Page 43 of Sweet Oblivion

“I might need a little help.” My smile fades. “Cracked ribs.”

“Shit, sorry.” She wiggles it over my head as carefully as possible. “You’re going to have to take the bra off once the dress is on.”

“How are you related to Ryker?” I ask as I slide the straps of my bra down, and Caitlin settles the dress around my hips.

“Our moms are sisters,” she tells me as she fixes the tiny buttons on the back of the gown. “And our dads are brothers.”

“What?” I try to look over my shoulder, but this woman literally takes my face and turns it back to the wall.

“No peeking until I have you all fixed.”

“Fine,” I mumble and stare at the wall. “So your mom and Lenny are sisters and your dad and Bash are brothers?”

“Yup. It’s kind of a crazy story. I’ll tell you one day after Sunday dinner.”

“Nonna’s dinner?” I ask, remembering Ryker mentioning that before too.

Caitlin grabs the heels and places them in front of my feet, so I can slide them on. “Yeah,” she hums. “Nonna has been big on family dinners the past six months or so. Pretty sure she’s a hundred years old now, and I think her mortality is getting to her. She likes having us all under one roof as often as she can. My oldest brother has been out of the country for a while, so we’ve been down a few of us, but the rest of us try to get there as much as we can. It’s rare that it’s all of us, but we try.”

“That sounds . . .”

“Insane?”

“I was going to say nice,” I admit while she takes my hair out of the bun it’s tied up in and fluffs it down my back. “Can I?—”

“Wait,” she stops me, then pokes her head out of the door. “Evie, can I have—oh, thanks. Perfect.”

Without her even asking, she was handed a veil.

Almost like Everly and she share a brain.

A moment later, she has it fixed in my hair and is tugging the dress in a few directions.

“Okay, now you can turn around.”

I said yes to the dress

#futuremrsbeneventi

I swear I stare at my first Instagram caption for far too long before I give in and post the picture of Ashton, Lenny, and me all gathered in front of a pretty Everly Wilder Designs sign. What I don’t expect is for my phone to immediately ding in my hand.

Olivia

Good girl. Love the post. Now get one on there of you and my cousin. Women love him. Your follower count will skyrocket even more than it already has. Make sure to tag him in it too. I want this wedding trending.

Delaney

Thanks, I think.

I refresh the screen, then do a double take.

How do I have ten thousand followers already?

I lay out Tori’s food, then grab my cup of tea and the book I picked up today from Dillan and decide maybe I’ll read a little before I go to bed tonight. But as I stop next to the couch, I’m struck again by the pillow sitting on top of the neatly folded sheet and blanket. Ryker’s meticulous about straightening up before he gets moving in the mornings. But he can’t go on like this. That man is too big for my tiny couch.

I step toward my bedroom as the bathroom door opens and steam billows out, followed by a very damp, very shirtless Ryker. And, oh Mylanta. That ink I like so much covers every inch of his muscled chest. Not just muscled. No, his chest looks like it’s been chiseled from granite. And his abs... His abs have abs. Super defined ones. Ones that lead down to a perfectly carved V that dips beneath the towel tied at his waist.

I suck in a breath so hard, my ribs protest at the action.