"I brought you a little something for good luck," she said, holding open her palm to show a small, silver and crystal pin in the shape of a rose.
"Oh, no, Charlotte. I couldn't. This marriage doesn't require any luck. We already set it up to fail," I said, my cheeks heating.
"Well, then, it's good luck for you," she said. "Please, let me. My mother gave this to me on my wedding day and I don't have a daughter to give it to, nor will I have any granddaughters. It would mean the world to me if you would accept it."
"I really couldn't," I squeaked, trying not to tear up.
"How about just for today?" She smiled hopefully. "You can give it back if you want." She clapped her hands. "Oh, that's even better. Something borrowed."
I let out a laugh on a breath. "Okay. Only if you'll let me return it."
"Here," she said, leaning in and pinning it to the bodice of my dress. She leaned away and smiled gently. "Lovely."
Not able to help it, I threw my arms around Charlotte, inhaling the calming scent of talcum powder. She laughed a sweet sound and hugged me back. "Now then," she said gently.
At two o'clock I walked up to the main house where Grayson was leaning casually against the stone front. He was wearing a pair of khakis and a blue, button-down shirt. I tried not to note how strikingly handsome he was—it served no good purpose. When he heard me approaching, he looked up and I caught a brief flicker of surprise in his eyes, and then it was gone.
"Ready?" he said simply, making no comment about how I looked. I nodded.
Neither of us spoke for the first five minutes of the ride in his truck. I finally turned to him and his gaze was on my bare legs. I crossed them and his eyes flew to mine. He clenched his jaw. Did he think my outfit was too casual?
"Grayson, I'm . . . I'm sorry about your father's bottle of wine."
His shoulders seemed to release just a bit as he stared out the front windshield. "It wasn't entirely your fault. You couldn't have known that such a valuable bottle of wine would be sitting in the living room. And I did push you to that point, I admit. I'm not innocent for teasing you about your . . . list. I'm sorry, too."
I exhaled even as I felt my cheeks flush at the mention of my list. "We're even, then?"
He gave me a slight smile. "Even. Especially considering you're paying me back for it today." He turned his face to me and gave me a devilish smile that made my heart stutter in my chest. But then it gentled and I saw he was making a joke.
"Ready to pledge forever? Or at least twelve months?" he asked, eyeing me sideways.
I laughed a nervous laugh. "As ready as I'll ever be, I figure. This isn't exactly how I pictured my wedding day."
"No? Pictured the big white dress and all the crème de la crème of society in attendance?" His eyes lingered on me for a second.
It was true. When I'd been engaged to Cooper, that had been what I’d envisioned for my wedding, mostly because that was what my father and Cooper had envisioned. But that had never been my dream. I had just been trying so hard to please them both.
I smiled, but it felt sad on my own lips. "I suppose." I wasn't going to go into all that with Grayson, especially not right now. His eyes searched my face for a few quick moments, but then he looked back to the road, not saying anything.
The mood between us was still slightly tense after that and neither of us spoke, each busy with our own thoughts. Although Grayson had said I was forgiven about the wine, he still seemed a little tense, if the tick in his jaw was any indication each time he looked at me. Ah well, after today, we'd avoid each other. I'd offered my apologies and he'd accepted. If he still harbored a general hostility, it made no difference to me whatsoever. I bit down on my lip until it hurt, trying to distract myself from any thought at all. I didn't want to think about this. I didn't want to consider what I was really doing.