Taming Lucinda by Normandie Alleman
Chapter 9
Lucinda
noon, our hired car pulled up out front, the chauffer exiting to open the door for us.
Dynassy and I had gotten both Ivy and Chloe to join us for dress shopping. She’d invited Eden too, but she'd already had plans with the twins. It still promised to be a fun day of shopping and indulging in our girly sides. It had been ages since I'd gone shopping with my daughters. We never got to do the typical teenage things. There were no Sweet 16s, homecoming dances, or Proms for world-famous superstars. By the time Dynassy was ten, her wardrobe had been entirely curated by the top brands, and Ivy always had her own unique sense of style which she fearlessly expressed without any input from me.
As much as I'd tried to make myself invaluable in my kids' lives, I was realizing they hadn't really needed me in years.
They didn't need me now either, but being wanted was better. Dynassy had entrusted me with choosing the boutiques we'd shop at, and that was an honor I didn't take lightly.
Soon, we were all settled in the back of the town car.
"When I made the appointments, I made sure they'd have maternity options available for you," I said. At eighteen weeks, she was just finally starting to show the signs of pregnancy, but in three more weeks, that tiny bump would be quite a bit larger.
"Oh, good call," she said, offering me a gentle smile.
"They generally offer champagne with the appointment, but they're going to have something else for you," I added.
"Leave it to Lucinda to think of everything," Chloe said. I was especially happy she was tagging along. Chloe and I had always understood each other. She was just as driven and hungry for success as I'd always been. She loved to work, and she always craved more. She wasn't satisfied with sitting still, and with her history, she understood the kind of sacrifices I'd made better than any of my children did.
Originally, I'd been sure that having a man of the cloth in the family would cause nothing but trouble. Eduardo had been a surprisingly steady influence, though. He had a talent for mediation and soothing inflamed tempers. Even when he didn't agree with my choices, he offered to share my perspective from a neutral observer, and he'd already mended a number of smaller rifts in our family.
He and Chloe had been an unprecedented blessing, and I'd grown to consider Chloe another one of my daughters, Eduardo one of my sons. He may have been the product of Ziggy's affair, but I could never hold that against him. I loved him for his connection to Ziggy first, and then because of his gentle, understanding nature.
"They are still going to have the champagne, though, right?" Ivy asked. "I was pretty bummed when I realized Jaci wouldn't be able to come, but then I kinda got myself excited for a grown-up girls’ day..."
"Oh, there will definitely be champagne," I assured her.
"You jerks," Dynassy fake-pouted.
"Maybe you should've thought of that before you got knocked up," Ivy teased.
Dynassy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, even if I did, it's still worth it," she answered with the same slightly dismissive attitude she'd had with her sister since they were teens. My girls loved each other, but they weren't exactly best friends.
That was kind of the theme in my family. Could we ever be closer, or was it far too late?
Maybe today could be a first step to bridging some of the gaps.
The first boutique we’d arrived at was small, intimate, and a little too avant-garde for Dynassy's tastes. She’d tried on a few of the dresses that had been pre-selected for her, but I could tell that she was never really comfortable there. After she’d rejected the entire first crop, I swooped in while the associate was off looking for alternatives.
"Are you ready for stop number two?" I asked, helping her out of a poofy, corseted number.
"Yes, please," she groaned. "I don't know what it is, but there's some perfume or something in here that's making me nauseous."
"Say no more," I said, passing her the clothes she’d wore in. "I'll call the car and wrap things up here. You get changed and get some fresh air, okay?"
She smiled. "Thanks, Mom."
I tried to keep my giddiness under wraps, but that was much harder to do once we’d walked into the second location. Right away, I knew this was where we'd find Dynassy's wedding dress. There was something magical about the airy venue, the hanging plants and fairy lights, the sound of a small fountain or waterfall in the distance. The gorgeous dresses on every wall didn't hurt either. It was a dream come true, and I saw that same thought reflected in Dynassy's expression.
"This place is amazing," Chloe whispered, gaping at everything. "Now I'm kind of bummed I'm already married."
"Didn't you guys have to get married to ... do anything?" Ivy asked.
"Ivy!" I chided.
