Surreal (Divine Trilogy #3)

by R. E. Hargrave

  “You didn’t drive up this morning, did you, Jillian? You would’ve had to be up awful early.”

  “No, dear.” She tossed back her auburn hair, elongating her leathery, tanned neck to laugh. “I’m way past doing early mornings. Malcolm had business in town yesterday, so I came up with him. We’re staying at the condo.”

  “Mom, ladies,” Jayden tipped his head to each of them, “we can catch up tonight at dinner. Now let’s get this show on the road, because the sooner the move is done, the closer this wonderful woman comes to being all mine.” He lifted Erin’s ringed hand to his lips, laying a possessive peck on her knuckles near the black gem.

  “You heard the man, girls. We’ve got money to spend!” Jillian said.

  They dispersed, Paige stopping to hug Landon and getting an ass smack for her efforts.

  Erin handed her apartment keys over to Jayden, giving him a farewell kiss before she joined Jillian and Paige in the hired car. Jillian stuck her head out of the window and informed the boys they’d bring dinner back when they returned.

  Landon stood next to Jayden, shaking his head and waving at the trio as they pulled away.

  “Alright, boys, let’s do this.” Jayden clapped his hands and the quartet ascended the stairs to Erin’s apartment.

  *~*~*

  Before the driver could pull the car out of the parking lot, Jillian was talking a mile a minute. Paige seemed to be following it all, but Erin felt lost while she watched them banter like a tennis match.

  “Whoa, slow down. We’ve got all day and the only actual appointment is at the dress shop. Paige is meeting the seamstress who will be doing the custom work on her gown.”

  Paige and Jillian shared a look.

  “What?” Erin was on alert at once.

  “Erin, sweetie,” Paige began.

  “Oh, no. This isn’t about me today, Paige. We’re doing stuff for your wedding, not mine. Jayden and I haven’t even set a date yet.”

  “And? Your point is?”

  Jillian took over, “Because you two haven’t pinned down a date is all the more reason to get busy straight away. There is so much to sort out and plan—”

  “I don’t know. In my mind, I kind of thought it would be small and quick.”

  Paige snorted at that, and Erin kicked her friend in the shin before she said something not suitable for Jillian’s ears.

  Jillian leaned toward Erin to lay a manicured hand on her knee. “I’ve waited almost forty years for my son to get married. This is one event that will not be downplayed if I have anything to say about it.”

  Erin felt her eyes begin to lower under the intensity of her future mother-in-law’s stare. Paige nudged her knee, which reminded her that submitting to one Masterson was quite enough.

  “Surely you’ve got some ideas, Erin? A general time frame and colors, for instance.”

  The young woman’s thoughts went to the ink encircling her waist. It captured her heritage, the red and green braiding a permanent reminder of her Irish roots.

  Paige clapped. “That dreamy look means yes!”

  Across from her, Jillian relaxed into her seat with a smug grin, and Erin threw up her hands. “Fine. Bear in mind that I haven’t discussed any of this with Jayden yet—and no decisions will be made without him.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Give us the goods, girl,” Paige said with a snicker.

  “Well, I don’t want white.” She glanced at Jillian and was relieved her preference didn’t seem to be an issue. “I’ve always liked ivory—it’s more down to earth. For accents, I was thinking red and green. Oh, and for flowers,” she smiled at the secret she shared with her Dom, “I’m pretty sure Jayden will want orchids.”

  “Good, keep going.” A notepad had materialized in Paige’s hands, and she was scribbling at a furious pace.

  Erin shook her head in amusement. “I like roses, too, so maybe we can combine them?” She continued to ponder aloud. “As for when, that will all depend on when Jayden can take time off from work—”

  “My dear child, that boy would move mountains for you. If you have a special date you want, I assure you that business will not keep him from making it happen.”

  “July twenty-fourth.”

  “What was that?”

  “It’s the day my maimeo passed. July twenty-fourth. My whole life, I always thought that if I did get married, it would be on that day—to honor her memory.”

