Page 72 of Cruelest Contract
She nods. She’s smiling again.
Then she hugs me.Reallyhugs me, putting her whole body into it. She squeezes my waist and rests her cheek on my chest. I breathe in the scent of her damp hair and rub her back.
In truth, I’d gladly remain right where I am, holding this girl until darkness falls. But there are things to be done.
She’s in a terrific mood as I escort her back to her room. She’s already making lists out loud. She has phone calls to make. Engagement news to share.
Leaving her to her lists after stealing one more kiss, I head downstairs. Mel needs to know that there’s going to be a wedding at Storm’s Eye Ranch in the very near future. She’ll be thrilled.
Before I go spreading the good news far and wide, I close myself into my father’s study and take a seat behind his mammoth desk. My mother’s painting stares down at me from the opposite wall while I place a call.
“Is it settled?” my father’s deep voice asks when he picks up.
“All according to plan,” I reply.
He’s glad to hear it. “Congratulations, son. She’ll be a credit to you and to the family.”
I can hear the smile in his voice as he asks about the wedding date.
Meanwhile, my mother’s immortal painted smile remains fixed in place on the wall.
Never changing, never fading. Just frozen in time.
13
CECILIA
“Blot,” commands Alice and shoves a tissue between my lips whether I’m ready or not.
I pick the tissue from my mouth and inspect my reflection. “I think the lip color might be a little too vivid.”
“No way,” Alice says and winds another piece of my hair around a curling wand. “You look dramatic.”
“I look like I’ve been gobbling red popsicles.”
“Same thing.” She cheerfully unravels a long, perfect curl.
“Maybe we could just take it down half a level,” I say and hope I didn’t accidentally hurt her feelings.
Alice arrived yesterday with two large hardshell suitcases. One held her clothes. The other contained every cosmetic item in her vast collection. Since I insisted on keeping this wedding low key and refused to hire a makeup artist, Alice is intent on filling the void.
“As you wish,” Alice says, not insulted in the slightest.
She selects a soft pink lipstick shade that looks far more natural and quickly makes the adjustment.
“My BFF is so freaking beautiful,” she declares, bouncing with excitement.
My lips no longer look like they’re bleeding. “I guess I’m acceptable.”
“Stop. You are exquisite, Cecilia. The groom is the luckiest guy on earth.” She kneels on the bathroom floor to rummage through the piles of makeup and hair products. “The flowers were an excellent idea. Let me pin some more in.”
“Sure.” I run my fingers through the temporary spiral curls, careful not to disturb the small pink flower buds. Alice brilliantly fashioned short stems from floral wire and weaved over a dozen of them into my hair.
My ring snags on a rosebud and I carefully pull it free. The oval diamond is set in rose gold and surrounded by diamond chips and filagree designs in the shape of a flower. The ring was sold with a companion band that I’ll be receiving today.
The morning after I accepted Julian Tempesta’s proposal, he took me on a shopping spree to choose our rings. I found a dress too; a non-traditional light blush empire waist gown with delicate floral patterned lace sewn into the bust.
My dress hangs on the back of the bathroom door, so very pink and dreamy. I was drawn to it immediately. Every time I try it on, I think of my mother and her pink sweaters and the pink bathroom soaps and the pink cushion on her bathroom vanity stool as she sat at the mirror, perfecting her makeup. I’d give anything for her to see me today but that option doesn’t exist.
