A Stranger's Jacket: Part 32
Evan "Buck" Buckley x plus size! reader
Word Count: 1.6k
Warnings: fluff, body image talks
Author's Notes: Holy shit balls, I am hoping this inspires me to be back to writing again! These last few months have been exhausting, go through a breakup, starting a new job. Here is a long awaited update!
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By the time the holidays had come around, you were mostly recovered from your wrist injury. It had been about 8 weeks, and with strict adherence to your PT and limitations, you were back to most of your daily functions. You were able to cook, clean, and best of all, you were back to work with a brace.
Buck had made it known to Maddie and everyone else at work that you were to ice your wrist every hour and take your pain meds on time. And by god, everyone had done a great job at making sure you followed the schedule.
By mid-November, you were down to one PT session a week. The pain was minimal and you still had some weakness when it came to lifting heavy objects.
You and Buck were beyond excited when you had volunteered to host Thanksgiving at your new home. Thankfully neither you or Buck had to cook the turkey or the ham. Bobby had taken initiative, coming over in the morning to put the turkey in the roaster. And although he didn’t plan on it, Bobby also set up the smaller ham for you in the roaster that you already had. He was a pro at fulfilling his fatherly duties.
You had a total of 17 people coming over, which meant that you had to set up an extra table in the living room. Unlike other family gatherings you had been to, it didn’t feel like you had to dedicate tables to the adults or the kids. Everyone had found their own seating, creating a perfect mix of adults and kids- although the kids all stuck together at the table with you and Carla.
Michael offered to sit at the kids table, but you were insistent that he sit with the 118 family. Buck had protested secretly in the kitchen, not wanting to be away from you. You had leaned up on your tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek with the promise that you would be fine and next year, you’d get an extra leaf so 12 people could sit at the table instead of 10. It helped get him into the seat, but it didn’t stop him from sneaking glances over at you, worried that you had felt left out.
You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t felt like you were missing out at first. But then you got to talking to the kids, and made plans with May to go Christmas shopping at the mall in a few weeks. You had invited Carla but she was going to be out of town soon to be with her family for the holidays.
The feast was huge. Everyone had brought a dish. With Chim bringing Korean BBQ meatballs as a nod to his heritage, there were three proteins and plenty of carb filled side s, ranging from Athena’s famous baked mac and cheese to the Pan de Elote from Eddie and Chris. Buck and Maddie had gone all out, splitting the duty of providing pies and making yeast and potato dinner rolls. You had balanced out the casseroles and stuffing, making two salads as a lighter option and your grandmother’s homemade cranberry sauce.
Furthermore, you somehow (you and Buck caved easily) got swindled into having the kids over for a big sleepover. It turned into Buck making large bowls of popcorn as you settled in to watch Free Birds as you and May led the effort to make the living room a large blanket fort.
You wanted to go to your bed, but you were sandwiched between Buck and Denny. You had no choice but to drift asleep, which was worth every ache you had in the morning. Besides, Buck had kissed it all better after his famous pancakes were served and kids were sent home.
***
Two weeks after Thanksgiving, it had just so happened that all of the woman’s schedules had lined up, so May and Karen had created the plan to go dress shopping.
The moment that you stepped into the bridal shop, you felt all the apprehension and anxiety rooted in the idea of trying on wedding dresses melt away. Everywhere you looked you saw white, lace, and shimmer.
“Hello beautiful people! My name is Lottie. How can I help you?” An older lady, around 5’4, radiates with joy as she walks around to the front of the desk. Her short, graying hair is pinned in the back by a long bow.
“We have an appointment under the last name Buckley. We’re here to shop for the bride.” Athena points to you.
“She’s shy.” Maddie adds, stepping towards you to wrap her arm around your shoulders. “I’m her future sister in-law.”
“Okay! Well, we’ll have no problem bringing you out of your shell and making you feel extra beautiful. But first, let’s go sit down so we can get to know each other a bit more.”
The small crowd of you makes the way through the bridal shop to a back room. Lottie gets everyone’s name, introducing herself and giving a little background on her experience at the shop and the history of the shop itself.
As she opens the door, a table with chairs sits in the center, and extra chairs are lined against the wall.
“Take a seat everyone. There’s plenty of room.” She grabs a notebook and pen from the small counter in the corner before strolling over to the table. “Sweetheart, tell me, how’d you meet your fiance?”
You freeze for a moment, mind scrambling to come up with a reasonable story that matches the truth but omits the fact that you were in a school shooting. You did not want to see looks of sympathy on your dress shopping day.
“I was at school. He responded to a call-he’s a firefighter.” You take a deep breath, folding your fingers under the table in your lap. “We just hit it off really well. By the 2nd week of knowing him, I was living with him. He was in an accident and wanted to stay with me, not his sister who was way more qualified to take care of him as someone who was a nurse.”
“He loves to run into things, heart first.” Athena reaches over, rubbing your shoulder. “He did good this time, though. Buck’s a good kid.”
“Love at first sight.” She flashes a smile, writing a few notes down. “And how long will you have been together?”
“We’ve been together for a year. It’ll be around a year and a half when we get married.”
“Where are you going to get married?”
“Somewhere outside. We both love nature. Just unsure about the actual location.”
“That’s okay, you have some time! I’m just trying to get a feel of what type of gown we are going for.” She sets the pen down, reaching over the table. You untuck your hands from your lap, holding onto her fingers. They’re cold, soft, and a bit boney. But her comforting smile is reassuring. “This seems like a story out of a fairytale. Very dreamy and romantic.
“So what style dress are we thinking? I’ll put you in a variety, but I want to know what you are envisioning on your day.”
“I am okay with a smaller ball gown or a-line. I want to feel like a princess while being functional. And I’m okay with a corset, lace, sparkle, gemstones. Something that isn’t too heavy, too. Maybe some off the shoulder sleeves? I’m okay with sleeveless or straps, too.”
Lottie jots the notes down in a bulleted list before looking up, setting her pen down before clasping her hands together.
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years now, and I have two dresses in mind that I think you’re going to love. You want something romantic and sparkly. Something a little flashy without being too much. I’ll put you in some softer ball gowns and structured a-lines. How do we feel about a short train?”
“I’m okay with it.”
“Good! Let’s get you into some dresses then, shall we? I’ll go pick out the ones that I think you’ll like and I want you to go with your party to find dresses you want to try. Sound like a plan?”
You nod, giddiness rising in your chest. This is real, this is happening. Your fears and anxieties about trying on dresses dissipates as you walk out of the room, guided to the room with dresses in your size.
There were plenty of dresses, and you were genuinely grateful that Maddie, Athena, and May had chosen a shop that celebrated all body types- no pity or fuss, just beauty.
For the first time in a long time, you didn’t have to shrink to fit into a dress. Every homecoming and prom had been a nightmare, ending in tears when the dress you wanted didn’t fit.
As you run your hand across the lace and sparkled corset on a tulle ball gown, you grin.
You were one step closer- it was really happening.
This was going to be your dress, your moment. You didn’t have to settle for whatever was in the store. What you liked, you would get.
But it didn’t matter what you got. Not really. Buck would still be in awe, in tears as you walked down the aisle in a simple sundress.
It was a great feeling- after years of doubting your body and worth, this was proof that you were enough, just as you are.
And soon, you just knew that Buck would be crying when he saw you walking down the aisle in white.
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