Page 154 of Pretend To Be Mine

“I thought I was already family.”

“You were. But now it’s official.” He grinned. “Which means I can really give you shit at family dinners.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Mimi hugged me next, holding on tight. “I’m so happy for you both. Your father would have loved her,” she said to Adrian.

“He would have,” Adrian agreed, his voice thick with emotion. “He would have said she’s exactly what I needed.”

“He would have been right.” Mimi kissed both our cheeks. “Now, let’s have some champagne to celebrate. Briggs, get the good stuff from your father’s cellar.”

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of champagne and toasts and planning. Mimi already had ideas for venues. Sebastian was insisting on a destination wedding, which I was absolutely against. Dash wanted to design the invitations.

Through it all, Adrian kept me close, kept looking at me like he couldn’t quite believe this was real.

I knew the feeling. It was too much. Too perfect. Too impossible.

“What are you thinking?” Adrian murmured in my ear during a break in the chaos.

“This feels like a dream. Like I’m going to wake up and be back in my old apartment, waiting tables, none of this real.”

“It’s real.” He lifted my left hand, where the sapphire caught the firelight. “See? Evidence.”

“I see it. I’m just having trouble believing it.”

“Believe it.” He kissed my temple. “You’re stuck with me now, Laramie. No takebacks.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Later, much later, when we’d finally escaped back to Adrian’s penthouse and collapsed onto his couch still dressed in our dinner clothes, I looked at the ring again.

“It’s perfect,” I said.

“So, about this dress you’re designing.”

“Oh, I have so many ideas.” I was already sketching in my mind. “Something romantic but modern. Classic silhouette but unexpected details. Maybe that heart motif from my logo worked into the lace.”

“You’re already designing it.”

“Of course I am. This is the most important dress I’ll ever make.” I looked up at him. “I want it to be perfect.”

“It will be. Because you’re making it.” He kissed me softly. “Just like everything else you create.”

“Adrian?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“For proposing?” he asked.

“For taking a chance.”

“Thank you for saying yes. Both times.” He smiled against my hair. “Once when I asked you to be my fake fiancée, and now when I asked you to be my real wife.”

“Best decision I ever made. Both times.”

“Agreed.” He pulled back to look at me seriously. “I love you, future Mrs. Blackwell.”

“I love you too, future Mr. Laramie-Blackwell.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“We can hyphenate. Very modern.”

“Absolutely not.”

I laughed. He kissed me to shut me up. I couldn’t wait to start the rest of our lives together. A year ago, my big goal was getting a job in the fashion industry.

And now I was marrying the top dog in the industry and designing my own line.

And my own wedding dress.