Page 135 of Taming the Beasts

I walked out of the dressing room. “What do you think?” I did a little twirl.

“I think Grudge would drool.”

I laughed. “My boyfriends would.”

“All six of them.”

“Grudge is not one of my boyfriends!”

She laughed. “That sentence is very loaded. And are you sure Grudge knows that? He even offered to grab you whatever you wanted at the market. That’s boyfriend material.”

“He was just making a joke about phallic fruit.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Now can you please stop and tie my bow?” I turned around.

We’d added a big bow to the back of my dress too to mimic the one on Emma’s. Emma tied it and stepped back. “You are the most beautiful maid of honor in the world.”

I smiled.

“Grudge is seriously going to lose his mind when he sees you in this.”

“Stop.”

She burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I’m just messing with you. I’m sure Grudge knows where the line is.”

“Right,” I said. I was glad she was sure. Because I wasn’t. I sat down on the plush loveseat and pulled on my matching red high heels.

Emma sat down next to me. She started fidgeting with her hands.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. I just keep thinking about the cure.”

I pressed my lips together. As soon as the reception was over, Callum had plans to take the cure. I knew Emma was trying her best to believe the cure would work. And I didn’t want to be the one that had her feeling unsettled on her wedding day.

But she already looked unsettled. I knew what was running through her head, even if she wasn’t voicing it. “I know,” I said and dropped my head onto her shoulder.

She took a deep breath. “One thing at a time. Do you think the owner is almost ready? What time is it?”

I pulled out my phone. “You’ll be walking down the aisle in a little less than an hour.”

Emma started fidgeting with her hands again.

“You’ll be ready in time,” I said.

“I know.”

I stared at her hands. So her nerves were all about the cure? I got that. “Want to practice your vows?”

She shook her head.

I needed to distract her somehow...

Grudge walked into the boutique chugging an energy drink. He finished it off and then crushed it against the coffee table. “Okay,” he said. “I’m ready now.”

“Ready for what?” I asked.