"What? We're all adults. And it's not like we can pretend Dynassy is getting married as a virgin with a bun in the oven, can we?"
I shook my head, but there was no use arguing with her. Ivy did things Ivy's way, and she was never going to listen to what anyone else had to say. If she'd listened to me, she'd still have both her kidneys.
"Yeah, we did," Chloe finally answered. "And our rushed wedding was definitely worth it in that regard... But maybe we'll have a do-over party one day. I'm sure Eduardo wouldn't mind."
"I think short of you going on an inter-state crime spree, there isn't much Eduardo wouldn't go along with," Dynassy said, all of us laughing together.
It felt so good to have this time with my girls. I wished we could do it more often.
"Hello!" an employee appeared from another part of the store with a warm smile. "Do you have an appointment with us today?"
"Dynassy Barnes," Dynassy answered, nodding.
"Oh! Miss Barnes, we have the Garden Room already prepared for you."
From there, we were taken into a large room which was divided in half by a floor-to-ceiling curtain. One side of the curtain had the fitting platform, with mirrors on all sides; the other side of the curtain was the sitting room for the rest of us. There were plush chairs and couches, cocktails in chilled glasses, and the waterfall we could hear from the front room emerged from the wall, giving the room a lovely ambience.
There were already a number of dresses hanging on the fitting side of the room, and the employee helping us introduced herself as Olivia before going over the options she'd selected and why she thought they'd be a good fit.
"They're all so beautiful," Dynassy said. "I don't know where to start."
Olivia smiled patiently. "Well, a good place to start narrowing it down is fit. Your mother mentioned that you're expecting—congratulations. Are you looking to camouflage or accentuate that?"
Dynassy paused to consider. "It took a lot for us to get here, and this baby is kind of a miracle. I don't think I could ever feel right about trying to cover it up."
"Sounds good," Olivia said, eliminating a few options before considering what was left. "I think we should try this one." She pulled a dress off the wall, then gestured for Dynassy to follow.
While Dynassy was busy getting changed, the rest of us relaxed and had champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.
"This champagne is amazing," Ivy said, pouring herself another glass. "How did you find this place?"
I shrugged. "You know me. I have my ways."
A few minutes later, Olivia peeked through the curtain, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah!" Ivy called.
"Come show us," Chloe cheered.
Olivia slowly pulled the curtain back, revealing Dynassy on the fitting platform, an absolute angel in white silk.
The dress was simpler than I expected she'd pick, sleek and pristine. We were all struck speechless at once. Dynassy looked good in everything she wore, but seeing her in a wedding dress made the whole thing a lot more real.
"What do you think?" Ivy asked, the first of us to find her voice.
Dynassy's face was hard to read. She looked in the mirror, turning this way and that, smoothing her hands over the silhouette, then admiring how the fabric accentuated her baby bump.
"Is it crazy to pick the first one?" she asked, clearly hoping for some encouragement.
"No!" answered Ivy.
"It's not really the first one," Chloe added. "Just the first one here."
"You're very good at your job, Olivia," Dynassy said. "It's honestly perfect."
"You're more than welcome to try on others to be sure," Olivia offered.
"I don't need to," Dynassy insisted.
"Well, if you're not going to use the time... I saw a dress I'd really like to try on," Ivy chimed in. "If that wouldn't be stepping on your toes, I mean. I don't know when Russ and I are going to—"
"Of course," Dynassy cut her off with a chuckle. "Knock yourself out. I'm going to change so I can eat one of those strawberries without worrying about getting chocolate on the silk."
"Which dress did you want to try on?" Olivia asked. She and Ivy left the Garden Room to hunt it down.
It shouldn't have surprised me that Ivy and Russ were planning on getting married, but it did make me think about that call from him more seriously. He might be so adamant about me telling them because he didn't want to go into their marriage with secrets between them.
I could hardly hold that against him. And I didn't want my secret to ruin any more relationships.
Ivy was my last unmarried baby, though, and the realization that she wouldn't be for long, that they were all grown up, hit me hard. I drank a whole 'nother glass of champagne before Ivy and Olivia returned.
