Page 5 of Love Takes Home

“Yes!” she exclaims, her hand flopping to her lap. “It’s so horrible. And I look so fat in it!”

“Stop,” I command. “What did I tell you? You do not look fat in that dress, but you look fucking uncomfortable and almost likeyou’re in pain, and honestly, the feathers are making me want to sneeze.”

The indelicate snort coming from Ginny makes my own shoulders shake with laughter.

“I am uncomfortable,” she finally admits, pulling the high neck ruffle away from her throat.

“Wait.” I reach over and stop her from letting go of the ruffle. “Are those…blisters?”

“I’m fine. I’ll take it off when we get wherever it is you’re taking me.” She waves away my concern.

“Fuck that. Do you care about this dress at all?”

“No,” she snorts again.

Without giving it much thought, I reach over and grip the ruffle around her neck, shredding the thick lace fabric in two as I wrench it away from her skin.

“Joker! What the hell?”

I nod at my handiwork. “Much better. Your throat can move now.”

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she mutters under her breath.

“I can’t believe you didn’t do that before I had the chance.”

“I didn’t want to ruin it, even if I do hate it.”

“I’m afraid I’m going to say something and really piss you off. Did you pick that dress?”

“Fuck no! Keith picked it out. Said it would cover up my business and hide my fat.”

I growl at that, but now that she’s talking, I want her to continue.

“I didn’t care. I just wanted to get it over with. So if this dress made him happy, so be it.”

“You just wanted to‘get it over with’?”

“Pretty much. I never wanted the big wedding. I didn’t need a show or to be the center of everyone’s attention.”

This I knew about her. She hates being center-stage. Unless she’s playing her cello.

“Then why?”

“Because he wanted the show. He wanted to be seen. He wanted to be the star of the day.”

“And he thought putting you in feathers and ruffles and…fuck,” I reach out to a see-through swatch of fabric on her arm, “is that mesh?”

“Don’t forget the crinolines underneath the chiffon, crepe, and tulle fabrics.”

“Even those words make me want to recoil.” I cringe.

“And feathers.” She gives me a crazy-eyed look, plucking one of the offending things off her skirt.

“I don’t understand this at all.” I wave my hand over her dress.

“Imagine having to wear it. It’s miserable. How much longer until we get where we’re going?”

I clear my throat and nod, starting the truck back up and pulling onto the highway. “Just about twenty more minutes.”

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