Page 165 of Bride By Initiation

Fiona rolls her eyes. "Please. We welcome a night out without you. Come on, Zara." She grabs my hand, pulling me through the penthouse and into the bedroom. She adds, "This place really is badass."

My heart soars at her praise. "Yeah. Sean did an amazing job, didn't he?"

"Yeah. I didn't think he had it in him. Much better scene than his old place," she states, and pulls me into the closet. She slides hangers of dresses across the pole, then tugs out a little black dress. "Wear this one."

"Okay."

She glances at my shoe rack and selects a pair of stilettos. "These. Come on, let's go do your hair and makeup."

I laugh. "You're serious about this?"

"Yeah. All the girls are waiting. Come on."

"The girls?"

"Our cousins. Duh. Now, hurry. We don't want to be late."

We step into the bathroom, and she pulls out the seat under the vanity.

I sit down.

She picks up my curling iron and turns it on.

I cautiously ask, "So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"I'm always going to be mad at you. You and my brother are idiots," she declares, then smirks.

I laugh.

"I mean, you still need to tell me things," she adds, pinning her gaze on my reflection.

Anxiety builds within me. "Fiona, you're not going to try to get into this all night, are you?"

She sighs. "No. I shouldn't have brought it up. Not tonight. Come on. Let's get ready."

Our discussion turns to lighter topics, feeling more like it used to be, and part of me is relieved. There are still issues between us, and I wish there weren't any, but it's nice to feel like we're normal again.

It takes a half hour for her to do my hair while I finish my makeup. Then I get dressed, slip into my stilettos, and Sean walks into the room.

He announces, "He's making me leave now."

"Don't act so upset about it," Brax scolds.

Sean tugs me into him and kisses me, warning, "Be good tonight."

"I don't think I'm the one who has to be reminded of that." I huff, suddenly feeling like maybe this isn't such a great idea. I know what Brax and Sean are capable of when they're loose on the town. So I glance at Brax, threatening, "You two better behave. Remember, he's already married."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Brax says, waving his hand.

"I'm serious."

"Don't worry. I'll be good," Sean declares.

"Come on, driver's downstairs," Fiona says, grabbing my bag and handing it to me.

I glance back at Sean. "Have a good night."

"Be good," he repeats.

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