  Jillian’s eyes softened. “My son found himself a rare treasure. Our family is so fortunate to have you joining it, Erin.”

  Erin reflected that the son’s jewel had become the mother’s treasure, and she beamed.

  Paige continued taking notes. “July, huh? Well, that gives us nine months. Piece of cake, right?”

  They laughed, and then Erin settled in to enjoy her girls’ day out. Their first stop was the florist. No surprise, Paige and Landon—meaning Paige—had chosen to go with yellow roses for all the floral pieces for the ceremony and reception. Around the yellow would be dusky pinks and soft peaches, creating a sunset in bloom.

  While her friend tried to bribe the florist into including out-of-season—and illegal—bluebonnets in her bridal bouquet, Erin was off to the side, admiring the orchid case. A particular plant with deep crimson blooms appealed to her and made her think of her lover.

  “It matches your hair—I think it would be the perfect choice. Maybe some white rose buds tucked in around them?” Jillian whispered over Erin’s shoulder.

  The flowers were rather pretty, and she could easily picture them in a waterfall bouquet held in front of her while she walked down the aisle. Erin took out her phone and snapped a quick picture to show Jayden later. For good measure, she also took a close-up of the label with the orchid’s information. Cymbidium; Khan Flame Lucifer. Kind of ironic that her chosen flower would have her dancing with the devil, so to speak.

  Next up on Paige’s to-do list was running by a local business, The Soap BARista. She was building her wedding around a beach theme since Landon had proposed at the beach, and she wanted to have custom soap and lotion sets done as thank-you gifts for the wedding party. After much deliberation and scent-sampling—which ended with all of them sneezing—Paige selected a hibiscus and coconut set for the ladies. A ‘driftwood bonfire’ set infused with coarse sea-salt for optimal exfoliation would go to the men. The ceremony details would be printed on the labels, which would be in complimentary sunset colors.

  Before they left, Erin also ended up purchasing some soap that reminded her of Jayden. The natural ingredients made the finished bar look a bit earthy, like him—his amber eyes, the warm tone of his skin, and even how his hair shifted from brown to black like wood grain. However, it was the scent that won her over in the end. Infused with saffron and honey, the smell was simply . . . Jayden. She had to buy it.

  By that point, the ladies had burned off their early morning coffee and pastries and were approaching starvation. They found a little hole-in-the-wall Tex-Mex diner and soon were gorging themselves on a family-style taco sampler. With chicken, beef, shrimp, and fish tacos to choose from, everybody was happy.

  “It’s a good thing we’re not doing measurements today, just discussing the design elements, because I must’ve gained ten pounds in there,” Paige said upon their exit from the restaurant.

  Groaning and holding her stomach, Erin agreed. “Maybe I’ll just nap in the car while you guys go into the dress shop.” She was feeling nervous about that particular errand all of a sudden.

  Jillian and Paige each hooked an arm through Erin’s and all but dragged her back to the waiting car while she mumbled, “I’m guessing that’s not an option?”

  CHAPTER 6

  The girls chatted while the car made its way back across the Metroplex. Jillian relayed stories about her grandkids. Erin was excited to see everyone later that month for a big Thanksgiving feast at the Flying M Ranch. It sounded like the twins were growing up way too fast.

  Their conversation drifted through vari
ous topics—Erin’s work, how her Da had settled in as part of the crew at the Ranch, and Landon and Paige’s honeymoon plans in Jamaica.

  The last had Erin fighting not to laugh. She knew the couple were booked into a BDSM retreat on the island. However, Jillian did not, and Paige’s answers were as vague as possible.

  In spite of a midday traffic jam on the George Bush Tollway, they managed to arrive at Tailored by Tanner with ten minutes to spare.

  Diane, the dressmaker’s assistant, welcomed them with a broad smile that displayed chemically whitened teeth. After collecting their drink requests—sweet tea all around—she disappeared into the back.

  To pass the time, Erin strolled around the compact sales floor, browsing.

