Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

AMARA

As soon as I’m done with my shower and throwing a robe on, there’s a knock on the door. Nervously, I tuck the belt tighter, hoping it isn’t Fionn telling me we’re leaving for the wedding earlier than anticipated.

The thought of seeing him again fills me with both excitement and nervousness. After what happened earlier, I don’t know how to act around him. And knowing I’ll be gone tomorrow and will never see him again makes me sad too.

With a sigh, I look through the peephole to find a woman I don’t recognize. She’s wearing a hotel staff jacket and holding some bags.

She probably got the wrong room. Because I definitely didn’t order anything.

“May I help you?” I ask, opening the door to the attractive blonde.

“Are you Miss Emily?”

“Uh…” My face scrunches in confusion. “Yes?”

“I’m Hannah. Fionn sent me.”

Still puzzled, I glance at all the stuff she’s holding. “For what, exactly?”

“Well, he chose some dresses for you for tonight’s wedding and wanted me to bring them over, as well as do your hair and makeup.”

He did what ?

She appears excited, while I’m staring at her all bewildered.

I can’t believe he did that. A smile tugs at my lips. The man continues to surprise me.

How has a stranger done more for me than anyone else in my life? The thought causes a pang in my chest, but I brush it off.

“Sorry. Please come in.”

She struts inside, placing the stuff on the sofa. “I have two gown options in two sizes for you to try on.”

She removes the garment bags and hangs two on each of the doors of the closet.

Once she unzips them, my eyes grow. “They’re gorgeous.”

My fingers run down the red silk gown with sparkly straps, a V-cut, and a small sweeping train. There’s no way I can pull that off, but I still want to try it on. The other is black with a rhinestone belt and a strapless sweetheart neckline. They’re both stunning, and when I look at the price tags, I gasp.

Oscar De La Renta.

Each one twenty grand. Two. Zero.

Oh my God… Now I know what Cinderella felt like.

Except I don’t have a fairy godmother. He’s more of a…rich, sexy godfather.

I want to head into his room and tell him how crazy this is. He shouldn’t be spending this kind of money on me. I’m not his girlfriend or his wife.

But maybe to a man like him, this is pocket change. To me, though, twenty grand is life-changing. I could do so much with that money, like pay the overdue bills we have.

“So, which is your favorite?” Hannah calls my attention.

“They’re both beautiful.”

“Oh, good. I’m so glad you like them. How about you go and try them on? There are shoes in this bag too.” She lifts one up.

“Sure.” I nod.

She brings all the items to the bedroom, waiting on the other side while I decide what to wear first. Settling on the black one, I slide into a pair of small-heeled silver sandals, which are surprisingly comfortable. It’s like he knew I wouldn’t be able to walk in super high heels. Then I’m stepping into the gown, pulling up the side zipper.

With butterflies in my stomach, I head for the full-length mirror, and when I see myself, tears fill my eyes.

I look beautiful.

When have I ever thought of myself that way?

Emily would die if she saw me right now. I’m unrecognizable, and Hannah hasn’t even done my hair and makeup yet. I barely wear any makeup, and that’s because I don’t know how to apply it even after watching tutorials, so I can’t wait to see what she does.

Heading for the door, I come out to show Hannah.

When she sees me, her brows shoot to her hairline. “Wow! It looks like it was made for you.” She seems genuinely excited for me. “He chose some jewelry for you as well. I can help you put it on so you can see how it all looks.”

I nod, choking up on my emotions. I’ll never forget this day for as long as I live.

She removes a couple of small black boxes, opening the first to reveal large sparkly studs.

“Wow. They’re so pretty.”

“I know.” She starts to put the first one on, then the next. “Best part is you get to keep them.” She removes a matching bracelet, thin with diamonds that sparkle like bright stars.

“Really?”

I’ve never owned anything remotely this expensive. I mean, I don’t have to know the cost to know it’s highly valuable.

“Really.” Hannah puts the boxes back in the bag. “He bought them for you.”

Wow . My head spins at the sweet gesture.

But I’ll have to hide them from her when I get home, or she’ll sell them.

“Want to try the red dress on now?”

“Yes.”

I don’t even want to take this one off, but I want to see what the other one looks like too.

“Wait until he sees you!” She gives me a knowing look.

“Oh…” I wave off her comment. “It’s not like that.”

Her face upturns in surprise. “Really? When he came into the salon, he made it seem like you two were dating.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

I swallow the thick knot in my throat. Why would he do that?

“No, we just met today. He’s been nice, but that’s all this is.”

“Hmm. Okay.” She shrugs a single shoulder. “It’s just that I’ve known him for a few years and he’s never done anything like this for a woman before.”

That’s probably because the other women could all afford twenty-thousand-dollar dresses.

“Let me go try on the other gown.”

The faster this conversation ends, the better.

“Sure, I’ll be here. After you choose one, you can put your robe back on so I can start on your makeup.”

“Thanks.” Returning to the bedroom, I slip into the red one, keeping on the same shoes.

When I return to the mirror, my breath freezes in my lungs. I instantly know this is the one. The dress hugs my waist and thighs, then flares out. I’ve never worn something so beautiful in my life.

When Hannah sees me this time, her mouth pops open. “Wow… This is the one.”

I laugh. “I think so too.”

My hands run down the softness, and I love how it makes me feel: classy and sexy.

“May I make one small suggestion, though?” She grimaces.

“Sure.” My pulse bangs in my ears, unsure of what she’s about to say.

“If it were me, I’d skip the panties on this one.”

“Oh…” Glancing down at my hips, I can make out the outline of my underwear. “Is that what women do with dresses like these?”

“Mm-hmm. Some.” She smiles, trying not to make me uncomfortable, but fails, because this is embarrassing.

I’ve never gone anywhere without underwear before. But I don’t want to draw more attention to them either.

Ugh. This is so weird.

“Thanks for letting me know. Guess there’s a first time for everything.” My face heats up, and she lets out a laugh.

“You’ll be fine, I promise. I remember the first time I did that and felt just like you. But now it’s second nature.” She removes a square case and unzips it. “We can start on your makeup now if you’re ready.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go change.”

Excitement builds. I’ve never had a makeover before.

When I come back out, I settle on the chair she’s grabbed while she spends the next half hour on my face. Then it’s time for hair.

When she’s done, she examines me carefully. “I think you’ll be really pleased.”

Picking up a mirror, she tries to show me, but I stop her.

“I want to put the dress on first before I look at myself.” My cheeks burn from how wide my grin is.

“Of course.”

She starts returning everything into her bags while I head into the bedroom, sliding back into the shoes and dress.

With gradual steps, I head for the mirror, my throat growing tight with anticipation. When I finally see myself, I barely recognize the girl staring back at me.

“Oh my God…” I whisper, getting closer to look at my makeup.

My cheeks are shimmery with a soft pink blush. My eyelids have a deep brown hue to them, and my brows are perfect and filled. I part my pale pink lips, looking at my intricate updo, a few strands surrounding both sides of my face.

It’s then I see Fionn in my mind, wondering what he’ll think.

When I come out this time, Hannah gushes, “Boyfriend or not, Fionn is gonna lose his mind.”

She winks, heading out the door, and as soon as I’m alone, my hands grow clammy.

And I realize there’s nothing I want more right now than for Fionn to want me enough to do something about it.