“No, it’s fine. We’re waiting. Well, he’s waiting because I asked him to.”
She stops what she’s doing and looks down at me. “Do you not want to bond with him?” she asks softly, so the girls can’t hear.
“Oh, no. I do. I just want some time.” I sigh. “Last year was really crazy. With the constant—” I pause. “Problems,” I finally settle on. “I was so restricted,” I say softly. “It’s been good to finally have some freedom. I just didn’t want to get tied down right away. I wanted to be able to enjoy my freedom for a little bit.”
“I get that.” She goes back to working on my hair. “Well, I know you guys will get things all worked out. It’s obvious you both love each other.” I startle at her words but don’t say anything. Her words rattle around in my head, and I wonder if we’re at that stage already. Obviously, we’re mates; so we’re connected. But love? I don’t know if we’re there yet. “I’m sorry. Did the l-word throw you for a loop?” Tessa asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“No, you’re fine. It just made me stop and think.”
“Well, don’t worry about it too much. I want you to have an amazing time tonight.” She steps back. “Your hair is done, and your makeup is done. All that’s left is your dress.”
I stand up and walk over to the mirror in the bathroom. “Oh, wow, Tessa, that’s gorgeous.”
“Wait till you see the back,” she says, handing me a mirror.
I use the mirror to see the back of my head and look at the hair style she created. She left most of my hair down but pulled back the sides and did a pretty crossover style that I’d never be able to accomplish on my own. “It looks amazing. Thank you.”
She beams at me. “You’re welcome.”
I look over at Star and smile. “You look gorgeous, Star.”
“Thank you. Stephanie is a miracle worker.”
“Nah, you’re just really pretty,” Stephanie says.
“You need to get dressed,” Tessa reminds me. “What time is Reid coming to get you?”
“Six-thirty. What time is it now?”
Tessa grabs her phone. “Six-thirty.” I quickly walk over to my closet and pull out the dress I hung there earlier. I strip down and put on a strapless bra and then step into my dress.
“I’ll zip it up,” Tess offers. “Ooo,” she says before I even turn around.
It’s a mermaid style dress in bright red with sequins all over it. It has spaghetti straps and a rounded neckline. My favorite feature is the slit up my left leg. It only goes mid-thigh, but it feels daring and fun. I slip on my matching red heels and then find my favorite red lipstick. After applying it, I step back and turn around. “Well?” I ask.
“Wow,” Tessa says and then grins. “You’re going to give Reid a heart attack.”
I return her grin. “I hope so.”
“Can I be there when he sees you? Please?”
I laugh at her pleading. “Sure.” Star walks out of the bathroom looking gorgeous and tall in her black dress and heels. “Let me see your hair.”
She spins around, so we can see the low bun updo that Stephanie created on her. “It looks perfect,” Tessa says. “You look so beautiful, Star.”
“You look gorgeous,” I add. “But Reid had better keep his eyes to himself,” I add.
Star rolls her eyes. “The man never takes his eyes off you. Tonight won’t be a problem.”
I grab my cell. “Ready?” I ask Star.
She nods. “Yep.”
“All right. Let’s do this.” I face Tessa. “Thank you.” Stephanie is cleaning up in the bathroom, so I walk over to the bathroom door. “Thank you, Stephanie.”
She turns to face me with a smile. “Of course. You look beautiful, Riley.”
“Thank you.”
