Of Water and Madness (8 page)

“You make a good point,” she said before turning to Capri, ignoring Blythe’s derisive snort. “I have a map with the best bridal stores circled on it, and I was able to do some research and we should have plenty of dresses to choose from in the color you want.”

“Perfect!” Capri excitedly clapped her hands together, smiling at the two of them. “Oh, I should grab some money…I think I have a little bit stashed in my dresser…”

“Don’t worry about the money, it’s taken care of.” Rhiannon reached out to stop her, her lips curving into a warm smile.

“Yeah, you didn’t think we’d make you buy your own wedding dress, did you?” Blythe slipped an arm over Capri’s shoulders with a grin.

“I don’t know what to say,” Capri managed, her eyes filling as she looked from Rhiannon to Blythe.

“Just say thank you so we can get going.” Blythe winked at Rhiannon before turning to Capri, who let out a shaky laugh and threw her arms around her.

“Thank you.” She spun away from Blythe and hugged Rhiannon, who felt her own eyes welling with tears.

“You’re very welcome,” Rhiannon murmured, pulling away to smile at her friend.

“Hey, where’re you guys going?” Liam shuffled in suddenly, a half eaten apple in his hand that he cheerfully took a bite of as he stood before them.

“Dress shopping in New York,” Blythe informed him, already revved to go. “Wanna come?”

“Mmm…shopping’s not really my scene,” he began, getting that nervous male look on his face that came from dreading an onslaught of female pressure.

“Oh, but you have to come! Why didn’t I think of this before?” Capri looked a bit embarrassed but beamed prettily at him all the same, her gray eyes sparkling with humor. “You still have to get fitted for a suit.”

“I’m going with Rian and Brogan to get a suit.”

“They already have theirs.” Capri bit her lip, trying to hold back a laugh at the look of horror and betrayal in his eyes.

He glanced over to Rhiannon for confirmation, and she merely smiled. “I’ve seen Brogan’s suit, it’s very classy. He told me which store he purchased it from…it’s conveniently also in New York.”

“Well, damn.” He looked properly deflated as he scowled at Blythe, who had let out a hoot of laughter.

“Come on, it’s not so bad. You get to hang with three beautiful women all day,” she told him, wrapping an arm around him. “Perk up, or we’ll make sure to take extra time fawning over lingerie for the wedding night.”

“Lingerie, huh?” His eyes lit up as he looked straight at Rhiannon, who let out an impatient sigh.

“Not for me.” She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. “We’re just going to get a couple of things for Capri.”

“Mmm hmm.” He grinned, winking at her before turning to the other girls. “So, we leaving or what?”

Liam had only one word to describe New York City: exhilarating.

They’d arrived in a secluded section of Central Park, and had trekked their way out along winding pathways surrounded by enormous leafy trees and wide areas of open grass. It was a warm, sunny day in the Big Apple, and with the heavy humidity of lingering summer he knew it was going to heat up substantially during their visit.

Buildings sprouted up out of the ground all around them, bursting up toward the sky with windows that glittered in the morning sunlight. On the roads, cars honked and people sped swiftly down the sidewalks, heads down and content to be a part of the bustling madhouse that was city life. He personally preferred quieter and calmer scenes, but for the moment he was enjoying the speed and anonymity of urbanites. And with the three girls beside him, he could enjoy their reactions to the city as well as his own.

Capri was staring around in absolute wonder and excitement. She had never been to the city before, and the pleasure she felt just to be experiencing every little detail that was so foreign to her was obvious in her expression of pure, unadulterated delight.

Blythe, not unused to city life and accustomed to New York City in particular, was strutting around brimming with confidence and well worn city ethics. She scanned the crowds seemingly indifferently, but he knew she was looking out for possible danger. Cities harbored all kinds of strange and potentially harmful people, and a smart city dweller always kept their eyes peeled for trouble.

Rhiannon had her reading glasses on and her face buried in her map of the city, busy locating the shop they needed to hit first. He had to keep his arm around her to steer her through the crowded sidewalk, but he didn’t mind much. Without her practical ways, they’d wander aimlessly through the city for hours and accomplish next to nothing. As she was fond of saying to him, someone had to be the responsible adult in the group.

“Okay, so we have to go several blocks south to get to the first store. I think the fastest and easiest way would be to take a cab. Our appointment is at ten, and it’s already nine thirty, so we don’t have much time,” Rhiannon said suddenly, unearthing herself from the map to stare at them owlishly through her reading glasses.

“Oh, I’ve never hailed a cab before,” Capri said nervously, glancing around at the busy street.

“It’s no big deal.” Blythe flashed a quick smile as she stepped to the edge of the sidewalk and threw her arm out aggressively, waving at a cab that was cruising through the traffic. It swung toward them and stopped briskly in front of her. “See, that wasn’t so tough.”

Liam let the girls file in first before he climbed in and shut the door. It was a tight fit for four people, but they had managed it.

Rhiannon read off the address to the cab driver, who immediately pulled away and skillfully maneuvered through the traffic to take them to their destination.

After they’d arrived and Rhiannon had paid the cab driver with exact change plus a generous tip, they poured out of the car and stared up at the first store on their list.

“Oh my.” Capri held a hand up to her mouth to hide the giddy smile on her face. “Look at those dresses in the window!”

Blythe followed Capri to peer through the glass and marvel at the dresses on display, while Rhiannon hung back with Liam, recounting the money inside her purse.

“I’m sure you brought plenty of money, Rhia.” Liam slung his arm over her shoulder casually and grinned around at nothing in particular.

