The door to my lavish bathroom bangs open, and I catch sight of Bradley’s temper-reddened face. “What in the fuck are you wearing?” He has all the appearance of a raging bull instead of the man who is supposed to be waiting for me at the end of the aisle with love shining from his eyes. “That wasn’t among the dresses we selected for you. It’s completely unsuitable for my bride. Take it off. Now.” His hand darts out, grabbing the strap and yanking.
“Stop!” The ripping sound of the delicate fabric fills the room. Gasping, I jerk away, unable to disguise the angry grunt that escapes me. “You fucking asshole.” Like I’d wear this gorgeous dress to marry him. My eyes narrow as I take a few steps away. “Is that how you treatyour future wife? Damn, Bradley. You’re such a gentleman. We’re getting married today for fuck’s sake.”
Ugly laughter punctuates his menacing stare. “Your mouth is out of control today. Can’t wait to put a fucking stop to that.”
Hands shaking—but whether it’s from anger or fear,who knows—I pause, studying the way he’s pulverizing his molars. Why am I willfully antagonizing him?
Bradley’s eyes cut to mine, a vicious glint in them. “You’ll be legally bound to me as of today.” His upper lip curls. “And you’d do well to remember who you’re marrying. Now get that fucking thing off before I tear it to shreds.”
Releasing a huffed breath, regret washes over me. “As if I could fucking forget. You’re just one more mistake added to a very long list.”
He slowly advances, and my heart rate increases to an impressive gallop. There’s only one reason I’ve dared say what’s really on my mind. The wedding is imminent. There’s no way he’d be stupid enough to lay his hands on me in retaliation. I bite down on my lip. “Careful, Bradley,” I murmur, my mouth twisting with a sardonic smile. “You hit me now, there will be no hiding it from our guests. Wouldn’t want to let on what a sorry excuse for a man you are, not to mention that you’re an abusive prick.”
He jabs a finger in my direction. “You’ll regret that. Now, get your ass to the limo downstairs. Your mother and that country hick friend of yours are waiting for you at the hotel.”
“There she is!” Sage comes flying at me the second I push open the door to the suite, face flushed and excited. I hardly have time to deposit the wedding gown in its bag on the rack beside the door before she wraps me up in a tangle of long limbs, continuing to squeal. “You’re getting married!”
“Yep,” I force a brightness into my voice that isn’t actually there. “It’s the big day. Where’s my mom?” My eyes flick around the impressively large suite.
Sage tips her head toward the bathroom. “She’ll be just a second.” My friend leans close. “She was already crying earlier, and she went in there to wipe her tears.”
“Oh man.”
“It’s not every day your daughter gets married, you know?”
It’s not every day her daughter binds herself to an abusive bastard, either.“Okay, what’s first?”
“Well”—she walks over to the rack and returns with a white robe—“we’re gonna get you into this and relax for a few minutes.”
It’s not long before Sage has me bundled into white silk with the wordbrideembroidered in script along the lapel. “Oh my goodness, sweetheart.” My mother rushesout of the bathroom, hands up to her mouth as she drinks me in. Tears refill her eyes as she tugs me into a fierce hug. “Oh, your daddy and I are so excited for you!”
“Thanks, Mama,” I whisper softly as I ease back.
“Mimosa?” Sage chimes with an inquisitive brow as she grabs a bottle of champagne from an ice bucket without waiting for an answer.
I stamp a smile across my lips. It’s showtime.
Pop!The cork flies from the bottle, and as the three of us laugh, Sage tops off the orange juice in the champagne flutes with bubbly.
After a long, long swallow, I hold out the glass for a refill. Unfortunately, I’ll need it. My nerves are stripped raw after going toe to toe with Bradley.
A knock sounds on the door, and a moment later, a flurry of people enter. Several makeup artists and hairdressers bustle around, setting up stations to get us ready. My eyes widen. I had hoped for some quiet time alone with Mom and Sage, but apparently that’s not going to happen. “Wow.”
“Oh, darlin’,” my mother sighs, “Bradley told me he was sending some people to help us out.” She clenches her teeth. “He said it was a surprise. Should I have told you?”
“No, no. It’s fine.” Caught off guard by the sound of another knock on the door, a lady with a small gift box in her hand cautiously enters. When she spots me, a big grinlights her face, and then she makes a beeline. “This is for you from Bradley.”
“Thank you.” Mixed feelings swirl around in my gut. Snapping out of my daze, she saunters away as chaos unfolds in the room. Overwhelmed, I draw in a breath. “Let’s do this.”
“I think we need to see what lover boy sent you before anything else.” Sage points a finger at the box that rests on the glass-topped coffee table—one that reminds me of the shattered one in our penthouse. Bradley had gotten rid of the evidence of his abuse before I’d had time to blink.
“I’ll open it later.”
Sage picks it up. “Absolutely not.” Her words don’t mirror her tone. Knowing her as well as I do, this is a test. I can’t tell if she’s hoping I’ll fail. “It can be your something new.”Yeah, and the bruises he’d gifted me can be my something old and something blue.
Pushing that intrusive thought aside, my hand trembles. “Okay, fine. Let’s see what this is.” With my teeth sinking into my lip, I accept the gift from Sage and pull the end of the ribbon to loosen it. It’s clearly some sort of jewelry. As I pluck the lid off, Sage and my mother peek over my shoulder.
It’s too glittery, too eye-catching, too scene-stealing. And once again, it’s definitely not my style. But I’m going to have to wear it. Internally, I cringe. My eyes driftto the dress on the rack that the hairstylists are currently cooing over and then back to the bold, diamond-encrusted statement piece in my hand. At least it will go perfectly with my ostentatious gown.
