Emily
My new robe covers my lingerie armor. Cherry red heels are on my feet, my hair’s swept up and perfect, and my makeup has never looked so good.
Sutton and Elena took the team of ladies who transformed me downstairs to get a snack.
I tried to let them go, but Lil asked them to stay for touchups later.
Whitney, Lil, and Callie are the only ones left in the room.
“I’m ready,” I say, with a shake to my voice.
“You are going to smash this.” Lil squeezes my hand.
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Whitney says, standing next to my dress.
“Let’s get you into this gown.” Callie holds up the top of the dress, widening the waistline for me to step into the massive skirt lying out on the floor.
There’s pulling and stuffing and a good bit of holding my breath, but they get it on, and Lil pulls the screen away, revealing the mirror.
And I’m stunned. I look like a bride. I don’t know what I thought I would look like.
But I’m a genuine bride. One who looks like she’s got her whole future laid out in front of her. A husband, children, and a career.
But I’ve got none of those things, only a divorce waiting to happen.
I blink at myself. I’m not going to cry.
I can’t ruin the hours of work that’ve been put into making me look like this.
Instead, I pivot away from my reflection to Lil.
Her eyes are so glassy she looks like a blonde doll. “Don’t you cry.”
“I won’t.” There are tears in Lil’s voice.
“Stop it, you.” I spin away, to Whitney, who’s got the same expression on her face as Lilith. “You’ve got to be kidding? Everyone can’t cry today.”
Callie’s fussing with the train of the dress.
“I’m not a crier.” She pops up. “I’ll be your rock.
” She squeezes my hand but drops it to push at my breast. “There.” She stands back.
“That corset is perfect. You look like a dream. Though I’m afraid you and I will be the only ones not crying at your beauty. ”
“Here, take this. It’s something borrowed and blue.” Whitney pushes a blue handkerchief into my hand. “You know, just in case.”
“Thank you.” I’m barely holding it together, but for a completely different reason.
“You have pockets.” Lil opens the side of the dress.
“No way.” I put my hands in them and spin. The train clumps up behind me.
There’s a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it, love,” Callie says and cracks the door. “No boys allowed.”
I laugh. “Who is it?”
“Ryder,” his voice rumbles from the hall. “I need to see Emily, alone. It’ll take just a second, promise. Please, just a second or two.”
I can only imagine the look Callie’s giving him, with the pleading he’s doing.
“It’s fine. Please let him in.”
“We’ll be right outside,” Whitney says, her dress rustling as she leaves the room. Callie follows.
Lilith plops down on the edge of the bed.
“You too.” I point.
“Fine, but . . .” Lilith wrinkles her nose.
I smile at Lilith. I don’t think she knows anything. She would have said something by now if she did.
“I’m not the groom. There’s no reason why I can’t see Emily right now.”
“Fine.” Lilith gives him an I’m-watching-you hand gesture. Two fingers pointed at her eyes and shaken back at him.
“I’ll be quick.” He closes and locks the door behind her.
“Hey!” Lil says from the hall.
“Just a minute.” Ryder strides to me. “First, you look damn hot. I’d like to strip that damn dress off you and, well, ruin the wedding.
But that’s not part of the plan. I just want to let you know how I feel about you.
And this wedding doesn’t change my feelings.
” His eyes hit the necklace at my breast. I tried on a few other pieces, but the one he gave me looks the best. And I haven’t taken it off since he gave it to me. So there’s that.
He presses a light kiss to the top of my head. “Also, Rachel called me. Your dad’s assistant.”
I nod. To me, there’s only one Rachel.
“She told me your dad will be sitting by the phone. He’d like you to call.”
“Oh . . . I don’t even know where my phone is.”
“We can use mine.” Ryder holds his hand out.
“Better put it on speaker. If I mess up my foundation, I don’t know what Lilith will do.”
It rings once. “Hello?” Dad’s voice shakes.
“Hi, Dad, you’re on speaker. Ryder’s here too.”
“Okay. I wanted to call and tell you how much I love you. I may not like who you’re marrying, but you will always be my daughter, and I wish nothing but the best for you.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
“I wish I could be there.”
“I know. I wish you were here too.”
“Rachel says that Anders is walking you down the aisle.”
“He is.”
“He’s a good man.” The implication in Dad’s tone is that I picked the wrong guy.
“He is.”
“I won’t keep you. I bet you’re a knockout. As pretty or prettier than your mom. She would have loved to see you as a bride.”
“Prettiest bride ever,” Ryder answers. Because I can’t. I can’t think of my mom right now. I really will start to cry.
“I know it. Love you, kiddo. Bring that ass of a groom to New York soon. I want to see both of you.”
“Dad.”
“I’m trying.”
“I know. I love you too.” I nod at Ryder, and he ends the call.
There’s a banging at the door. And Ryder’s there before I can turn my massive skirt around.
He throws the lock. “Fuck.”
“Who is it?”
“Your brother,” Easton says.
Emotions fly at me like confetti on New Year’s Eve. I’m thrilled to see him, terrified he’s going to try to stop me, and hopeful he’ll stop me. Easton pushes past Ryder.
“You’re wearing a tux.”
