Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 381

Abby

“Oh, Abby, you look…”

“I don’t know, guys,” I say, pursing my lips as I turn left and right in front of the tall mirror. “Something about the skirt is just throwing me off.”

Chloe and Leah tilt their heads in unison, both gazing at me from the plush little wedding gown shop couch. The sun streams in through the window, the light catching the beads on the ball gown I wore. It is a beautiful dress, but it just doesn’t feel right.

“You are kind of swimming in it,” Leah says thoughtfully.

“Maybe a ball gown isn’t really your style,” Chloe adds.

I nod and realize that they might be right. I like the look of ball gowns, but something about this one just feels too much like a costume to me. Picking up the skirt with a sigh, I step down from the pedestal and turn toward the sales attendant.

“I think I’d like to try another one,” I say for what feels like the millionth time today.

The attendant grins. “Try as many as you like,” she says warmly. “We’re here to help you find your perfect dress for your special day.”

With that, I follow the attendant into the fitting room, and a few minutes later, I step back out wearing a much more understated gown. I haven’t looked in the mirror yet, but this one feels more slim-fitting, made of a silky satin with no embellishments. It’s simple, but more… me.

“Wow,” my friends breathe in unison as I step back up onto the pedestal.

“You guys like it?” I grin, turning this way and that in the mirror. The fabric almost has the faintest shimmer to it, as though it’s somewhat iridescent. It actually reminds me of the dress I wore to the Alpha gathering—the night that everything had changed, for better or worse.

“Like it?” Chloe stands and comes over to me. “Abby, I love it.”

“So do I,” Leah chimes in, clapping her hands together excitedly. “What do you think, Abbs? Is this your dress?”

I pause for a moment, taking in my appearance in the mirror. The way the dress catches the light, the way it hugs my curves, the way the delicate straps show off my arms…

I can already imagine wearing it on our special day on the island.

Tears come to my eyes, and I nod vigorously. “This is my dress,” I whisper. “I want this one.”

My friends squeal with delight and run over to me. We hug tightly, and when we finally pull apart, I’m already dabbing at my wet eyes with a tissue. The attendant then slips out of the room to give us some space and get the sale started on the dress.

But then, still standing on the podium and admiring the dress, I see my friends’ reflections in the mirror and feel my heart sink just a little. I know what they’re going to ask before they even utter the words.

“Well?” Leah says softly. “Have you made a decision yet? About… You know…”

I swallow nervously. It has been two weeks since Karl and I returned from our vacation to his father’s island, and I don’t feel as though we’ve come any closer to making a decision.

In fact, it’s clear that we’ve both been actively trying to ignore the fact that a decision does need to be made; he’s been losing himself in his co-Alpha duties with his brother, and I’ve been losing myself in the restaurant.

“Oh, hey, what about lunch after this?” I ask, desperately trying to change the subject. “I was thinking we could stop at the Italian place on—”

“Abby.” Chloe places her hands on her hips and shoots me a warning glare in the mirror. “We’re not idiots. Don’t go thinking you can pull the wool over our eyes.”

“Yeah,” Leah adds. “Abby, the wedding is only a couple of months away, and you’ll be having the baby just a few months after that, too. You really need to make a decision before it’s too late.”

I feel myself blanch under their stern gazes. “It’s never too late,” I say with a nervous chuckle. “I mean, there’s no harm in waiting until after the wedding and after the baby comes, right?”

Chloe and Leah exchange glances. Chloe sighs. “You really want to move far away with a newborn?”

Her words make my wry smile fall. Dammit, I know that they’re both right; it’s not wise to save something like this for after the baby comes. There’s no knowing how long it will be before we’re able to safely move that far with an infant, and things tend to snowball with a new baby as well.

If we’re not careful, we’ll be signing our child up for daycare, then pre-school, then kindergarten in the blink of an eye and we still won’t be any closer to deciding to leave.

As I stand here, staring into the mirror, Leah walks up to me and puts her hand on my arm. “We can tell you haven’t been sleeping well, too,” she says softly. “Have you been staying up late worrying about it?”

I almost laugh out loud; my friends are always too astute for their own good.

“You got me,” I admit, looking at my dark circles and somewhat bloodshot eyes that are even more pronounced beneath the wedding dress shop lights; hardly the ideal look for a blushing bride-to-be. “I actually didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Chloe sighs. “So that’s why you were up texting me so early this morning.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“Excuse me, Miss Abby?” The sales attendant pokes her head in, bringing our conversation to a pause. “Could you sign here, please?” She enters, holding a clipboard.

I nod and turn quickly to sign off on the dress. But when I do, that’s when it happens; the room begins to spin, the sound of the soft music playing begins to fade, and my vision… begins to go black.

I don’t pass out completely. I’m still aware of what’s happening as my friends catch me, gasping, and move me over to the couch. But I’m pretty out of it, and it’s not until several minutes later, after being fanned and given water, that I start to regain my composure.

“Abby,” Leah says as she fans me with a brochure, “what happened?”

“I know what happened,” Chloe retorts. “She’s pregnant, she hasn’t been sleeping, and she worked a double at the restaurant yesterday.”

Leah clicks her tongue and glares at me. “Abby…”

“It’s true,” I mutter, struggling to sit up a little. “I guess I just got, uh, lightheaded.”

Chloe and Leah exchange another glance before looking back at me. “Abby, this should be a sign that you need to make a decision,” Leah says, gently but with a firm tone in her voice. “You can’t keep going on like this.”

“I won’t. I promise.” I swallow around the lump in my throat and manage to sit up a little more. After a few minutes of sitting and sipping some cold water, I start to feel a little more clear headed; but I know that my friends are right. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends because of my own inability to make a decision.

“Speaking of which,” Chloe says, gesturing toward the window, where a familiar black car has just pulled up. “Maybe now is your chance.”

I follow her gaze, and feel my heart pound. Karl has come to pick me up.