Chapter 8

8

E yela

Two Days Later

I’m not exactly sure what Karrington said or did, but Nicoletta was waiting for me at home when we made it back to Memphis with her sketchbook in hand. That evening, she sketched a few options for me to choose from. I worried about the fabric, but she assured me Karrington made it clear his resources were unlimited and that I could have whatever I wanted.

Today, she’d come back with three options for me to choose from. My friends, Tina, Faith, Zara, and Mia came over along with my favorite cousin Carma. While they snacked on charcuterie boards and baked brie and sipped wine or champagne, I tried on one dress after another. Even though the first two weren’t what I wanted, I was pleased and at peace because they were created by Nicoletta, so they were my style. By the time I made it to the third one, Mommy was entering my dressing room.

“This is the last one,” I told her, pointing to Nicoletta’s rack.

“Then it will be the one.” Her steps were light as she walked over to the rack. Pointing toward the black garment bag she asked, “What’s this?”

“I’m not sure. She didn’t mention it.”

“Hmm… Nicoletta!” It didn’t take Nicoletta much time to enter the room with a warm smile on her face. “What’s this?”

“Oh! Yes. Mr. Lowe asked me to create something in case Eyela didn’t like the other three designs.”

“Can I… see it?” I probed, running my fingers down the garment bag. My request was for a silk gown because it was my favorite material.

“Uh, sure. But it has lace.”

Nicoletta opened the bag, and I waited with bated breath. There was no part of me that believed Karrington could have asked for anything I would have liked, but I was curious about his taste. Or, at least, his taste when it came to me.

“He actually did really good, Eyela,” Nicoletta said. “He asked me what you liked then picked a sample and told me to freestyle.”

“Hmm…” Mommy said before taking a sip of her champagne.

“I asked him why he went with lace,” Nicoletta continued as I stepped toward the dress. “And he said because you were about to enter into a new phase of your life. Maybe what you liked before wouldn’t work for your wedding.”

“And based on her reaction, I think her future husband was right,” Mommy replied as I slid my fingers over the gown.

I never would have chosen lace for my wedding gown. Silk was always going to be it. The gown was cocaine white unlike the bone white silk I’d been trying on. That was a plus. It had delicately stitched flowers with diamonds encasing them. The off the shoulder mermaid design had a silk train that was absolutely stunning. Since it was see through, there was a slip underneath that was my skin tone. They’d thought of everything.

“He added a tiaraed veil. I don’t have it yet. It’s um…” Nicoletta cleared her throat. “It can’t be shipped because of the price and value of the diamonds. If you choose this one, one of his personal shoppers are ready to fly to Paris to get it.”

For a while, all I could do was stare at her. Mommy gripped my arms and said, “Well, don’t just stand there. Try it on,” before tugging Nicoletta out of the room.

I disrobed and slipped into the dress. It buttoned in the back, so Nicoletta came in to help. When she squealed, I finally allowed myself to look in the mirror. A gasp escaped me. It was absolutely beautiful. Certainly not something I would have imagined for myself, but it was beautiful. The mermaid design gave the same flattering effect to my toned, slim frame as silk did. In fact, this design made my curves more pronounced.

“You look beautiful, Lala,” Nicoletta complimented, giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze. My eyes watered as I looked back at her and thanked her with a smile. I hated to admit it, but this dress was so beautiful it made me a little excited about the wedding.

She grabbed the train, and I walked out on my tiptoes—a habit for women who wore heels as much as I did. When I entered the sitting room, it went completely silent before bursting with cheers and praise for the dress. Mommy even cried. It didn’t surprise me that Carma and Mia weren’t as excited as the rest of my friends were. Carma’s arranged marriage was three years ago, and her husband was a husband only in title. He cheated literally every chance he got and was never home. I guess that was better than an abusive husband.

“What do you think, princess?” At the sound of Daddy’s booming voice, we all turned in his direction.

“I—it’s the one.”

“Good.” He gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”

“Thank you for doing this,” Mommy added.

“Words can’t express how proud and grateful we are, but I put a little something in your room to show you a little of our appreciation.”

I loved gifts, so I took off the dress and went upstairs, where I found two large, black briefcases. I didn’t have to count the money to know it totaled millions. While I wished he would have gotten me something with more sentimental value, I wasn’t surprised. Daddy had been using money to show his love and appreciation for as long as I could remember. Why should I be surprised?