“That’s the first thing you say to me? How am I supposed to walk you down the aisle in my speedo?”
“It would be memorable,” Ryder adds.
“Haley would kill me,” Easton says.
“I’ll wait outside if that’s okay with you, Em?” Ryder asks.
“Thanks.” I nod at him.
Easton shakes his head. “You look great, sis.”
“Thank you.” I’m waiting for the lecture. And still in shock that he’s here.
“That’s it. You look great.”
I cock my head at him. You don’t live with Easton Rockwell for almost eighteen years and not expect him to give you his opinion when he doesn’t agree with you.
It doesn’t work that way. When I told him I was going to turn my trust fund into a foundation, he argued with me for over a year.
When I told him I didn’t want anything to do with the family business, he tried to convince me that I’d be a better CEO than he would and I should take over.
When I told him I was going to be an editor and not do photography, he kept giving my phone number out to people for photography jobs.
Said I had a gift. But the one thing he’s always done is protect me.
Today’s a gray area. Protect me from the Zambrano family or protect my heart.
“Really, you’re not going to try to talk me out of it?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head.
“Even though you hate Thayer.”
“Nope.”
“Haley told you to behave?”
“Yes, but she’s right. I’m not living a conventional lifestyle. If you want to marry the asshole, that’s your call. Even though you don’t have to. You know we would help you raise your baby, right?”
“I know.” I nod, my hand going to my scone.
“Right, well, then it’s your decision, and I’ll stand by it.”
“Okay. Well, I’m glad you’re here. How did you manage it? Swim?”
“No, I hired a fishing trawler. Does my tux smell like fish?” He holds his sleeve out for me.
I lean over, ready to tell him he’s crazy. “Yes. Not super strongly, but yes. Did you wear it here?”
“No, it was in a garment bag.” He gives me a look. “Haley said to give you a hug and a kiss. She wanted to come.”
“The fishing trawler put her off?”
“No, she was ready to ride in the hull. But we vetoed it.”
“You had a tux on the island.”
“Don’t ask.” I’ve learned that when my brother says don’t ask, he means it.
There’s a softer knock.
“I’ll get it,” Easton says.
This time it’s Ryder, Anders, Oliver, and Lilith.
“Hey,” Lilith says.
“Hey?” I answer.
“Right, is Easton going to walk you down the aisle?”
“Will you?” I turn to my brother.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, unless Dad was here. Did you talk to him yet?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll be walking her down the aisle,” Easton says to Lilith.
“Right, so Thayer says Anders should stand with him, Oliver, and Ryder, then.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
“But that makes it lopsided. Elena’s wearing a blue dress. Do you want her to stand in on your side?”
I think back to the few weddings I shot as an apprentice before I decided I didn’t want to be a photographer. Or at least not a wedding photographer. It looks strange when it’s lopsided.
“If you would ask her for me, I’d appreciate it.”
“Great,” Lil says.
Easton’s stomach roars.
“Holy shit, Rockwell. Are you going to explode?” Ryder asks.
“It’s been eighteen hours since I’ve had a real meal. I was so exhausted on the jet I fell asleep before I ate my welcome nuts.”
“Let’s get you a snack. You can’t be louder than the harp.” Lil takes the crook of Easton’s arm. “What is that smell?”
“My new cologne—do you like it?”
“No.” Lil drags Easton from the room as Anders walks in.
“Damn you look so incredible they couldn’t make a fire in the fireplace because you’ve stolen all the oxygen,” he says and presses a kiss to my hand. “Really, whoa.”
“Thank you.” I laugh.
“I hear I’ve been replaced.” Anders clutches his hand to his heart.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I get to watch you walk in. That’s even better. Here.” He hands me a small envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Oliver wrote you a note. He wants to see you as you walk in for the first time.”
“Thank you for delivering it.”
“Anything for you.” He smiles at me and I’m lost. “I’m here for you no matter what.” He gives a final nod.
“Thank you.”
There’s another knock on the door. “Do you have the groomsmen in there?” Holloway calls through the door.
“We’re on our way out,” Ryder says. “See you down there.” He runs a finger along the side of the dragonfly chain.
Anders leans in and bravely plants a kiss on the side of my neck. “Love you.”
My lips are pursed together and I’m keeping myself from crying just barely.
“Hey, are you okay?” Anders stops, but Ryder’s already slipped out the door.
“I just never thought I’d be wearing a wedding dress while knowing I’m getting a divorce. It’s weird.” I take the hanky Whitney lent me and dab at my eyes. “Now I’m a crying bride. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”
“You’re doing this for protection. But even more so for others.
When this is all done, the world will be a much safer place for everyone.
You’re a badass. Cry if you want to. But without you, none of this would be possible.
Thayer would have kept living and doing the same things over and over.
Making headway and letting it slip. Honestly, I don’t blame the guy.
It’s easy to do. Pick a rut and stay in it.
You’re making him plow in a different direction.
You got this. Unless you don’t want to. Say the word and I’ll hit the pavement with you.
We can road trip forever. But I want to be Thelma. ”
“I’ll be your Louise. But I’ve got to do this. I’ve got it.”
“I know you do.”