It doesn’t matter if I forget my vows.
By the end of today, I’ll be Colt’s wife.
And that’s all that matters.
“I’m okay. Just had a little panic moment, but I’m fine now,” I tell them, shaking it off with a forced smile. “I’m marrying the love of my life, and nothing’s going to ruin that.”
“Exactly!” Sia jumps in, stepping forward. “Now let’s get you into this masterpiece before you start spiraling again.”
She grabs the hidden zipper on the back of the gown while I shrug off my robe, revealing the lingerie I picked out for tonight.
Cue the predictable chaos.
The girls giggle, and Joseph lets out an obnoxious wolf whistle.
“Wow, Dee. If I were straight, I’d have a hard-on right now,” Joseph blurts.
“You’re a dick,” I reply, deadpan.
He grins and holds out his hand gallantly. “And yet, here I am, helping you into your dress. You’re welcome.”
With practiced ease, I step one foot, then the other, into the layers of silk and lace. Anna and Sia lift carefully and ease it over my shoulders, zipping and adjusting, while Sia fits all the lace into the right places.
And then I look down.
And for a moment, I can’t breathe.
The nerves dissolve in a wave of warmth that makes my chest swell and my eyes sting. I’m not just wearing a dress. I’m wearing every fight Colt and I pushed through. Every sacrifice. Every kiss. Every “I love you” whispered in the dark.
I want to cry, but Kira steps in fast. “Don’t even think about it. I spent an hour on that face, and if you cry it off, I swear to God…”
I laugh and walk over to the mirror.
Joseph lets out a dramatic sigh behind me. “Dee, you’re not a princess anymore. You’re a damn goddess.”
And for once, I believe it.
My hair is soft but structured, with little wisps framing my face just right. My makeup enhances without hiding. I look…ethereal. Like I’m walking into a fairytale written just for me.
My heart skips when I picture Colt waiting for me in his tux. I haven’t seen the style he picked, but I know whatever he chose, he’ll look dangerous and divine. And I know he’s going to lose his mind when he sees me in this dress.
Mum walks in and immediately bursts into tears.
“Mum, no,” I say, half-laughing, half-pleading. “You’ll make me cry!”
She hurries over, hugging me tightly, her voice thick with emotion. “Oh, Deliah, sweetheart, you look simply stunning.” She pulls back and hands me a small box, eyes glistening. “It’s from Colter. He told me to give it to you while you were getting ready. Said it’s your ‘something blue.’”
A quiet gasp moves through the room as I sit on the edge of the bed and lift the lid. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, are a white and blue lace garter, a delicate hairpin with sapphire stones, and a pair of earrings that make my breath catch.
The earrings are elegant, understated, and slightly tinted in a purplish-blue hue, perfectly in line with the wedding’s color palette. The hairpin is even more special. Intricately detailed, it sparkles with soft blue gems, and in the tiniest stones at its center are the initials D & C.
My throat tightens instantly.
He had it made.
He thought about this.
Every piece, every color, every detail.
