13. Lacey

“Mom, where did you get this? It’s beautiful. Is it as big as hers, do you think?”

“Shh, keep your voice down. I’ll tell you later, but you can’t tell your Dad. I promised your grandparents.”

“My grandparents? Which ones?” I looked down at the ring on my finger and wanted to jump for joy.

It wasn’t the same shape as Lily’s, but it was just as big as hers, I think, though this diamond was pink. That’s okay, I like pink. “I said keep it down. Come here.” She dragged me into the walk-in closet and closed the door.

“Listen, I went to your grandparents and begged and pleaded with them to be fair. They asked me not to tell your father, so you can’t say anything to him about this.”

“Why not?”

“Just don’t, or I’ll take it back. This is the first time they’ve given us anything, so hush.”

I nodded my head and went back to admiring my ring. “If I’m not supposed to tell Dad, how can I wear it?”

“You can wear it without saying anything about where it came from. Just say Grayson gave it to you. By the way, you can’t tell him either. Just say you got it from my side of the family.”

I snorted because Mom’s family couldn’t afford something like this, even if it was fake. But then again, Grayson doesn’t know that because, just as with Lily, I always made it a point to keep that side of my life separate from him.

I was ashamed of them and not sure what my feelings were about her and him meeting, but given the latest events, I was right to keep those two apart. They don’t even know each other, and it’s giving me heart palpitations just thinking about the two of them being in the same room together.

* * *

For the next few days,I took every opportunity to show off my ring. My friends were duly impressed, and I didn’t have to hear anything more about Lily’s ring. I’d finally gotten to see and talk to Grayson because I needed to explain the ring to him. It was so cute how he wanted to be the man and get me my ring, but I assured him he could make it up to me in other ways.

Mom and I are going full steam ahead with the wedding planning these days, and I barely have time to think about anything else. I’m just pissed that she won’t let me post my ring on my socials. She keeps saying I should wait. It’s almost as if she’s afraid it might get stolen before the wedding or something.

Whatever, I went dress shopping, but since Mom thinks Lily might have her dress custom-made, we decided to go that route as well. I don’t know anything about her wedding; she’s being very tight-lipped and there’s nothing posted anywhere about it, except I think someone said it was going to be held outside of the country.

I wish I knew more than that so I could make sure my wedding and reception were better than hers but not even Dad knew what was going on. I knew nothing about her guest list, but I knew that all of my Dad’s business associates were going to be at mine, thanks to Grayson.

He had invited all the important people from the company as well as some people I didn’t know and didn’t care about. By last count, there were almost two thousand people on the guest list, and of course, Mom and Dad had paid extra for the country club at such late notice.

That place is booked well in advance, but we were able to get a cancellation, or Mom did something to make that happen. It doesn’t matter as long as my day goes off without a hitch. I made sure to add everyone I knew to the list because I wanted everyone to see me on my beautiful day.

* * *

“What’s she doing here?”I’d come to pick up some last-minute things for my honeymoon and ran into Lily. It was still a month away, but I didn’t want to leave everything until the last second, and besides, seasonal things don’t last that long on the shelf.

“Excuse me, I have an appointment,” I called out to the saleslady when she didn’t come to me as soon as I walked in.

“I’ll be with you in a minute.” She didn’t even look up at me as she showed Lily some stupid nightgown that looked like it was for an old maid. I just rolled my eyes and sat on one of the chairs with my two best friends sitting on either side of me.

This place was the best in the city for wedding trousseaus, and you can’t get in the door without an appointment; most of the places I’ve been to are like that, but for some reason, I seem to keep running into Lily all over the city when we never used to see each other this much before.

“Oh, hi, Lacey. I didn’t see you come in.” Why is she always wearing that stupid smile when she sees me these days? I bet she heard about me getting the ring and now wants to butter me up because soon I’ll be close to my grandparents as well. Grayson said they were even more impressed with the job he’s been doing, and Dad can’t help singing his praise.

I made sure to hold my hand in a way so she could see my ring. “Beautiful ring. Why does it look so familiar?” I started to flaunt then ring, then hid my hand behind my back at her words. I can’t remember if Mom had said anything about her knowing about the ring.

Now that hers was right in my face, I realized that it was bigger and prettier than mine, which I’m sure is what she wanted me to notice.

“Why do I keep running into you?”

“Beats me; are you stalking me by any chance?” My friends snickered, and I glared at them.

