Ren:
That bastard.
I turn back to Carolina who’s still standing next to the vanity. “Why wouldn’t he just tell me we had to go?”
“Because it was supposed to be a surprise,” Carolina explains patiently, motioning to the empty chair in front of the mirror. “And he wanted to make sure you had help getting ready hence us being here to badger you.”
I walk over and then scowl at my reflection as I cross my arms over my ever-expanding chest. “I’m not going.”
Issa appears in the mirror, her glare directed right at me. “After all this, you most certainly will be going.”
“Or what?”
Issa purses her lips, her arms crossing over her chest the same as mine. “Or you’ll hurt Ren’s feelings, that’s what.”
Shit.
“That’s not fair,” I cry with a stomp of my foot.
“Welcome to marriage,” Carolina retorts. “Everyone thinks the women are the sensitive ones but turns out that’s not the case at all.”
Sighing, I plop down in the chair like the lump I feel like, then stick my tongue out at my reflection. The girls are standing around me, obviously waiting for the green light to do whatever it is they’ve been planning. Sighing, I mutter, “Well get on with it then.”
Several hours later,I’m walking down the stairs, hair curled, makeup meticulously applied, all decked out in a dress similar to the one I got married in. Ren is waiting, looking ridiculously hot in a dark suit, perfectly fitted to his tall, broad frame.
“You’re as beautiful as ever, Cassidy,” he says softly, holding what appears to be a small flower in his hand. “Thank you for being my date tonight.”
“No,” I respond. “You are.”
He cocks his head, his brows lowering as he thinks over my strange response, and all I can do is giggle nervously. Sighing, he ignores my words, instead stepping closer and reaching for my hand. Lifting it, he takes the flower he was holding and secures it to my wrist.
Raising my arm higher, I inspect it closely, feeling slightly awestruck. “You got me a corsage?”
He shrugs, suddenly unable to look me in the eyes as he says, “Seemed fitting I should get you flowers, and figured it would be nice if you could take them with you.”
I sidle up next to him, placing my hand on his chest as I intentionally seek out his gaze. “Thank you.”
He seems surprised by my words but only nods in response, taking my hand and leading me out to our waiting car. It takesus a bit of time to reach our destination, but the ride is made in a companionable silence I’m only just beginning to get used to.
It’s comforting, though, leaving a residual warmth long after it has passed.
We pull up in front of a moderately swanky building, coming to a stop at the main entrance. Ren exits the car, turns and offers his hand to assist me, which I take gratefully, then we enter the building, hand-in-hand.
The main room has people mingling from one end to the other. For a moment, I get nervous. Other than the hockey arena, I’ve never been comfortable in large crowds, and for a moment I have to focus on not turning tail and running.
Ren’s grip on my hand tightens, and he turns in front of me, lowering his head so he can whisper, “It’s not as many people as it looks. And most of them you know.”
He holds my gaze until I nod, then continues through the doorway, where he stops. And that’s when I see it.
First, the main focal point once you enter the room—a ginormous portrait of the two of us at our wedding. Beside it, a portrait of me reaching, Ren’s hand just meeting mine.
I never asked for an explanation on the type of party we’d be attending together, but for some reason, it never occurred to me that the party might be for us. About us.
Glancing at him over my shoulder, I catch him watching me. He’s smiling, but the tension around his eyes indicates an underlying nervousness. So I sidle close and ask, “You did all this?”
“Yes,” he responds slowly, his brow now creased with worry. “Is it okay?”
I’m not gonna cry.
