closest with her out of all her grandchildren.
Kira says,
"So far, this is probably my favorite wedding dress. But Trish, you're the bride, so your opinion matters most."
Trish says,
"I love this one, but I can't buy the first dress I try on."
Trish comes out in another sleeveless appliqued dress that shows a bit of her cleavage. She says,
"This one is beautiful, too."
Ally says,
"Aww, my eyes are leaking again because of seeing you in your wedding gown."
Piper whispers to Ally,
"Are you and Austin next to get married?"
Ally laughs.
"Maybe someday. We just moved in together and we have an active sex life."
Piper says,
"I see him a lot at the gym and he's in one of my Spin classes that I teach. The other day he was a little embarrassed because there's this girl who harasses him in class and she slapped his ass in front of the entire class."
"Did you report it?"
Piper says,
"Yes, I did. She got kicked out."
"Thank you, Piper. You did the right thing."
Trish emerges from the dressing room, holding the strapless wedding gown, adorned with lace appliques all over it. She says,
"I think this might be the one."
Valeria says,
"Yay! I was rooting for that one! I can't wait to see Jace's face when he sees you in that dress."
Trish says,
"Aw, neither can I."
Ally asks,
"What were you thinking for the bridesmaids dresses?"
Trish says,
"Jace and I decided on a romantic and traditional wedding, so I'm thinking a soft pink, it'll go with a lot."
She looks at Ally and Valeria.
"I'm going to be paying special attention to the two of you ladies because you're maids of honor. We've got to make you damas stand out."
Allison, the middle-aged woman who took measurements, walks in and Trish says,
"I'm glad you're here. Can we have a look at the bridesmaids' dresses?"
"Right this way. Did you pick out your dress yet?"
Trish says,
"I did."
A strapless candy-pink chiffon dress instantly catches Trish's eye and says,
"This is just the color palette."
She looks right at Ally and Valeria and then at the sales lady.
"Do you have anything you recommend for making the maids of honor stand out?"
The manager looks at them.
"We can just make that happen."
Valeria, Carrie, Kira, and Piper all come out of the dressing room, each in a candy pink bridesmaid dress.
Trish says,
"All of you are going to slay these dresses! But where's Ally?"
Kira goes to the dressing room where Ally is and knocks on the door.
"Ally? Are you OK in there? We're modeling bridesmaids' dresses for Trish."
Ally says,
"I'm fine!"
Unbeknownst to the bridal party, Ally is actually sending a picture of herself in her bra to Austin and Kira asks,
"Does your dress fit?"
she says,
"It fits just fine!"
Kira thinks,
Ally is tiny. She can fit in her dress just fine.
and she quickly pushes herself into the dress and hides her phone in her bra. She opens the door to find Kira standing outside and she feels like a child in trouble. She whispers to Ally,
"What were you doing in there?"
Ally says,
"Don't tell the other girls, but I sent Austin a photo of myself in my bra."
Kira silently claps and laughs and whispers,
"You go, girl!"
Ally says,
"This is just between you and me, right?"
Kira says,
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Thank you."
Ally and Kira come back out in their candy-pink dresses. She and Valeria are in strapless dresses, Kira is in a sleeveless v-neck, Carrie is donning an A-line scoop neck with spaghetti straps, and Piper is in a one-shoulder dress. All of the dresses are candy pink and Trish blushes, with her cheeks almost matching the shades of the bridesmaids' dresses.
"You girls are going to slay as bridesmaids,"
she says.
Ally says to Trish,
"I promised Austin a photo of me in my bridesmaid dress. Can you take it for me?"
"Sure."
She unlocks her phone and hands it to Trish, not wanting her to know she was secretly sexting Austin from the changing room stall. Later on, Trish's mother and grandmother purchase mother-of-the-bride dresses, a white bridal veil for Trish, and a pair of white faux leather five-inch heels, and Valeria also purchases a flower girl dress for Isabela and a little tuxedo for Emiliano. Before everyone leaves the bridal shop, Trish says,
"I have the best sister, mom, grandmother, bridesmaids, niece and nephew ever. Thank you so much for everything."
with her emotions soaring, and she wipes tears of happiness from her eyes, and she accepts a group hug from everyone and kisses on the cheek from her mother and abuelita. She thinks,
Shit. Why did I decide to wear makeup if I'm crying? I fuck up my makeup when I cry. At least I'm crying because I'm happy.
Isabela asks her,
"Tía Trish, are you crying?"
