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My spiral of inner panic is paused by the sound of the front door opening. I turn towards the hallway, hoping it’s Declan. With any luck, I can use his presence here to delay the selection of my gown. After all, the groom can’t see the bride in her dress before the big day. Right?
But it’s not my fiancé who walks through the door.
Heather Lawson, my brother’s girlfriend, struts into the living room wearing a bright smile as she takes in the mobile wedding boutique that’s overtaken the space around me. “Wow. That’s a lot of white.”
“Heather.” I quickly cross the room and wrap her in an embrace. “What are you doing here?”
“Declan called your brother.” She returns my hug before stepping back. “He said you might want some company while you pick out your wedding gown.”
“He did?”
She nods. “And while Nero would, no doubt,loveto sit through hours of watching you try on gowns, I offered to come in his place. I hope that’s okay?”
I laugh. “Of course.” My brother is a good sport, but I doubt he’d be able to keep his cool if he watched me choose a dress to wear in my arranged marriage. Just hearing the MacKenzies had set a date for the event put him in a horrible mood if his texts were anything to go by.
“Wonderful.” Heather’s eyes, once again, take in the sea of dresses in front of us. “Is anyone else coming?”
I’m about to say I don’t know when Jane appears at my side and answers, “I invited Ashley, but I don’t know if she’s going to show up.”
“That was nice of you,” I tell Jane with a soft smile. I doubt Ashley will make an appearance. She was beyond pissed when I canceled coffee with her two weeks ago. Like… over the top pissed. I didn’t know what to make of her reaction.
I tried telling my best friend that Declan insisted I stay in the penthouse for my safety, and I extended his invitation for her to come over instead. But Ashley acted as if that was the most ridiculous compromise ever. She accused me of ditching her and not caring about our friendship enough to stand up to my ‘controlling fiancé’ so I could see her.
She’d sounded distraught about not being able to see me that morning. Like I was ruining her day. It was a dramatic response, but nothing out of the ordinary for my typically dramatic, over-the-top friend.
Unfortunately, no amount of kind reassurance or gentle coaxing convinced Ashley to change her mind and come to the penthouse. We ended the call on a bad note, and all of my texts have gone unanswered since.
If Jane and Heather sense my unease around the topic of Ashley, they’re kind enough not to address it. Instead, Jane rushes off to grab one of the boutique workers to come ask me about my style preferences so we can get started, leaving Heather and I alone.
My brother’s girlfriend’s bright smile flickers as she turns to me. “Are you sure you’re okay, Cat?” she whispers. Her eyes dart around us like she’ll discover someone eavesdropping on our conversation. “Nero and I are worried about you.”
Her concern is touching.
Like Nero, Heather knows the reason I agreed to this engagement in the first place, and she feels a sense of responsibility for my choice. What both she and my brother fail to recognize is that although I ultimately agreed to the arrangement to convince the MacKenzies to release Heather after abducting her, I’m the one who put myself in this situation by setting a room in Mystique on fire. But reminding them of that fact won’t sway the guilt they feel for the situation I find myself in.
That’s another reason I can’t confide in Nero or Heather about my conflicting emotions regarding my fiancé. They worry about me enough as it is.
So, I paste on a convincing smile and tell her, “I’m fine, Heather. I promise.”
The beautiful model searches my expression for deception. Finding none, she slowly nods and some of the tension leaves her face. “I’m glad to hear it. Now, tell me, what kind of dress are you thinking about wearing?”
“Definitely a mermaid silhouette. Anything else and she’ll look flat as a board.” Recognition hits me, both from the newcomer’s tone and the subtle criticism of my body type.
I turn and see Ashley standing there in a tight sundress and tall, designer wedges. Her hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail and gold hoops hang from her ears. She looks like she’s on her way to a garden party, not ready to spend the next couple of hours sitting on a couch to watch me try on dresses.
For a few seconds, no one moves. Nolan enters the living room from the hall behind Ashley and breaks the silence, “Are we expecting anyone else, Jane?”
Surprised by Ashley’s arrival, it takes Jane a second to answer, “No. That’s everyone.”
“Okay. I’ll be in the study.” He eyes my friend with open distrust. “Call me if you need anything.”
Ashley watches his retreat with a raised brow. Then, she saunters over to me wearing what I think is supposed to be a smile, but it looks more like a smirk. “Surprised to see me?”
“Honestly, yes.” I refrain from revealing to the room the details of our recent tiff, but she can read the unspoken words in my uneasy gaze.
“I’m your best friend, Cat. There’s no way I’d miss the chance to see you pick out your wedding dress.”
Except you already did once.
