Speaking of storms, it seems like there’s one coming. I can smell rain in the air coming in through the open window picking toward the side of the house, letting the paint fumes escape. I bet it’ll rain tonight. I smile to myself, wondering if that will affect any of Leo’s plans. I hope it all works out for him.
I get the feeling that today is the day. Today, he’ll propose. He hasn’t got long to make the wedding happen, after all, and I know he doesn’t want to lose the inheritance if he can help it, there are so many jobs on the line not just his fortune. But I know he also insists on making everything special for me. So his disappearance this morning seems important. He already knows I’ll say yes, anyway, but I guess he just wants me to say yes in a special way. I think it’s really sweet. My sexy, commanding, dominating man is spending his day on delicate matters, and it feels nice. It shows me there’s another side to him. And I love every single side of him I’ve seen so far.
It’s midday when there’s a knock at the bedroom door. A smile quirks on my face. Another delivery? The last dress he sent for me was so beautiful and so perfect for me that it feels like he’s going to hit the spot yet again. As I open the door to accept the gift, my breath is taken away.
Several people wait outside for me. One is holding a tray of pink champagne out for me, and another holds a note. But the thing that catches my eye most is the dress the person in the middle is holding.
It’s insane. It’s so incredible that I can’t even comprehend someone coming up with the design. The gown, made of different colored sequin blends seamlessly into one another, there is orange and red, the color of a sunset. It gently blends into darker colors at the bottom, shades of deep red and black. There are so many shades in the dress, and as it swings ever so slightly in the man’s hands, I watch the colors ripple, like a burning flame.
It takes my breath away. I’d never think to wear a dress like that, but I trust Leo. He knows exactly what suits me if the pink dress from a few days ago is anything to go by.
“This dress was custom made for you,” the man tells me as he hands it over to me. “Mr. Harris had it made specially. He said that one day you might need it.”
If I ever had doubts about his feeling this gesture blows them all away. It proves that he did think about me way before the inheritance clause was ever an issue. It proves to the that he always cared. The dress is so incredible that I can’t stop staring at it. I hang it on the closet door to view it in all its glory. As I stare, a glass of champagne and the note are pressed into my hands.
“Enjoy your afternoon,” the staff tell me as they leave the room. I take a sip of champagne, hoping the bubbles might snap me out of my daze, but I’ve never been so shocked. I knew he’d pull something amazing out of the bag, but I didn’t think it would be anything like this.
I spend the afternoon working up the courage to wear the dress, drinking my non-alcoholic champagne, and rereading the note that came with it over and over again. I am supposed to be in the garden at nightfall, according to the note, signed by Leo. I feel nervous, but excited, knowing something incredible is going to happen when I step outside.
I eventually put on the dress and look in the mirror. I’m stunned at the woman staring back at me. I’m used to creating works of art, but right now, I feel like one myself. With smokey eyes and a bold lip, I feel like I’ve walked straight out of a fashion catalog. He’s made me feel like a million bucks, showing me once again how well he knows me. He’s made this night all about me, and I feel so special. Gone is the girl scared of her future, the girl who believed she would never get what she wanted.
This is me now.
And nightfall is nearly here. I put on the black heels that came with the dress and give myself one last look in the mirror. I feel so good that I can’t stop smiling. And then I begin the walk down to the garden, my head held high and my heart soaring. This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for.
As I’m heading to the garden, I bump straight into Rachel. She looks at me with disgust on her face.