Page 47 of Vengeful Union

She rolls her brown eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those broads who thinks we should all be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?”

I laugh nervously. “No, no, I’m not that way at all. Trust me.”

Raquel smiles. “Good. Because I grew up with four brothers, and I’ve never so much as stepped foot in the kitchen.”

“Are you related to Niall?”

She shrugs. “Somewhere. On my mother’s side. I’ve never officially met the man myself. But when he called and said he needed me, I was here with bells on. Family, ya know?”

I guess I do know. I know a lot of my family members that would show up the second Da called.

I nod slowly. “Well, listen, I’m bored out of my mind here. Can I at least go to the pool?”

Raquel looks me over coolly before smiling again, which changes her whole face. “Can’t see why not.”

I grin back at her, excited, and rush back into the bedroom to change into a bikini.

I keep getting new clothing sent by Rory, even if he is not showing up himself.

It’s not like I miss him or anything. It’s just... I don’t have anyone to talk to.

Can I make friends with a Murphy security guard? Paige probably could. She makes friends with everyone.

I feel an overwhelming wave of sadness, missing her, missing my brothers and my father, too. God, what if Bree has the baby before this is all over? What if I miss it?

I take a shaky breath, hurrying to change and distract myself from those thoughts.

Raquel walks out to the pool with me, laughing as I run and cannonball into the middle of it. She watches from afar as I do a few laps, and we end up sitting on the patio chairs, talking about everything and nothing, like friends do.

We head back inside and eat lunch, and the day doesn’t seem so long.

The wedding is tomorrow, and I was almost sure that Rory would come by, go over everything, tell me the plan all over again. As if I haven’t memorized it already.

But he doesn’t. Instead, I go to bed alone in the wee hours of the morning, thinking about how messed up everything has gotten.

I’ve steppedinto the dress and buttoned as many of the small pearl buttons on the bodice as I can, and now I just stand there, half-dressed, staring at myself in the mirror.

I can’t do this on my own, and I’m about to call Raquel in from the hallway. She’s admittedly not good at “girly” stuff, but she can help me button this before I tear it off and throw it out the window.

But a soft knock sounds on the door, and Rory sticks his head in.

I gasp and hide myself. “You’re not supposed to see me before the wedding.”

Rory scoffs. “I don’t care about superstition. Besides, none of this is real.”

None of this is real.

That’s true, but why does it sting a little? I guess it’s because I wish this was my real wedding, with a real groom, with my real family.

It seems so wrong to be doing it with Rory, who I barely knew.

Rory slides inside and shuts the door behind him, pulling together the sides of the dress and buttoning them with swift fingers.

He’s done in no time at all, but I can still feel his hands on my skin, how it made me heat up.

I’m nervous and touch-starved, that’s all it is.

“Come out when you’re ready,” he says quietly. “We’re all waiting for you.”

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