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I sniffled some more. That only reminded me of the problem I had been avoiding.
Pierce had another surprise for me: he’d flown in a hair and makeup specialist from Boston. She worked wonders on my hair, and I kept grinning at myself in the mirror. Especially once I put on the dress! It was a deep cobalt blue, and unlike most bridesmaid dresses, I loved how I looked in it.
I saw Pierce in the mirror, watching me from the doorway. He was wearing a tuxedo, and smiling. “What?” I asked.
“You look stunning. But there’s something missing.”
I hesitated. “What? Is the hair too much?”
“The hair is exactly right. But this will really complete the look.” He revealed a black felt jewelry box that he had been holding behind his back. He opened the lid, and I gasped. There was a festoon-style necklace, with three thumb-sized sapphires surrounded with chains of diamonds. The necklace was accompanied by a pair of matching earrings with even larger teardrop-cut sapphires.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “Pierce, you’ve outdone yourself…”
“There’s no price I wouldn’t pay to make sure you look as stunning as you deserve,” he replied, putting down the box and holding up the necklace. I pulled my hair up so he could put the necklace on me. I did the earrings myself, then admired myself in the mirror. The festoon necklace hung down perfectly into my cleavage, as if it had been designed with the dress in mind. Knowing Pierce, it probably had been.
“This must have cost a fortune,” I said. “I’ll wear it tonight, but after that…”
“You can’t give it back,” he said firmly. “There is no other woman on the planet who could wear this. Even if there was, I wouldn’t want them to. It’s yours, Melinda, now and forever.”
I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you. I should say you’re looking as dashing as James Bond yourself. Especially with the pocket square that matches my dress.”
“I got it from Zegna while we were in Rome.”
“Zegna? I didn’t realize they had that brand in Europe. I always see it in Neiman Marcus.”
Pierce smirked down at me. “I meant Gildo Zegna, the tailor. He and his cousin Paolo made this specially for me.”
“Oh.” I shook my head; of course Pierce would know the actual man behind the brand. “You would look handsome even in an off-the-rack suit.”
“That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me.” He kissed me. “And I’ve been complimented by a lot of people.”
“I’m sure you have.” I kissed him again, this time longer than before. His arms folded around me, pulling me closer as he deepened the kiss. It felt like this was going somewhere, and I almost let it.
Then I pulled back. “I don’t want my hair to get messed up in bed.”
“I wasn’t planning on laying you down.” He grinned and squeezed my ass.
“Still though.” I gave him another quick kiss on the lips. “You can wait until after the wedding. I promise to make it up to you.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Intrigued. Say more things.”
“You’ll just have to wait until then.” I tapped him on the nose. “I need to finish my makeup. I specifically waited to put lipstick on because I knew you might come in here and take advantage of me.”
“Me? Never.” He gave my ass a smack through the dress, then walked away.
Yeah, I thought. He would definitely look just as good even in a cheap suit.
34
Melinda
I was afraid that the wind would mess up my flawless hair, but fortunately the air was still when I walked up to the helicopter pad. Andrew and Tristan were passing the binoculars back and forth, gazing toward the beach where the wedding was being held.
“They’re all set up,” Andrew said.
I let out a happy giggle. “It’s such a perfect day! The sun is shining, and there’s not a cloud in the sky. My sister is going to be so happy.”
“Perfect indeed.” Tristan swung the binoculars at me. “Oh my goodness.”
