“Everyone should be getting invites soon, I guess, since it’s next week,” I noted under my breath, hoping no one would hear me.
“WHAT?” they cried out at the same time.
“Shit! I forgot, you guys didn’t know.” I figured everyone knew since he marked it with bold letters in the paper.
“Next week? Are you crazy? I thought it was like in a month!” Elissa shouted. I only shrugged. What could I say?
“No point in waiting. My girl can’t keep her hands off me.” I felt Daimon’s hand slip around my waist as he pulled me close. I could feel him nudging his head into the crook of my neck as he took in my scent. Daimon’s whiplashing moods completely threw me for a loop, leaving me confused and nervous at times.
“It’s more like you can’t seem to keep your hands to yourself,” Elissa noted as she wagged her eyebrows.
“That too.”
I guess Daimon was back to being his normal self, whatever that was. After that night, Daimon seemed tense and apprehensive, but he seemed to be himself once again. I moved my hand up and held onto his arm.
“Why are you here? I thought you were busy with work?” I asked him, wanting to act my part.
“Work ended early so I decided to see you. I hear from Jessica you left her with quite an impression.” Great! I was totally going to get yelled at later by him.
“I hear you’re going for dresses. Want me there?” he asked. This had to be a trick question.
“No, I don’t. I’d rather you be surprised when you see me.” I smiled as I turned to face him.
“Don’t worry about the price. Just pick the dress you want,” he said as he brushed my hair to the side of my face. His gentle touch made my body shiver. “Cold?” he murmured.
“A little,” I muttered.
“I can’t wait until you don’t have to work here anymore. Darren making you wear this damn sexy dress is driving me crazy,” Daimon bit out.
“Why don’t you rip it off her the last night she’s here, you know, commemorate the event,” Elissa said, raising her eyebrows and sticking out her tongue.
“Hmm, sounds fucking nice,” he growled low as I looked at him. His eyes focused intently on mine as he smiled at me.
“It does,” I said, leaning in close and kissing his cheek softly, but all the while I wanted to gouge out his eyes for putting me in this position.
“Addie, your drinks are up,” Jace interrupted from behind me.
“I better get back to work, babe.” I pulled away from him and picked up my tray. I could still feel the warmth of Daimon’s arms wrapped around me as I made my way through the crowd. I thought that I would be somehow sickened by him, but that was what worried me the most. I wasn’t. Throughout high school, he bullied me, and it was clear he planned to do the same throughout this marriage. I should have been angry, but I wasn’t.
It was seven fifty on the dot and both Elissa and I were waiting. We ensured we arrived early to avoid the wrath of my Type A personality wedding planner.
“Addie!” Jessica cried out as she walked over to us in her three-piece skirt suit, carrying her small briefcase and her Starbucks coffee.
“Holy shit, she looks serious,” Elissa said over my shoulder.
“I know. I’m scared of her,” I admitted as I forced a smile, trying to act like she didn’t intimidate me.
“I see you brought a friend. That’s good. I’m Jessica Somer.” She nodded to Elissa.
“Hi, I’m Elissa.” I could tell by the slight raise in her voice, that Elissa was also scared by Jessica.
“Okay, listen, ladies, we have a tight schedule. I realize by walking through here you might lose your mind in wedding dresses, but we need to pick one in the next few hours, because the next appointment is scheduled for one o’clock for flowers. After that, we go to a venue I think Addie might like. I’ve chosen two, so you will have to choose which one of them you like the most,” Jessica instructed as she gestured for us to follow her.
“What about the invitations?” I asked, already overwhelmed by the day ahead and the planning.
“Well, since we don’t have much time, Daimon has decided to have a website created. Apparently, he’s going to call your father for a guest list. Daimon will have a small note delivered to them, instructing them to go online and see where they need to go. It’s going to be a small affair. He was rather pleased with your decisions to keep it small and elegant. What were his words again? Oh, yeah, that’s my Addie.” She smiled, waiting for one of us to open the shop door for her. I pulled it opened and was confronted by a lady dressed in black.