Kelsey parked in front of the dress shop a little while later and headed in to find her sister. Brynn was talking to one of the employees when Kelsey walked in, and Kelsey gave a little wave. Brynn excused herself and hurried over to Kelsey, giving her a big hug. “I’m so glad you made it. And God, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever. You’re so tan.”
Kelsey laughed. “Being on an island vacation will do that to a girl.”
Brynn tilted her head in a way that said she saw right through Kelsey’s smile. “Things went okay?”
“Oh, you know, a little swimming, a lot of sex, a bit of a broken heart, but I’m still in one sober piece, so there’s that.”
“Aww, honey.” She gave her another squeeze. “I’m sorry.”
Kelsey waved her sympathy away. “We’re not here to boo-hoo about me. I’m here for the fun stuff. Get me in this dress that’s stolen your heart.”
Brynn clapped her hands together with glee. “I think you’re going to love it. It’s a fifties vintage.”
“Sweet, I’m already sold. I love fifties style.” Kelsey followed Brynn to the dressing area with a grin, her sister’s enthusiasm contagious.
Brynn reached into one of the unoccupied rooms and brought out the dress.
“Oh, my God,” Kelsey breathed, taking the hanger from her and holding the dress out, instantly in love. It was gorgeous, strapless, and ruby red. The fitted bodice gave it a sexy flirtiness, but the skirt of gathered tulle layers was pure vintage perfection. It was exactly the type of dress she would’ve picked for herself. “I want to marry this dress. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll go on a liquid diet before the wedding.”
Brynn laughed. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. But let’s try it on.”
They went into the dressing room, and Brynn fussed over her and helped her get it on, tugging everything into the right place and adjusting as needed. Finally, Brynn looked her up and down and nodded. “Turn around.”
Kelsey spun around and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her boobs were plumped up by the bodice, the waist cut at just the right place, and the tulle skirt hit her right past her knee. She did a little twirl. “It fits!”
Brynn pressed a hand to her chest like a proud mom. “It looks like it was made for you.”
“So we’re good, right? This is the one?” Kelsey asked, turning to her and rocking on the balls of her feet.
Brynn bit her lip. “Would you mind staying for a few more minutes? They have their hair and makeup person doing demos tonight and I want to see how everything will work together.”
Kelsey stared at her, amused. “You’re serious?”
She shrugged, a little sheepish. “I’m a perfectionist.”
“You’re nuts, but I love you. And sure.”
Half an hour later, Kelsey’s hair was in an intricate up-do and her makeup had been applied with expert skill, bringing out the blue in her eyes and the angle of her cheekbones but not looking overdone. Kelsey stood on the center platform between a trio of mirrors. “So, now do we have a winner, bride-to-be?”
“I’d say so,” said a familiar voice.
Kelsey spun around so fast, she almost knocked herself right off her heels.
Wyatt stood at the entryway of the dressing area. In a full tuxedo. He smiled that dimpled smile of his, looking like a movie star who’d just stepped off the red carpet. “You look amazing, Kelsey.”
Her tongue was like a dry sponge lodged in her mouth. She forced herself to breathe, to swallow. “What are you doing here?”
He grasped his hands behind him, a little tentative. “I thought maybe you’d let me give you a bit of normal tonight. Make up for something you deserved but never got.”
She stepped down from the platform, her heart like a bass drum in her ears. “I don’t understand.”
He walked over to her with measured steps like he was afraid she was going to run away if he moved too fast. But he never took his eyes off hers. He stopped an arm’s length away and pulled something from behind his back. “Kelsey LeBreck, would you go to prom with me?”
Her gaze dropped to the clear box in his hand and the delicate red and white corsage contained within. “Prom?”
He opened the box, pulled out the wrist corsage, and took her hand. “Just say yes, love.”
She didn’t understand what was going on. Thoughts were firing in her head at hyper-speed, but none were making any sense. Prom. Wyatt. Corsage. Wyatt. Dress. Wyatt. None of it mattered except the Wyatt part. Having him this close again, seeing the hint of mischief in his eyes, hearing that low, cajoling voice, she could only do one thing. She said yes.
He gave her the full wattage of his smile, kissed her hand, then slid the corsage over her wrist. “Thank you. I even have the white horse this time.”
She took his arm, wondering if she’d actually fallen asleep in the dressing room or hit her head on a sharp object. Maybe she was having some weird drug flashback. “This isn’t my dress. We can’t walk out—”
“It is and we can.”
“What?”But he didn’t answer; he simply kept moving forward. On their way to the door, Kelsey scanned the store for Brynn, but she was nowhere to be found. Reality finally clicked into place. Her sister—normally the world’s worst liar—had duped her? “Brynn knew about this?”
“That sister of yours is like a barracuda when it comes to protecting you, but you were right—she’s also a hopeless romantic.”
Holy shit. It’d all been a ruse? She shook her head, stunned. “But I told you I wasn’t.”
“You used to be. Maybe I can change your mind again. And if not . . .” Wyatt grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers, then pulled his expression into a fiercely serious one. “Come with me if you want to live.”
