Page 65 of Biker's Property

“Your language is rubbing off on me,” Joslin says. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

“I’ll apologize with a gift.”

I put my arm around Joslin, her small body drawing close to mine. She might have been scared on the highway, but now she clings to me for safety. And I fucking love that she does it. Now… Do they make wedding dresses that push your titties together?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JOSLIN

Las Vegas Deluxe Wedding Emporium

Everywhere we go, people gaze up at Ryder with a mixture of fear and respect. Some of that energy rubs off on me when I’m with him. The closer I get to Ryder, the safer I feel, even if I know he’s a criminal. The second we enter the wedding emporium, the woman rushes over to Ryder and introduces herself as Catalina, as if he’s the one about to buy a wedding dress, and offers to help.

She’s short with long, wavy black hair and the thickest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a woman. She looks fashionable and like a real city person. I look up to her instantly as the keeper of all wedding related knowledge. And I feel unusually plain instead of normal.

Ryder puts his arm around my shoulder and draws me closer. Catalina looks at me once Ryder pulls me close, her face getting wider as she realizes he’s about to spend some money here.

“I needa dress that makes this woman look like a princess and the phone number of an officiant who can get us married today,” Ryder says, tacking on more complex requests for Catalina than one could reasonably expect her to perform.

She looks surprised at his request but she responds with a simple, “I’ll see what I can do.”

The woman disappears for a while and then returns with a rolling rack containing four wedding dresses that look…huge.They really do look like princess dresses. I glance over at Ryder, to see if this gigantic biker really wants to go through wedding dress shopping of all things…

He looks ecstatic.

“Shit.Those look straight out of a movie. Joslin… This is all your choice… I’ll go get one of those energy drinks while you decide.”

“Another one?”

“I need energy for our wedding, church girl.”

He squeezes my hand gently, kisses me on the lips and then leaves me alone with the saleswoman – and no money, I might add. She looks at Ryder as he leaves and I catch her eyes wandering to his ass. There’s a strange pulse of jealousy as she looks at him, even if I know I would be looking at his butt in her position too. I don’t have to look when I get to feel his butt pressing into me on the bike. Every part of me flutters.

“How did he propose?” she asks, almost swooning on the spot before I say a single word. I answer her question as vaguely as possible, saying it was a total surprise and that he popped the question spontaneously. She finds my story romantic, Ryder just watches with an annoyingly smug look on his face until I finish talking.

He’s busy with those damned energy drinks. I watch Ryder disappear towards his energy drink without a care in the world as Catalina drags me around the emporium. I guess I’m stuck with Catalina until he gets back from… wherever he went off to with that drink. I look at the dresses, realizing for the first time that I never really pictured mydreamwedding dress. I don’t know where Ryder thinks they’ll let us in with these fabulous gowns.

“What do you think?” Catalina asks.

“They’re so… big.”

“Try them on! Petite girls like you are so lucky. You look good in everything.”

I smile and thank her for the compliment, but the truth is that growing up petite isn’t always compliments and clothes that fit. I had to wear clothes from the little boys’ section my last year of high school because my mom would have died before letting me out of her sight in a mini-skirt. The fleeting thought of her fills me with guilt. She was thrilled at my first wedding, even if I didn’t smile and even if my future husband made sexual comments about me throughout his wedding vows.

What would she think of Ryder? She must thinksomethingof him. They met, according to him.

“Doyou have anything made out of silk?” I ask Catalina. She gushes about their silk options and scurries to the back. My first wedding was so heavy. I want this one to be… light. Just like silk. I want it to feel like mysecondand hopefully my last wedding dress. Once Catalina disappears, the memories of my mother on my first wedding day get stronger and I feel this strange twist of sadness that I haven’t felt since leaving Arizona.

Is it just because Ryder left me alone for a while? I do wish he would come back but… maybe it’s just me missing her. Even if our relationship wasn’t perfect.

Catalina returns with a new rack of dresses. Not all of these are that pure, crisp white, but I love the ivory and cream colors, especially when I think about how the fabrics will look and feel against my skin tone. My stomach tightens nervously at the thought that this choice is one of the few I have ever made that was entirely mine. I should be strong enough to leave the past behind me.

“What do you think?”

“They’re lovely.”

I answerher honestly about the dresses. But I still feel nervous. I ask her as I touch each of the dresses and allow them to speak to me. The softest one is a smooth ivory color that I fall for instantly. I wonder what my mother would think of my hair… It doesn’t feel “wedding-ready” right now. I don’t even have time for a twist out…

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