Renegade Path

“Kiss me,” he demanded.

“Always.” I cupped his cheeks and mashed my lips to his, sealing our promise.

Chapter Sixty-Five

Juliet

Butterflies wouldn’t stop chasing each other in my stomach. I lifted my gaze to the mirror but instead of looking at my own reflection, I watched Vienna moving behind me.

“Are you nervous?” she asked, adjusting my veil.

“A little, I guess.”

“Who would’ve thought you’d be marrying your locker buddy,” she joked.

“I did,” I whispered. “There was something about him. I think I knew the day we met.” I couldn’t imagine a life without Roman in it.

“Yeah, I could see it, too.” Instead of the teasing I expected, Vienna leaned in and hugged me tight. “I’m so happy for you two.”

My eyes prickled. “Don’t you dare make me cry,” I scolded, pulling away.

“Trust me, I won’t.” She circled her finger in front of my eyes. “I did such a damn good job, I should be a makeup artist instead of studying biology.” She picked up the tube of liquid eyeliner she’d used on me and waved it in my face. “This stuff’s like paint, though. A few tears won’t wash it off.”

“Great.” I peered in the mirror and admired her work. I barely recognized myself. Whatever she’d done with the liner made my eyes look bigger and bluer. “It looks great. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Someone knocked on the door. “It’s me,” Dex shouted.

“I’m all dressed, come in!”

He appeared in the doorway. “Can you give us a minute, Vienna?”

“Sure. I’ll go check on the golf cart.”

“Thanks, V,” I called after her.

I held my arms out and twirled in a circle. “What do you think?”

No answer.

I stopped spinning and took in Dex’s serious expression.

“Stop looking at me like that, Uncle Dex,” I warned.

“How am I looking at you?”

“Like you’re going to cry. If you cry, I’ll cry. Vienna will kill us both if she has to re-do my makeup.” He didn’t need to know my liner was allegedly bulletproof.

He scoffed but at least the melancholy lines around his eyes softened.

“Don’t tell me we’re too young, either,” I added. Enough people had expressed that opinion while we were planning our wedding. I was tired of people judging us.

He rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I was thinking at all. Although now that you mention it…” He tapped his finger against his cheek in a playful way.

“Dex!”

The smile slid off his face. “I was thinking how much I wish Debbie was here to see you.” He smoothed his hands in the air in front of me. “You look beautiful.”

I swallowed hard over the lump in my throat and tugged at the light, airy fabric at my hips. “You think I look wedding-ish enough?”

“You’re a beautiful bride.” He reached out to flick a stray piece of netting from my veil away from my eyes.

I’d chosen an elegant white sundress embroidered with dozens of tiny sunflowers and daisies that gave it little pops of color in yellow, orange, and light green. Thick, ribbon-like straps in orange and yellow tied at my shoulders. The flared skirt fell to my knees. Sunny yellow leather ballet flats seemed more appropriate for the terrain than heels, so that’s what I’d chosen. They’d been expensive but I’d be able to wear them again after today.

Around my neck, I wore Roman’s butterfly pendant.

“You need one more thing.” Dex reached inside his cut and pulled out a small teal velvet box.

I blinked and stared as he handed it over. The slightly rusted hinges creaked as I flipped the lid open. I gasped and pressed my hand to my chest, my jaw dropping. “They’re beautiful.” I studied the simple but elegant earrings. Yellow gold metal caps carved to resemble flower petals extended into twisted stems holding a diamond and freshwater pearl at the bottom. The metal looped into a small oval with a clasp at the back. I wasn’t an expert, but they had to be expensive. Something about them tickled a memory at the back of my mind.

“Debbie wore them when we got married,” Dex explained in a slow, raspy voice. “She wanted to pass them to our daughter…” He glanced away. “She’d want you to have them.”

Now I knew where I’d seen the earrings. In their wedding pictures. Tear pricked my eyes. I threw my arms around Dex’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Uncle Dex. They’re so beautiful. I promise I’ll take good care of them.”

He patted my back gently. “I know you will. Come on, let’s not mess up your dress and everything.”

I pulled away and carefully pinched the fabric of my dress into place. “Did you tell Vienna about these?” I asked as I set the box in his hand and plucked one of the earrings out to work into my ear. “She was adamant that I didn’t need to wear earrings today because they’d get caught in my veil.”