I looked myself over in the mirror, eyeing the dress speculatively. The fit-and-flare style accentuated my waist and legs, and the lace was classic and feminine.
“So pretty!” Emmie squealed, bouncing up and down, already wearing the white sundress we’d picked out at the kids’ clothing store down the street. I was pretty sure she’d want to sleep in it for the next week.
“That’s the one.” Piper nodded in agreement.
“I think so, too,” I replied, doing a little twirl. “Plus, it goes perfect with my cowboy boots,” I added, lifting a foot up with a grin.
Those boots had been with me for years. It felt right to wear them on one of the happiest days of my life.
Connie looked at her watch. “We gotta start getting your hair and makeup done.”
They’d surprised me by bringing everything I needed to get ready at the boutique.
“Let’s get you ready to marry your man,” Sophie murmured, tears swimming in her eyes.
She, of all people, knew how much this day meant to me. How hard I’d worked to get here.
I looked at her in the mirror. “Yeah,” I managed over the lump in my throat.
****
It was late that same afternoon that I got to stand beside my man with our kids and Cole and family flanking us on both sides as we were married in the small but iconic Hawthorne courthouse.
The look of appreciation from Cal when he’d first seen me was all the affirmation I needed that the dress had been the right choice. Though casual, it was dressed up with the earrings Scarlet had lent me as my something borrowed. The blue garter on my thigh had been playfully slipped up my leg by Connie as my something blue. Though we’d wanted to keep the ceremony small, my girls and the club were there in spirit.
But it was the necklace Cal had slipped around my neck just before the ceremony that meant the most. The delicate golden puzzle piece hung around my neck as my something new.
My man had solved the puzzle that was me, the irony being he was the solution all along.
Chapter 36
Aweek later, I sat at a small round table fighting the urge to flinch every time the heavy metal door opened with a clank and slammed shut with a reverberating boom. Screeches from somewhere in the building echoed off the walls and the hairs on the back of my neck rose in response.
The Nevada State Women’s correctional facility wasn’t a place I’d ever imagined I’d see the inside of, nor was it a place I wanted to linger.
Cal hadn’t questioned my decision to come here, only fighting me tooth and nail about coming alone. As a result, he’d made the six hour drive with me without complaint, and currently sat in the waiting area until I was done.
When Janelle appeared, wearing a bright orange jumper, my first reaction was surprise that she didn’t look much better off than the last time I’d seen her. Sure, she was in jail, but I’d assumed the forced sobriety would bring back some of the old Janelle I’d known. At least the version of her I wanted to remember.
She shuffled to where I sat, hands clasped on the table, my posture stiff as I fought for composure in such an unwelcome environment, braced for an even worse encounter.
My track record in recent years with Janelle was poor at best but something in me had to try, at least one last time.
“Hi,” I murmured once she’d sat down.
She shifted in her seat, her eyes glancing around the room before briefly landing on me. “Hey,” she muttered.
“How are you?” I hedged.
She snorted. “Well, I’m in prison so I’ve been better, and from the sound of it I’ll be here a long fucking time.”
As you deserve to be,I thought.
“The kids are doing well,” I said instead. “They’re both learning how to swim and Max made some friends in school before the year ended. We’ve had a few of them over for play dates since then.”
“That’s good.” She nodded, the first hint of softness in her tone. “How’s Emmie?”
I smiled. “She’s great. She loves Mason and is like a little mama bear with him. Though I don’t think he appreciates being dressed up like one of her dolls.” I laughed at the memory of just the other day when I’d walked in on Emmie trying to shove her purple tutu up his legs.
