September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(58)

“Um, I don’t know about this one, Ky.” I emerged from the tiny changing room to a fit of giggles from Jez who stood there wearing a pink disaster far worse than my own.

“Oh dear.” Kylarai frowned and sipped from a glass of water. She had declined the champagne that the store clerks had handed out to us. “That one looked a lot better on the rack. Ok, take it off. We’ll try something else.”

“What are you laughing at?” I asked Jez. “You look like a walking bottle of Pepto.”

“Hey,” she protested, flipping me off. “The 80s called. They want their sleeves back, Lex.”

Poor Kylarai’s frown deepened. She’d found it funny during the first few dresses we had tried on. Having a rushed September wedding was stressful, and I didn’t envy the workload she had to deal with.

“What else have you got?” I asked Ky, retrieving my champagne glass from a small table off to the side of the change rooms. For the first time in my life, and likely the last, I would have rather had tequila. Willow was becoming a bad influence.

“Lucky for you both I’ve been saving my favorites for last. I knew you would hate those ones. I thought I’d have some fun with you.” Before I could turn away Ky held up her cell phone and snapped a pic of me in the hideous pink number. “This is so going on the internet.”

“What?” Jez and I both said simultaneously. My laughter was genuine then. It was greatly needed after the night I’d had. “Not cool, Ky. Not cool at all.”

The sales lady returned with another tray of champagne. Jez happily grabbed one, and I watched her take a large gulp. She caught me staring and shrugged it off.

“Settle down, Lex. It’s just champagne. Would you like me to pee in a cup for you?”

“And if I said yes?” I challenged with a smile, hoping I didn’t hurt her feelings.

She groaned and adjusted the pink thing hanging from her slender frame. “Don’t go there. You have no idea how hard it was to get Kale to leave me alone at my apartment. He was like an overprotective parent.”

Good. Instead of saying that aloud, I said, “He cares about you. Is that a bad thing?”

Knowing she had no retort for that, Jez turned to Ky and held out a hand for the next dress. With her grey eyes sparkling, Kylarai pulled two more off a nearby rack and handed one to each of us.

“I hope you guys like these; they really are my favorites.”

I retreated back into the dressing room and hastily struggled out of the nightmare I was wearing. “Here,” I announced, tossing it over the top.

The newest dress was actually pretty. I was more of a pants and boots kind of girl so that was saying something. It was the palest of pinks, soft and warm, easy on the eyes. I slipped into it and adjusted the corset style bodice to fit my frame. Laces tied up on either side, giving it a feminine quality that I found appealing. The skirt was cut above my knees in the front but fell to my ankles in the back. A sheer layer of tulle underneath gave it just enough poof to make it flow behind me. The dress was so gorgeous it could have almost been a wedding dress itself. Even with the dark circles beneath my eyes and the loose, messy blonde locks clipped atop my head, I was awed by how lovely it looked.

“Kylarai, this dress is beautiful,” Jez gushed from her dressing room. “It’s way too gorgeous for a bridesmaid. I can’t possibly wear this.”

I exited my tiny room to find her emerging in a long one-shoulder number that fell to the floor. It was cinched at the waist with a silver decorative piece. The skirt flowed as she walked, cascading around her like a pale pink cloud.

We looked at each other and both squealed. “You look amazing,” I gushed. To Ky, I said, “She’s right. We can’t look this good at your wedding. Isn’t there some rule that bridesmaids are supposed to look like crap?”

“So you like it?” She asked, relief obvious in her face. “I want you both to be beautiful. What good are wedding photos if everyone looks like shit but the bride? I want everyone to be a knockout that day.”

“When do we get to see your dress?”

“As soon as it’s ready. It’s being altered.” Ky paused, and her face flushed. She pushed her shoulder length brown hair back and grinned. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m getting married so soon. Are you sure it’s ok that we have the wedding at your house? Your yard is just so perfect.”

It did my aching heart good to see that smile on her face. On impulse I pulled her into a hug. She smelled especially wolfy, pine and musky fur. Breathing in her scent of wolf and perfume, I was reassured. Good things did happen to good people. “If anyone deserves a fairytale love story, Ky, it’s you. If my yard is what you want then it is what you shall have.”

When she pulled back unshed tears glittered in her eyes. Her smile couldn’t possibly get any wider. It was adorable.

“Go take those things off so we can keep them perfect for the big day. If you need any alterations made, make a note of that, and I’ll have it done right away.” She dabbed her eyes and ushered me back into the changing room. I was disrobing when she called, “Are you going to tell us what’s up with you? Or are you going to keep pretending everything is peachy?”

“What are you talking about? There is nothing up with me.” I was glad she couldn’t see my face. Hopefully she wasn’t close enough to smell my lie.