“Oh, babe!” she squealed. “You deserve it. Kaelen is gone for you.”
“Have you ever even talked to him?”
“I don’t need to,” she said with a dismissive wave. “I can see it. The way he looks at you. It’s intense. It’s the way an alpha is supposed to look at their omega. Like they’d burn the world for them. And then give them the ashes on a silver platter.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, sitting in silence while she continued to work.
Sam fluffed out the curls into romantic waves. As she unplugged the curling iron, her fingers lingered over the outlet, and she whipped out her phone, snapping a photo of the empty outlet.
My lips quirked. I never judged Sam. No matter how much she tried, sometimes she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. She’d gotten better over the last few years, asking for reassurance from me less.
In the year since she moved from South Carolina, her OCD flared up, making it hard for her to even leave the house. I was so proud of her.
I would always be there for her. Just like she was for me.
“Pretty,” she said, kissing my cheek and helping me stand. “Do you want to see it first?”
Dainty fingers clung to the garment bag as she wiggled it, a playful gleam shining in her eyes.
“Surprise me,” I said, turning away from the mirror.
It wasn’t a frilly, poofy gown, and that was all that mattered.
The garment bag landed on the floor with a thud, and Sam tapped my ankle. I stepped into the pool of silk at my feet, keeping my back to the mirror.
My heart still thudded like wild rhinos.
“There,” Sam whispered as she dusted her hands over my arms. “You’re gorgeous.”
Her hands rested on my hips, spinning me. My brows raced into my hairline, and an unfamiliar sound rattled around my ribs. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.
Pure ivory satin hugged my curves, accenting every dip as it whispered over my flushed skin. The swooping asymmetrical neckline wrapped around one side of my bust while the other was tastefully covered in illusion fabric adorned with Swarovski crystals.
They glittered all the way down to my wrists, making me look like some garden fairy.
Sam hugged me from behind.
“Don’t ruin my work,” she said, her eyes lighting up in the mirror. “I’ll be right beside you the entire time.”
“Thank you.”
As Sam left me to walk down the makeshift aisle, I tipped my head back.
Hues of purple and pink splashed against the sky as the sun set. It was unseasonably warm.
I stood underneath the gazebo that led into the ground’s gardens. Aileen was worried it would be too cold for an outdoor wedding, but the weather held out.
A handful of chairs sat on either side of the grassy path lined with stunning arrays of fall florals. My fingers trembled around the brocade velvet on the handle of my bouquet. Aileen had done an amazing job in only a few days. I swore the woman was part superhero. That was the only explanation.
That, and Kaelen’s influence.
People said money didn’t buy happiness, but it definitely made things happen.
Music rang in the distance, and I had a feeling that was my cue. My feet stayed rooted to the spot.
A weight grew between my shoulder blades as a large hand rested there, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts.
“Looks like you need an escort. May I?”
