Chapter Twenty-Seven

Liliana

I flew to my laptop and threw it onto my bed. My fingers were already typing before my document had fully loaded.

I will always be true to you.

I will love you forever

This is my vow.

To always honor you, both in public and private.

To recognize my faults and strive to be a better man.

To love you how you deserve to be loved.

To be your best friend and make you laugh.

To cherish your body and your pleasure.

To be slow to anger and quick to forgive.

To never hold on to slights and faults, whether intended or otherwise.

To always respect your wishes and never ignore your pain.

To be your companion through thick and thin and never let the bad times get the best of us.

A drop of water hit my keypad and I looked at it, astonished, before I realized it was a tear. I pulled back and stared at the letters on the screen, the words that had just poured out of me…

I wasn't writing my father's vows. I was writing a fantasy. Just like my books with their idealized versions of Jaxson, I was writing out everything I wanted him to say to me.

And everything I wanted to say back.

Time slipped away, like it always did when I was immersed in words. When my stomach growled, I looked up to the slanting sun and realized I hadn’t eaten at all today. Blinking up from the laptop, I realized my headache had only gotten worse and I was in danger of bringing on a migraine if I didn't get some food in me, fast.

The house was strangely quiet when I emerged. Below me, a figure swathed in shawls and bangles drifted in from the kitchen and looked up at me. "Liliana, how are you feeling? Jax says you had a migraine."

I blinked, surprised that he had lied for me. "I did. They always knock me out of commission for a few days. I'm okay now, just hungry,” I said, looking around. "The place looks amazing, Annie."

It really did. The sagging, beaten-down furniture had been replaced with numerous pieces that, while they didn't match, per se, seemed to balance each other in a discordant harmony, each piece a note forming a chord. The bare walls had been hung with soft tapestries and bright art and the whole place shone with new coats of paint and polish.

Annie looked around, no small amount of pride in her gaze. "The guys have been wonderful," she said. She looked genuinely happy and appreciative.

I ducked my head guiltily. "Was there anything you wanted me to do to help?"

Annie looked at me sharply, all the softness gone from her eyes. "I did actually want to talk to you about that. I need to see the dress you're wearing."

The soft Earth Mother was gone and the steely-eyed control freak took her place. This was the terrifying Annie I was used to. "Um, now? Can I grab something to eat first?"

"I'll have Diggs make you a sandwich. I need to take care of this now before too much more time passes."

"Um, take care of what?"

"The color scheme at the altar. You're standing with your father…”

"I am?"

She shot me a look as she briskly passed me on the enormous staircase. "Of course you are. You're the best woman."

"I am?" I thought I was just going to be attending the wedding, not be a part of it. "What does that mean?"

"It means your dress can't clash with the colors I've chosen." She power-walked down the hall and pushed open my door. I ducked under her arm and just managed to close my laptop before she could catch a glimpse of the "vows" I had written.

"Go on, pull it out and show me."

God, she was terrifying. "It's… a little wrinkled…"

"We'll have it steamed," she snipped.

I pulled out the rumpled, dark green heap. It was my favorite dress, worn only once. I had always liked how the subtle sheen changed from green to orange, but Annie looked completely horrified. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"The altar is blue and silver. You'll look like a fungus up there."

"Gee, thanks, Annie."

She waved her hands. "It's no matter. You'll go find another one."

"I will?" Annie had a way of making me sound like an especially stupid parrot.

"I have accounts at Bellamy, Justine's, and Paloma Veldt." She was already half out the door, ready to attack the next problem on her list. "Go to Justine's first."

"Wait!'

"Yes, Liliana?"

"You trust me? To find my own dress? One that doesn't look like…" I bit off a smile. "…fungus?"

Her gaze softened somewhat. "Of course I trust you Lily." Then she snapped out of it. "I'll call ahead, have them pull a selection."

"Gee, thanks," I repeated, sitting down heavily on my bed. I didn't go shopping much for a reason. Most clothes cut for women didn't fit me. I shopped in the kids' section for blouses, tees, and jeans, then had them tailored to fit my curves. Dress shopping was a complete an utter nightmare. "Can't wait."

Diggs knocked softly on my open door. "Can't wait for what, Lil?" He held out a plate. "Heard you were hungry."

"Oh my God, you just saved me from certain death." I lunged for the turkey on rye, happy he remembered the pickle.

"Glad I could help."

"You always do," I mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich. I swallowed greedily and crunched the pickle. "Can you make me another one tomorrow? I need all of my strength before I have to go… dress shopping." I winced just saying the words. "Apparently, the one I chose is going to clash with the altar scheme."

I thought I would make him laugh, but instead Diggs just looked pensive. "Well, if she thinks so, she's probably right. Annie didn't get where she was by leaving things to chance. She's always at least three steps ahead of the rest of us. Not much gets past her."

My heart flopped sideways as he casually leaned down and kissed me on the cheek, and I was certain he could hear every guilty beat.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jax

I wasn't staring. Just keeping track of things.

That's what I was telling myself, anyway.

That's how I knew that Liliana's door had been shut since last night. It was fucking pitiful, really, the way I kept my ears pricked for any sounds from her bedroom. A few times I heard the clack of keys, and once or twice, an explosive sigh that brought me to my feet, ready to knock on her door. But I pussied out every time, and Lily stayed cloistered.

When the morning rolled around with me barely having slept, I rose, disgusted with myself, and pulled on my workout clothes. I needed to get the fuck out of this house.

Annie and Nails had chosen the house with the view, rather than the house with access, so I ran down the winding drive and cut over a block to the footpath that led down to the beach. Windsprints in the sand would do the trick. I would drive Lily's shut bedroom door from my brain by brute force. Or die in the attempt.

I ran to the point of dry-heaving, but Lily's door was still shut in my face. Defeated, I limped back up the footpath and up to the house, wishing that we had rehearsal scheduled today. I needed to get away from here, from her, but every time I came up with something, I immediately found a reason why I shouldn't go.

I was going to stay here until that girl opened her door, and there was no pretending like that wasn't the truth.