“Well, I brought twenty thousand, I hope that’s enough for all of us…these dress stores are quite expensive.”

“Jesus, Rhia.” Liam glanced around nervously, though in typical New York fashion, none of the pedestrians were paying any attention to them. “You shouldn’t advertise having that kind of cash.”

“I wasn’t advertising it,” she grumbled, though she immediately zipped up her purse and clutched it a little tighter. “Well, should we go in?”

He kept his arm firmly around her and turned toward Blythe and Capri, who were focusing on a wedding gown that looked like something straight out of Cinderella.

“Alright, stop ogling the merchandise. There’s plenty more to see inside,” Liam called out as he walked with Rhiannon over to the other girls, who shot him distinctively feminine dirty looks.

“Just like a man, wanting to rush everything,” Blythe huffed, though her lips curved into a devilish grin. “C’mon, Capri, let’s go find that dress in your size.”

“We have to sign in first, they most likely won’t take us until exactly ten, and it’s only…” Rhiannon glanced at her watch dutifully, “nine-fifty two.”

Blythe rolled her eyes and reached for Capri’s hand as she glanced over her shoulder at Rhiannon. “You take care of signing us in or whatever, since you’re so good at it. We’ll just go walk around.”

Though the comment was more than a little snarky, Rhiannon took it in stride. She’d had no intention of letting Blythe handle anything other than tending to Capri anyway. Blythe’s tomboyish ways would do nothing but insult their dress consultant, she was sure of it.

Liam held her closer and kissed the top of her head. “If I know you as well as I think I do, you want her to stay the hell away from the dress people.”

Rhiannon shot a glance up at him and smirked. “If she can manage to, we’ll have a much more pleasant experience.”

They headed into the store and approached the counter, and while Rhiannon was checking in, Liam took in the surroundings a bit warily, like a man entering some foreign land he heard harbors both beautiful and dangerous things.

The ceiling was two stories high and coffered, with gilded floral accents and Corinthian columns descending down to the pale gold polished travertine floor. The front desk looked like something out of a Greek palace, graced with miniature columns and flanked by decorative roses and gold leaves.

While the store was large, it was surprisingly calm and quiet, despite several groups of women strolling around looking at the vast displays of dresses on both racks and on mannequins. Soft, lilting music played overhead, and he could smell the distinct scent of jasmine flowers.

Feeling extraordinarily out of place, he shoved his hands awkwardly into his jeans pockets and waited for Rhiannon to finish signing in. A group of young girls that looked like they were barely out of high school walked past him and stared, and on instinct he smiled politely. When they burst into giggles and raced off, he frowned in confusion.

Rhiannon stepped toward him with a full catalog of all the dresses and accessories cradled in her arms, her eyes on the girls as they disappeared around a corner. Amused, she looked up at Liam’s confused expression and couldn’t help but smile.

“They think you’re cute,” she told him, surprised he looked so awkward. He had always been such a charmer and a flirt; she’d been convinced he was that way with every girl.

He managed a half smile, but shot a look over his shoulder toward where the girls had gone anyway. “All I did was smile at them.”

“And you should know that any girl with a pulse would get weak kneed at the sight of that smile,” Rhiannon purred, tilting her face up to his, inviting him in with a slow curve of her lips.

“Is that so?” His hands came around to grasp her waist, bringing her in closer until his mouth was brushing over hers. “And here it was I thought you fell for my sense of humor.”

“It certainly didn’t hurt.” She sighed when he kissed her, and silently thanked God he was hers.

“Excuse me, Miss O’Connor?” A slender and elegant woman with cropped black hair and raven eyes questioned, one eyebrow raised at the couple before her. It was highly uncustomary for a client to bring her fiancé to a wedding gown fitting…but, then again, she’d seen weirder things in her time.

Rhiannon broke apart from Liam and faced the woman, fighting to regain her composure. For a brief moment she hadn’t recognized the name, since it was only a name she used when in the human world.

“Yes, hello.” She smiled politely, holding out her hand to take the woman’s. “You must be Eileen?”

“Yes, it’s lovely to meet you.” Eileen shot a curious glance at Liam, who was lingering behind Rhiannon, looking more than a little nervous. “And are you the husband to be?”

Liam looked at the woman questioningly, his eyebrows raised, but Rhiannon cut in to correct her.

“No, no, the appointment isn’t for me. I scheduled it for my friend Capri. We’re not engaged.” Annoyed that she felt flustered, Rhiannon cleared her throat and let out a calming breath. “She’s over there, looking at the jewelry.”

Eileen spun around and spotted the tall, willowy blonde and the spunky redhead browsing the earrings section before turning back to Rhiannon.

“Well, let’s collect them and we can get started.” She smiled, motioning with her arm before leading the way toward the private dressing rooms.

About an hour later, Liam sat comfortably on the guest sofa in their own private dressing area, looking laid back and entertained while the girls were locked in dressing rooms trying on the gowns Eileen had brought them. Capri had tried on three different dresses so far, none of which had passed the test, and Blythe was on her fifteenth dress. But Rhiannon had been locked in her dressing room with her one and only dress for over half an hour, and he was starting to wonder if she had fallen asleep in there.

But when the door cracked open slightly, and he saw her peek her head out cautiously, he grinned.

“You alright in there?” he asked, humor in his eyes at the scowl she sent his way.

“I’m just fine,” she replied defensively, glancing around to be sure the coast was clear. “Can I show you this dress and get your honest opinion?” she asked, eyeing him pleadingly. “Don’t lie if it looks bad, okay? I want the truth.”