Page 86 of The Bridges I've Burned

“Don’t worry about a thing, honey. I’m sure we can find something perfect!”

I double-blinked, turning back toward her.

So, this was happening then?

“Excellent,” Zander replied.

The woman introduced herself as Gretchen. She was also the owner, and her enthusiasm told me she’d clearly picked the right career path. She ushered us deeper into the lion’s den to begin our search. She was so excited about the dresses that she suggested we do everything else after I played dress-up.

Fan-freakin’-tastic.

I would have felt bad for pulling this woman’s chain, but she looked so damn thrilled about the whole thing that I was pretty sure Zander had actually made her day.

“Do you have anything in mind?” she asked, making me blanch.

We were surrounded by tulle and lace and so much white. I caught Zander absently leafing through dresses like he was flipping pages of a book.

“Didn’t you tell me once you had a specific color you wanted, babe?” he said, squeezing my hand before looking up at me and smirking.

“Color?” Gretchen questioned.

“Um, yes,” I answered in a steady voice. “Black.”

“Black?” Gretchen tried to hide her surprise, and Zander had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, like I’d just made him the happiest boy in all the land.

“It’s a family thing,” I explained quickly, feeling slightly exposed. “My dad’s family is from Spain.”

My abuela and many generations before her had always been married in black, which symbolized the bride’s commitment.

Till death do us part.

She’d obviously known of my father’s transgression and never treated me differently because of it. When she’d shown me family photos and the many brides dressed in black, I knew it was the one family tradition I’d want to uphold if I ever got married.

Especially when I found out my mother had been the one to break it when she married my dad.

I also happened to look fucking hot in black.

“Is that going to be an issue?” I asked, hoping I’d just found a snag in Zander’s ridiculous game.

“Oh, no,” she assured me with a bright smile. “I actually have a few in stock, and many of the dresses on the floor come in black or ivory. I don’t have many brides requesting that color.” She clapped her hands together. “How exciting!”

Yay me.

Zander followed us around as Gretchen helped me pick out several dresses. He seemed to take a step back, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he felt out of his element or if he just enjoyed watching me squirm.

Either way, once I had a good selection, we headed to a massive dressing room, and Gretchen gave me a robe—pink, of course—to change into and told me she’d be back. I stared at myself in the mirror for a moment while I removed my sandals and shorts, thinking about my conversation with Marin regarding Zander.

I did have a million and one excuses when it came to Zander, but not a single one of them had anything to do with liking him.

In fact, liking him was the sole reason this whole thing was so fucking complicated. If I’d just found him attractive, he’d be easy to pass up. Hendrix was hot as fuck, but I didn’t want to rub myself all over him like a damn cat in heat.

So, did that mean I wanted more? And an even bigger question…did he?

And if so, what did that even mean? A few hookups until the wedding? A long-distance nightmare?

I let out a sigh just as Gretchen called out from the other side of the dressing room door, asking if she could enter.

“Yep,” I answered. “All ready.”

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