“Which side won the argument?” she asks.
“My heart, of course. My brain thinks I need medical attention.”
Rebekah nods, her glorious red hair hanging around her shoulders. Last time I saw her, she wore it in a braid, but it looks lovely like this. She’s in a dress, too. I guess Asher wasn’t kidding when he said everyone knew but me.
“If you’re sure, then we need to get moving. You know how these guys are. Once they decide on something, they make it happen.”
She’s not wrong. I didn’t even know you could get engaged and married on the same day. Not that I’d ever needed to worry about it before, either.
“I’m sure. Mostly. But yeah, I don’t want him storming in here when I’m in the middle of getting ready.”
She giggles. “At least you know who you’re marrying.”
“I don’t mind when he’s a grump-meister. Call me crazy, but I like it when he gets all demanding.”
“You too, huh? I thought it might be me. I’ll have to tell you more about Adam and me one of these days.”
“I can’t wait to hear it. He seems so sweet.”
“He is, all of them are compared to Asher, though. I’ve known them all a long time, and they each have very distinct personalities.”
Rebekah hangs the dress bag over the back of the bathroom door and puts the shoes on the floor.
“Did Asher really buy all of this?”
“Yup. Everything arrived a couple of days ago, but Adam wouldn’t tell me what any of it was. I peeked when he was hanging out with his brothers, and then he had to tell me. I’m pretty sure the brothers were taking bets on whether you’d say yes or if Asher would just demand you marry him.”
I snort, and we burst out laughing. One day, I’ll share his proposal, but not today, or I’ll start crying. I just finished applying my mascara, I don’t want to cry and look like a raccoon. Since I rarely wear makeup, I don’t want to reapply it. I’ll end up looking like a clown.
“I don’t know what to do with my hair,” I moan as I stare in the mirror again.
“I’m not an expert on hair, but I think for today it would be best down. There’s an ivy crown-type of thing in the bag with the dress. Fancy underwear, too.”
“Really?” Unzipping the garment bag, I’m shocked. Rebekah wasn’t kidding. There’s a corset, a thong, stockings, and a garter in a bag hanging in front of a long white dress. At the bottom of the bag, there’s a thin box.
When I open the lid, my breath catches. It’s so much more than just an ivy wreath. Shiny stones glitter on some of the ivy leaves. Magical—like a fairy dusted it in sparkles.
Shy about dressing in front of Rebekah, I bring the underwear into the bathroom with me. As I slide the stockings up my legs and attach them to the garter, I pray I don’t put my finger through them. These have to be expensive. They feel like spun silk, and are so much fancier than I’ve ever worn. That Asher got all the sizes right shouldn’t surprise me. How did I get so lucky?
As I step out of the bathroom, looking like something out of a lingerie ad, Asher bangs on the door. “Hurry up in there. We need to be at the courthouse in forty minutes. Trust me, Raindrop, I’ll carry you inside naked if I have to.”
Rebekah’s jaw drops, but I just giggle. That’s my grumpy Ashbear.
“I’m almost ready. Another five minutes tops.”
“Five minutes, then I’m coming in to carry you out anyway. Just because you have fancy shoes doesn’t mean I’m letting you walk in them.”
I’m holding my hand over my mouth to hide my giggles. Rebekah and I roll our eyes. It’s a good thing he doesn’t have X-ray vision. With my luck, my first spanking will be on my wedding night.
“I’m glad I’m not the one marrying him,” she whispers when we hear his feet move away from the door.
“Can you help me with the dress? I don’t want to trip stepping into it. My ankle isn’t strong enough to put weight on yet. And these buttons…”
“Of course.”
As I pull it out of the garment bag to see it for the first time in the light, my eyes well up with tears. It’s stunning. The floor-length dress is a creamy white, but what makes it truly one of a kind are the leaves on the bodice, created with green beads. It’s so me. Even the shoes match—white with green beading. How did he pull this off in just a few days?
Rebekah steps back to look after she does up the buttons in the back, then hands me the ivy wreath. “You look so beautiful, Emma. Like a fairy princess. Asher outdid himself. Maybe he’s not so bad, after all.”
