Page 38 of Pierced Pages

“It’s fine,” Danielle lied. “Really.”

“I’ll understand if you don’t want to go to the wedding now.”

Her stomach clenched. She hadn’t realized just how much she wanted this until something threatened to take it away.

“No, it’s fine. I still want to go.” Everything inside her twisted like a towel being wrung out with the realization of what that statement might actually mean. “Unlessyoudon’t want to now.”

A soft smile appeared on Morgan’s face. To anyone else, that softness might seem out of place on Morgan’s hard edges. Against the canvas of her piercings and black hair and shaved sides of her head. But even knowing her for just this bit of time, Danielle knew that softness lived there.

“I’m still in if you are.”

Danielle returned the smile and gave a curt nod. “Then it’s settled. Wedding in two weeks.”

Morgan bit her lip, tugging at the hoop on the right side, and Danielle wanted more than anything to pick up where they’d left off outside that boutique.

No, not an option.

“Great,” Morgan said. “I’ll get with you later about details.”

“Sounds good. Thanks again for the dress.”

Morgan’s attention was pulled to something past Danielle. She let out a small chuckle and waved.

Danielle turned to see a trio of heads peeking out the window. Two adult-sized and one child-sized.

“That’s my cue.” Danielle exited the car then removed the dress bag from the backseat hanger with the passenger door still open. She stuck her head back in the car's front and said, “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Tell them I said, ‘Hi.’”

“Will do.”

Danielle closed the car door and walked to Melanie and Kim’s side door, realizing that Morgan was still in the driveway waiting for her to get inside safely.

“I see you’re all bored here by the look of your faces in the window.”

“Not bored,” Kim said from her side of the loveseat she and Melanie shared.

Melanie shrugged beside her. “You’re just way more interesting.”

“She’s pretty,” Lila said, still staring out the window and watching as Morgan drove off. “At least from what I can see through the car window.”

Danielle had a talk with Lila about her bisexuality the year before, when they went to the local pride celebration together. She was beginning to regret that conversation at the moment.

“Oh, she’s very pretty,” Melanie said. “And not just through a car window.”

“She’s my cousin, so I’m going to let you two have that one,” Kim said as she tapped the arm of the sofa beside her. “So, how’d it go?”

Danielle draped the dress bag over the other arm of the couch and sat on the opposite end near Kim. “It went.”

“That’s a terrible answer,” Kim said. “Tell us the real one.”

“Fine. I got a dress.” She made a flourishing motion at the bag. “A gorgeous one.”

“Oh, good!” Melanie leaned forward and dropped her voice to a whisper. “But that’s not what we’re asking.”

Danielle knew exactly what they were asking and what she didn’t want to tell them.

“Yeah, Mom.” Lila plopped herself on the center cushion right beside Danielle. “Tell us how it went. You like her, right?”