Page 32 of Taming Hawke

Luisa

Tears fill my eyes when I look at Jasmine in the mirror. We are at the bridal shop where Jasmine is having her final dress fitting. We leave for Tennessee tomorrow, and Jasmine decided she wanted to try it on one last time. She’s been worried that with her growing belly, the dress may have gotten tighter.

Till today I hadn’t seen it on her, but now that I have, I can safely say I’ve never seen her look so beautiful. Her dress sits off her shoulders, with a heart-shaped bustline, and crystals cover the bodice of the gown, accentuating her curvy waist. Ribbon crisscrosses down the back and ties together at her waist, keeping the bodice secure, with the benefit of her being able to make it looser should she need to. The skirt is full, and Jasmine reminds me of Cinderella. It also does a wonderful job of hiding her growing belly. Not that Jasmine’s ashamed of it, but a girl does like to look slim on her wedding day. Jasmine’s chosen ivory for the dress, and a long veil covers her brown locks.

She turns around, away from the mirror, grinning at me. “Well, what do you think, Lu?”

I’m lost for words so I sit there just staring at her. “Lu? Earth to Lu.”

Getting up from my seat, I walk over and clasp her hands in mine. “Jasmine, you are going to make a beautiful bride.”

Jasmine smiles warmly at my words. “You sure it’s not too much?” She turns around to look at herself in the mirror again, running her hands over the flared organza skirt.

“It’s your wedding day, there’s no such thing as too much,” I say honestly. “Jazz?” Jasmine looks at me via the mirror. “You’re going to be the most beautiful bride ever, and Quill is going to die when he sees you. But, I will say… I sure do feel sorry for the man.”

Jasmine frowns. “And why is that?” she asks, her head cocked to the side.

“Because….” I giggle. “Once he has you to himself, he’s going to have a hell of a time getting you out of this dress?” I tug on the ribbon holding her bodice together. We both laugh out loud before Jasmine’s face straightens.

“What?” I ask when I see her mischievous look. It’s like she’s keeping a secret.

“Wait till Quill sees my lingerie.”

“What did you do?” I cover my mouth with my hand.

Smirking, her eyebrows dance when she says, “Let’s just say he will be very pleased.”

I giggle again and shake my head. “Where has my best friend gone?”

“Oh, she’s here, just a dirtier one,” she replies, and I nod.

“That you are.”

Jasmine eyes me suspiciously, and I look up at the pedestal she’s standing on. “What’s wrong?”

She steps down and holds out her hands to me. “Lu, I want you to know that I wouldn’t be doing this without you. You have always been there for me, and you have got me through so much in the last year. I wouldn’t be marrying the man of my dreams if I didn’t have you to give me that push.” Her eyes fill with unshed tears and I pull her into an embrace.

“Oh, Jazz. You don’t have to thank me, I’m just glad you found Quill. I know you guys are going to be happy.”

Jasmine pulls back and focuses on me. “Lu, you have always been honest with me. Now it’s my turn to be honest with you.”

I’m still wondering what she has to say. “What are you trying to say, Jazz?”

“I’m trying to say that Hawke is also a good man.”

“Jasmine, don’t,” I warn her.

“No, Lu, you need to hear this.”

I pull back out of her arms, but she steps forward and grabs my hands, leading me to the couch I was seated on before.

We take a seat and face each other. “Lu, don’t make the same mistake as me. I didn’t want to hear Quill’s side of the story when he slept with Jess. I wasted so much time being without him, trying to hate the man, but look where that got me? Kidnapped, and I almost lost my life.”

“It’s not the same, Jazz. Hawke has been engaged before, and he never told me. He kissed her. He wasn’t drunk or fed drugs to knock him out like Quill, he was sober, and knew what he was doing.” I begin to cry and look away from her.“Oh, Lu. I know Hawke loves you, he does. He told me. Josie is his ex-fiancée, but did you know she slept with someone else, and that Hawke was the one to catch them in bed?”

My gaze snaps back over to hers, and I gasp. “Josie cheated on Hawke?”

“Yep, and he was going to marry her the next month. He came home and walked in on her having sex with some random stranger.”

---