Page 43 of Desperate Vows

It worked out well for me, though. I didn’t have to hide when I received a call from a lawyer Friday night just before they closed. They’d had a cancellation, and I’d accepted the time before she could finish. I’d see them Monday at ten in the morning in a town about an hour north of Chicago in Waukegan.

Surprisingly, Helen and Thea showed up, along with her cousins and Anna while I was trying on my dress for the final time. I hadn’t even thought about bridesmaids when I was doing all the planning. I’d been alone for so long that it didn’t even occur to me that I’d have any. They found dresses in varying shades of pale blue that worked with the colors I’d chosen.

They’d joined me at the condo, stayed the night and rode with me to the church to help me get ready for the ceremony. The church had a large enough room that brides could use to get ready for the walk down the aisle.

I’d never experienced anything like that. I didn’t have sleepovers. I didn’t have girlfriends. I didn’t have any of the things that most children do, and I loved every minute last night. It felt like I was getting to make up for all the things that I’d been deprived of.

An hour after we arrived at the church, I was studying myself in the mirror, and I felt amazing. I wasn’t as beautiful as my mom, but I wasn’t ugly—a statement Franklin made all the time. I was just average, which was okay. I also didn’t feel as tiny. Breaking into Franklin’s office had done more than give me information. It’d shown me that I was a lot more capable than I had given myself credit for.

I was sure it wasn’t a one-and-done type of revelation. There would be times I was scared and reverted to thinking that I was too weak to fight back. It would take practice and time to retrain myself, but now that I knew I could, it would be easier to put it into action.

In the reflection, Helen was behind me, smiling. “You look beautiful. That hair is worthy of envy.” She walked to her purse that was sitting on a table just to the left of the entrance. When she returned, she held a blue comb. “This is your something old and blue.” She nestled it into my hair where it was tied back from my face. I’d left it down, and Marianne and Anna spent time curling it. It was a wavy waterfall down my back that made me feel pretty and a style that I knew Lucas liked.

Anna held out a garter. “This is the something new.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” I took it and walked to the nearest chair to slide it up my leg. Wait. If we go with tradition, then Lucas will be taking it off at the reception. Heat crept up my body, starting with my toes.

When I finished, a small pocketknife was held out, and I looked up to find Thea. “Something borrowed.”

“A knife?”

“You’re beautiful, and this makes you deadly.” She smiled.

Helen rolled her eyes and said something in Greek. As I laughed, I took the pocketknife and tried to think of a place to put it. I guess I needed a dress with pockets.

“Bra. Put it in your bra. That’s why it’s small, so it’ll fit and won’t be uncomfortable,” Thea offered.

Well, this was a first, but I did as she said and tucked it in there. “Thank you,” I said and stood. It felt weird and oddly satisfying to know I had a weapon.

“It’s time,” Franklin said through the door, almost like he was a doting dad waiting to walk his daughter down the aisle.

Helen eyed me and walked to the door, opening it.

He stepped inside and grinned like he was proud of me. “You look stunning, my dear.” His gaze swept the room. “Would you ladies mind if I had a few moments alone with my daughter?”

“No problem,” Helen said.

Once they left, he shut the door and stalked over to me. “Well, you pulled it off, surprisingly. Everyone thinks the colors, the flowers, and the venue are lovely.”

“You might be surprised what I can do.” I smiled.

His lips curled, and he acted like he was going to grab me.

“Careful, Daddy,” I threw the word like it was an insult. “Appearances. We wouldn’t want our guests to think something’s wrong.”

His eyes were stone cold. “The wedding is one day only. There are seven until your birthday. That’s seven days to make you as miserable as I possibly can.”

I bit my tongue so hard it bled. I’d already pushed him, and he’d doled out a threat. Shrinking back, I pretended to let the words have an effect on me.

The Bridal March started, and he smiled while offering his arm. “Let’s go, darling. I can’t wait to give you away.”

What he didn’t know was that I’d found my ripped-off wings and reattached them with super glue. I wasn’t a little bird anymore, either. I’d grown claws, and I was going to use them.

Chapter Seventeen

LUCAS

I wanted to bolt. The tie around my neck was getting tighter and tighter. People were watching me squirm, and I struggled to care. For a guy who’d never planned to get married, this was a real live nightmare.

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