Page 66 of The Heir

I sat down on the couch as Mary put on some movie, and I barely paid attention to it. When the movie was over, there were only a few hours left until the dance, yet I groaned, knowing that it was still too early to get ready. She laughed and put on another movie. Finally, after the two-hour-long, sappy romance, with an actor who actually vaguely reminded me of Shad, I stood up and went to get dressed. The doorbell rang, and I rushed to it.

“Finally! I have been dying to get ready. This is all so stressful,” I groaned, as Ash gave me a hug.

“Let’s get all dolled up!”

“Dolled up?” I asked.

Ash just shrugged.

“You made it, Emma. You didn’t die!” Mary cheered at me as Ash and I walked down the hall, and I rolled my eyes at her even though she couldn’t see it. We made our way into my room, and as Ash hung her dress over the hook on my door, I opened my closet. There it was: my dress. I touched the fabric. It was a soft, silver-blue with just the right amount of sparkle. It reached just below my knees. I had also purchased a pair of silver, strappy heels that really did a good job of making my legs look longer. After I put on my dress, did my hair, and put on my shoes, I became even more excited. It was real. Ash used my curling iron on her straight, black hair, making soft ringlet curls that she pinned on top of her head.

“You look gorgeous,” I said when she stepped out of the bathroom to twirl.

“Now, I need to get that dress on,” she smiled. I realized, then, that I wished I would have spent more time getting to know Asheven better than I had. I hoped she knew I cared about her, even if I wasn’t so good at being a friend. I was trying, but it was all so new to me.

I sat on my bed, staring at my hands. Was I really going to a dance with a real date? I turned and examined myself in the mirror. Ash had come up to me a few minutes after I put on my dress, gushing about how beautiful I was. She then proceeded to curl my hair just as she had done to hers. I liked how it hung around my face, almost as if framing it. My hair was extremely long, and the curls down my back made my hair look thicker than I had ever seen it before. It looked so pretty that I made a mental note to curl my hair more often. I breathed in once and felt satisfied; there was nothing more to be done—hair, makeup, dress, and shoes; that is it.

An hour later, Ash waved goodbye from her foster parents’ car and sped off. And only a few minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring, and then Mary’s excited voice from downstairs. She wanted to take pictures before we left. I told myself at that moment,I will pull myself together and try to enjoy this. I do have the most attractive and kind guy as a date, so that is saying something.

“Emma!” Mary called as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

“He is in the doorway.” She was giggling and holding up her phone excitedly. I was grateful that she decided not to hate Shad, for whatever her concerns were about his parents, especially onthatnight. We walked together to the front door, and there, I saw him. Seeing Shad in his everyday formal wear always blew my mind. He was a put together person, but on that night, he was something else.

He was wearing a tuxedo; solid black with a silver-blue neck tie.

How did this happen? How could his outfit tonight make all his other clothes look like t-shirts with holes in them and fadedblue jeans?I played the song just for him inside myself, and let it fill me up.He isn’t just handsome,I thought. He is beautiful—not just because he is attractive–many people are, but there is so much more to him than looks. He is kind, thoughtful, sweet, and he cares. He listens; he is respectful; he has worries and fears, but he doesn’t let them stand in his way. He is there for me in the moments I need him. I want to know all of him. So, yes, he is beautiful,breathtaking, and handsome, but it isn’t just from the outside; it is from within, too.I smiled at him, I couldn’t help it. I felt so much for Shad at that moment. He had chased the darkness from inside me time and time again.

And here he is, standing in front of me. I still want to run into his arms and kiss his lips and make him hold me, and never let me go,but I was also willing to be whatever he needed me to be, I just wanted him in my life, always.

His hair was combed back. Shad looked like royalty in that tuxedo, He had cufflinks on, and it seemed like the suit was tailored specifically for him, every inch. It fit his athletic body beautifully. I thanked that tailor in my mind and the thought came to me that if he had a golden crown placed upon his head, he would have looked like a very attractive fae prince.

Imighthave checked out a few more fantasy books from the library a few weeks earlier–I can't help it. Fantasy was exciting. Shad, for sure, fit the hot, fae prince vibes.

As I reached him, his face brightened, as if he had been in a dark room before, and when I entered, someone turned on a light—he glowed.

“You look radiant, Emma,” he complimented as he reached out to me. He pulled me close to him, but not close enough that our bodies were actually touching.Shame.He held my hand as he whispered in my ear, “Darling.”

I thought my heart would give out in a matter of seconds. I loved hearing him call me that.

“Huh, You look evenmoreformal than normal, tonight, Shad. I didn’t know that was possible,” I said with a smile on my lips.

I watched him raise his eyebrows at me until a smile crawled upon his own lips, letting me know that he understood my joke.

“Okay, picture time!” Mary shouted. Shad and I stood in the hallway, and Mary took a couple pictures of us. Shad placed his arm around my waist and pulled me in close for one picture. In another photo, he blew on my cheek, and I laughed at him. Finally, when she called it “good,” we headed out the door.

“Are you ready, Emma?” Shad asked as we walked to the car.

“Just stay with me, please. I'm nervous.”

He chuckled, “and where would I go?”

I shrugged.

“I will be there with you every step of the way,” he assured.

As we drove to the dance, we were silent. We pulled into a parking spot, then Shad shut off the car.

“Okay, here we go,” Shad encouraged as he looked at me.

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