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“Cannon… you didn’t have to do that for me…”
“I did. And I wanted to. It means nothing to me. You, Kylie, mean everything.” He kissed me and our kissing evolved into more. Tears filled my eyes, the ring, the sign of the promise of his forever love catching my eye as we made love.
There’s a knock on my door, dragging me from the warm memory. It’s Keisha. “I have the most epic surprise in the universe!”
Keisha grabs my hand in hers, tugging me down the long hall of the main floor of Fire. “No peeking, Kylie! Do not ruin this surprise for me.” My fingers go to the wide black satin ribbon she’s tied around my eyes.
“How can I possibly see when you’ve blindfolded me?”
“I don’t know—maybe you can peek out the bottom?”
“Good thing I trust you,” I laugh. “Otherwise I’d be tripping over my feet right now.”
And I do trust Keisha. We’ve become so close over the past few months, she’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend. My ballet-slippered feet dash over the rug as I follow behind her, my world a blank, black canvas with who knows what at the end of the journey.
Her voice sings with notes of reverence as she announces, “We’re here.”
I stop, standing still, waiting for whatever it is they have in store for me. I hear a door opening; the sound seems crisper with my vision taken from me. The scent of jasmine floats through the air.
I just put fresh bouquets in the staff dressing room. “The staff dressing room? Is that where we are?”
“Just a moment and all will be revealed.” I feel her fingers tugging at the ribbon behind my head. She whips the ribbon from my eyes with a dramatic flourish. “Ta-da!”
The most gorgeous wedding dress I’ve ever seen hangs in the center of the room, every inch of its mastery on full display. It’s an off-white halter-neck gown, solid fabric beneath an overlaid netted layer of lace and beads.
It’s… mine? How can something so beautiful belong to me?
My hands flutter over my heart. “Oh my gosh! You guys bought me a wedding gown.”
Keisha focuses on me, reading my expression. “I hope you don’t mind. I know most brides-to-be go all Godzilla on people, having to have everything exactly how they want it. But you, sweet Kylie, I just couldn’t let you do what I thought you might do and try to pluck something off a sale rack last minute.”
“You know I’ve been wearing a hoodie and jeans almost every day of my life. I never could have picked out something like this for myself.” I walk around the dress, in awe. My fingers reach out to touch it but I bring them back in, for fear of ruining it in some way.
Keisha hovers at my side as I make my way around the dress. “Do you love it? Oh my God, I’ve been so nervous to show you. Please tell me you love it.”
I tear my gaze away from the gown just long enough to meet her eyes and reassure her. “Keisha. I love it. And I am so touched you all would do this for me. Thank you.”
“Look closer, at the bottom.” She points to the bottom half of the skirt. I take a closer look. The intricate beading rises up from the hem of the dress, dancing into swirls of what looks like flames and the wings of angels.
“Fire,” she says. “And angels. Cannon said you like angels.”
Of course my friends, my people, would go so far as to make sure the dress was one hundred percent… me.
“Oh, Keisha. It’s perfect.” I throw my arms around her, hugging her tightly. I stare over at the dress. “I can’t wait to wear it.”
“Let’s try it on.” She goes to the gown, and I can’t help but to cringe when she touches it. It’s so perfect, I almost hate to put it on and risk ruining it somehow.
“Now? Are you sure?”
She focuses on her task, carefully lifting the gown so it doesn’t touch the floor. “What else do we have to do today? Cannon closes the club on Sundays now, remember?”
“True, true.” My husband-to-be, wanting a little more Kylie to himself, decided that Fire could operate six nights a week instead of seven, leaving Sundays blissfully free.
She helps me with the dress. The silk feels like cool water slipping over my skin; the weight of the beadwork surprises me, but it feels good, anchoring me. I stare in the mirror and can hardly believe it’s Kylie Barone staring back.
“I look…”
“Amazing. Stunning. Gorgeous. Fucking incredible!” Keisha dashes off to the corner of the room, returning with a long, beaded veil. “May I?”
