Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
He cocked an eyebrow. “You want to hang out with Dare?”
“God, no. No, the Joker’s all yours, but maybe I could keep Harley company,” I suggested, remembering our almost friendship before Silvan intervened the night of the Halloween party.
Well, it was an almost friendship in my head anyway.
I’d save her from Batman, she’d thank me for the save, and we’d be sipping lattes in a coffee shop together at some point later when I felt like socializing.
Instead, we both wound up pinned to walls by our respective troublemakers.
Literally and figuratively.
Silvan told me she wouldn’t be there that night and I couldn’t come because he had to introduce Dare to a couple of his dad’s guys, and that wasn’t anything he wanted me around for. When I told him he should set something up another time so we could meet formally instead of just waving at each other when our boyfriends were doing crime together, he said Dare didn’t really let her have friends.
“Sounds healthy,” I snarked, not realizing I was in the same position until he leaned in to steal a kiss and murmured wryly, “Some people might think the same about us.”
I guess friends from a distance are good, too.
More my style, really.
Having limited access to a whole girl team lends the feeling—and illusion—that I have friends, even if I know the only person I ever really hang out with is Silvan. At least on a day like today, I have a ready supply of bridesmaids.
Thanks to the girls and the stylists, I’m gussied up and ready to go when I should be. Silvan knows I have a tendency not to be on time, so he tasked Aubrey with keeping things moving.
He must have also told her I’m an introvert and that today would be challenging for me because she makes sure there’s enough time for me to have a moment alone to recharge before we have to head down the aisle. She chases all the other girls out of the room so I can have a moment of peace and quiet.
She grabs her bouquet. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
I shake my head. “No. Thank you for all your help.”
“Of course.” She sees me standing in the mirror, so she grabs the only bouquet that’s left and brings it over to me. “Don’t forget this.”
I smile and take the bouquet, then I look at my reflection in the mirror.
“I feel pretty.”
She smiles. “You look radiant. Silvan won’t know what hit him.”
My smile widens. “I hope so.”
I do love my bridal look.
Silvan isn’t as in the dark about it as grooms are supposed to be. He hasn’t seen it all put together, but I showed him my dress. He even picked out part of it.
He noticed I really liked his grandma’s wedding look with her sexy satin dress and the fur stole she was wrapped in. My dress isn’t satin or ivory like hers, it’s snow white with a much more modest cut, but he bought me a white fur mantle (ethically sourced, of course) to wear to our winter wedding. It completes the look and fits the theme—and the groom—perfectly. It’ll also keep me nice and warm when we’re leaving the ceremony and running to the car Hugh will have waiting for us once we’ve said our vows.
A burst of excitement wells up.
It’s happening.
It’s time.
We’re getting married today.
Crazy.
Good crazy, though. Just like the groom.
And the bride, too, I guess.
I smile at my reflection because the thought fuels no anxiety. I’m more at peace with myself than I’ve ever been, and more than ready to commit the rest of my life to a man I met two months ago.
Let’s do this.
Time to become Mrs. Silvan Koch.
I leave the mirror and the bridal suite to join my seven pretend friends outside the doors to the room where everyone is gathered, waiting to watch me walk down the aisle.
That thought fuels some anxiety, but before I can worry too much about it, my new father-in-law steals my attention. His gaze flickers over me impassively, then he offers his arm. “Ready?”
I nod and swallow. “I think so.”
He’s still a little scary and maybe not my first choice of person to give me away at my wedding, but Melanie thought it would be nice, so here we both are.
“Any last words of wisdom?” I ask lightly.
“Try not to trip.”
I’m caught off guard by his joke, so a startled laugh slips out of me. “Got it. Excellent advice, thank you.”
“No need to pretend my advice will end at your wedding,” he says silkily. “You’re my family now. You’ll hear my input as often as I want to give it.”
That’s less funny because I know how true it is. I never thought I would marry a man with so many strings attached to him, but as volatile as they are, I really enjoy all of Silvan’s family. None of them are quite what they seem upon first impression and they’re all a little scary, but I really do feel like I’ve been welcomed into the fold with open arms.