Trish says,
"Sí, mi querida, but it's because I'm happy and so appreciative of everyone here right now. Jace is my fiancé, and I love him more than anything else on the planet, but this was so much fun with just me, the girls, and my nephew."
She drops kisses on her niece's and nephew's cheeks.
"Thank you so much for agreeing to be my flower girl and ring bearer. Tía Trish loves you both."
Valeria pipes in.
"Muñequita, you're also the one who gets to wear white at the wedding other than Tía Trish."
Trish laughs. Guadalupe interjects.
"Corazón, ¿Te gustaría que tus padres y yo guardáramos tu vestido y velo en nuestra casa?"
Trish says,
"Sí, gracias Abuelita. Jace tratando de verme con mi vestido antes de la boda es como un niño pequeño echando un vistazo a sus regalos antes Navidad. Isabela and Emiliano, cover your ears. This is only for grown ups. Jace and I having sex before marriage is one thing, but wedding traditions are traditions."
The bridesmaids, including Trish's sister, all laugh.
"Not gonna lie, though, I'm looking forward to him seeing me in my dress."
Ally says,
"Me too."
After Valeria gives Trish a ride to her apartment, Jace is in his apartment, shirtless, while doing pull-ups from a bar suspended from the doorframe to their gym nook, and his AirPods planted in his ears. He sees Trish standing in the doorway, takes his AirPods from his ears, and pauses his phone. She gapes at him, feeling thirsty, if somewhat embarrassed looking at him.
"JACE! Are you trying to turn me on on purpose?"
He says,
"Not on purpose."
He jumps down from the pull-up bar, wiping his sweaty forehead with his shirt. Some of Jace's hobbies include bodybuilding, jogging, and at-home workouts. Not to mention his blue-collar job makes him strong and keeps him fit. Other girls tend to hit on him sometimes, but he always tells them that he is with Trish and he loves her to pieces. Not only that, but he is unafraid of standing up to misogynistic assholes who catcall or sexualize Trish when she is with him in public places. She is attracted to him, and not just for his looks. Amid his affinity for intense workouts, because of his respect and love for her and others, and how he is emotional, sensitive, and romantic with her. His parents taught him how to respect women and he is thankful for that. In high school, he was dubbed and perceived as a "father" by Trish's girlfriends (and by Dez) because of his protective and caring demeanor. He still kind of is.
Jace goes into a bit of a coughing fit and takes his inhaler from the pocket of his Nike shorts, priming it, shaking it, and puffing on it, and then drinking water from his water bottle. Trish can't keep her eyes off her toned husband-to-be and then he puts his shirt back on. Trish giggles.
"Did you just put the shirt you wiped your sweat with back on your body?"
"Yes, Trish. Yes, I did."
She says,
"I'm just playing. You know I don't give a shit how hard you're sweating, Mr. Bodybuilder. You're my fiancé and it's so sexy to watch your body drip.".
The two peck each other on the lips and he kisses her on the cheek. She gently caresses his muscles with her fingers and the two look into each other's eyes. Jace takes another sip of water and asks her,
"How was coffee with Valeria and her kids? Though it looks like you had a secret bridal shower."
She laughs.
"You're cute. With my mom, my grandmother, and Ally, she helped orchestrate a brunch with my bridesmaids. I got some little accessories from them and then they brought me to a bridal shop and I may or may not have gotten my wedding dress. After the shit I've had to deal with the last week, it was nice to have a little distraction and a way to bond with my mom, my grandmother, my sister, my friends, and my niece and nephew."
He rests his hand on her cheek.
"You're going to look so gorgeous on our wedding day. Like a Disney Princess."
She whispers in his ear,
"Let's not forget the man who treats me like a princess."
He says,
"I'm going to go shower. I'm sweating my ass off."
He emerges from the bathroom in a T-shirt and jeans and cuddles up next to Trish on the sofa. He tells her,
"You're beautiful."
She kisses him on the cheek and he kisses her forehead.
"Me picking out my wedding dress has me thinking, have you started looking at suits yet?"
Jace tells,
"I'm going out with my dad, Austin, and the rest of the guys next week to look at suits."
Trish rests her hands on his clavicles.
"You're going to look so handsome in your suit."
He plants a kiss on her cheek.
"I hope you don't mind that I picked Isabela as a flower girl and Emiliano as a ring bearer."
He says,
"Of course not. Allegra is one, too. The ceremony is more than big enough for them both."
The two kiss on the lips passionately. Trish had a few boyfriends here and there, but Jace is the love of her life. She is so excited to be married to him and for them to start their lives together.