Page 82 of Dirty Husband

I nodtrue. Flip the page to an over-the-top princess dress. It's the spitting image of Belle's dress fromBeauty and the Beast, only cream instead of bright yellow. A little more subtle, but only a little.

He laughs and says something about American weddings. Which is ridiculous. Vietnamese weddings are huge status symbols. Maybe even more so than American weddings.

Everyone, everywhere wants the chance to show off. To saylook at my beautiful daughter, my beautiful wife, this beautiful life she's going to embark on.

So far, Shep's team hasn't forced me into any specific appointments. I can spend the next two weeks—or however long I have to figure this out—trying on dress after dress. Or I can pick one out of a magazine. Or call a seamstress and ask her to create something from scratch.

But I understand the rush. I need to decide this, soon, or his team will decide for me.

"If you aren't going to call your aunts, bring a friend. It will help." His smile is soft. And a little sad. Because he's not well enough to help. Or because Mom isn't here. Or both.

"I will." Only I don't have any close friends. Not anymore. My first year of college, I bloomed. I met so many people who shared my interests. Who wanted to talk about film or theater or the wonder of New York City.

But after Dad got sick and I had to drop out to work full time—

It was too hard, explaining my decision, dealing with the looks of pity people offered. It was too hard, dealing with expectations. Even with other people in my position. Or worse positions.

They thought they understood because they'd been through similar hardships. Maybe they did. Maybe I was the one who didn't get it.

I'm friendly with lots of people. But there are only a few I trust for anything genuine.

Dad. And Nick.

That was complicated before Shepard asked me to marry him. Now…

"What about Lizzy?" He mentions Nick's fiancée. Who was once his subordinate. At the company where I worked as Nick's assistant. God, that was a minefield. "She was always stylish."

He's right. Lizzy is very stylish. And she's not the type of person who expects anything of me. She didn't take the normal path either. Went from Stanford to a New York school no one remembers, all to stay closer to her sister.

But she's also nineteen. Twenty now, maybe. A kid. A kid who's going to marry my fiancé's brother.

If we were normal people, that would mean she was my future sister, and we'd be skipping hand in hand. Or complaining about the in-laws.

"You know things are strained with Nick and Shep," I say.

"Life is too short, Jasmine."

"It's his life, not mine."

He shakes his headit's ridiculous. Sips his tea.

It's nice, him disapproving of my fiancé's life choices. He's looking out for me again. We're having a normal breakfast. Like we would if he wasn't sick. "I'm not going to get in the middle." It's hard enough dealing with this arrangement without Shep thinking I'm on his brother's side.

"Aren't you going to invite them to the wedding?"

"Of course."

He holds out his handsounds like an opportunity.

That's true enough. "They need time."

"Why?"

I thought I knew. Now, not so much. Nick holds onto secrets better than anyone. And Shepard is as tight-lipped as they come.

"Was it because of rehab? How Nick forced Shep to get sober?" Dad asks. My surprise must be obvious, because he clarifies. "It was in the papers."

It was a few lines in a few business sections. But only the part about rehab. Not the rest. Even I don't know the details. Somehow, Nick did what I couldn't. He convinced Shep to get clean. And now Shep hates him with a fiery passion.