  London Tanner made one-of-a-kind dresses. When a wedding gown was custom, the price tended to fall into two categories—“a lot” or “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

  Paige wanted a pirate-wench gown done in peach and white seashell colors. Erin had sat in on their initial consultation and had not asked about the cost afterward. The thought of that much money being spent on a costume that would be worn for just a few hours was ludicrous.

  London’s business was steady enough that she was able to spend her days consulting and designing. The physical production of the dresses was left to her crew of skillful seamstresses. This left her time to create about one gown each month to go on the rack at a lower price. The catch for the reduced price gowns was that London designed each piece with a certain body type in mind. If a bride loved a dress and it wasn’t in her size, too bad.

  Erin froze, her eyes landing on an ivory strapless gown mounted on a dress form in the corner. Though it wasn’t quite finished, it had an understated simplicity, and she was drawn to it. A moment later, she was fingering the draped material of the lower skirt. Chiffon, and it feels so luxurious. The thought pulled a tiny giggle from her. She couldn’t believe she was getting excited over a dress. It was so . . . girly. How could she resist the gown, though? It made her think of a Greek goddess but with a modern edge—the sharp points of the bodice’s edge and the angular ruching over the torso gave it a corseted look. When she stepped back to take it in, it dawned on her that the gown looked about her size.

  A bustle of activity erupted behind her.

  “Hello, hello, hello.” London made a grand entrance. “I’ll be with you momentarily, my darlings. Let me put my things down and grab the designs—”

  “I have them here, Miss. Let me take your bag.” Diane stood by, ready to swap with London.

  “Ah, wonderful. Remind me to give you a raise, Diane. Paige, Erin, lovely to see you again. And who is this?” London turned her attention to Jillian.

  “This is my fiancé’s mother, Jillian Masterson. She’s up visiting from Sweetwater. Jillian, this is London Tanner.” Erin watched the women size one another up and rolled her eyes. She’d never understand high society. “I love the dress you’re working on in the corner, London. Is it for a customer?” Maybe a distraction would move this along.

  London tossed her head back and laughed. “Aren’t you an observant little thing? In fact, it is, but we’ll talk more about that later. First, I’ve got some amazing ideas for your wedding ensemble, Paige.”

  London’s voice faded into the background. The knowledge that the dress was spoken for hit Erin with an unexpected sadness and disappointment. Even so, she turned her head to look at it again and sighed. The longer she looked, the more convinced she became that it would fit her. If only she’d known what she wanted when she’d come with Paige last time, Erin could’ve put a bid in with London. Now some other bride would be wearing her perfect dress.

  “Oh, what a great idea, and I love the color. What do you think, Erin?”

  Paige’s excited twang brought Erin out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry, my head drifted for a minute. What did you say?” Out of her peripheral vision, Erin noticed that Jillian was observing her with a curious look on her face.

  With a frown, Paige reached out to touch Erin’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay, sweetie?”

  “I’m fine, silly. Show me.”

  They spent the next half hour perusing sketches of Paige’s gown and her bridesmaid’s dresses from multiple angles. London had nailed Paige’s vision for her dress and had delighted her with a wrap-style bridesmaid gown design that would be fun but formal. Done in deep coral, the dresses would fall to mid-thigh and were designed to look like bathing suit cover-ups, except with fancy pleating and jeweled twist work at the neck.

  “You’re pleased, then?” London asked.

  “Absolutely. What you’ve come up with, London,” Paige clasped her hands and beamed, “has captured my vision and then some. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to see them finished.”

  Relaxing, the designer let out a breath. “Well, that will be the next challenge. February isn’t much time, Missy.”

  Paige blushed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know what I wanted, not until Landon suggested we echo our beach trip. Once he said that, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and I came straight to you.”

  “No worries, dear. I have every confidence my girls will get your order ready with no mishaps. Now, I’m going to let Diane take you to the desk and sort out your payment and fitting schedules while I have a little chat with Erin.”

  Erin’s eyes snapped over to the woman. Had she done something wrong?

  London had a soft smile playing at the edge of her mouth. “Jillian, would you be a doll and join us?”

