Page 46 of Priceless

Laura’s hand twitched, and I knew she was itching to slap me. She’d never crossed that barrier—because she knew it was one she could never come back from—and she wouldn’t do it now and risk being found out.

“If you’d shown me even a shred of kindness, Laura, then maybe things would be different. But whatever comes on you after this, that’s your fault.”

“You still have obligations. You promised to get us information on this new pack of yours, and you better deliver.”

I smiled. “I’m well aware of my obligations, aunt.”

At this particular moment, I didn’t feel like mentioning that the papers I’d signed made no mention of spying on my new husbands, so I didn’t have to do shit.

Someone knocked at the door, and I looked over. “I need to get ready now. So please, get the hell out.”

She stomped past me just as Geneva opened the door and let in my friends, barely missing my shoulder in the process. Trinity watched her retreating form and lifted her middle finger to her back.

“Rin,” I said, smothering a laugh.

“What? Bitch has been asking for that for years.”

I shook my head and sat down at the vanity provided in the bridal suite. The one thing I hadn’t been consulted on was the venue. Even for men as rich as the DuPonts, there were only so many venues with an availability for a wedding on such short notice.

That being said, the hotel was beautiful. I hadn’t seen the ceremony space or the ballroom, but from the way Geneva’s eyes sparkled, I could only imagine what I would find when I walked down the aisle.

The aisle. Nerves clung to me and I couldn’t seem to hear anything while the women Geneva hired did my hair and makeup. Isolde seemed to know them, and I tuned back in when someone asked me something. “What?”

Isolde looked at me. “I said I was going to try to get you in for a photoshoot. Erin and Monica are the ones who did my hair and makeup for my photoshoot with Hawk.”

“Oh.” I met their eyes in the mirror. “I’m sorry. I’m… distracted.”

The one doing my hair laughed softly. “You’re fine, girl. I get it. But you’re actually about done.”

I looked at myself, and I’d zoned out so completely I hadn’t noticed their handiwork. My hair wasn’t that long, but it fell in lovely curls, with some of it pinned back, framing my face prettily. My makeup was subtle, but I loved that they’d emphasized my eyes. I felt pretty.

“Wow. I?—”

The hairstylist put her hand on my shoulder and smiled. “We’ll give you guys a minute.”

The door clicked shut behind them, and I stared at myself in the mirror. I was really doing this. And in spite of everything—how much I needed this and how much I needed to get out—I was still scared.

“Ocean?” Trinity asked.

“What if they’re not as nice as they seem?” The words slipped out of me and suddenly they couldn’t stop. “What if I’m about to make it all worse? What if they see me tonight and decide they don’t want me after all and everything falls apart? I can’t?—”

“Hey.” Isolde crouched in front of me, her deep green dress pooling on the floor. “Take a breath for me, all right? Everything’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that.”

She smiled and glanced over at Rin. “You’re right. I don’t. But what I do know? Is that I just spent far too much time telling myself that things weren’t real and that it was all going to end, and look how it turned out. Ocean, you are the one who pulled me out of that spiral. You got me to take a chance and come out of my shell for the guys even when I was terrified, and now I’m going to do the same for you.”

“But it isn’t real.”

Nodding, she took my hands and shrugged. “I know. But it’s real for now, and if you can, I want you to enjoy it. They chose you for a reason. And if they do anything to hurt you, I now have five men who will gladly kick their asses, no matter how much money they have.”

Rin appeared at my shoulder before reaching down to grab my hands. “You can do this,” she said. “We’ve got you.”

My breath still came in sharp gasps, but I nodded and let them help me stand, and then help me get into the dress, followed by the cape. It was so much better than in the store because this one fit me perfectly, and even though I was still terrified as I looked in the mirror, I looked like a dream.

“I never thought I could look like this,” I admitted.

It was never active thoughts that prevented me from thinking about it, it was simply reality. Fat girls didn’t look like this. They didn’t get the prettiest dresses or underwear. We took what we could get.

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