She stared at him for a second, then let out an embarrassing snort laugh. “Okay, you’re right, Terminator 2 won’t exactly work here.”
“Guess you’ll have to settle for my way, then.” He smiled and she thought he might kiss her, but then he seemed to think better of it and led her outside. At the curb, a horse-drawn carriage awaited them.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she blurted, unable to hold back her reaction.
Wyatt patted the horse’s brown mane, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Okay, so he’s not white, but I promise, he’s very noble.”
She put her hand to her forehead, almost giddy with how wonderfully bizarre this man was. “He’s perfect.”
You’re perfect.
Wyatt helped her into the carriage and then climbed in next to her. “Ready?”
“Yes.” And she was. Finally.
* * *
The moonlight gilded the grass in Wyatt’s backyard, mixing with the glow from the white sparkle lights that had been hung from all the trees, and retro pop music drifted across the wide expanse of property. A temporary dance floor had been assembled in the middle of the yard and tables lined the edges of it, each with candles flickering in their centers. And Kelsey and Wyatt weren’t alone.
Familiar faces, all glammed out in prom dresses and tuxes, filled the tables: Jace, Andre, and Evan; Charli and Grant; her sister and Reid; and Kade and Janessa, another domme from The Ranch. It was the school dance she never had, only more lovely and filled with people she actually cared about. Kelsey turned to Wyatt, and he offered a ghost of a smile, a shimmer of vulnerability in his eyes like he was still scared she was going to bail.
“I can’t believe you did all this.”
He pushed an escaped lock of hair behind her ear. “I wanted to give you something you never had. I know this is over the top and that I told you I would give you space. But I’ve spent my career knowing how to spot a good bet. And we’re a good bet, Kelsey. I don’t want to walk away from that. I don’t want to walk away from you.”
Her eyes closed, and she breathed in his words, absorbing them, feeling the truth behind them. When she opened her eyes again, all the confusion and fear that always tried to shroud her happy moments fell away like dead leaves. She stepped into his space, sliding her arms around his waist. This was Wyatt. Running faster. Like he promised. And finally, she wanted nothing more than to be caught. “Take me to prom. Sir.”
He let out a long breath as if he’d been holding it for weeks and looked down at her, cradling her face in his hands and brushing away tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. “I want to give you the world, Kelsey.”
She pressed her cheek into his palm, smiling, feeling as if she was exactly where she was supposed to be. “I don’t need the world. Just you. I love you.”
The pleasure that broke across his face nearly had her crying again, but he cut off that reaction by leaning down and capturing her mouth in a long, lingering kiss. Sweet and tender, the taste of him was like water after a trip through the desert. God, how had she ever thought she could live without this, without him? All the times in her life she’d thought she’d been in love seemed like ridiculous playacting now. This soaring happiness inside, this trust that they could work through whatever came their way—that was what love felt like.
Wyatt reached down and lifted her up, never breaking the kiss as he wrapped her legs around him. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him back hard, letting all the ugly stuff that had pushed its way between them fade to the back of her mind. She was strong enough for this. She deserved a chance at happy.
She deserved him.
Applause and a lewd whistle came from their left. She and Wyatt broke away from the kiss and turned their heads to find everyone on their feet. Her cheeks went hot. “Sorta forgot we had an audience.”
Wyatt grinned and set her on her feet to face everyone.
“Aren’t y’all supposed to break out into a synchronized dance number now?” Kelsey called out. “I’ve watched those movies. That’s what happens at prom, right?”
Jace grinned from the center of the crowd. “I tried to get these bastards to pull off that number from Footloose, but Andre kept stepping on my feet.”
Kelsey tipped her head back, laughing, and Wyatt picked her up again, spinning her toward the dance floor. “Let’s get this started. Because there’s only one thing better than prom.”
Her feet touched the ground, and he tugged her against him as a new song began. “What’s that?”
His grin turned wicked. “Losing your virginity afterward.”
EPILOGUE
eight months later
Wyatt clicked through to a different report, scrolling through the last two years of numbers for a tech company he was considering investing in, but the numbers were blurring at the edges. He pushed his glasses atop his head and rubbed his eyes. He’d worked right through dinner and suddenly he felt both brain dead and famished. He wasn’t used to this kind of late-night schedule anymore.
Kelsey had told him she’d be studying with a group at the culinary institute tonight and wouldn’t be home until late. Apparently, soufflé baking was kicking all their asses. But he was determined to stay awake so he could see her before bed. He had a surprise for her he couldn’t wait to share. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, the sound echoing off the walls of his home office, and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a minute.
Maybe just a little power nap.
“Egg white omelet with spinach and cheddar and two slices of turkey bacon, extra crispy,” a soft voice said. “Would you like coffee with that, Mr. Austin?”
Wyatt’s eyes snapped open, and he pulled his glasses back down. Kelsey, like a vision from a dream he was on the verge of having, smiled and set a plate in front of him, leaning over far enough so that he saw straight down her top—her waitress top. Oh, fuck, yes.