“How dare you? Why would I follow you around?”

“Lily dear, have you found what you’re looking for?” An older woman came from the other side of the boutique, and I stood up from my chair in shock.

“Grandma?” It was my grandmother. I hadn’t seen her in years and never this close. I started to walk towards her, but she turned and left with Lily by her side. She didn’t even look at me. The sales lady said something, but I couldn’t hear her over the ringing in my ears.

I wanted to follow them out the door, to confront her for treating me this way, but my feet wouldn’t move. “Are you okay? Should I get you some water?” I felt humiliated as I remembered the two friends that were with me.

I ran out of there and back to my car, where I hid until I felt safe enough to drive. I called Grayson on the way, but again, he didn’t pick up. Then I called his father to meet me. He claimed to be in the middle of something, but I didn’t care; I needed him right now.

* * *

“What doyou mean you’re not sure if you’ll be able to walk me down the aisle?”

“I think Lily might ask me to walk her down the aisle, and if she does, I’m going to say yes. It’s the least I can do for her after all.”

“What about me?”

“You’ve had me here with you since you were born. I haven’t done much for her in her life; I have to give her this.”

“You can’t do this to me. MOM!” I screamed for Mom, but she was nowhere in the house.

That Lily bitch is trying to spoil my wedding day. After that day when I saw her in the store, she’s been underfoot more and more. Since when does she do lunch with Dad? She never gave him the time of day before, but now when I need him the most, she’s forcing herself in between us.

“When is she even getting married? How do you know it’s the same day?”

“It might not be the same day, but it’s around the same time, and it’s going to be in Italy for sure. She’s having the traditional Persian wedding, which will go on for days, so I’ll have to be there well before the wedding.”

He seemed more excited about being there for her than he ever did for me. “What about all your friends that have been invited to my wedding?”

“I didn’t think about that. Just let me see what Lily wants to do, and I’ll think of something. But you shouldn’t be selfish. I’ve been there for everything for you and barely did anything for Lily because you and your mother always found a way to ingratiate yourselves, not this time.

“So you’re choosing her over me. I always knew you liked her best.” I hated that he didn’t deny it and hated her more for being the one that everyone loved. I won’t let her destroy my big day. No matter what, my Dad was going to walk me down the aisle.

As it turned out I needn’t have worried. When Dad didn’t bring it up again in the days following, I figured she didn’t even ask him to her wedding, let alone ask him to walk her down the aisle. See, Daddy, I’m the only daughter who loves you. And after my wedding to the new rising star of the Sinclair corporation my grandparents will have no choice but to acknowledge me.

* * *

LILY

* * *

Oh,bother, all good things must come to an end. I’ve had a lot of fun the last few months messing with Lacey and her Dad, but now my wedding day was staring me in the face, and it was time for curtain call on this farce.

For a few weeks there, I made her sweat while stringing him along as if there was a possibility that I might ask him to walk me down the aisle. Both my grandpas, who had been the only men in my life growing up that I look up to, will be doing the honors.

I didn’t have any kind of discussion with him about it, and he doesn’t even know who I’m marrying, let alone when my wedding date is. I guess he got the message when the announcement came out and he didn’t receive an invitation.

That was easily explained when he asked. I simply told him that I thought he’d prefer to be there for the daughter he raised. He got a bit upset by that, but since I was long past caring, I just walked away.

Lacey was having a fit that my wedding day was going to be the same as hers after all, but I guess it gave her hope that I wasn’t getting married to Grayson. I’d heard from their household staff that she’d been stressing over that for weeks.

I’d made Grayson ignore her most days and nights leading up to their wedding. He was even too late to their engagement party, car trouble. Yeah, I was doing him in the back of his car, trouble.

He went to her party with my pussy on his breath and my panties in his pocket. Neatly folded, of course. I know she didn’t see him naked because my lipstick was still on his dick when he came back to me at the hotel room we’d rented for the night.

Tonight is their rehearsal dinner, which I insisted he attend because that would make everything that follows in the next two days all the better. We were pushing it kinda close since our own rehearsal dinner was taking place in Italy the following day, to be followed by our wedding the day after.

She’d wanted her dinner the night before as well, but of course, that wouldn’t do, so in the end, I got to choose what day she could have her little get-together. If she only knew, she’d have a calf.

It was almost midnight when he met me at the private airstrip for our flight to Tuscany. “We have a long flight ahead of us; whatever shall we do with ourselves?”