Page 65 of Savage Little War

Cara leans forward and rests her forehead against mine. We stand there for a few minutes before I check the time on my watch.

“I’ll call in some men to guard the area around the flower shop before our appointment,” I say. “Better safe than sorry.”

Cara nods in understanding, but I can see the disappointment flicker across her face.

Wedding planning is supposed to be just for us. Not us, my men, and possibly our enemies too.

But this is how it has to be for now.

Soon this will end, and I don’t plan on letting fucking Ferro win from the grave.

20

Cara

I didn’t expect dress shopping to make me this nervous.

But I’m looking for the dress. The one that I’ll walk down the aisle in. The one that’ll make Dmitri’s jaw literally drop when he sees me.

It has to be perfect.

“Thanks for coming,” I tell my father as he finds a seat. We’re in a private suite where I’ll try on dresses away from the main part of the dress shop.

“Of course,” he says as he gives me a small but grateful smile. “I’m glad you asked me.”

It’s probably unorthodox to have my father here with me, but my mom is dead, and I’ve lost pretty much any of the friends that I used to have over the past year because of everything that has happened. I didn’t want to endanger any of them living their normal lives up in Boston.

Maybe when things calm down, I can actually have somewhat of a social life.

“Cara! Hello!”

I spin around to see a young woman with bouncy blonde hair and a radiant smile striding out from the back. “Oh, hi.”

“I’m Lindsey. We were talking online about what kind of dresses you were interested in trying on today,” she says as she happily shakes my hand. “And who is your guest?”

“This is my father, Sean,” I reply, watching her shake his hand as he stands to greet her.

“Hi, Dad. Thanks for joining us!” Lindsey tells him before turning back to me. “I’ve pulled some selections from our most beautiful collection. Want to take a look and try some on?”

I nod, feeling a flutter of nervousness within me as I follow her into the back where there are more changing rooms and a big rack of dresses.

“So, you told me that you were interested in a fitted bodice,” Lindsey recalls as she flips through the dresses on the rack. “And you also said that you liked lace.”

“There are so many different styles that I got a little overwhelmed. Those are the only details that I’m somewhat sure about,” I admit, my skin already starting to warm up from anxiety. I know it’s not just the dress I’m worried about. I want our wedding to be perfect. Our lives to be long, safe, and happy. But I’m just not sure if that’s the future life has in store for us.

“Let’s try this one first,” Lindsey replies before pulling one dress off the rack and showing me back to the dressing room. “This is an A-line gown with a lace bodice. It’ll be fitted around your bust with this sweetheart neckline, and it has thin straps.”

A lot of those details go over my head, but once she unveils the dress, I see what she’s talking about. It’s gorgeous, but will it look good on me?

“I’ll let you change. When you need help, just give me a shout!” Lindsey tells me before stepping out of the dressing room and sliding the curtain back into place to give me some privacy.

I glance around at the three mirrors facing me, my heart racing as I start getting undressed.

Finally, I pull the first dress on and hug the front against my chest before calling Lindsey in for help zipping up the back.

“It’s beautiful! What do you think?” Lindsey asks once she zips me up and fluffs out the bottom.

I turn every which way, admiring how my bust looks and how the dress flows. But I don’t love it. “It’s really nice. I just think the train’s too simple. There’s barely any lace on it.”