Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“You did this?” I laugh. “This is a date, isn’t it?”
“It’s a date. I asked Jim Bob to make it happen.”
I squint a little. “In return for what?”
“For me coming back to the Revival.”
“And you agreed!”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not a hardship, that’s for sure. I mean, I’ll be spending every weekend with you. And”—he opens his door—“we’re the stars of the show. So how fun is that?”
I’m still processing this as he closes the door and walks around to my side to open mine. “But”—he waves his hand, inviting me to step out. I get out—“but Grimm and Taylor are the stars. There’s a great big story going with the two of them. And she’s pregnant and he’s…”
I stop.
Amon laughs.
“Oh, my God. Jim Bob did not write a trampy single mother into the Revival!”
Amon’s still laughing. “Well, I don’t know. He didn’t tell me, but knowing Jim Bob, and after what he did to Collin—”
“I’m a trampy single mother! Oh, Taylor was so pissed off about this role. She hates Grimm already, and this—well, let’s just say that Jim Bob plays up everybody’s bad side. He was getting all hot about it. So does that mean I have to hate you and be pregnant with your baby?”
Amon could not smile any bigger. “I doubt that, Rosie. But the only way to know for sure is to open all those packages and read the new script.”
I look at the porch again. There are so many boxes. Not crappy cardboard boxes, either. But really nice shiny, glossy boxes with satin ribbons. And at least one of them is very big.
“Come on.” Amon takes my hand. “It’s already seven-thirty. We need to get dressed. We’ve got a big day coming.”
There are at least a dozen packages that we take inside and Amon places them in two piles. One for me and one for him. The huge box is in my pile.
I bite my lip, nearly bursting out of my skin with anticipation as I kneel down next to it and tug on that gorgeous satin ribbon the color of sparkling champagne.
It’s a dress, obviously. But the box is big enough to hold a ball gown. I lift off the lid, pull the pretty tissue paper aside and nearly fall over backwards in shock.
I look at Amon, my mouth open.
He chuckles. “Take it out! Look at it! I wanna see it!”
“No, Amon. You don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“This”—I point to the dress in the box—“this is not just any dress. This is the wedding dress.”
“The wedding dress?”
“The wedding dress. I’m getting married today!” I lift the dress out of the box and jump to my feet. Then I hold the dress up against my body. I look down at it, taking in all the details.
Every single bride in the Revival wears this dress. It’s a long full skirt made of several layers of hand-beaded tulle and the bodice has a plunge neckline.
But every time we have a wedding in the show, MaisieLee adds a custom detail and the bodice has been completely covered in beads in a geometric chevron pattern.
I look over at Amon, my expression all serious. “Now, listen. If you’re not the groom, I’m not playing. So open those boxes and let’s make sure because you know how much Jim Bob likes to stir the pot.”
Amon kinda scoffs. “Oh, I would kill that fucker if he pulled that on me.” But we both know Jim Bob likes the drama and if this murder scene happened inside Revival grounds, he’d die happy. So Amon grabs his biggest box and pulls on his satin ribbon. We both lean in, holding our breath as he takes the lid off and pulls the tissue paper aside.
“A suit.” And he says these two words with relief.
“A very nice suit,” I add. Made out of very fine cream-colored linen.
Amon takes out all three pieces. Trousers, a vest, and a coat.
But there are a ton of boxes to open and we set about doing this like we are kids on Christmas morning, tearing them open and throwing the packages aside.
By the time we’re done he’s got a shirt, a tie, cufflinks, a hat, shoes, socks, and braces.
And I’ve got a bouquet, a Juliet cap wedding veil, several strings of pearls in varying lengths, fancy new lingerie, and shoes.
The dress might be the same, but the accessories are all new. If you’re a bride in the Revival, you get to keep the accessories. And mine are lovely. The bouquet isn’t real flowers, but silk ones. They are tiny pink and cream rosebuds set in a mound and surrounded by beads. The center of each flower has a delicate pearl and there are strands of silver, white, and gold pearls hanging from it.
I hold the bouquet to my chest, knowing I can keep it forever. Amon is smiling at me when I look over at him. “It’s stupid, right? To be this excited about a fake wedding?”