“Really, everything is fine.” I force a smile because now they are kind of making me nervous. “Has anyone heard from Dash…?”
They all freeze, eyes wide like they’re trying not to upset me more.
“Oh God.” I cover my face with my hands. “This day is a disaster!”
“No,” Ren coos, slinging his arm around me. “No, it’s not. It’s fine. Dascha will be here, but if he’s not, I’ll fill in as your maid of honor.”
He grins, and I have to grin back.At least I have them.
Now I just want to find Lem so we can fix this.
“Come on, princess.” Ren pulls me back to the bathroom. “Let’s get you ready.”
Forcing myself to switch off the worry, I focus on getting cleaned up andprettified, as Ren calls it. And when I’m in my custom-fitted tux that must have set The Ivory back a pretty penny, I feel a lot better. I feel excited and antsy and ready to get married, despite the fight with Lem.
I have to believe that he’s fine, and that he forgot all about it.Although let’s be real, that doesn’t seem like him at all.
When we step down the stairs, I’m gawking in awe. The wide open space of the foyer has been turned into a dance floor, and it looks incredible. The black and white checkered tiles lined with decor along the edges; flowers and vine-covered arches that match the garden’s aesthetic. As if they actually brought the outdoor garden indoors, and it’s stunning. Flowers from the greenhouse everywhere.
When I see the yellow dahlias, I have to choke back tears. It reminds me so much of kissing Lem surrounded by flower petals… And in this moment,allI want is to see him.
I just want him to wrap me up in his big arms and hold me tight, as he does. As if he really is trying to smoosh me into him and make usone.
We are, and I just want him to know that. He made me whole when he fell in love with me, and I need him to know I’m not mad about the Cameron thing. I don’t care.
I just want to marry him.
The first floor of the mansion is bustling. Everyone is helping with the wedding, moving things around, setting up tables for food and drinks in the atrium. We run into Luthor down there, who’s playing DJ. He’s all excited about his setup,but I’m distracted from that when Joy, Rook, and Velle stride downstairs in their matching suits. They lookamazing.
Joy is officiating, and I’m freaking out over how badass dapper-chic she looks.
“You find the groom yet?” Velle smirks.
I narrow my gaze. “No… why is that funny?”
His shoulder lifts in a shrug that clearly means he knows something, and I’m not in the mood for secrets right now.
“Thirty-minute warning!” Ren shouts.
“Thirty-minutes??” I gasp.
Great. Now I’m hyperventilating.
Dash isn’t here. He’s actually going tomissmywedding.
And Lemuel is missing, and even though I’msurehe would never skip out on our wedding, I really wanted to see him first and make up.
I don’t want to get married in the middle of a fight.
“We need to get out to the garden,” Ren hums sympathetically.
As predicted, the garden is gorgeous. The perfect mix of beauty and decay, the archway set up with a black carpet for us to stand on, and twinkly lights strew overhead like in the atrium.
“Do you love it?” Ren bounces.
“Yea…” I gulp.
“Don’t worry,” he comforts. “This is your wedding day, Felix. It’s going to be perfect, even if it’s not.”
