Page 66 of Savage Little War

Lindsey snaps her fingers. “I know exactly what you mean. Let me get you something else to try on.”

I lose count of how many dresses I try, but I keep at it until my feet start to ache.

I only like two enough to walk out and show my father, and he’s no help because he assures me that both of them look perfect on me. It’ll be down to me and my gut feeling to decide on the best dress.

“I’m sorry. I hope I’m not being too picky.” I sigh as I watch Lindsey flip through the few remaining dresses on the rack in my size that I haven’t tried on yet.

Lindsey smiles at me. “You’re supposed to be picky when it comes to wedding dresses. We have hundreds of choices for a reason.”

“I think I just want something elegant, but I don’t want a fluffy ball gown,” I explain to her. It’s hard to know exactly what I want because I haven’t seen it yet.

Lindsey pauses. “I think I might have something out front that you might like. Let me go get it.”

I nod and thank her before fanning my face, trying to cool myself down. Dress shopping is stressful. If this next one isn’t the dress, I’ll probably have to make another appointment.

Lindsey returns a few minutes later and holds up the dress. “Full lace bodice sheath gown. Off the shoulder sleeves and sequined appliques woven into the lace.”

My eyes widen as they roam over the beautiful dress. “I love it.”

“Let’s give it a try!” she suggests before handing the dress over to me.

I disappear behind the curtain and change into it, carefully slipping my arms through the off the shoulder sleeves. It hugs me perfectly from my bust to my hips before falling elegantly around my legs all the way to the floor. There are so many details in the lace pattern that keep the dress from looking boring and bland like some of the others.

“I think this could be the one,” I tell Lindsey once I pull back the curtain.

Lindsey joins her hands together in awe. “It looks so gorgeous on you! Show your dad!”

I carefully gather the material of the train in my hands and lift it off the ground before walking out to the small platform in front of the seating area. My eyes lift to see the stunned look on my father’s face. “What do you think?”

“That’s the one, yeah,” Sean says without hesitance. “Wow. You look beautiful.”

I smile at him before turning around to look at the mirrors behind me, my heart pounding. I think this really is the one. It suits me, and I have to admit that it complements my best assets very well.

“What do we think?” Lindsey asks as she stands off to the side.

I take a deep breath and nod. “I want to get this one.”

Lindsey claps joyfully. “Amazing! Let’s order it!”

The rest of the appointment is a blur as I get changed back into my regular clothes and talk to Lindsey about the next steps. Dmitri gave me one of his credit cards to pay for the dress at any cost, but I don’t even get the chance to pull it out of my purse.

“I’ve got it,” Sean says as he hands one of his cards over to Lindsey.

I frown. “You don’t have to do that. Dmitri gave me his card.”

My father shakes his head as he signs the receipt. “It’s your wedding dress, Cara. Probably the most important piece of clothing that you’ll ever buy. I want to get it for you. It’s the least I can do to try and make amends, yeah?”

I hope that he doesn’t think that he has to buy my affection. I’d much rather him earn it in other ways like supporting my decisions and spending time with me on his own accord.

“Are you sure? It’s expensive,” I reply.

Sean scoffs. “And you think that I can’t afford it?”

A smirk tugs at my lips. “If you’re certain…”

We thank Lindsey before walking out of the store together. Sean places his hand high on my upper back as he gives me a warm look.

Leo and Mark were stationed nearby outside with the car, Dmitri’s compromise for letting me come at all.