Page 67 of Irresistibly Wicked

“How else would we know what was happening in our kids’ lives if we didn’t gossip?” Ginger said lightly. “Everyone needs some girl talk, right, Shauna?”

“Honestly, I’ve never really had girlfriends to talk with,” she admitted. “I mean, I have friends at pole class, but we don’t socialize outside of class.”

“I never did either before these girls swept me into their nest,” Sid said.

“Wait a minute. Can we back up? Shauna, you take pole classes? Like pole dancing?” Chloe asked.

“More like exercise, not dancing. It’s great for upper-body strength.” Shauna turned to look at her, but Madigan tugged her head back.

“Hold still or you’re going to have rogue curls,” Madigan chided. She was standing in front of the mirror, holding a lock of Shauna’s hair. “I’m almost done.”

“Sorry,” Shauna said. “I could’ve just kept my ponytail in. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

Madigan waved the curling iron. “If you say that one more time, I’m going to put this where the sun don’t shine.”

“She’ll do it,” Sidney warned.

Shauna pressed her lips together in mock fear, which made everyone laugh. They asked a dozen questions about her pole classes, and she told them they should come try one.

“I’ll definitely take a class with you,” Madigan said. “Tobias will love it!”

“Can I take a class?” Lettie asked Reese.

“Sure, if you want Blaine to lock you in the basement,” Reese teased, and Lettie rolled her eyes.

“Okay. Done!” Madigan set the curling iron down and stepped aside.

As the girls gathered around, oohing and aahing, Shauna stared with wonder at her reflection. She didn’t recognize the person with silky waves and slightly smoky eyes looking back at her. Her hair was shiny and full, her makeup soft and subtle, transforming her from an on-the-go girl to a beautiful young woman.

“Oh, sweetheart, you are radiant,” Reba said with awe.

“Gorgeous,” Chloe said.

“She looks hot,” Lettie clarified with teenage enthusiasm.

“You are truly lovely,” Ginger said, touching Shauna’s shoulder. “What do you think, honey?”

“I’m blown away. This feels like a dream. Is that really me?” She laughed nervously.

“It better be, or Zander will kill us,” Sidney said.

A knock sounded at the door, and Shauna popped to her feet, her nerves catching fire.

“Just a minute!” Reba called out as the girls ushered Shauna into the bathroom to change her clothes.

The bathroom was quiet, amplifying Shauna’s thundering heart, and the soft hum of conversation on the other side of the door as she changed into her jumpsuit and put on her sandals.

She stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the halter top on the jumpsuit. It was as soft as butter and fit even more perfectly than she remembered. The expression on Zander’s face when she’d walked out of the dressing room flashed before her, and heat slithered down her chest. That was a look she’d never forget, and one of the main reasons she’d chosen the jumpsuit. It felt like her, simple, comfortable, and dressy enough to show Zander how much she appreciated his help.

She swallowed hard and pressed her fingertips to the sink for stability against the nerves weakening her knees. She drew in a few deep breaths, trying to match the woman in the mirror to the one who had signed up for this. A courthouse wedding felt more contractual, easier to deal with. Some paperwork, a few signatures, and empty words. A means to an inheritance. But the woman staring back at her didn’t look transactional. With her makeup done and her hair cascading in gentle waves over her bare shoulders, she no longer looked simple or casually dressy. She looked like a bride.

Her chest constricted.

This is really happening.

It wasn’t just the ceremony and legal vows. Zander’s family and friends rallied around not only him, but her. Madigan was definitely a Wicked, bossy and take-charge, but sweet and endearing, and his mom…God. Reba had said the nicest things, and she sounded like she meant every single one of them. Shauna would have done anything to have a mom like that when she was growing up. And the others? None of them treated her like she was a temporary visitor in their world. They treated her like family. Like Cap treated her.

Oh no. Cap.