Page 118 of Bombshell

“Of course.” I bend and lift her onto my hip. She’s had a growth spurt since her fifth birthday and her legs dangle too far for my tender mother’s heart. I’m not ready for her to grow up, but I can’t stop her. I glance down, finally able to see her drawing. There are three stick figures, two tall and one a bit smaller along with a black lump with ears. “Who did you draw?”

“You and me and Sterling and Zeus,” she chirps. Her eyes widen and she wriggles in my arms. “I forgot something!”

I place her on her feet and she adds something to the paper. She picks it up, cradling it to her chest, and then folds it in half.

“What did you forget?” I ask.

Her eyes twinkle like her father’s, and it takes my breath away. “It’s a secret. I drew it for Sterling.” She bites her lips before wagging a finger at me, beckoning me closer. “Mommy, I have a question.”

I will never get tired of hearing her call me that. I kneel beside her and nod seriously.

“Is Sterling…” she trails away before getting a burst of courage “...my daddy like you’re my mommy?”

I’m momentarily stunned into silence. We’d been warned that she might figure it out or ask, even that she might overhear one of us say something carelessly. I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. “Well…” I search for the delicate, but truthful answer and realize there’s only one. “Yes. He is your daddy, but it’s okay to have big feelings about that.”

Ellie nods, clutching her picture for him close. “Do you think he would let me call him Daddy like I call you Mommy?”

I nod, unable to form words past the lump in my throat. “I think he would love that.”

“Can you give this to him?” she asks, adding quickly, “But don’t peek at it!”

“It’s bad luck for a bride and groom to see each other before the wedding. Can I give it to him after?”

She looks seriously unimpressed by this idea, and I see another flash of Sterling.

“I’ll take it to him,” Sutton offers, already in her dress, and I startle. I had no idea she’d been listening. “Anything you want me to tell him, pipsqueak?”

Ellie starts to shake her head and stops. “Yes, please tell him to save me a dance.”

It’s such a formal declaration that Sutton and I can’t help sharing a smile.

“Will do,” she promises before heading to the study where Sterling and the boys are waiting before the ceremony. She looks relieved to get away, and I can’t blame her. She’s more comfortable around her brother and his friends.

The door to the bedroom opens and Poppy comes in, her arms laden with a blue garment bag. She’s buzzing with excitement as she lays it across the King-sized bed. Everyone in the room stops, even the stylist curling Trish’s hair, as she unzips it and carefully removes my wedding dress from the bag. Poppy spreads it over the bed with reverence before turning shining eyes on me.

“You’re getting married,” she whispers.

“I know!” I burst out in tears and she gives me a fierce hug, pulling back to check my make-up in a panic. I blink, my lashes wet from crying. “Don’t worry. It’s waterproof.”

The girls help me into the dress, buttoning, zipping, and adjusting, and when Poppy smiles, I turn to look in the mirror. I’d chosen the gown because my first thought when I saw it was that it looked like something out of The Great Gatsby. Its ivory silk bodice is beaded with elegant pearls that continue to the skirt which hugs my hips ever so slightly, enough to showcase my curves but still allow me to move freely—another of my demands. I have no desire to spend tonight feeling uncomfortable. I’m going to dance under the stars in the arms of my forever.

Loose lace sleeves flutter from its straps to my elbows. The lace that continues across the back is secured with four covered buttons that allow glimpses of my skin to peek through before it gathers at my tailbone and flows into a delicate train that puddles behind me. I feel like I’ve stepped into a dream.

“Are you sure about the veil?” Poppy asks as she helps me clip a diamond barrette in my hair. She’d made me buy one just in case I changed my mind.

But I haven’t. My hair is curled and pinned loosely at the nape of my neck, with a few soft tendrils brushing my shoulders. “I want to be able to see him clearly.”

Enough things have come between us in the past. Today, nothing, not even a veil is going to do that.

“So, you’re sure about this?” Poppy teases as we stare at the mirror.

“I’m all in.”

* * *

Sterling

“An excessive amount of flowers were just delivered, according to Poppy,” Kai informs me as he joins us in the study. He hands me a card as Jack pours him a drink.