The dress Ivy had spotted was unlike any wedding dress I'd ever seen before. It was also about as far from her sister's dress as one could possibly get. Dynassy's was simple and sleek while Ivy's was a riot of texture and color. The skirt was tiers of tulle in an ombre of color, and the bodice was highly decorated with embroidery and embellishments.
It didn't scream 'wedding,' but it did scream 'IVY.'
"That's really cute," Chloe said first.
"Gives you a lot of options for hair color, though," Dynassy teased.
"Oooh, yeah. What do you think you'll go with?" Chloe asked.
"You'll just have to wait and see," Ivy said, twirling in the mirror.
"Who wants to try something on next?" Olivia asked helpfully. I wondered how much of a commission she got from these sales, but so far, she'd earned every bit of it, so I wasn't going to begrudge her for the hustle.
"I guess that'll be me," Chloe said, jumping up to her feet to follow Olivia.
"It's a shame Eden couldn't come," Dynassy said. "Then we could've all gotten new dresses together."
"What was her excuse?" Ivy asked.
"Some event with the twins. You know how involved she is. She's basically supermom. I don't know how she does it," Dynassy replied.
"This is the same girl who was a doctor by like twenty or something, wasn't she?" Ivy asked, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, true," Dynassy conceded, sighing. "I just hope I'm half as good at being a mom as she is."
I reached over to pat Dynassy on the arm. "Of course you will, honey. You'll be an amazing mother."
"Yeah, you'll be great," Ivy agreed. "Just be there for them instead of working all the time."
In an instant, my blood turned to ice, and my defenses went up. I knew that comment was directed at me, but I didn't want Ivy to see how deeply it had affected me.
"You two are lucky to have that luxury. If I hadn't worked so hard to ensure you have the careers you do, you wouldn't be free to stay home and raise babies."
Ivy rolled her eyes again, brushing me off. "Oh, chill out. You don't need to be so sensitive. Not everything is about you."
That was the final straw for me. I didn't want to break in front of them, especially not as Chloe and Olivia returned with a pile of dresses. Instead, I calmly excused myself, and I made it all the way to the bathroom before I let the tears start gathering.
It had been such a nice day. We'd been having such a good bonding experience. Why did Ivy have to start up with me? I thought we'd moved past that kind of petty drama, but maybe I would never be good enough in the eyes of my children. Maybe they would never understand all that I'd done for them. Never appreciate it.
I sniffled, trying to clean up my makeup when there was a knock on the door.
"Lucinda? Can I come in?" It was Chloe, her voice soft and sweet.
I sighed. If I was going to talk to any of them, it was going to be her. I unlocked the door, and before I could step aside for her to come in, Chloe gave me a hug.
"Are you okay? Dynassy told me what Ivy said."
A fresh wave of emotion welled up in my chest, and I fought to choke it down.
"I should have expected it. They've never understood... They've always thought I'm a terrible mother. A smother."
Chloe frowned. "I don't think that's true. They appreciate you."
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I'm not sure about that, Chloe. Ivy and Leo especially, they've always had it in their heads that I wanted them to be famous for my sake. Now it's gotten so bad that I don't even know if Leo's going to make it to his sister's wedding. Is Dynassy really going to forgive me if that's my fault?"
"Leo's choices aren't your fault," Chloe said. "Do you know how many times I've heard Eduardo tell someone they're not responsible for the actions of their loved one? Leo is a grown man. He's perfectly capable of handling his issues with you and being there for his siblings, but he's chosen to be selfish and make everyone pay the price for his anger."
I shook my head. "He has every right to be angry with me."
"But being angry with your family doesn't mean cutting them out of your life," she argued. "Maybe he'll start to understand more now that he's a father."
"Maybe," I said, but I didn't feel very hopeful. I'd forgotten how angry my kids could get with me sometimes. I'd forgotten how venomous they could be. Other than the issue with Leo, we'd all been playing nice for years, and Ivy's sudden turn had been a sucker punch.
The wedding was going to be an absolute minefield. Thankfully, Cole would be my date. It was the only hope I had. I was going to need his support; I always felt better with him by my side.
And if everything went to hell in a handbasket, at least I knew Cole was incredibly proficient with taking my mind off of my problems.
