Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer [14]
Sure, Alice said easily. You can start braiding. I want it intricate. The veil goes here, underneath. Her hands started combing through my hair, hefting it, twisting it, illustrating in detail what she wanted. When she was done, Rosalies hands replaced hers, shaping my hair with a feather-light touch. Alice moved back to my face.
Once Rosalie received Alices commendation on my hair, she was sent off to retrieve my dress and then to locate Jasper, who had been dispatched to pick up my mother and her husband, Phil, from their hotel. Downstairs, I could faintly hear the door opening and closing over and over. Voices began to float up to us.
Alice made me stand so that she could ease the dress over my hair and makeup. My knees shook so badly as she fastened the long line of pearl buttons up my back that the satin quivered in little wavelets down to the floor.
Deep breaths, Bella, Alice said. And try to lower your heart rate. Youre going to sweat off your new face.
I gave her the best sarcastic expression I could manage. Ill get right on that.
I have to get dressed now. Can you hold yourself together for two minutes?
Um maybe?
She rolled her eyes and darted out the door.
I concentrated on my breathing, counting each movement of my lungs, and stared at the patterns that the bathroom light made on the shiny fabric of my skirt. I was afraid to look in the mirror-afraid the image of myself in the wedding dress would send me over the edge into a full-scale panic attack.
Alice was back before I had taken two hundred breaths, in a dress that flowed down her slender body like a silvery waterfall.
Alice-wow.
Its nothing. No one will be looking at me today. Not while youre in the room.
Har har.
Now, are you in control of yourself, or do I have to bring Jasper up here?
Theyre back? Is my mom here?
She just walked in the door. Shes on her way up.
Renée had flown in two days ago, and Id spent every minute I could with her-every minute that I could pry her away from Esme and the decorations, in other words. As far as I could tell, she was having more fun with this than a kid locked inside Disneyland overnight. In a way, I felt almost as cheated as Charlie. All that wasted terror over her reaction
Oh, Bella! she squealed now, gushing before she was all the way through the door. Oh, honey, youre so beautiful! Oh, Im going to cry! Alice, youre amazing! You and Esme should go into business as wedding planners. Where did you find this dress? Its gorgeous! So graceful, so elegant. Bella, you look like you just stepped out of an Austen movie. My mothers voice sounded a little distance away, and everything in the room was slightly blurry. Such a creative idea, designing the theme around Bellas ring. So romantic! To think its been in Edwards family since the eighteen hundreds!
Alice and I exchanged a brief conspiratorial look. My mom was off on the dress style by more than a hundred years. The wedding wasnt actually centered around the ring, but around Edward himself.
There was a loud, gruff throat-clearing in the doorway.
Renée, Esme said its time you got settled down there, Charlie said.
Well, Charlie, dont you look dashing! Renée said in a tone that was almost shocked. That might have explained the crustiness of Charlies answer.
Alice got to me.
Is it really time already? Renée said to herself, sounding almost as nervous as I felt. This has all gone so fast. I feel dizzy.
That made two of us.
Give me a hug before I go down, Renée insisted. Carefully now, dont tear anything.
My mother squeezed me gently around the waist, then wheeled for the door, only to complete the spin and face me again.
Oh goodness, I almost forgot! Charlie, wheres the box?
My dad rummaged in his pockets for a minute and then produced a small white box, which he handed to Renée. Renée lifted the lid and held it out to me.
Something blue, she said.
Something old, too. They were your Grandma Swans, Charlie added. We had a jeweler