“You shouldn’t talk to your daughter that way.” Killian's voice stops me once I’m out of view.
“She’s my daughter. I’ll talk to her how I please.”
“You should watch your tone, Shane. Don’t forget who you are talking to.” The warning in Killian’s tone causes a chill to run down my spine.
“Of course. My apologies. Shall we discuss business?” I can hear Father moving closer.
I hustle down the hall and around the corner, afraid I’d been caught eavesdropping. When the door closes loudly, I let out the breath I was holding.
Making my way back up to my room, I try not to dwell on tonight.
When I step into my room, I’m surprised to see Miss Kelly there.
“What are you doing?”
She turns, smiling at me. “I’m going to help you get ready for tonight. First things first, you jump in the shower.”
As she ushers me into the bathroom, I see the dress bag hanging on the door.
“Is that my dress?” I ask, pointing toward it.
“Go shower. You can see it when I’m done.”
Rushing through a shower, my mind keeps falling back on the dress. I wonder what my father picked out.
He would never have let me pick out my own dress. No, he is too controlling for that. He has an image he would like to maintain.
If I would have to guess, there will be lots of fabric. So much so that I will not be able to find myself in the midst of it.
When I’m finally out, Miss Kelly offers me a robe before moving me in front of my vanity.
She goes through a whole beauty routine. I apply moisturizer on my face and body butter on the rest of my body as she methodically brushes and blow dries my hair. Then she curls it, pinning the curls up to maintain their form while she works on my face. She plucks my brows.
By the time she has applied my makeup and finished my hair, I feel like I’ve been in the chair all day long.
Then she leads me to my dress.
As she unzips the bag, I gasp, my fingers sliding to my lips.
The dress is beautiful and not what I expected.
It looks like a princess ball gown, except it’s all white.
No.
It looks like a wedding dress.
As Miss Kelly removes the dress from the hanger, I have to choke back my dread.
It’s a fucking wedding dress.
Miss Kelly doesn’t say anything as she helps me step into the dress, buttoning each and every button on the back.
It’s strapless, showing off my shoulders. Much more provocative than I would have imagined. The dress falls to my feet and is lighter than I expected. It has lace and tulle on the skirt, while the bodice is covered in an intricate floral pattern. It’s strapless, but thank goodness it covers my breasts completely, the material a straight line across them, offering some sense of security.
Then Miss Kelly lifts the bottom, sliding a pair of silver heels in front of my feet. Once I’ve slipped them on, she turns me to the mirror.
My mouth falls open.
