Chapter 2: Wedding Planning

Chapter 2

Cassie POV:

            Megan’s wedding was ultimately scheduled for the third week in June.  This was about a month after my college graduation, so the timing worked out fine for me.

            As soon as Megan left the coffee shop, it occurred to me that the plan to get married would only work if Megan’s mate wanted to get married.  I went home feeling worried and guilty, afraid that Megan would be devastated if her mate didn’t like the plan.  Thankfully, that apparently wasn’t an issue.  I’ve now met her mate, Mike, a few times and he seems just as happy and in love as Megan is.

            According to Megan, my parents were not surprised when Megan and Mike announced that they wanted to get married fast.  They had apparently winked at each other and commented that “Virgins are always eager to seal the deal with their mates.” 

            If only they knew.

            Anyhow, planning a wedding in 6 weeks was not without chaos.  My life quickly turned into an endless cycle of studying, sleeping, wedding planning, studying, and more wedding planning.  Thankfully, there was so much to do that my mother often had to take on tasks separate from what Megan and I were working on, which allowed me to limit unnecessary contact with my mother.

            I started to think I was going to get out of this wedding hell mostly unscathed.  Once Megan was married, I would be able to get back to normal life in the human world.

            And then, Megan approached me with the most insane proposal she has ever made.

            “Cassie, I need you to go try on wedding dresses with Mom this afternoon.”

            She made that demand just as I was drinking a glass of strawberry lemonade, which I promptly spit out all over my white t-shirt.  “What?”

            “I said, I need you to go try on wedding dresses with Mom.”

            “I’m not the one getting married, Megan.  Why on earth would I try on wedding dresses?  Much less with our mother?  Are you trying to torture me?  Cause me to have a heart attack and die?  Rub in my face that I will never meet my mate and get married?  Seriously, Megan.  What on earth are you thinking.”

            “The appointment at the wedding dress boutique conflicts with the appointment at the cake shop.  I can’t be at both places at once.”

            “Great.  I’ll do the cake shop; you go to the boutique.”

            “Mike wants to spend time with me today.  I can’t let him see me in my wedding dress. It’s bad luck.”

            “Spend time with Mike before and after the appointment.  Surely, it won’t take you more than 30 minutes to pick a wedding dress.”

            Megan rolled her eyes.  “There is no way I any woman can pick a wedding dress in 30 minutes.”

            “I could.”

            “I’m not you.”

            “Exactly, Megan.  That’s why I have no business going to a wedding dress store on your behalf.  You need to pick your own dress.”

            “I don’t want you to pick my dress, Cassie.  I just want you to go and take pictures of you wearing the dresses.  Then I will pick my dress from the pictures.”

            “Megan, are you insane?  Has the pregnancy gotten to your head?”

            “Cassie, please.  I need you to do this for me.  Please do this.  I will do anything.”

            “Megan, what is this really about?”

            Megan sighed and looked down in shame.  “I popped.”

            “Popped what?  Gum?  Popcorn?  What are you talking about?”

            “My stomach, you moron.  My stomach popped.  Mom and I were going through wedding dress magazines and she kept pointing out all these form fitting dresses.  I told her that I had my heart set on a ballgown, but she told me that she at least wants to see me in a couple of form fitting dresses.  If I try on a form fitting wedding dress in front of her, she may notice my stomach and then all this chaos will be for nothing.”

            I sighed.  “Megan, there are so many problems with what you are saying, not the least of which is that Mom wants to see YOU in a form fitting dress.  Not me.  You.  She will never accept me as your replacement.”

            Megan smirked.  “Actually, I already talked to Mom.  She agreed that it is important for me to spend time with my mate, and because you and I have similar body types and features, she thinks it is a great idea.”

            Realization hit me like a speeding train.  “So what you mean is that Mom sees this as an opportunity to make me wear whatever dresses she wants to wear.  And as quite likely the only time she will ever see me in a wedding dress.”

            “Pretty much.” 

            I glared at Megan.

            “Look, I know I’m asking a lot, Cassie.  I know Mom has an agenda.  I also know that you left for a reason.  But trying on a few dresses isn’t going to kill you.  And it gets me out of a world of problems.  Please, I’m begging you.  Do this for me.”

            I continued to silently glare at my sister, but she knew and I knew that I was going to do this favor for her.

            Neither of us knew, however, that doing her this favor was going to forever change my life.

            Karma.