Denham finishes tying his bow tie as he comes to stand next to me with a frown, looking us up and down in the reflection of the mirror.
“It’s not right,” he grumbles.
“What?” My heart sinks.
“There’s something missing.”
He reaches into his inside pocket, pulls something out with his hand and moves behind me. He reaches around my neck and fastens a dainty chain. There’s a pendant attached. A diamond encrusted circle with a heart shaped diamond suspended from the center. The length of the chain allows it to sit just below the hollow of my throat. It’s stunning.
“It’s an eternity necklace,” Denham says quietly. “Wherever you are. Whatever happens. I want you to have this to remember tonight.”
Several things flash through my mind. What’s going to happen? Does he know something I don’t? His words couldn’t be more poignant if he tried.
“Don’t overthink, Stunner.” He brushes his knuckle down my cheek and holds my gaze in the mirror in front of us “You’vemade me aware that before I met you, I was just existing. But you made me feel. You made me realize that every day counts. You never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. And, like you said if we have fifty days or fifty years, we need to make every one of them count. This is just me making today count.”
I feel tears prick the backs of my eyes. He’s right. So right.
“Nuh uh.” He shakes his head gently. “No crying, you’ll ruin your make-up. Besides, there’s a selfish reason behind it…”
I tilt my head at him curiously and he leans in to whisper in my ear, “Later, I get to unwrap you out of this dress and see you in heels and diamonds.”
His breath sends tingles across my skin, and I feel him smile against my cheek as he pulls away.
“Now, let’s get your sexy ass downstairs or your best friend will be hammering on the door.”
***
The minute Lottie sees me exit the elevator, she runs across the foyer squealing. How she can run on a marble floor in heels is beyond me, but she does it.
“Ari, you look fucking amazing! Good job you didn’t have to wear that piece of shit I made you buy the other day, huh?”
“Lottie!”
“What? We both know that black number wasn’t a patch on this baby. And Rocara too. Lucky bitch.”
“Babe,” Spike says softly from behind her. “You could’a had any dress you wanted, all you had to do was choose one.”
“I know,” she says, looping her hand around his waist and snuggling under his arm. “I chose this one.”
“So stubborn,” Spike mumbles, and I shake my head at her. She really is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. I admireher independence, but even I can see that she’s missing out by being so tough.
“The limo is waiting,” Denham says. He takes my hand and we walk out of the foyer, being followed by everyone’s eyes. A lot of the people there are visitors and have no idea about the Grand Summertime Ball, so we look overdressed compared to most.
“I thought you said the next time we were in a limo, we would be alone?” I whisper to Denham as we set off to the venue.
He snaps his head toward me with a comical look on his face. “Don’t even think about it, Stunner. It was bad enough last time, but now…ah damn. Shoulda left them to get their own ride,” he mumbles, trailing off as he turns his focus out of the window. He squeezes my hand, which is joined with his, and resting in my lap.
“How long will it take to get there?” I ask.
“Long enough for you to drink this and possibly one more,” Lottie replies, handing me a glass of champagne. “I want to propose a toast,” she announces, passing a glass to Denham too. “To the first summertime ball with my best friend. May we get drunk and dance on the tables.”
We all clink glasses, and Denham and Spike look at each other, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. There is no way that Lottie will get me dancing on any tables, no matter how drunk I get. And besides, I won’t be getting too drunk, because I’m looking forward to what’s to come when we get home as much as I am the rest of the evening.
The limo travels just out of town, and after one and a half glasses of champagne, we reach a gated drive. I’m amazed at Lottie’s ability to measure distance in glasses of champagne, and she’s right, by the time we pull up, we will have managed two of them.
I gasp as the limo sweeps around the corner, and the venue for the evening comes into view.
It’s a castle. A beautiful castle, decorated with fairy lights and it feels magical. It doesn’t seem like we are in Las Vegas any longer and I never even knew this place existed.
