Arizona Pastor by Jennifer Collins Johnson Page B

Kristy, and from her mom before her.
    â€œWhat do you think, Mom?”
    Kristy’s heart flipped because Mel had asked her opinion. “I saw a few dresses in the catalog that had waves or ruffles of fabric below the waistline. They were very pretty.”
    Mel and Leah both frowned. The sales associate rushed to Kristy’s side. “I know exactly what you’re talking about.” She turned to Mel and Leah. “Won’t hurt to try on one or two.” She looked back at Kristy. “What’s our price range?”
    â€œAround seven thousand,” Leah piped up.
    Kristy coughed, and the petite associate’s lips spread into a wide smile as she hustled off to pick out some gowns.
    â€œThat’s too much,” said Mel.
    Leah shook her head. “My mother wants to pay for it, and that’s the price she said.”
    Mel looked at Kristy, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Kristy shrugged and tried to look excited for her daughter. Mel still hadn’t shared the news of her marriage and pregnancy with Kristy’s parents or either of her aunts, but in the meantime, Leah’s family had taken over the wedding.
    Frustration mingled with anger within Kristy. Tim and Leah and their families had been physical and emotional bystanders in Mel’s life. Kristy had been the one helping Mel study her spelling words, nursing her through childhood illnesses, comforting her when things had gone wrong.
    Financially, though, Tim and Leah had always had the upper hand. The best birthday and Christmas gifts. Newclothes and electronics. Now they were taking over one of the most important moments in her daughter’s life. She should be the only mom helping Mel pick out her wedding gown. She shook the thought away. No. That wasn’t the only problem. They were spending thousands of dollars on Mel’s wedding when she shouldn’t be getting married in the first place. They should be at a department store picking out dorm sheets and closet cubbies.
    The sales associate returned, loaded down with dresses. “I’ve got a few to start with.” She shooed Mel into the fitting room.
    Leah sat beside Kristy. The tension between them was thick, and Kristy knew she should say something to Mel’s stepmother, but she couldn’t get herself to do it. Her dreams for her daughter had been shattered. Even all she’d expected, whenever she’d pictured becoming a mother of the bride several years in the future, had been taken away. Mel poured over bridal magazines with Leah. They discussed colors and flowers and arrangements like friends. In contrast, every time Kristy opened her mouth, she and Mel ended up in a fight. The fault might not lie with Leah personally, but Kristy couldn’t help the jealousy that wrapped around her when the petite blonde stepmom was near.
    Mel stepped out of the fitting room wearing a strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline. A thick satin sash was tied in a large bow at her right hip. Lacy waves of material cascaded from the bow to the floor. She looked amazing, and the gown would be perfect for a growing belly.
    Kristy pressed her hand against her chest, and tears swelled in her eyes. “Mel, you look so beautiful.”
    Mel rolled her eyes. “I don’t like this at all.” She flipped the lace below the waistline. “I feel like Big Bird from Sesame Street.”
    Leah crinkled her nose. “It is a bit much. I think we should go with the original idea of a long straight gown.”
    Kristy nodded and blinked back tears that threatened to spill for an entirely different reason. “Let’s see the next dress.”
    For the first time in Mel’s life, Kristy was the bystander. For eighteen years, she’d placed all her hopes and dreams, every ounce of her physical and emotional being into her daughter. She’d been a fool. She could see that now. Mel wasn’t able to be all Kristy wanted. She was her own