I lost my mom four years ago.
It was the kind of loss that cracked something inside me, a grief so deep it didn’t fade. Instead, it settled into my bones like an ache I’d carry forever.
We were incredibly close, and before she passed, she made me promise her one thing.
“I want you to wear my dress on your wedding day, Chloe,” she had said, her frail hand squeezing mine. “Whether it’s for the ceremony or the reception… just promise me, baby. It will be like having me there with you.”
I intended to keep that promise. The dress had been tucked safely away in my closet ever since, waiting for the right moment.
And then came Madison.
Madison, my brother Jake’s fiancée, had been in our lives for a little over a year now. She was… difficult, to say the least. She spoke in demands and dramatic sighs rather than requests and smiles. She believed generosity was an obligation rather than a gift.
But Jake was happy, and that was what mattered, right? So I swallowed my opinions and played the role of the supportive sister.
Which is exactly why, three months before their wedding, I invited them both to a cozy coffee shop.
I should have known Madison would find a way to ruin it.
We had just settled into our seats and placed our orders when I slid an envelope across the table. Jake reached for it first, but before he could open it, Madison snatched it out of his hands.
She peeked inside, her manicured nails tapping the table as she pulled out the check.
Ten thousand dollars.
I wanted to help. I wanted Jake to have the perfect wedding. I wanted to mend the bridge between us that had crumbled after our mom passed.
“I know weddings can be expensive,” I said with a smile. “I want you two to have a beautiful day, and I hope this helps.”
Jake’s eyes widened. “Wow! Chloe! This is… incredible. Thank you, Sis.”
Madison, on the other hand? She barely looked impressed. She set the check down like it was nothing.
“Well, I guess that’s a good start,” she said breezily. “It’ll help, but we still have so many expenses. Our day is going to be the most beautiful wedding anyone has ever seen.”
Good start? Seriously?
Before I could respond, she leaned in, her tone far too casual.
“Actually, Jake and I talked about something important. We’ve decided I’ll be wearing your mom’s wedding dress for my ceremony. I’ll send you the address for delivery. I need it to go to my dressmaker for alterations.”
I felt the words like a slap across my face.
We’ve decided?
“Excuse me?” I said, forcing the words out.
Madison rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Chloe. It’s just sitting in your closet collecting dust. And who knows if you’ll ever even need it? Don’t fight us; this is just as important to Jake as it is to me.”
I froze.
Jake had told her about the dress. About my mom’s final wish. And somehow, they decided to make it about them.
“Madison, my mom wanted me to wear that dress. It was her last wish. I’m not going to fight you because this isn’t up for discussion.”
Madison scoffed. The waitress arrived with our coffee orders.
“I’ll be right back with the slices of cake,” she said, beaming.
Madison turned back to me, her voice sickly sweet. “Chloe, your mom’s not here anymore, is she?”
I saw red. I wanted to throw my scalding coffee at her. I wanted to overturn my chair. I wanted to scream.
“Come on, no need for a tantrum, Chloe,” Madison said, stirring sugar into her coffee.
Jake said nothing. He just stared at his coffee like he wished it would swallow him whole.
Before I could respond, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Excuse me, can I steal you for a second, love?”
It was Mark, the coffee shop manager.
And my boyfriend.
Mark and I had been together for two years. Jake had met him once, but judging from his expression, he probably didn’t remember.
Mark gently took my hand and led me just far enough away that Jake and Madison couldn’t hear.
“I heard everything, Chloe. And I can’t stand back anymore.”
“Mark? What are you talking about? If it was about my reaction—”
“Baby, breathe,” he said. “Give me a second.”
Before I knew it, Mark disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later, he returned, holding a bouquet of roses.
“I was saving this for dinner tonight, but now seems like just as good a time,” he said, smiling.
And then, right there in the middle of the coffee shop, he got down on one knee with a velvet box in his hand.
“Mark!” I exclaimed.
His eyes met mine, steady and full of warmth. “I love you, Chloe. Marry me.”
Silence fell over the coffee shop. And then there was applause. Loud and thunderous applause from Mark’s staff.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The dress? The money? Madison’s entitlement?
None of it mattered anymore.
“Yes,” I whispered. “A thousand times yes, Mark.”
Mark slipped the ring onto my finger, and the entire coffee shop erupted into applause.
Madison’s face twisted in pure rage.
“Are you freaking serious?!” she shrieked. “You’re stealing my wedding?!”
“Now there’ll be two weddings on that day! How your mom would have loved to see her kids get married on the same day,” Mark said, grinning.
“No! No way! This is supposed to be my moment!” Madison gasped.
“Well, I guess you’ll just have to learn how to share, sis,” I said.
Jake groaned, rubbing his face. “Madison, let it go. It’s her life.”
She stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving Jake sitting there, awkwardly looking at me and Mark.
After a long silence, he sighed. “I think I need to rethink some things.”
Later that night, as I sat in my room, I unzipped the garment bag, letting the soft ivory fabric spill over my lap. I traced the delicate embroidery along the bodice, my chest tightening.
“Mom, you’d have lost your mind today. But it’s safe now. Madison will never touch your dress.”
A lump rose in my throat. “I wish you were here.”
A knock at my door startled me. Jake stepped inside, holding a plate.
“I brought ginger cake.”
Our mom’s favorite.
He sat beside me, placing the plate between us. After a long silence, he sighed. “She crossed a line, didn’t she?”
“Jake, she bulldozed through the line.”
His lips pressed together. “I don’t know why I froze.”
“You don’t have to have the answers right now, Jake. But don’t ignore it.”
He nodded.
We sat in silence, sharing ginger cake, just like we had when we were kids.
And for the first time in years, I felt like we were just Chloe and Jake again.
And that was enough.
