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“Yes, you are. I could hear it in your voice. You’ll prove him wrong,” I say between kisses. “And we’ll do it together.”
Harley reaches around to grab the back of my neck, holding my lips against her skin. We sit perfectly still, our chests rising and falling, our heartbeats synced as one. I wrap my left arm around her, my fingers digging into her side. Since the night we kissed in the limo, I haven’t touched her. I haven’t allowed myself to get this close. For as much as my body craves her, my heart stops me every time. Trying to prevent me from future pain. From loss.
Harley turns her head, and our lips almost touch. She moves her hand beneath my chin, the charcoal from her fingers marking my skin. I want Harley to put her mark on me. Her finger touches my lip, and I don’t care that it has a burnt, inky smell. Because that scent is so familiar, scorched into the very essence of the woman in my arms. When we parted ways, Harley left a few things at my house, refusing to come back for them. I often breathed in the aroma of her charcoal set, even attempted to draw with them. Anything to feel connected to her.
“I wish we lived outside the city,” Harley says to break the silence.
I rest my chin on her shoulder, breathing in her mango body wash. “And why is that?”
“I miss our treehouse,” she says, dreamily. “We had so much fun up there, lost in our own little world. In our kingdom in the sky. I did some of my best work up there. With you.”
I laugh against her neck. “You want me to build you a treehouse?”
She shakes her head, a smile tugging at her mouth. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not. Some of my best memories were made in that treehouse with you.”
“Danika wants us to have a wedding shower. I was thinking we could have it at your dad’s house.”
“I like that idea. We can sneak away from our guests and climb into our castle.”
Harley rolls her head to the side, seeking my warmth when she weaves her fingers between mine. “And we can create new memories.”
Chapter Eighteen
Harley
I stand on the bridal platform in Dante Drake’s studio, staring at myself in the mirror in awe. In less than thirty days, one of the top fashion designers in the country created an exact replica of the wedding gown I envisioned. How is this my life? When I handed Lola my sketches, I never expected to have the real thing touch my skin. I was convinced no one would ever take my drawings and create magic from them. But Dante is a magician, who must have an Elder Wand lying around because… Wow!
“Dante,” I say in disbelief, smoothing a hand down the front of the mermaid gown. “I’m at a loss for words. It’s like you crawled into my head and plucked the dress from my brain. You’ve really outdone yourself.”
“Totes,” Lola chimes. “After Nate sees you, he’s going to need CPR.” She taps me on the backside. “Girl, your ass looks so good in this dress even I want to take a bite out of it.”
I howl with laughter. “Please don’t.”
Lola pats Dante on the shoulder. “You crushed it, boo. I thought your Alaya gown was the bomb, but this one takes the cake.”
Dante glides a hand through his slick, black hair, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You flatter me, ladies, but it’s the model that makes this particular gown special. You’re a very talented artist,” he says to me, his gaze piercing me as he looks at me in the mirror. “If you hadn’t been so thorough, I don’t know if I could have produced the same result. It’s hard to find people with your skills. If you ever find yourself out of work, you know where to find me.”
A smile tugs at my mouth. “Thank you.”
I have no problem getting strangers to praise my art, but when it comes to my own father, it has always been an uphill battle. Funny how that works, huh? He will never acknowledge my abilities. Why do I even care anymore? It’s not like it matters. Like a good daughter, I’m marrying Nate to fix the problem. Don’t I always do the right thing? Whatever my family wants, they get.
But this dress… It’s the one thing I wanted and now have.
Starting at the bodice, the white strapless mermaid gown has a hint of turquoise stones that trail down to the detachable train. I figured since we’re having a beach ceremony—my dream wedding—that I might want some freedom. Most brides have to change into a more comfortable gown later, but I wanted accessibility and comfort. The fabric fits my body like a dream, hugging my thighs perfectly, making me feel like a sea goddess.
