She grins. “Good. Go shower so I have enough time to do your hair and makeup.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I linger under the hot spray longer than I should, and the bathroom is full of steam when I step out and wrap myself in a fluffy towel. I return to the bedroom, and the rest of the women have arrived. Savvy is busy doing Patti’s hair while Becs, Marlene, and Kerri do their own.
Hoping they don’t spot me, I cross to the closet where my dress is hanging from a hook over the door, still in the garment bag.
“Don’t even think about it,” Savvy snaps, and I groan.
“Oh, c’mon,” I cry. “It’s my fucking wedding dress. It’s crap that I can’t see it.”
“It’s not crap,” Kerri says with a grin. “It’s sweet. Lyric wants it to be a surprise.”
“I’m going to tell Pilot to do the same to you, and then you tell me how sweet it is,” I grumble.
“Quit your bitchin’,” Lulu teases. “If you can trust Lyric with your life, you can trust him with a dress.”
“Have you seen his wardrobe?” I counter. “Denim and leather. That’s all the man knows.”
Star throws her head back and laughs, and I am reminded of how lucky I am. I have friends and family who stood by me through the worst moments of my life. Even when I had no clue who they were, their love and loyalty never wavered.
“There’s a silk set of PJs over there on the bed,” Savvy says, changing the subject. “Lyric wanted you to be pampered and comfortable until it’s time to put the dress on.”
“And when will that be?”
“The ceremony begins in two hours,” Marlene reminds me. “Pastor wants us to have you out on the runway five minutes beforehand. You do the math.”
Themathleads me to one hour and thirty minutes. Finally,fucking finally, I’m allowed to slide the zipper of the garment bag down. My eyes land on the gown, and I gasp.
“This is…” My hand flies to my mouth as I fight back tears.
“It’s the same one you originally had,” Savvy confirms. “In fact, it’s the exact dress.”
I whip my head around to face her. “What? How? That dress was cut off of me.”
“Lyric was a man on a mission,” Lulu says. “He found a seamstress who was able to fix the damage, and between bleach and white dye, the majority of the blood is gone.”
“The majority?”
Marlene walks toward me and lifts the dress off the hook. After taking it out of the garment bag, she flips it around to show me a small red stain that will be hidden by the bodice’s satin trim.
“It’s Rowdy’s blood,” she explains, tearing up. “Lyric knew you’d want a piece of him with you today.”
Some people might think it’s gross or macabre, but to me, it’s perfect.
“He thought of everything,” I whisper, blinking back tears so I don’t ruin my makeup.
“He really did.”
The girls help me put the dress on and lead me outside to the runway. Zombie is standing next to the asphalt strip about a hundred feet from the arch Lyric, and I will be married under.
“You ready to do this?” he asks, bending his elbow so I can thread my arm through.
“I’ve been ready since the seventh grade,” I reply honestly. “I do have a confession to make, though.”
“Dammit, no,” he groans. “No last-minute confessions, no drama, no nothing but me walking you down the aisle to Lyric.”
I laugh at him. “It’s nothing like that.”
