There's Snow Escape(7)

All she’d done was write down her thinking on how society made big women feel and how women living with curves needed to change their thinking to stop feeling inferior to anyone smaller.

Along with all the fame of her book, she’d been in the public’s eye. Something she hadn’t enjoyed at all. She sucked it up and did what she had to in order to give big girls a voice. Rebecca, had been harassing her about an interview for her magazine as well.

Their last conversation hadn’t gone well. If only Rebecca could see the beauty of Aurora. The gorgeous forest and how clean the air felt. So crisp. Even waking up to two suns had done nothing but add to the charm of the alien planet.

“So?” Bella asked walking into the bedroom.

Charlotte and Gerri gasped in unison.

“You look…” Charlotte mumbled, rushing to her feet.

“Amazing!” Gerri said and stood as well. “Absolutely gorgeous!”

It was true. When Charlotte had tried on the wedding dress, she’d been eyeing it from a friend’s point of view and knowing exactly how much Bella liked simplicity, she’d gone with a strapless A-line dress that had a blinged-out sash at the waist. The sheer material went well with the warmth of the forest where Bella lived, but the empire waist favored Bella’s growing baby bump.

“You look beautiful,” Charlotte said, watching Bella twirl. One of the walls changed into a giant mirror, allowing Bella to look at herself from head to toe.

Charlotte still couldn’t get used to the fact everything seemed to be mood related. Her bedroom had been colored in a soft pale yellow that reminded her of the roses her grandmother used to grow in her garden. This was a good change for her. So much of her life had been spent allowing others to hurt her with their words.

When she divorced her ex, she’d divorced the old Charlotte. Since then, she’d embraced her own voice. Spoke her mind. She sure as hell wasn’t allowing anyone to make her feel like she used to. Being in charge of her own life gave her the strength to be assertive and determined.

Life had been rough in the emotional sense. But the past few years of self-confidence in her body and her voice had taught her to be more aggressive. Whoever didn’t like her self-assurance, her body-positive ideas, or the fact she was a big girl, could go fuck themselves.

Bella rushed forward to Charlotte and hugged her. “Thank you for getting this dress. It’s perfect.”

“I’d do anything for you. You’re my bestie.”

Bella’s eyes filled with tears. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “I’d do anything for you too,” she said, clearing her throat and glancing at Gerri. “Find my best friend a good man.”

Gerri inclined her head in a regal nod. “I’m on it. Hopefully she’d able to tame anything that comes her way.”

Charlotte raised her brows. “I don’t know about taming, Gerri. I can’t even get my hair to do what I want.”

Bella laughed, grabbed a handful of Charlotte’s curls and tossed them back. “Men are like hair. You have to whip them into shape and before you know it, they don’t ever stray from their rightful place.”

“Well, if men are anything like my hair, then I am in for a shifter that will pee on the carpet and destroy my shoes like some horrible hair days,” she joked. “I’ve yet to meet one man who isn’t a douche.” She raised a hand when Gerri opened her mouth. “That includes my father.”

“Shifters are not like human men.”

“Thank god for small miracles,” Bella said. “They’re straight out of a woman’s fantasies. Alphas. Sexy. Romantic. And the sex…” she sighed. “Out of this world.”

Charlotte laughed at the over-dramatic way Bella spoke. She met Gerri’s amused gaze. “I’ll have whatever you gave Bella.”

“Darling, we are going to get you a lot more than you ever expected.” Gerri laughed. “All I ask is for you to have an open mind. It will help you along the way.”

Right. Open mind. Had she not had more than two glasses of the Sidaii wine, she’d worry about the way Gerri said that.





FIVE



Brecc tugged at the neck tie. He hated dressing up.

“Leave it alone. You’re messing up Alessandra’s hard work,” Eros chastised. He leaned next to Brecc. “What’s making you so anxious?”

He didn’t know. His animal was practically doing cartwheels inside. It was a hell of a time to keep his wolf under control. “I hate these kinds of functions. I don’t like how hyped up my wolf gets.”

Eros chuckled. “You hate everything with any crowds. How you manage such a large pack is beyond me.”