  Jillian agreed at once. Erin fell into step behind the two women and soon found herself back in front of the ivory gown. “As I was saying earlier, Erin, you are observant. I think you know that I take on side projects when inspiration strikes?”

  She nodded, her heart catching in her throat.

  “Well, I was inspired when you came in last month with Ms. Halston.”

  Now Erin’s mouth popped open while the pieces began to fall into place. “Oh? How’s that?” She brushed an errant red tendril from her forehead, trying to keep her encroaching excitement tamped down.

  London turned to the dress and waved her hand over it. “This.”

  Happy tears began to prick at the corner of Erin’s eyes, and she felt the smile spreading on her face.

  “You were so subdued and patient while I talked with her. After you left, I envisioned this beauty. I sketched it at once, along with some ideas for bridesmaids and flower girl dresses. Those are still on paper, but I wanted to have the gown ready today to surprise you. Of course, the price will be reduced since I was taking liberties.”

  Next to Erin, Jillian scoffed. “Money really isn’t an issue for my son.”

  “Regardless,” Erin coughed, a bit embarrassed, “I’m gobsmacked at the gesture, London. Thank you. I’ve not been able to take my eyes off the thing since I noticed it. Even at full price, I’d buy it. It’s just what I wanted without knowing it.”

  London squealed, and it was odd seeing the usually composed woman let her hair down.

  “Wonderful! Let’s have you try it on so I can see how close I was on your size, and then we’ll see about setting a time to go over the rest of the sketches.”

  Blinking, Erin found herself in a whirlwind of activity when Jillian ushered her into the changing room. Behind them, London followed with the dress.

  “Everything off but your panties,” the designer ordered, drawing the curtain closed across the opening. “Given the bodice design, you won’t be wearing any brassiere with it, so I need to ensure we don’t leave it too snug or too loose.”

  Eager to see the dress on, Erin yanked her shirt off and unclasped the front of her bra without thinking. She tossed her bra to the side then moved to step into the gown.

  “Good God, Erin! What are those?” Jillian had one hand over her mouth in apparent shock while a shaky finger pointed at Erin’s chest—where her son’s initials dangled.

  Oops. At least she’d worn high-wais
t panties today—her tattoo hadn’t been revealed. Wouldn’t that have been awkward? Her mind was looking for an explanation but coming up blank. She knew their Lifestyle wasn’t an open topic between Jayden and his parents. Shit, shit, shit.

  “Oh, Jillian, you know how the young kids are these days. Ink and metal all over their bodies. Though, I have seen some beautiful artwork,” London said, taking the lead.

  Erin exhaled, blowing the curls back from her face. More locks had come loose when she removed her shirt.

  “But why an initi—”

  “I did it for Jayden,” Erin blurted out, cutting over Jillian, whose eyebrows rose with her sharp intake of breath.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, um, like London said, it’s a . . . thing. Anyways, I did it as a surprise for Jayden, to, um, well, show him that I belong to him . . .”

  Jillian blanched, and Erin could’ve kicked herself. Jesus, she was fucking this up.

  “Suck in, and puff those girls out,” London ordered while slipping the dress up over Erin’s hips and torso, covering the offending jewels.

  Easy enough, she thought and inhaled a jagged breath. The bodice cinched against her like a corset. Though snug, for the first time since this ordeal started, Erin relaxed, and her mind cleared. She felt safer when bound.

  The silence was broken when Paige sauntered into the crowded changing room and her mouth dropped open. “Jayden’s going to bust a nut when he sees you in that!”

  It was so crass, and so Paige-like, that Erin burst out laughing, and the others joined in. Catching her breath, Erin caught her friend’s eye across the small space. Paige winked. Sneaky girl. Erin owed her one.

  The distraction seemed to do the trick, and once everyone had convinced Erin she had to get married in London’s design, they finished up and piled back into the car. For the moment, the incident seemed forgotten. After stopping at the spa to get mani/pedis done, they picked up some curbside dinner from a nearby restaurant and were soon on their way back to the Villa.