Page 197 of Dark Love

I turn to glare at him. “If you aren’t going to help me pick a dress, just hush.”

He chuckles but doesn’t move.

“Flowery sundress or ballgown?” Each of them has a good point and a bad. I hold them up to my body one at a time. The mirror doesn’t help as much as I wish it would.

“The sundress.”

It’s soft, sweet, and flowy. “But the gown has a long train that will billow out, and it’s elegant like your library.”

“Why don’t you wear both?”

Doesn’t he understand anything? “There’s only ever one first time, and I can’t get this wrong.”

He shakes his head. “First time at what?”

“Follow along. You have a rolling ladder, and I need a dress to wear on it.”

“Is this a woman thing I should learn about?”

The consternation on Vex’s face is endearing. “No. Well, sort of. But you don’t need to learn anything, you just need to take a picture when I ask you to later.”

“That I can do.” He relaxes against the door frame.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch me as I pick?”

“Yup.” He smirks.

How do I even react to that?

You’re in a relationship… sort of… mostly… One of these days you’ll get around to kissing him. I stick the gown back on the rack and then rustle through the drawers, pulling out matching undergarments and tucking them in my pockets. A pair of nude peep-toe pumps finish the outfit even though they’re going to be slipped off as soon as the pictures are taken.

As I walk past Vex to get dressed in the bathroom, he hooks an arm around my waist, stopping me.

His other hand slides up the curve of my cheek and into my hair.

This is it. He’s going to kiss me.

What do I do? Where do I put my hands?

They’re full of stuff. Should I drop the dress and shoes?

“Wear your hair down.” Vex slides his fingers through my hair, carefully taking out the twisty holding my hair.

My hair tumbles to my shoulders.

Um… If I wasn’t already in love with him, I would be now.

“Go get dressed, Dahl.”

Kiss.

No kiss. I want to pout, but there’s a ladder waiting for me downstairs.

Twenty minutes later, I step out of the bedroom to find Vex waiting for me.

A different Vex from the man I saw just twenty minutes ago. He’s in a cream linen suit with a cream shirt and a rose pocket square that matches the florals in my dress too well to be a coincidence. “You changed.”

“I thought if we were taking pictures to remember the day, I might as well match you.”

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