Page 28 of Then Came Love
“No,” he said solemnly. “We are going to design it.”
“We…?” Was he talking about his team?
“You’re too talented not to take the lead in the design process.”
Her heart stumbled. “You want to design it with me?”
“Absolutely. I think we’d make a great team. What do you say?”
Her mind spun. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“It’s your wedding gown, Jordan. You can’t disappoint me.”
“But I have to work.”
“We’ll get together in the evenings.”
Seeing Jax every night was dangerous. She liked him more every time they were together. She shouldn’t do it, but gosh, she wanted to! “I can’t on Friday or Saturday. Todd’s coming to town, remember?”
“We can work around your schedule and still get the dress done. Don’t worry. I won’t disappoint you.”
Why did she have a feeling he meant that in a bigger way than just the dress? And worse, why did she want to find out for herself? She’d thrown caution to the wind more times in the last forty-eight hours than she had in her entire life, and she knew she was walking a tightrope. The trouble was, she wanted to take that chance. She might not believe in fate, but the way he was looking at her, like he was waiting for her answer with bated breath, made her want to believe in destiny. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Great.” His smile broadened. “After we eat dessert, I’ll show you where the magic happens.”
She had a feeling he could make magic happen anywhere he so desired. “Designing with you is a really big deal for me.” For many reasons, including some I’d rather not think about. “I’m too nervous to eat.”
“It’s a big deal for me, too. Let me put the desserts in the fridge, and then we’ll go up to my design studio.”
A few minutes later she carried her sketch pad upstairs to his studio, which was everything she’d dreamed of as a little girl. Sunlight flooded in from enormous windows, spilling over drawing tables covered with sketches. Mannequins were draped in partially finished gowns and bodices—winter white, soft ivory, sky blue, and black-and-gold. Fabric and lace were draped over the tops of, and pinned to, enormous fabric boards on wheels. Inspiration boards lined the perimeter of the room, with dozens of pictures and sketches pinned to them, and running down the center of the studio were long tables littered with measuring and sewing accoutrements, pencils, books, and more sketches. Beneath each table were dozens of rolls of fabric stacked on shelves.
“Wow, Jax. Your studio is amazing.”
“Let’s be honest. It’s a mess in here, but I have several designs in the works, and I learned a long time ago not to suffer over my surroundings.”
“I don’t see a mess. I see creativity coming to life.” She walked over to the sky-blue gown. “Is this a wedding gown?”
“It will be.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. Is it for someone famous?”
“Yes, but unfortunately I’m not at liberty to disclose who it’s for.”
“I understand. I wasn’t asking for you to breach a confidence. It’s magnificent.” She walked around it, admiring the pearl and lace embellishments. “When I think of wedding gowns, I think of white, but I can see a bride wearing this for a spring or summer wedding, or even a winter wedding. Ooh, that would be gorgeous. And this one…” She made her way over to the black gown. The bodice was embellished with gold threading and sequins.
“That’s for a bride as well.”
“I would think a black gown would feel goth or give off a dark or sad feeling, but this is elegant and feminine. It’s magical.”
“Thank you. I hit a few snags, but it’s getting there.”
She turned to look at him, so handsome in a black button-down and slim-fit plaid trousers, both of which looked like they were custom made for him. Which, she realized, they probably were. “Okay, it just hit me.”
“What did?”
“Todd’s mother and my aunt are starstruck about me working with the Jax Braden, but you’re so laid-back, I don’t think of you like a celebrity. But you are one, and deservedly so. Somehow in my head, the designer Jax Braden is separate from the Jax I’ve been getting to know, which sounds weird, doesn’t it?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “No, it sounds about right. I’m just a guy who designs wedding gowns, and in some circles I’m a pretty big deal. But I’m glad you don’t see me as an arrogant designer.”
“I never said arrogant.”
“It kind of goes with the territory. Those women probably imagine a guy who puts on airs and expects people to kowtow to him.”
“Yes, I think that’s what they expect you to be like.”
